With only just two weeks to go, we check in with our two readers to see how their weigh-loss programme is going after last week’s blip.
Name: Peter Cooney
Meeting: Thomas Davis GAA Club, Tallaght
Starting weight: 13 stone 13.5lbs
Current weight: 12 Stone 6.5 lbs
It was a dark cold night in January and the clocks were striking eighteen. Beside the canal I waited, staring endlessly back along the way I had just come. The evening traffic was at a standstill as the minutes ticked by. My feet began pacing the sidewalk as my eyes were bowing to the heavens. ‘Where is the bus?’ I thought to myself, for the bus is my preferred mode of transportation.
At the exact moment that I began contemplating hailing a taxi, a well-lit box on wheels approached. Smiling, I dropped my change in the metal change trap as is the way on Dublin Bus and took my seat.
Thirty eight minutes later, roughly, after the eighteenth hour struck, I was back in the cold, only this time I was running. Running to make my class, running to be weighed, my legs moving faster and ever more worriedly should I miss my weigh in.
Out of breath, I crashed through the glass doors, the light blinding. After regaining my sight, I surveyed my environment; waiting at the back of the room was the altar. The place of judgment.
I slowly removed by coat, followed by a hoody which provided extra warmth, but extra mass. Next; phone, wallet, keys. All removed from the pockets of my fading blue jeans. With one fasten of my belt I stood upon the scales.
A week had passed since I had been given the devastating news that my body mass had increased by a pound and a half. What had I done this past week to negate this? Had I done enough? Am I slighter than I was the week previous? These are just some of the thoughts that swirled around my head like a tornado infested with sharks.
Ger inserted my membership card and took hold of my record card. One click, two clicks, the result was in. Her voice positive, enthusiastic; ‘Peter, well done! You’re down three and a half pounds’.
I am proof there is a correlation between weight loss and rambling musings
Now I’m not a writer by any stretch of the imagination, but I’m sure Kafka, Auster, Greene et al. would have loved to have penned that passage. Maybe not Kerouac or Burroughs though as they would probably be off their whack on benny.
The past week, I ensured that I was tracking every ProPoint and every food and drink that passed through the gates of the Cooney Temple. I saved my 49 weekly ProPoints for a few cans with the lads – you know yourself – on Friday night and made sure that I was fed and watered before I went to the cinema on Saturday. No delicious buttery popcorn for Peter here, no bloody way.
I made sure that my snacking was a) delicious and b) very low in ProPoints; Mini Rolls are an absolute saviour. It was again the little changes that I made.
The temptation all week was to go to Boojum on the Millenium Walkway as it’s so delicious and I love it. It probably does the best Mexican food in Dublin, if not the World. BOOJUM!
Instead of popping over though, I decided to cook my own Weight Watchers chicken fajitas, and you know what? It was absolutely delicious and is most certainly a meal I will be cooking again.
My plan this Saturday is to get into the kitchen and try all sorts of recipes that will aid my weight loss and are excellent for budgeting your ProPoints. The weird thing about it is a) I’m a man and b) I’m looking forward to it and c) I love making lists. So let’s see how that goes.
So it’s the penultimate week of the programme, with next week being the final blog. I know mega sad face – yes I did just use that word – so I’m determined to lose more and try and get to my goal weight. I’ll be like the weight loss equivalent of Thierry Henry taking the ball in the Arsenal half and striding up the Highbury turf before slipping the ball into the Spurs net. I’ll get my goal.
Name: Roger Wheeler
Meeting: Castle Arch Hotel, Trim
Starting weight: 15 stone 7.5lbs
Current weight: 14 stone 7lbs
With just one week to go I am back on track and I am delighted to report a two and a half pound loss. My total weight loss to date is now 17 Lbs. That makes up for a two pound gain last week with some change. It was a tough week after such a disappointment, but it’s all about dusting yourself down and getting back on that horse. One of the big factors our class leader talks about is being patient. This is necessary because you will have set backs and it’s all about being able to recover from them.
After going back to planning my meals, tracking and getting the exercise in, I was back in the zone. I was making no excuses this week. I put on the extra layers and endured the cold weather in order to gain those valuable extra ProPoints. I felt I didn’t need to use these this week though as I was keeping my ProPoints count down with the intake of free foods. Free soup for lunch is also a God-send as it is ProPoints free. The soup is very easy to make and when you have your batch made you can stick it the fridge and you are sorted for a couple of days. There are many different recipes for the free soup from Tomato and Basil to butter-nut squash with peppers.
Back on the horse, metaphorically speaking
This week I also experimented with trying new dishes from the Weight-Watchers cook book. These included a fantastic sausage and mozzarella pasta bake. There was plenty in it for myself and my wife with even some leftovers for the following days lunch. There is a relatively low ProPoints count for this meal and leaves you with those extra few ProPoints for the bowl of ice-cream afterwards if you fancy it.
I am now facing into my final week of reporting on the my journey with Weight-Watchers. This week I’ll continue with my tracking, exercise and planning. I’ll also keep my portion sizes in check as some evenings the plate tends to get stockpiled with extra potatoes on these cold evenings.
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