Q&A

Hi Everyone! Through the past few months, people have asked me a few questions about myself. Here is where I will answer them. So, if you ever have any questions you would like to ask, send them to healthykrit@gmail.com and I would be happy to add them to my site and answer them the best I can.

To start, here are a few quick facts about me:

• Name: Kristi
• Location: Milwaukee, WI
• Birthday: August 24, 1985
• Sign: Virgo
• Status: Married
• Height: 5’6
• Weight: 133

Q1: How old were you when you started to lose weight?

I was almost 22 when I decided to start watching what I ate.

Q2: How much weight did you lose?

I have actually lost a total of 40 pounds.

Q3: How did you lose all of your weight?

I joined Weight Watchers in February of 2007. I stuck with the plan and by July 2007 I was pretty much at my goal weight. I stayed on the WW plan until July 2009. I decided to do this whole healthy living thing on my own and not pay for it any longer. It’s a good way to test out what I have learned in 2 years.

Q4: Now that you are off of Weight Watchers, how do you track what you eat?

Don’t get me wrong, I still follow the WW plan, I just don’t count points anymore. After doing the plan for 2 years everyday, you get a pretty good idea of what you should be eating and shouldn’t be eating. Currently, to track what I am eating, I use a free source called sparkpeople.com (www.sparkpeople.com) This is a really great way to see how many calories I am consuming vs what I am burning during the week.

Q5: Do you recommend that people track what they eat?

YES. Tracking really puts things into perspective for you. You really see what you are eating when you write it down. For me the realization that I was eating too much came when I started tracking everything. I saw that the trail mix 3 times a day probably wasn’t the best and the 8 beers I had with the girls wasn’t good either!

Q6: Do you count calories?

Yes and no. Since I am so used to points, I usually do that. However, on sparkpeople it counts the calories for you so I can see how many I am consuming in one day. Typically, I get around 1400 calories on a day that I do not work out and more when I do. I will adjust depending on how hungry I am, but sometimes when I see that I have already consumed a certain amount of calories, I will cut back or choose foods with lower calorie counts.

Q7: What was/is the hardest part of losing weight? The easiest?

 The hardest part of losing weight was saying no to the foods I loved. I used to LOVE going to places like the Cheesecake Factory and having a slice of cheesecake after dinner. Little did I know that one piece of cheesecake would have more than my recommended calorie and fat intake for the entire day. Seriously one piece would be 21-24 points. I always thought how could something so good be that terrible for me? It was tough, but with time it got pretty easy. I enjoy that piece of cheesecake more now than I did before because I hardly ever eat it.

 The easiest part of losing weight was probably losing the weight. I dropped my weight pretty quick and have been able to keep it off. For me it was seeing the number on the scale go down that kept me motivated and made the program easier. Once you see it working, you stick to it and you learn what works and what doesn’t.

Q8: When you say, you did WW “to a tee”- do you mean that you never went off plan, never went over your points values??

 When I say that I did the WW plan to a tee, I mean that I got all of the 8 healthy guidelines in and never went over my daily and weekly points combined. I followed the plan the way you are supposed to. I got my whole grains in, my healthy oils, my milk, fruits and vegetables, lean protein, water and exercise in pretty much everyday. You are supposed to use your weekly points that are what they are there for. So even though I got 23 points to start, I still had my 35 weekly points to use too! Don’t forget about them, they are there if you need them.

 Q9: How do you navigate when you are going somewhere unexpected and you don’t have time to look at a menu prior to going to the restaurant?

 Navigating around a menu is pretty easy once you get the hang of it. First things first, look over the whole menu to see if they have a “healthy” section. Most places now have a section for the better for you options. However, most times I will even tweak the healthy items. I learned to get very picky when I go out. If I do not want my meal cooked in oil, I will tell them. If I want my dressing on the side I will let them know. I always get a side salad to go with every meal because it is filling and zero points! If I get a burger, I usually only eat half the bun because they are always really big. If I get pasta, I ask for a to go container right of way and pack up ½- ¾ of the meal to go. Always get dressing on the side and look for low-fat or fat free options. For sides, look for steamed veggies or a baked potato (get it with salsa instead of sour cream and butter). Most places are very accommodating to what you want, so be specific and picky. After all, you are the one that has to eat it.

 Q10: What is the biggest motivator to losing weight?

 The biggest motivator for me was the scale. No lie. Every week I would see a loss and it made me work harder. If I didn’t see a loss I looked back and found out why and got back on track next week. Another big motivator for me was having people tell me that I looked good. Hearing something good everyday really boosts your self esteem.

 Q11: Did you ever compare yourself to others when you were bigger? How did you deal with those feelings?

 I used to do this a lot. I would think, wow I wish I could look like that. Then I realized I could look like the people I compared myself to. I think it is natural for women to compare themselves to other people because we live in a society where people expect you to look or act a certain way. I wish it weren’t that way, but it is. The only thing you can do is remind yourself that you are beautiful and if you want to change something about yourself do it for you and no one else. You have to be happy with the way you are and you have to live with yourself everyday so be the person you want to be.

 Q12: When you aren’t hungry and you haven’t used all your dailies, do you try to use them up anyways?

 This actually happened to me a lot. I would eat so many veggies throughout the day that I wouldn’t be hungry for dinner. I started looking at my fridge and I realized that I ate all fat free foods. So, one easy change was to swap my cottage cheese or yogurt with low fat instead of fat free. If you are following the 8 healthy guidelines you should be able to meet your daily points pretty easy. For example, if you get ½ of your fruit and veggie requirement from fruit, it should be about 2-3 points. If you get in your milk requirements that should take up 4-6 points, the oil requirement should take up 2 points, whole grains should take up anywhere from 3-6 points too. I always found a way to eat my points because if you don’t your body will go into starvation mode and hold onto the fat instead of losing it! 

 Q13: What has been the most successful part of WW for you? least successful?

 The most successful part of WW has been maintaining. Since I have been following the program for such a long time, it’s the way I eat now. It became a lifestyle change for me and I love that! When I go to a restaurant, I look over the menu and the healthy options are most appealing to me. I rarely look at a huge bowl of Alfredo and want it. It really taught me to make better food choices. I honestly cannot think of the least successful part of WW. It really worked for me and I would recommend it to anyone. The only advice I will give to someone is to make sure you give it 3 weeks and really commit to the plan for 3 weeks. It take that long to develop a habit and if you do not stick to it consistently for 3 weeks, you may not be able to make the change.

 Q14: Do you plan your meals on Sundays?

 I definitely try to plan my meals on Sundays. It makes shopping at the grocery store a lot easier. It also makes WW’s a lot easier too! Knowing what you are going to eat ahead of time will be able to help you plan a night out and use your extra points. Eating on a whim is usually where you mess up.