The Big 10 (Percent)

This past week, I reached an important milestone on my weight loss journey - losing 10% of my body weight (20 pounds). Below is an article from Weight Watchers regarding the many benefits of losing 10% of your body weight.

Losing 10 percent of your body weight is not only the first big step toward your ultimate goal weight, but it can also reduce your risk for many diseases and increase your self-esteem.

Striving for your wedding-day weight or some other magic number on the scale can be daunting. It's much easier to reach for an incremental goal that promises sizable health benefits: Losing just 10 percent of your current body weight.

"So many projects in life are better managed by breaking them down into small chunks," says Karen Miller-Kovach, MS, RD, chief scientist at Weight Watchers International. "Weight loss is no different."

But the body you've always wanted isn't all you'll get out of accomplishing that one starter goal. Here's what else you'll gain by losing 10 percent:

A Healthier Heart
By losing just 10 percent of your body weight, you can lower your cholesterol and reduce your blood pressure, says G. Ken Goodrick, PhD, psychologist and associate professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. High cholesterol and elevated blood pressure are two major risk factors for heart disease.

Lower Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
If you're overweight, you're at increased risk for type 2 diabetes, which means your body can't make enough, or properly use, insulin, a hormone that helps convert food to usable energy. By losing just 10 percent of your body weight, you'll improve your body's ability to use the insulin it makes, possibly preventing the onset of the disease, Miller-Kovach says. If you already have type 2 diabetes, shedding that 10 percent may improve your symptoms and possibly prevent complications, she adds.

More Pep
"Just a 10 percent weight loss increases feelings of vigor and vitality," says Miller-Kovach. "You'll feel better and have more energy."

A Mental Edge
Losing 10 percent can give you the self-confidence and motivation you need to keep going. "Success builds on success," says Miller-Kovach. But be sure you recognize it. "Losing 10 percent is a milestone in the journey," says Miller-Kovach. "Once you get there, take the time to congratulate yourself on your efforts."

Reality Check
After losing 10 percent, you gain a sense of what it will take to lose the rest and reach your final goal weight. "It gives you a context in terms of saying, 'Am I willing to put in that much more effort to lose even more weight?'" Miller-Kovach says. If the answer is no, that's okay. "Some people only lose 10 percent and that's it," says Goodrick. If that's you, pat yourself on the back. "Health-wise, a 10-percent weight loss is a great achievement," Goodrick says.

My Reward/Motivation System

I've come to realize and recognize that when I have a deadline/goal/reward to work towards, I am better able to commit to following through with things. Setting smaller initial goals will also help me stay focused and not get overwhelmed by the "big picture"...instead of thinking "I have to lose 75 pounds," I can tell myself "You only need to lose 10 pounds right now and then you get to pamper yourself."

Based on total pounds lost, I've created a set of "rewards" to work toward. The more I lose, the more the value of the reward increases. I've limited myself to an initial 50 pounds for right now, and will determine other rewards if I do exceed a 50-pound loss this year (hopefully I will!).

10 pounds: Lady GaGa CD
20 pounds: manicure/pedicure
25 pounds: Vintage Nude Double-Sided Necklace
30 pounds: Melancholy Lashes necklace
35 pounds: running shoes
40 pounds: car wash
45 pounds: helicopter ride
50 pounds: 1 hour full-body massage
55 pounds: Elliot Bird necklace
60 pounds: hot-air balloon ride
65 pounds: hair cut and colored
70 pounds - GOAL!: an old-time photo


**UPDATE** 2/28/2009
I've updated the various rewards, rearranging some rewards, adding in some new ones, and completing my list for my rewards up to my final goal of 70 pounds lost!

A New Year, A New Start: 2009, My Year to Shine!

This week marks my two year anniversary since joining Weight Watchers in 2007. I've been on the road to losing weight since January 12, 2007 with a few minor bumps and challenges along the way (much like the past 6 weeks with the holidays...and getting thrown off track repeatedly).

Since joining Weight Watchers, I've lost a total of 43.6 pounds. This year I commit to finally getting to my goal weight and finally completing my long and memorable journey.

I plan to update this blog at least weekly with a status of how I am doing, including stats such as my weight for the week, loss for the week, total loss, body measurements, photos, my workout routine/schedule, etc. My "week" (in terms of tracking WW POINTS) runs from Thursdays to Wednesdays...this "week" schedule worked incredibly well for me in the beginning of 2007, and when I switched to Sunday to Saturday sometime in 2008, I seemed to have a harder time. So, learning from this, I will go back to what worked for me: having Thursdays be the first day of my "week." And, it helps that Thursdays are the days that I attend meetings, so it's a great way to start the week off motivated and committed to achieving goals for the upcoming week.


WEEKLY WEIGHT UPDATE

TODAY'S WEIGHT: 201.2
LOST THIS WEEK: N/A
TOTAL LOST: N/A


BODY MEASUREMENTS: START