Why have I been successful?

Starting Weight: 189 Current weight: 167

I've used the Weight Watchers program a few times to lose weight, but nothing seemed to stick. To be honest I don't think I ever really tried that hard. This time, for some reason, it's been much different! The past 3 months haven't just been about losing weight, it's been about becoming a part of a community and changing all of my habits. 

So what have I done different this time to make it stick?

I joined this group on the Weight Watchers website for people in their 20s. Seriously, this small act changed everything. It turned the idea of losing 30 pounds from a challenge into a completely possible (easy even) task. The people (mostly girls) on this group were invaluable! For one thing, many of them had already had success on the plan and were sharing their tips and stories, but two they were all so supportive of each other. They know so much, and were sharing all of that information. If it weren't this group I'm sure I would have given up.

Couch to 5k. I can't say that is was all the program that got me into running. It had a lot to do with my determination. C25K really got me moving. I needed some sort of regimen (I still do!) for my week and I got exactly that. It was hard. It was really hard, actually. The fist time I got up on that track I was just running a minute, walk a minute and a half, but I got so out of breathe and pushed so hard that I started getting tunnel vision and almost blacked out! I really took my time with the program. If I didn't feel comfortable moving to the next week, I didn't. Simple as that. In my eyes, I was doing it. I didn't care how fast or slow I completed the program. In the end I didn't really finish it. I got to the point where I was running 27 minutes without stopping and I took it from there on my own. The program I was using there are a bunch out there) focused on running for a certain time, I switched it up and started focusing on distance. I didn't see the shame in walking if I needed to. In the end I ran the 5k I'd signed up for and I did it without walking, and under 35 minutes! Definitely a PR for me ;). 

Another thing that has made or break my success is simply following the plan. I follow it as close as I possibly can. I calculate the points for everything, I hardly ever guess. I bought a heart rate monitor so that I know exactly how much credit I should be getting for the activity I'm doing. I eat all of my points allotted for the day, but I don't just eat anything that has low point values. I eat fruits and veggies (but only in the allotted amounts), I drink LOTS of water, I try (try being the key word) to get my daily oils in, I get my calcium in and then when I have room at the end of the day I have dessert. I'm human! I like sweets. Sometimes that sweet stuff is ice cream, sometimes it's fruit and yogurt, and sometimes I resist the urge. I've tried my hardest to make this a lifestyle change and so I don't limit myself. If I did, I would resent the plan and not follow it. When I do go off plan, I always count and track, even if I go into the negative.

I also did a lot of research. Every body is different and responds differently to weight loss, but in the end it comes down to caloric in take. You eat too many and don't burn any of it off then you'll gain weight, if you work out you might need to eat more so your body doesn't hold on to that fat for dear life, so on and so forth. You've got to find what works best for you! So far I think I've found what works for me and I'm not slowing down any time soon!