Wednesday, January 6, 2010

11 Day challenge recap: I was totally fine until this thing called Potluck (very 50's of me)

I had no choice but to man-up today and give the honest results of my 11 day challenge, including today's weigh-in, which I really did not want to do.  So how did it go?


Day 1 (Wed Dec 23):  

  • My plan:  Have a healthy breakfast.  Have a healthy lunch.  Spend time with family in the city doing the big Christmas thing, and pre-select my select my dinner options from restaurant menu on the internet.  And have a huge workout.
  • What happened:  I RULED this day.  Great workout.  Oatmeal for breakfast (even though I was at a restaurant). Totally responsible lunch and dinner.  Yeah me!

Day 2 (Christmas Eve):  

  • My plan:  Keep it together for breakfast and lunch.  Have a huge workout.  Abandon hope for Christmas Eve dinner at friend's house.  Choose not to have remorse.
  • What happened:  Pretty much as plan again.  Good, cardio workout in the AM.  Was responsible until 6 PM or so. Even after then, I wasn't completely gross.  

Day 3 (Christmas Day):  

  • My plan:  No exercise.  Rich food.  Candy.  etc. etc. etc.  Choose not to have remorse.
  • What happened:  No exercise.  Rich food.  LOTS of treats.  Kind of like Willie Wonka's Augustus Gloop's (the one who swims in Chocolate) swan song reenacted.  

Day 4/5 (Boxing Day and Day After Boxing Day):  

  • My plan:  I've never celebrated Boxing Day before, but why not?  Spending the weekend away with DSW.  Will plan to get workouts in (probably not huge ones) to mitigate some of the damage.  Not planning to be perfect this weekend.
  • What happened:  Worked out both days (!).  Was good for breakfast.  Not very careful for lunch and dinner.  Pretty much as planned.

Day 6-8 (Mon-Wed):  

  • My plan:  Exercise like a maniac.  Live like a cold-hearted Puritan for all breakfasts and lunches.  Keep it sane for dinner.  Seek to avoid stealing candy from my children.
  • What happened:  The Puritan's would have put me in the stocks, or perhaps considered seeing if I sunk like a witch.  Had they done so, their punishment would have been a bit severe.  I worked out hard.  I wasn't awful for meals, but I definitely partook in some Level II Grazing.  

Day 9 (New Years Eve):  

  • My plan:  Big workout again.  Keep it sane for breakfast/lunch.  Behave poorly New Years Eve.  
  • What happened:  Again, not too bad, except after 6 PM, and I worked out as planned.  


Day 10 (New Years Day):  

  • My plan:  Rub temples gently.  Get a big workout.  Keep it pretty normal for a Saturday.
  • What happened:  Well, I did rub my temples, and I did get a big workout.  However, one could only call this Saturday normal if one's name was Nero.  We decided to have a New Year's potluck open house during the day to watch football, socialize, etc.  Bad.  Bad.  Bad.  Bad.  The attached photo is showing only about 50% of what was brought to the table, and NONE of it was good for me.  It was cold out, and I didn't care.  I had some of EVERYTHING.  And no remorse.  

Day 11 (Sunday):  

  • My plan:  Back on plan.
  • What happened:  True (mostly)!



Final tally:  it got a little dicey toward the end of the 11 days, but I wasn't a million miles off the game plan.  Final result:  I'm up 2.6 pounds from goal (and I got weighed after I had lunch).  Overall, it's a decent outcome.  


As a side observation, what is it about potluck that says " make sure to bring your most oil/butter ladden foods.  If you could lace them with chocolate and lard, that would be super awesome!" ?  


Any insights from this?  Sure.  I had a plan that I pretty much stuck too.  I lived much looser than I normally do, but I kept it sane and worked out much.  The final result was very much in line with what I expected.  Looks like you really can live in the world when you do Weight Watchers.  Phew.  


Hope all of you hung in there too!!!


Cheers,


dk



9 comments:

  1. weighing in after lunch is gutsy! up 2.6 after the holidays AND eating ... great!

    sentence that made me giggle: what is it about potluck that says "make sure to bring your most oil/butter ladden foods. If you could lace them with chocolate and lard, that would be super awesome!"?

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  2. You make me laugh. It would be great if your wrote two times a week! I completely agree with Amanda's comment about your potluck description. Very funny and so true.

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  3. Hi David, Wonderful to read an honest account of your holidays in terms of Weight Watchers! I have been surprised to see how many of the skills have penetrated my brain so they don't end up being a read setback. I enjoyed meeting you in Alameda, as well! Best, Lydia

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  4. Level II Grazing? Ha! Love it :)

    Also loving the side about potlucks... Amen, you said it!

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  5. I'm weighing in tomorrow evening so I don't have anything specific to report yet, but I stuck to my plans. Now I hope it yields decent results.

    And potluck dinners do seem to be a gathering of the worst foods ever...you crack me up...Just saying.

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  6. Wow! You skipped a whole day! How did you do that? New Year's Day was on a Friday (at least in Holland it was :lol: ) but you managed to skip that one.

    I just found your blog and like reading it since I'm a WW member too.

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  7. Love the potluck observation. With the "worst food ever" potluck thing, I think it's that we are ashamed of making that kind of food for ourselves, but we convince ourselves that we want to share that kind of food with others because it's yummy. So everyone brings the yummiest thing they can think of.

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  8. the puritan line still makes me giggle...

    there were only two occassions that i let loose - and honestly i felt like CRAP afterwards. decided it wasn't worth it, the way i felt, to do it again. by staying in the gym, keeping it inside the lines for two meals per day throughout the holidays and still enjoying myself within reason, i was able to still lose 2.5 lbs (as of tonights weigh-in) since 12/17. i'll try not to break my arm patting myself on the back.

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