I've been sick.  Praying to the porcelain goddess sick!  YUCK!
That's the bad news.  The good news... I'm down 3.6 pounds this week - yes, the week after Thanksgiving! I'm now less than 8 pounds from my ultimate goal, and I've lost over 113 pounds total!  About 2 of those pounds I attribute to being sick.  The other 1.6 I earned by really watching myself this Thanksgiving, and trying to have my focus be someplace else, rather than food.  I'm sure the other 2 pounds, I'll regain as soon as I start eating "normally" again.  I'm OK with that.  Remind me I said that next week, will ya?

I did drag my finally feeling halfway human self to a Weight Watchers meeting this morning, because I wanted to get all of the new plan materials.  I spent 3 days this past week on the new PointsPlus program (M-W), and while still dismayed that wine is double the original points value, I am doing OK with it.  It is absolutely new to wrap my mind around, and once I can quit comparing to the old plan I will be OK.  It is really hard that I don't just automatically know the points value of foods, or that I can no longer look at a label and know the value, but I'm sure that will soon pass, once I learn to trust the plan, and prove that I can lose weight on it.

A few have asked why I don't just stick with the original program if it was working so well for me.  The answer is simple - a huge part of my success has been eTools, the online food tracking option that Weight Watchers has.  Since I'm at a computer the majority of my day, eTools makes it super easy to put in what I'm eating and doing.  eTools switches... so do I.  Also, I want to be able to relate to new/existing members of Weight Watchers.  I want to be able to encourage and help people -give them new food ideas, and be able to calculate the points plus values.  I owe you guys that. 

You know another thing I'm excited about?  That so many people ARE excited about the new Weight Watchers program.  I know a lot of people who've been struggling and are now coming back to it because of the new program, with a renewed sense of "getting it done."  And there are new people now trying Weight Watchers for the first time.  While in theory, it really is the same old "eat less and move more" concept, giving it a new face/name has given people renewed strength, and I love that! 

If you are in this category my hope for you today is that you give it your all and stick to it!  Make the lifestyle change forever!  If you get off track, so what?  Let every meal, every day be a new opportunity for you.  Don't wait until Monday.  Do this like you mean it.  Want it more than anything else.  Do it because you are worth it and you deserve it!  Keep the reason you are doing this always with you, and use that as motivation.  For me it is this picture.  I could not be the best mom to that sweet little boy given the weight I was in this picture.  It would not have been fair to him:

You will NEVER regret it.  I have not regretting one minute of having to "watch my eating", not one minute of running, not one cent of the money I paid to Weight Watchers before hitting goal, not one minute of attending meetings, or standing in line to weigh in, not one cent I've spent at the grocery store on healthier foods, not one gym membership bill, or 5 am morning working out.  Neither will you, I promise!