May the Force Be With You

“What the scale gives you as a gift, it can also take away.”  Thank you, Yoda. 

These were the parting words I heard from the lady who weighed me in at Weight Watchers today.  She’s a petite older woman with the enthusiasm of Katie Couric (but not so annoying) and I believe she really cares how clients are doing – a customer service trait rarely seen these days.  She’s so nice that I feel bad when I tell her I won’t be staying for the meetings.  It’s not that I think I know it all, it’s just that this blog has been doing a good job of motivating me and I feel like I’m wasting my time sitting there.  But I feel like the weigh-in ladies don’t approve of my skipping out.  Each time I’m reminded that the speaker is “very good” and that we share the same first name (nice try), and that I’ll learn a lot, but I spend nearly every day listening to lectures, so if I’m not getting graded on this then I’ll spend my time doing something more productive.  I can appreciate their efforts to use guilt as a tool of persuasion, but having grown up Catholic, it’s going to take more than the implied threat of massive weight gain to get my attention.  Of course my indifference to guilt trips doesn’t keep me from trying to slip out as quietly as possible, avoiding eye contact with other clients, but I just don’t want them to think I’m not supportive of their choice to sit around talking about the wonders of Lite Cool Whip for a half hour. 

On a side note, have you ever looked at the ingredients in the Weight Watchers brand food (or Cool Whip, for that matter)?  Most of it is packed with junk I can’t even pronounce and the stuff I can pronounce sounds like “butter” and “salt”.  I have a problem with an organization that does a good job of promoting healthy eating, but then tries to sell us snacks that do not benefit our bodies.  I suppose I shouldn’t bash them too much, since I’m still willing to pay them every month, but I’m just sayin’.

Getting back to Katie Couric’s Yoda comment, she told me this after I stepped on the scale and saw that I had lost 4.2 pounds.  Having spent the last two weeks losing less than a pound each, I was surprised to see that I had reached my 5% weight loss goal, but I figured it may have been from the three days of walking I put in.  I certainly didn’t expect to hear that the scale might take back its gift from me.  Why couldn’t she tell me I was a good Jedi with “the deepest commitment” and “the most serious mind”? 

My surprise at losing 4 pounds came from knowing how I ate last week. The Easter Bunny forced me to eat jellybeans, Peeps, and Reese’s peanut butter eggs.  Obi-Wan told me this was a dangerous time for me, when I would be tempted by the Dark Side of the Force, but I didn’t heed his warning.  On top of that, I was forced to eat a regular omelet because the waiter seemed to think he could remember my order of an egg-white omelet instead of writing it down.  After I pointed out his mistake, he offered to bring me the correct version, but I couldn’t figure out how many points spit would be if the new omelet came back covered in it.  And because I was so ticked that whole eggs would cost me more points, I soothed my injured psyche by eating all of my toast and half of my home fries…with ketchup.

Starting today I have only 34 points per day instead of 35, so I have to really be mindful of what I eat.  For instance, it probably wasn’t a good idea to have a cup of Coconut Bliss Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge ice cream tonight.  I bought it at the health food store, so it was supposed to be good for me, but the serving came to 13 points!  Those marketing people are such tricksters.

4/11/12 –  213.4 pounds

Pounds lost in last week – 4.2

Total pounds lost to date – 12