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Weigh to Go!

cadams
Adventurer B
 I woke up with my subconscious screaming, "Stop the insanity!"  On the day before the Super Bowl, I dined with friends at one of those restaurants serving continuous meats on a sword and endless salads, lobster bisque, vegetables...   It was truly the Last Supper!  Still feeling stuffed, my mind wandered back to the beginning of my career when we had Weight Check.  My maximum weight in 1984 was set at 112 pounds.  This was figured according to my height--in my case, the lack of it.  Weigh-in was once a quarter.   Before applying, I faithfully went to Diet Center first thing every morning  to lose 17 pounds.  I walked around my block four times a night-- the equivalent of two miles.  I wanted to quit, but I would look up at the sky, see airplane lights and kept walking.  So, what happened? Over the years, we were given five extra pounds, and eventually my maximum weight was changed to 132 pounds--extra was given for age.  I don't remember the exact time Weight Check was dropped altogether.  A good thing?  I'm not so sure of that.  Incentives come in all kinds of packages.  From observation, I think the biggest incentive is divorce.  Not an option.  Self pride?  If I get a cute hair cut and wear expensive makeup, will anyone really notice?  Health?  That's a good one until about four o'clock in the afternoon.  I'm already postponing my doctor's appointment until I lose weight.   I bet I'm the only person to do that!   I don't want my death certificate to read, "suicide--ate herself to death." As I begin today with no thought of the frozen carrot cake in the freezer (if it was on the counter I would already be up!), I am formulating a plan.  My incentive is--my best clothes don't fit.  Also, spring is here, and I can't wear the big sweater at work.  I am going to focus my mind on eating small amounts and carry emergency snacks and water.  I will remember if I don't take care of the problem myself it may require intervention by Weight Watchers, which will mean meetings.  Worse still is having a months worth of food delivered in a shoe box!   Next would come a liquid fast.  I need your help.  First, don't say, "You're not fat."   I will then eat the carrot cake still frozen.  If you see me wearing the sweater or navy jacket, I'm trying to "cover up".   Second, please don't ask me to go out to eat at Stephen Pyles or anywhere that serves bread.  Third, if you have a proven method (send pictures) you would like to share, please do. Okay, I'm talking the talk.  Next is walking the walk.  I've got to look for my tennis shoes.    
13 Comments
Stephanie9
Explorer C
Rewiring your brain is the easiest way to make changes. Here's a blog post about that: http://westallen.typepad.com/idealawg/2008/03/rewiring-your-b.html Good luck!
MHTflyer
Explorer C
Good luck!
blusk
Aviator C
Carole, whether you realize it or not, you have set all of us males up with one of those conundrums that women seem to delight in tormenting men. If we do tell you that you don't look overweight, you are headed off the deep end in Cake City, but....by the same token, we guys know that making a comment like , "haven't you put on a few pounds?" to the women in our lives will send us right off the deep end--all the way down the cliff. Silent in Dallas, Brian
joe-mdw-plane-d
Frequent Flyer C
You could try subway. :-) subway is a registered trademark of doctor's associates inc. Posted by Joe Friedmann-Midway appearance technician "poolie"
pberg
Frequent Flyer B
Carole - you are hilarious. I can always hear your voice in my head as I read your posts...I wish all of our readers had that pleasure. We may have to get you podcastsing pretty soon! See you next week. p.s. my mother does the same thing with her doctor's appointments
Joe_Gardner
Explorer C
I'd like to ask SW employees, where I can get the high quality chinos, the flight attendants wear. I used to be able to get good ones at LL Beans, but they have gone to a lower quality. I would be greatful for any info to lead me to the supplier. Thanks, Joe G
blusk
Aviator C
Joe Friedmann, wouldn't that be an Aircraft Appearance Technician and not a Flight Attendant Appearance Technician? Blog Boy
joe-mdw-plane-d
Frequent Flyer C
🙂
hcarboy
Explorer B
Hi Carole! Wow, I'm having some serious flashbacks. Those quarterly dreaded weigh-ins. I think I still may be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder!!! That's all any of us could talk about at the end of every quarter!! I guess on some level I do miss them. They were some serious motivation!! Now all I have for motivation is my 25th college reunion! Thank goodness they finally started putting a little Lycra in the blue jeans!! Hope you are well, and thanks for bringing back the old memories. This really gave me a good chuckle! Come see us in Phoenix! Linda
Benet
Explorer C
You want an incentive? I found i was moving toward NFL linebacker weight, plus my beloved 2-year-old called me fat. I started Weight Watchers Jan. 3 and have already lost 20.8 lbs. That Southwest seat is feeling a lot more comfortable these days! Good luck with the fight -- and stick wth it!!
Pete_Scaltrito
Explorer C
Maybe you guys should try what we do here @ Albuquerque Reservations. Twice a year we have a weight contest. Everyone kicks in a fee ($35 here) and gets weighed in. Six months later we weigh in again and the winner (who has the biggest percentage of weight loss) takes the pot, usually $1,000.00 with the rest split between 2nd & 3rd place or even 4th & 5th, depending on how many people signed up. We've been doing this for about 2 yrs, now and it's a big favorite among Our Folks, with about 30 to 50 Agents participating. We also have measured walk lanes in our parking lot. Four times around equals one mile. Agents are out there during break & after lunch all times of the year. I guess the $$ is a big incentive. Anyway, have fun & good luck!!
Lisa_Barnes
Explorer C
Carole, The first thing is that you know how to do this. Secondly, you also probably know that it isn't as hard as you think it is, but that doesn't mean by any stretch that it is easy. If it were, I would look like Heidi Klum right now and I will assure you that I don't. I lost 36 pounds last year as my New Year's resolution and I have successfully kept it off for over a year now. Here is what I did to lose the weight. 1). First of all, you need to create a calorie deficit. I chose to lower my caloric intake to 1200-1300 calories a day. 2). You need to log everything you eat. It is easy to log your calories and keep up with how much you are burning/intaking via a free online program called fitday (http://www.fitday.com). By plugging in your stats (height, weight, activity level and goals) you can get a fairly accurate idea of how many calories your body burns daily. This will help you decide how much of a deficit to create. 3). Keep in mind that a pound of body fat is equivalent to 3500 calories. I took a very scientific approach to my weight loss and tracked my intake and burning daily in a spreadsheet that was created to self-calculate the difference and divide by 3500. The really great part of that was that I could track exactly how much weight I was losing despite water weight gain fluctuations. This helped me not get discouraged. 4). Accountability is one of the reasons why weight-loss programs such as WW or LA fitness work so well. But you don't have to pay money to get great support. A wonderful support website that features real people, with real goals and healthy expectations is available to everyone. It has a funny title, but it seriously helped me and millions and other to reach their goals. It is called 3 fat chicks.com and can be found here: http://www.3fatchicks.com 5). Finally, keep the following things in mind: Weightlifting and building muscle is far more important to fat loss than is cardio. Not that cardio is bad, but when you build muscle, it helps speed up your metabolism so you burn more resting! If you fall off the wagon and eat a piece of cake, the world won't end. It probably won't even result in your gaining a pound, just pick yourself up, wipe off the cake crumbs and continue with your plan. Don't use one pitfall to justify more pitfalls. Allow yourself a day where you get to experience some treats. Too much restriction isn't good for your goals or your soul. Experiment with different foods to add excitement to your diet. Please don't try to exist on beets and tuna! Try exotic fruits, foreign cuisines that are lower in calories, cook at home when you can and be mindful that in restaurants, even seemingly healthy foods can be made bad by additives. ( I just discovered that the BAKED whitefish at Luby's has 1099 calories a filet! ) Finally, you can do this! Just look at the support around you! Best of luck to you and we all look forward to your blogged successes!
kfrancis1
Adventurer C
Carole, I can totally relate. Southwest has given new meaning to the word "love handles." Appropriately, I call them my LUV handles. Our department is always snacking and it's definitely caught up with my booty too. As I sit here in my mens oversized sweatshirt, I think you may have just motivated me a wee bit to get with the program. Keep us posted with your progress.