Veggie Week (almost as exciting as Shark Week)

I’m currently doing Weight Watchers, and every week I blog a bit about what I’ve learned and experienced, and whether I’ve lost or gained weight for the week. I take notes in the weekly meetings and post them, too.

This week had a “learning experience”: I had gelato one night and got a tough lesson about being really hungry at 10 pm if you choose ice cream for an 8 pm dinner. (It was totally worth it, and also, wahoo for being an adult and having ice cream for dinner sometimes, but I won’t do it again.)

Over all, though, I had a week full of excellent eating. In the Weight Watchers world, we were all about vegetables and fruits this week so I made special efforts to get in lots of them. It was fun to try new things. Cauliflower roasted, yes! Okra, heck no! Too slimy! Spaghetti squash gave me the closest thing to a religious experience I can hope for, and it’ll be a new staple around here.

I did the weekly challenge successfully: 5 out of 7 days, fill your plate with half veggies. I was feeling pretty good.

Then Saturday happened.

I went to a baby shower in Boston. It was ladies only, so Rob stayed behind in Brooklyn. I missed him, and because of a whole bunch of stuff going on, I was stressed to be without him for 24 hours. My reaction to that stress was that I went out to dinner and turned into a Hoover vacuum.

“This comfort eating!” I realized. I never had a problem with “comfort eating” before, and if I comfort ate in the past at all it was never a conscious action. To tell the truth, I was more excited to recognize what I was doing than I was dismayed at doing it.

“Hmmm. I should probably stop now that I realize what this is,” I thought. But I didn’t. I popped open another pat of foil-wrapped butter and slathered it on my second roll. I ate all of my dinner even thought it was enough for two. I got the cream-based soup, too. (Salad? Puh-lease.) I skipped dessert (it was carbs I was after… carbs and butter) but went for the whole-milk cappuccino.

Then Sunday happened.

Our buddy Dan has a new apartment and a new meat smoker, so he wanted to make us ribs. His girlfriend made some sort of sexy “banana cream and bourbon” pie with homemade whipped cream. I was still recovering from Saturday, but… you know. I was at someone’s house! It’s rude to not eat at least three huge ribs, and a huge serving of pie! Right?

Anyway.

The five days I wasn’t shooting Weight Watchers to hell seemed to keep me on track for the week and I lost 1.2 pounds. That 10 pound mark is on the horizon! It might get here sooner if I focus a little more, but so far so good.

This week was about Non-Scale Victories, those little things you do to feel good when the scale is stuck. My notes on the meeting are below the jump.

There really aren’t a lot of notes this week!

Weight Watchers is not just about changing your weight, it’s about chaing your life.  It’s the clothes that fit, the energy you have, the pushups you can do.

Non-scale victories: making good choices, having clothes that fit, having more energy, feeling more fit, being comfortable in your own body, check out your filling foods intake.

What do you do to keep on the road when you are veering off?

Modify exercises and know that at least your habits are still in place.  (Walk vs. Run so you are still in the habit of getting out there.)

Weekly challenge: eat three colors of fruits and veggies this week every day.