The weight of it all

I recently decided to go back to Weight Watchers. I was on it once before, about two years ago, lost almost 50 pounds (something like 49.6 pounds) and then plateaued. Couldn't move the scale to save my life. Tried different things to jump start the weight loss, including a bad go around with Atkins, and have s-l-o-w-l-y gained the weight back. Not all of it, but more than half of it.

So this summer, we're planning next summer's vacation. And we've decided to take a Disney Cruise with the kids. Cruise. Food. Swimsuits. That was it for me. The gym became important again, but the fascination with the number on the scale is still there. So I walked back into Weight Watchers three weeks ago. I've lost 4.4 pounds since I went back. Not exactly earth shattering, but 4.4 pounds less than I had three weeks ago.

I like WW. It's not particularly difficult for me. I like fruits and vegetables, I can drink the water, I can even watch the portion size and not eat enough pasta for six and just eat pasta for one. None of that is my problem. WW works for me because I have to show up every week and step on the scale. I know I have to do this every Monday morning. Someone else is going to weigh me, and I know that person is waiting for me every Monday morning. Do I own a scale? Bought one during the ill thought out Atkins period of my life. Doesn't matter. There's something about the accountability of the scale at WW that makes me stop and think about what I'm going to eat, or makes me rethink the not going to the gym today, that my scale doesn't. And let's just not go down the "Well, I'll just have Keith weigh me once a week" road, shall we?

I've got two kids to keep up with. Diabetes runs in my family, like a straight line with all the women ahead of me. I hate needles, UGH! And I don't think I'm a cow (no offense to cows, wherever they may be), but I'm not a size four, and I'm not looking to be a size four (no offense to any and all size fours out there).

Last night I caught the end of the new reality show, "The Biggest Loser". OMG! Large sized people on TV, who would have thought? The show appeared to be a cross of Survivor and the Apprentice. The people involved are on teams, they have medically supervised diets and exercise each week, and at the end of each week, they get weighed and see how much each team member lost. Somebody got voted out at the end of the first week, and it was because (you're not going to believe this!) she DIDN'T lose enough weight and they thought since she wasn't as big as the rest of them, she wouldn't have the overall weight to lose to keep her team winning?!?! They kicked her out because she wasn't as heavy as the rest of them. Does that make sense? The show is promoted as helping these folks with their weight loss issues, but then they kick someone out and leave them on their own. Yikes! It's bad enough that "overweight" people are made fun of, and often treated differently than "thinner" folks, but to supposedly help them and then humiliate them on national TV is a new low, even for reality TV. Won't be watching that show anymore, the ten minutes I gave it last night was too much.

Lean Cuisine anyone?