Deciding between two topics to cover in today’s post, CrossFit or Diet, I’m going back to expand on last week’s. Blame this, an enlightening email from some dude I don’t know:

“If it has worked for you in the past why are you doing it now? If you need to use it now then I would say it hasn’t worked for you.” – Steve B.

That’s just a portion of the email, where lucky for me, Steve B. agreed that paleo and zone are not for everyone, otherwise I would have to respond to a whole lot more. But he poses a very interesting point, if I have to go back to a program like Weight Watchers, how can I say it is worked in the first place?

When I abided by the program in the past, I lost weight – plain and simple. The circumstances of my life during that time almost two years ago are very different then they are now. And I will also say I never reached my goal weight so even then there was room for improvement. Two years ago, it was easier. I was babied. I had someone encouraging me to meetings and making most of my big meals for me. Today, that’s not the case. After I had to do the work myself, I did well for a long time of keeping the weight off. I was able to loosely monitor what I ate, but did not gain weight. Then it was like the $hit hit the fan of my life. I’m an emotional eater and went overboard. Emotional eating became less emotion-related and more how I ate when I was hungry. Weight Watchers gives me the framework to eat better while still having a wide variety of the foods that I enjoy. I don’t have to kick carbs, cupcakes or cookies completely out of my diet, but (re)learn how to eat them in moderation.

The last time I went through WW, it worked until I quit. In the meeting I went to yesterday (3^rd week in a row!), someone joked that “Weight Watchers will only work on the days you want to lose weight.” True dat homie. Give yourselves the tools to succeed and with hard work and determination, you will. You can’t give up on yourself like I did. While this time, I don’t have someone making food for me or going with me to meetings. I have this blog. I have you. Interactive is what I asked for and it’s already working – that email (plus a couple of others), conversations sparked with members at my gym. Yesterday a coworker offered me half her donut, then immediately rescinded the offer, because she was being supportive.

Weight Watchers may work this time, it may not. Either way I am going to try. What I anticipate and hope will happen is that Weight Watchers is the catalyst I need to get me started, that’s all I’m looking for right now. Get back on the right track; loose weight in a healthy fashion. I honestly hope my diet evolves in the future. Evolves from crap to clean. Start small. Start slow. Start realistic.

Steve B., thanks reading and thanks for the email.

Jillian

Next Post Preview: A fun little CrossFit event recap where I talk about PR’s, working smarter not harder and try not to describe in detail what it feels like to drop a barbell on your head.