Week 2: Chocolate Cake and Wedding Rings

Total Weight Lost: 4 lbs
Total Waist Lost:  1.25 inches

I knew when I signed up for this that it was unlikely that I would lose weight every single week for six months.  I figured there would be at least a couple of weeks where I’d maintain or maybe even gain a bit.  What I didn’t know is that I would have one of those weeks so close to the beginning of the six months.  As in week two.  That’s right, I somehow managed to gain a pound since my last weigh in.

Now I’ll be the first to admit that this week got off to a bit of a rocky start.  In fact, it started with buttery crab cakes, potatoes slathered in olive oil, and two big slices of buttery french bread.  Oh, and a piece of Mom’s famous chocolate cake that I baked to contribute to the lunch our good friends invited us too.  Makes your mouth water just thinking about it, right?  And even though that one lunch caused a two pound lurch in the scale the following morning, I don’t regret it.

Regardless of my mantra, “it’s just for six months,” I really want this to be a life-long change.  And there is no way that I will be forgoing chocolate cake for the next 70 years (I intend to live until I’m at least one hundred, but I’ll eat whatever I please when I’m a centenarian).  The challenge will be in making chocolate cake and other such treats the exception rather than the norm.  I think I’ll need a better plan for the left-overs next time.  Chocolate cake (and chocolate anything for that matter) has a very short lifetime in my kitchen, but a long lifetime on my hips.

At this point you may be shaking your head with a knowing smile thinking, “Umm...I believe I know what caused your weight gain this week.”  But not so fast, cowboy.  Despite my less than nutritious choices at the beginning of the week, I was still well within the confines of my WeightWatchers plan (I track all my foods with WeightWatchers online).  So what happened?

My first theory is that it doesn’t really matter what I eat; I’m destined to be the weight I am now, and I might as well eat whatever I want.  It was this thread of logic that led me to the McDonald's drive-thru.  But as I drove home, munching on those deliciously fattening chicken mcnuggets and a side of fries, I decided I wasn’t quite ready to throw in the proverbial towel.  I’ll chalk this week’s unexpected outcome up to ‘one of those things’ and move on to bigger and better things. 

Like me losing over an inch from my waist in two weeks!  An inch may not sound like much, but that is about the equivalent of a pant size.  Of course, I happen to have a build identical to that of a Bartlett pear, so it probably did not mean a pant size for me, but  I’m pleased none-the-less. 

And it gets better...my wedding ring fits.  (By ‘fits’ I mean that I can get it on and take it off without the aid of warm soapy water and/or butter--it still looks a bit like a rubber-band around a sausage when I put it on.)  But that is progress.  I haven’t been able to wear my ring since last June when I was six months pregnant with Nicole and we moved to Maryland, land of the hot and humid.

My plan for next week is to just keep on keeping on: meaning sticking to my weight watchers points allowance, choosing healthy foods when I can, and exercising five days a week.  If things continue to go poorly, I’ll quit.  Just kidding... ;)