Long time no see!

Hello, SparkPeople!

So, here's a rundown of what has happened in the last 34875938475 years since I've been active on SparkPeople.

2014 = weight gain. Beginning of 2015 = more weight gain.

I joined Weight Watchers this past fall. I signed up for a 6-week session where my mom works and lost five pounds in 6 weeks. In January, I signed up again for a 12-week session. My starting weight at the 12-week session was about 165. (YIKES. On the bright side though, my pants are a size 8 or 10 and I'm still wearing mostly mediums and still some smalls. I'm not as BIG as I was when I was this weight five or six years ago [where I was wearing 12 or 14's/larges/extra larges] but that number made my heart sink.) Last Friday was my last weigh-in of the 12-week session, and my weight was 163. While I didn't lose really ANY weight at WW, the leader was extremely encouraging, helpful, insightful, and I was actually able to fix one of my absolute WORST habits and I'm sure a lot of you can relate.

I know my trigger foods. Sweets and crunchy, salty snacks of course. When I lost weight the first time, I was living at home with my parents where there was hardly any snack foods. The worst thing in the house was Triscuits or Wheat Thins. (I still managed to polish off a box in 2 days though.) But for the most part, we didn't have any snack foods. So the temptation was never there. Now that I'm leaving with my boyfriend, things are different. Very different. My boyfriend (I love him dearly) LOVES his snack foods. He will not give up his snack foods. "I'm not dieting. You are." He says. Even my mom has said "Why does he do that to you?!" (meaning bringing in the snack foods) BUT HE IS RIGHT. I needed to learn how to control myself! We have tortilla chips (MY WEAKNESS), Freihofer chocolate chip cookies (MY OTHER WEAKNESS), potato chips, Oreos, etc etc etc, in the house most of the time. Before I would tell myself "Okay, just one cookie" or "Okay, just one handful of chips" and boom, there goes half a box of cookies or half a bag of chips. I don't know how long it took me to realize DUH, don't start snacking and you'll be fine! It has been about two weeks and I have not touched the junk food. Not one chip. Not one cookie. I found myself a few times walking to the shelf where the junk food is and grabbing the package of Oreos or the bag of chips in a daze, but then I snapped out of it and told myself "No" and put them down and walked away. FEELS SO GOOD. I am NOT one of those people who can have just one. freaking. serving. of chips. (I work with someone who CAN have only one serving of chips and be satisfied. I envy her.) I can't change my boyfriend and the fact that he buys junk food. But I can now say that I am in control! Plus, if I grabbed a bag of chips or a few Oreos I'd get the stink eye from him for touching "his" food :)

So I'm feeling good. Within the past 7 days I've only missed one day of exercise. I'm running more. I'm challenging myself at the gym. I'm in my best friend's wedding this September, and when I went to buy the bridesmaid dress, they only had a size 10. I wanted a 12 and figured it could always be taken in. So I ordered the 10, got it in the mail a few weeks ago, held it up and said NOPE, there is no way that is going to fit me right now. So that alone is enough motivation to keep myself on track.

So here we go!