Weight Watchers

I have an up and down relationship with Weight Watchers®.  Sort of like my weight.  It started in my early 20s, so we have been together, albeit intermittently, for about 35 years.      

Back in the 70s there was a small pink book that provided the rules of the program – still have it but still remember a lot of it off the top of my head.  The highlights were:  five fish meals a week, liver once a week, vegetables with category numbers, limited number of fruits a day and categories of fruits, limited beef, limited carbs and large protein servings at lunch and dinner.   Rules were rules. 

This was the program on which I reached ‘lifetime member’ status.  And never since gotten back to that low point in my weight. 

They keep updating the program and the spokespeople.  Remember Lynn Redgrave?  Fergie?  Now there is Jennifer Hudson, etools, points calculators, many more choices and much more flexibility than we had back in the old days. 

Since signing up for the umpteenth time in January for the Weight Watchers at Work Program ™, I have lost ten pounds and have 25 more to go.  But it’s been a rough road.  Only since the nutrition and naturopathic consults at Canyon Ranch have I gotten a clear roadmap of how it will be possible for me to lose the weight I need to.  It seems that Weight Watchers ®, in all its wisdom and new-found flexibility, has to be tweaked in order for me to effectively and consistently lose weight.  

What doesn’t work for me?  The carbs, including fruit, particularly eaten alone, seem to drive cravings that only lead to an appetite for even more carbs.   The CR recommendation to eat protein with carbs and more strictly monitor carbs seems to be working now in conjunction with the other positive aspects of the WW program. 

New lesson learned?  You are an experiment of one.  If whatever you are doing is not working for you, get advice.  Talk to the WW Leader or a nutritionist and all you may need are a few “tweaks” (I love that word.).  And sometimes, whatever is old becomes new again. 

What's Willpower Got to Do With It?

Depends on who you ask.  Who of us has not been disgusted over a lapse in our diet or exercise plan?  There are those who believe that such lapses evidence a serious character flaw -- you know, the just push yourself away from the table, that's the only exercise you need, suck it up and make it happen kind of people.  This is a complicated subject for me.  At times I have been disgusted at the lack of, and at other times, particularly recently, amazed at the self-control I can exercise.  Tara Parker-Pope blogs on wellness in the New York Times (http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011).  On February 28, 2011, she wrote about an emerging body of research on the topic of self-compassion.  Preliminary research suggested that the "cycle of self-criticism and negativity" generated by those who beat themselves up over not measuring up to their own expectations for change causes failure, not success.  The hypothesis is that feeling bad only leads to more bad behavior.  Self compassion involves caring about oneself, being kind to oneself just as we would be kind to a friend or family member in the same situation.  A Harvard-based psychotherapist, Jean Fain, said that, "self-compassion is the missing ingredient in every diet and weight-loss plan."  Not sure I agree with that conclusion, since the structured programs like Weight Watchers emphasize progress and not perfection.
What makes more sense to me is her blog entry on December 6, 2007.  At Canyon Ranch, "willpower" was noted to be unreliable as a behavioral strategy.  Parker-Pope concludes the same.  "What researchers are finding is that willpower is essentially a mental muscle, and certain physical and mental forces can weaken or strengthen our self-control.  Studies now show that self-control is a limited resource that may be strengthened by the foods we eat.  Laughter and conjuring up powerful memories may also help boost a person's self-control.  And, some research suggests, we can improve our self-control through practice, testing ourselves on small tasks in order to strengthen our willpower for bigger challenges...BUT THE RESEARCHERS ALSO FOUND THAT RESTORING GLUCOSE LEVELS APPEARS TO REPLENISH SELF-CONTROL."
What this means to me is that the maintenance of glucose control (evening out the highs and lows) is conducive to self-control and that's why it's becoming easier to control cravings.  Anyone else out there agree? 

I Feel Good and Portion Control

You know those commercials for fiber or laxatives or something like that to the tune "I Feeeel Good"?  Well, I do feel good.  This morning I weighed myself and that number is down nearly five pounds since last Saturday.  But there's more.  The naturopathic doctor at Canyon Ranch (CR), Dr. Kevin Murray, recommended dietary changes that resulted in immediate and dramatic results in my blood sugar and overall energy level and mood.  It makes me want to cry, because I am a smart person -- I read, think and for heaven's sake, work in a hospital with doctors, dietitians and educators.  I have tried very hard to adopt a healthy lifestyle, but cravings and mood issues have consistently driven me off track.  The 50 minutes with Dr. Murray were worth the price of admission to CR.
A few words about portion control -- look at your hand -- see your thumb -- if you have a slice of a dessert, that is about the length and width of the ones we got a CR.   Bend your thumb at the joint -- the length and width is about the size of their chocolate mousse serving.  So, it's quantity and quality. 

Connecting the Dots at Canyon Ranch

Clare just drove off to return to Boston; Spring Break is officially over.  Four days, 11 lectures, nine exercise sessions, four consults (naturopathic doctor, diabetes educator, nutritionist and exercise physiologist) and three cooking classes (the last one just about an hour from now) -- this constitutes the educational portion -- there will be more later on the eating part, particularly portion size -- of my Canyon Ranch experience.  And, off the program, I asked to meet with the Human Resources Director here to see what I could learn about how they recruit, train, feed, promote wellness and reward their employees.  I am well aware that most people could not do this experience and I am grateful (one of the lectures was on gratitude) to be able to do it, share it with Clare, and develop an even better plan to put flesh on the bones of my initial plan to Eat, Mind and Move. 

Don't you love stories?  This is from the lecture on 'Taking It Home'. 

Tapping Story
"Ever heard the story of the giant ship engine that failed?  The ship's owners tried one expert after another, but none of them could figure out how to fix the engine.  Then they brought in an old man who had been fixing ships since he was a youngster.  He carried a large bag of tools with him and when he arrived, he immediately went to work.  He inspected the engine very carefully, top to bottom. 

Two of the ship's owners were there, watching this man, hoping he would know what to do.  After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag and pulled out a small hammer.  He gently tapped something.  Instantly the engine lurched back to life.  He carefully put his hammer away.  The engine was fixed.  A week later, the owners received a bill from the old man for $10,000.  "What, the owners exclaimed, "he hardly did anything."   So they wrote back and asked for an itemized bill. 

The man sent a bill that read:  "Tapping with a hammer -- $2.00;  Knowing where to tap -- $9,998. 

Moral of the story?  Efforts are indeed important, but knowing where to make efforts in your life makes all the difference" 

Sugar is Poison

Dateline, Canyon Ranch --  I learned a lot today.  The Canyon Ranch experience will take awhile to digest and write about.   In addition to 'sugar is poison', pasta, even the whole wheat kind, is right up there with sugar in the 'do not eat' category.  Dan, you had it right when you told me what I was doing wasn't good. 

Spring Break

Oscar Wilde once said that “youth is wasted on the young”.    I feel the same way about Spring Break.  After all, college kids get Christmas break, Easter break, summers off and all those long holiday weekends.    Starting Sunday, my third Spring Break experience begins with Clare.   No, we are not planning on getting into a drunken stupor and sunburned in some exotic location, although we have done that (the sunburn and exotic location, not the drunken stupor).  We are going to a real, honest to goodness, health spa.   I keep hoping there is some herb, spice, acupuncture, acupressure, vitamin supplement, meditation, yoga posture or pill that will make my numbers better – or maybe even cure me!  But deep down, I know better.  The schedule is full of lectures, fitness evaluations, exercise classes (kettle bells, anyone?), hikes and cooking demonstrations.   It will be fun to see Clare and to travel; more later. 

Who Knew Calvin Coolidge Was So Wise?

He apparently once said or wrote,"Satisfaction does not come from indulgence, it comes from achievement."