One Year Recap

It has been a year since I hit my goal weight, so it seems like a good time to do a quick check-up on my maintenance progress.

So far, maintenance has been going well. I am still at my goal weight. In November I gained 2 pounds, but in December I just did a better job of watching what I ate and I lost the 2 pounds.

I have discovered that it is very important to track what I eat, and while that is a little annoying, it isn't difficult. If I don't track, I gain, but when I track I stay right on target.

I continue to work out 5 days a week with Fitness Blender. I don't love working out, but I have accepted it as part of my routine and it feels good to fit in a quick work-out each day.

My cooking has changed quite a bit, but in a good away. Thank goodness for Pinterest! There are so many great Weight Watchers recipes, which really just means healthy meals made with veggies as the main dish instead of carbs. For example, last night I made a delicious dinner of stuffed sweet potatoes and homemade bread. It's not something I would have made before, but it was a great dinner and super healthy. Lots of wins there.

I have discovered that I can splurge on sweets once in awhile, too. If I eat well during the week, then on the weekends I can eat desserts and eat out at restaurants without any problems. It's all just a balancing act of learning moderation- treats on the weekend, not so much during the week. I'm fine with that because I don't feel deprived and I can still enjoy eating with friends and family and on our date nights, without worrying about gaining the weight back.

I just finished a book that I HIGHLY recommend for everyone, not just people trying to lose weight- though it is incredibly powerful for anybody trying to lose weight, too.

It's called, "It Was Me All Along" by Andie Mitchell. She also has a blog Can You Stay For Dinner with a ton of delicious, healthy recipes. I plan to use this book for book club- it was a great read.

I am really grateful that I am teaching my kids healthy habits and making them healthy meals. Growing up, we din't eat healthy at all.  I'm glad that my kids eat spinach and sweet potatoes and oatmeal and such, and that it's just normal for them. Cooking isn't my favorite thing in the world, but sitting down at the dinner table and enjoying a fresh, homemade meal is- so the ends justify the means.

Anyway, so far so good.

I have heard a lot of people say that they could keep the weight off for one year, but by year two they had gained all their weight back. I wonder if it is because they stop tracking and stop worrying about their portions. I imagine after awhile one starts to think, "I know how to do this. I don't need to count points," or, "I've been good for over a year, I can have that second helping of pie," and so it just comes back because one stops thinking about how to keep the weight off. I think that is why tracking is so important, which I plan to continue.

I have also heard from many people that once you hit 40 it is really, really hard to maintain weight. I only have a few years to go before that milestone, so I need to prepare myself.

But, for now, I'm at a good place. And I'll take that.