Managing Alcohol & Social Support for Weight Loss - Dianne's Challenge Week 9

You, and only you, are responsible for the decisions you make, but let’s not diminish the role that outside forces and influences play in the paths we ultimately choose.

I’ve been fortunate throughout this weight loss journey to have an amazing support system of family and friends who encourage me. Yet even with support, the people in your life are often used to the “old” you, and they want you to be happy, so they give you what you want rather than what you need. I’m learning that it always comes down to my own ability to make good choices. No one else can be disciplined or achieve my goals for me.

My Fiancé

For instance, for the first several weeks of this Fit-for-Wedding journey, my fiancé, Dave, was quick to give into my cravings for sweets and would offer me cookies or candy. He’s been super supportive as we’ve progressed through this journey, but the first few weeks were rough. We were also stuck in a routine of getting takeout for dinner every night. Luckily, Dave loves fish like salmon and tilapia.  I’ve been baking some fish and having a side of veggies.  I’ll make Dave rice pilaf, but I’ll usually pass on the rice and stick to with my lower carbohydrate diet. This last week or so, Dave has been the one to tell me not to have that second cocktail or to skip dessert. His extra encouragement and accountability has been really great to help keep me on track!

Girlfriends

I also have an extremely close knit group of girlfriends.  These girls are my sisters for life and I love each one dearly.  When we get together, however, there’s a continuous flow of wine, which gets us in trouble when it comes to dieting.  It’s never a one-glass kind of situation. Just recently, I logged the wine that I consumed one night when we hung out for a Nashville viewing, and it was almost 700 calories – yikes!  Now football season is back on Sundays, and what’s football Sunday without beer and pizza?! 

Luckily, these girls are also my bridesmaids and their dresses for my wedding are quite form fitting. With the wedding getting closer, we have more motivation to change the way we socialize. Some of them have been joining me for workouts, and this week Holly led all of us through a group workout, doing a high intensity circuit (see workout below). During our Sunday get-togethers, we’re starting to incorporate healthy snacks like crudités platters with hummus, and we’ll fill our wine glasses with sparkling water, ice, and lime instead of alcohol.

This week, Be Mixed was kind enough to send some of their no sugar, no calorie drink mixers for our Sunday night hangout! Their ginger lime flavor was popular with my bridesmaids and turned out to be a great alternative to standard cocktails. Little tricks like this make it easier to get that social support I need, versus just telling my girlfriends we can only drink water from now on. It’s all about compromise!

Professional Life

Work can be another tricky environment.  I’ve had a few colleagues return from business trips and/or holidays recently and they always seem to bring a variety of chocolaty treats back with them.  Whenever I go to the kitchen to fill up my water bottle, I’ll do a double take at the snacks table and contemplate “Should I? Or shouldn’t I?” I’m not going to lie… there have been a few days where I’ll grab a few of those tasty treats before walking back to my office. 

Catered lunch meetings and company lunch outings are also hard sometimes, since I can’t control the food options. Going over restaurant menus and choosing the healthier, more diet-friendly option has been tough. But I try to remember how good I’ve been feeling now that my diet has changed.  I feel lighter, more energized and much better overall, but boy is it hard to say ‘no’ sometimes!

I also work right next door to an ice creamery, where we sometimes we like to grab a little ‘pick me up’. I’ve been quite proud during the past couple of visits. I’ve just gone with my colleagues for the walk, and didn’t grab any ice cream for myself – 

Success!

These small strides that I’ve made thus far, although very challenging at times, have created a positive outcome.  In fact, I ended the week at 153.3 - halfway to my goal!! And though my weight has gone down, the best thing is that my body feels better.  I feel lighter and more energized, and I have been feeling much better in my clothes!  My pants aren’t so tight these days, and it feels fabulous.  It certainly has shown me that small, consistent changes - although they might not feel significant - make a difference.  Just remember, taking one step at a time, no matter how small, will still get you where you want to go.

Current Stats:

Weight: 153.3

Body Fat: 27.5%

Measurements:

Chest: 36.75

Waist: 34.3

Hips: 42.6

Arm: 11.75

Thigh: 24.15

(Watch Episode 6 below for explanations of each exercise) 

What do you think?