Michelle: The Secret to Having a Cocktail (Week 2)

Image from Flickr user cayusa via Creative Commons

As I read our tweets and our blog posts, I realize that many of us worried about alcohol consumption as a source of calories. Since I'm a wine blogger, it wouldn't be in my best interest to stop drinking wine. Or spirits. Or beer. Well, maybe beer.

In fact, I've given up beer, but that's about it.

Over the last year or so, I watched my friend Gabrielle drop a dramatic amount of weight. What was so amazing is that she did it on her own - no support group, no Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig, no Nutrisystem. She used plain old will power, self-discipline, and exercise. She looks great, and she's maintaining beautifully. Now, Gabrielle is a pretty big drinker, but she didn't cut alcohol - not even beer - out of her diet. As she became a smaller sized person, I think her tolerance has decreased, but that's about the only difference. I aspire to be Gabby.

Kevin and I visited a winery the other day, where we had a picnic lunch. We packed cold cut sandwiches - cracked pepper turkey on wheat bread with low-fat cheese - and we purchased a bottle of wine. I drank about 2 bottles of water as we powered through that wine. That, my friends, is my secret.

Even at home, when we're drinking wine or spirits, I'm constantly sipping on water. There are a lot of benefits to this. First of all, water is just good for you and useful in losing weight. Next, it keeps you from over-indulging. Whereas you could have been filling up with wine or beer or martinis, instead you're filling up on water.

Order that martini. But before you order the second one, force yourself through a glass of water. Have a bottle of wine with dinner, but after every few sips, have a drink or two of your water. You'll be amazed at how it fills you up and slows down your drinking. I'm amazed when others don't do this, and equally amazed at how many times in my life I should have done this.

In other news, my last workout session with my trainer is next week. At that point, after having weekly sessions with her since May, I'm breaking free and am going to work out on my own for a month before finishing my final two sessions. Once I'm no longer required to go to the gym to meet someone, things are going to get a lot more complicated. The gym, quite honestly, makes me uncomfortable.

Last I checked (late last night), I lost 6 pounds over the last week. Yay! I suspect it was mostly water weight, but who am I to complain?

A final sort of un-related note: Since you now know that you just need water to successfully get through a night on the town, I want to invite you to a charity wine tasting. All the info is here, but 100% of the proceeds benefit a scholarship in my sister's memory. Pre-registration is required. I'd love to see you there!

Amy: Week 2 Every four weeks or so...

Image courtesy of Stock.Xchng It's that wonderful time each month when I'm reminded of my womanhood. Of course weigh-in this week will be somber and I doubt I will hit the twenty-five pound mark as I had hoped. Fingers crossed I'll hit it next Tuesday.

I'm grumpy and bloated and feeling deprived. We all get this way, right? The old me would have wallowed and headed to the freezer for ice cream consumption, but luckily I've stayed strong. It's reminded me once again that emotion is such a piece of this weight loss pie. See, I'm thinking about pie again?? Ugh. So I'm not going to dwell on those things I'm avoiding. Instead I'm going to talk up a most fantastic event beginning next week.

On September 7th, Weight Watchers begins a most amazing campaign: LOSE FOR GOOD. For six weeks (September 7 - October 18), for every pound lost by its members, WW will donate the equivalent of one pound of food to Share Our Strength up to ONE MILLION DOLLARS. Internationally Action Against Hunger is benefitting from the program. So for doing something good for me, I get the added bonus of doing real good in the world.

I did some calculating and assuming I continue to lose about a pound and a half each week for the next five weeks (I have to account for another visit from Mother Nature of course), Weight Watchers will donate the funds to help feed a child for a month! A MONTH! What an incredible motivator - it might be just the push I need to start moving more. I've got the eating less down for the most part, the moving more...

So think thin thoughts for me won't you? By the next time you hear from me, thousands of pounds will have been lost and thousands of dollars will be working in this country and this world to end hunger.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by Gustav this weekend. You can contact the Red Cross to help with relief efforts.

Okay, I'm going back to being grumpy and deprived.

Shannan: Week 2 I can do this

Sorry to post so late in the day but I spent this past weekend down in Burnside, Kentucky boating with some friends.

Going into the trip I was nervous about maintaining my diet. I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep it going. I didn't know if I had the will power to eat the way should, while watching everyone else eat "normally". Surprisingly.......... I did quiet well.

To help keep me on track I packed lots of fresh fruit - grapes, apples, blueberries to snack on, on the boat. I tried my best to resist the pringles and cheezits (it was tough, I did eat one or two.....). For lunch each day I went with a plain turkey or ham sandwich. In the evenings I let myself indulge a little and went with whatever everyone else was eating - just in moderation.

While I know this probably doesn't sound that impressive, I am proud of myself. I keep saying that it is all about the baby steps and I really believe this. Just making little changes (that gradually grow into something bigger) to my routine seems to be the best way for me to lose weight.

Weight Lost: 4 pounds

Kate: Comfortably Numb

Carnie Wilson says she's trying to heal herself from the inside out.

That's the wisdom I gleaned while watching Tyra Banks this afternoon.

I don't normally stoop to this level - watching Tyra, I mean. Talk shows aren't my bag but I do think the former fashion model has done a lot to promote Hollywood's dire need to embrace real women. Remember when she wore that swimsuit on tv - the same one that the paps snapped her in while on the beach? The tabloids made a huge bru-ha-ha about Tyra's thighs and butt, and so she trooped out on the show in the same bathing suit and grabbed her "big fat ass" and essentially dared the world to insult her beauty.

Remember?




Stick with me folks, there's a point to all of this.

So anyway - Tyra. Carnie Wilson. Talk show. The two ladies are chatting about being healthy and the perils of celebrity, and Carnie says something about how she just needs to be happy being Carnie, not what other people want her to be.


And I was like, Hell yeah!!


We've all talked a little bit about it on this blog - some of us have a much higher potential for being skinny. I have slim to no shot of being skinny - I am built to be buxom or bombshell. I have have big breasts and curvy hips - there's no mistaking that I am a woman! I love wearing things that accentuate my assets and I love celebrating my feminine form. I am comfortable with who I am - but I've gotten to the point where perhaps I am a bit too comfortable.

I remember another time when I was curvy and yet there was less of me. Back in the day, I spent more time in my sneakers than I did on the couch. I ate more vegetables and fruit and less ice cream and cheese. I loved myself and treated my body like it was the only vessel through which I can enjoy life.

I don't really know what happened.

Somewhere between the comfort and the stress (I know, odd combination) I managed to let myself go. I forgot that nobody's going to take care of me but ME.

I was numbed by life.

The holiday weekend was rough. It was a nice break from the busy-ness of life, but it was full of late nights with limitless glasses of wine, indulgent dinners of lobster and drawn butter and brunches of croissant french toast, crepes and egg casserole. I tried to tow the line when I could, but most of the time I was more than happy to reach for another sip of sangria.

I can't beat myself up over my past mistakes, the only thing I can do is try to make wise choices next time - and heal myself from the inside out.

1.6 lost