Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Monday Night Report #3 (on Wednesday)

Happy to report that I went down a kilo this week, and earned my 5th WW star! In Israel, you earn a gold star every time you lose 5 kilograms, or 11 lbs. My group leader made a big deal of it, which was awesome, and the whole room was cheering and clapping for me. It was a really special way to be recognized for my hard work. Thank Gd I have this amazing community that has helped me through the last 10 months.

Every time you earn a gold star at a WW meeting, the leader asks you to share some tips about how you've managed to reach your star. I feel like I'm running out of things to say, so I thanked the community for their help and guidance. I thought about telling the group about this blog, about sharing it with them and allowing them to read my thoughts and contribute their own; the problem is that many of these women are ultra-Orthodox and might be offended by what I have to say. It's a tough decision, because the last thing I want to do is offend anyone, particularly those who have been so helpful to me--but at the same time, I feel like it is a safe community to share my thoughts with. I guess I'll keep thinking about it.

Because she knows I am returning to the States in a mere 6 weeks, she also asked me if I thought dieting would be easier back home, back in my everyday society and with the foods I grew up eating. I quickly told her 'no', since the produce in Israel is so delicious, I eat very little meat here, walk almost everywhere I go, and keep many processed and deep-fried foods out of the house. When I get back to America, I'll be moving back to my mom's house in St Louis. Though she needs to eat healthy for her own health issues, my mother is known to keep potato chips, chocolate, and other horrible things in the house (for her 'cravings', as she calls them.) She also loves to eat out, and we eat out more times in a week than I care to admit. Thank goodness my little brother just joined WW, so we'll be spending the summer counting points, shopping at the farmer's market for amazing summer tomatoes and peaches, and venting to each other about how much dieting really sucks sometimes.

Anyways, the five gold stars I've earned, paired with the 14 or so pounds I lost before I joined WW comes to a total of 68.8 lbs. Pretty damn cool.

My goal is to earn 1 more star before I leave Israel...wish me luck!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are so amazing Love! I just want to thank you for putting your struggles and accomplishments out there. It is so brave and I just thank God every day that I know you and that you are my friend. I love you, I am SUPER proud of you, and I can't wait to see you. I'll be your support system, even if I have to come over from KC to do it!
LOVE YOU!

Lee-Lah

Gal said...

You can do it! You ARE already doing it! 68.8 pounds is no small feat - it's huge! Well done, sister. Keep it up. And when you enjoy those juicy summer peaches, take in their natural sweetness and know that you are nourishing your body with vitamins and deliciousness in a way you never could with a box of cookies. :)