I was shopping at a very large outlet mall today with some girlfriends — ideal setting for people watching. Much, much better (and less psychologically damaging) than trying on swimsuits.
Shoppers were out in droves. We are having our first real taste of spring in my area, and people were responding by fervently purchasing sun dresses, shorts, tanks, and sandals.

I wasn’t surprised by the amount of people. I definitely wasn’t shocked by the frantic pace at which people were buying new wardrobes.

What did astound me was how similar many moms appeared in comparison to their teenage daughters. They were shopping at the same boutiques, buying very similar clothes, and looked closer in age than Mother Nature intended. These women had round, perky breasts. They were virtually cellulite and sag-free. Their foreheads suspiciously void of wrinkles. Their lips plump and without lines. Crows feet around the eyes? Not a chance! At 26, I felt haggard next to these gals.

Let’s face it, plastic surgery, cosmetic rejuvenation, botox parties, etc. are becoming the norm. Everywhere you look messages are screaming “be younger, be thinner, be prettier!” Undergoing the knife is a common discussion in my circle of friends — and I’m confident that if we could afford it, we’d all book consultations tomorrow! Some already have. I’m not exactly proud of this, but it is what it is.

I envy those that are fully comfortable in their own skin. I’ve heard women state that at a certain age you reach body-acceptance, even love. Others are vying to cover their bodies in purple ink and be wheeled to the surgical room.

So, what side of the plastic surgery debate are you on — aging gracefully (and surgery free), or getting by with a little, maybe a lot, of help?

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What do you want from me Weight Watchers?

I lost another 3 pounds this week. Thank you. Thank you. My pride and joy was soon squelched by a scolding downer when Weight Watchers proclaimed in a from response to me, on the very site I proudly entered in that 3 pound loss and charted it, that I was losing weight too rapidly. Three pounds is too rapid?? Give me a big, cellulite break!

They claim that “rapid” (again, I don’t think mine is rapid, especially given my weight), affects menstrual cycles and puts you at risk of gaining your weight back. They suggested that I increase calories. Well, now you’re talkin’! I think I definitely will be on board with that!

Quaker Oats Express Oatmeal is my new favorite snack food, and only has 3 points. I have it for lunch on Thursdays because that is veggie pizza night and I need to have a low points lunch.:

YUM.

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Okay, this is gonna be short and sweet this week because I have a lot going on and I’m really, really hungry this week. My body is definitely going into some sort of weird deprivation shock and not liking it, plus I was sick last week and didn’t exercise — again. Can’t it just hover above arctic temperatures long enough to allow me to get well? Is that too much to ask? Can I have some global warming love here in Chi-town?

I lost another 2 lbs. in spite of my misery.

My “diet” food pick of the week is only 1 points and it is a little zinger-like, slice of heaven. The lemon ones rule. I don’t normally like lemon, but it’s a love-fest between me and those 1 point miracles. The carrot cake is really good too, but a tiny bit dry. The chocolate tastes like ass. Stay away from the chocolate.

We’ve been getting them at Target and the local grocery when they’re not sold out. Stock up if you find ‘em. They’ve been catching on. So buy some. Today.

[Ed. note: I think it's worth pointing out in this era of "pay per post" that Jessica's opinions and suggestions are sincere -- while she was provided a Weight Watchers membership for review purposes, no compensation has been received or offered.]

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Feeling more and more MILFy everyday. I’ve lost another 2 lbs., which is way cool because that marks a significant milestone, the 10 lb. mark. 40 lbs. to go and it just seems so much more attainable that 50 lbs. for some reason. I can finally see myself getting back to pre-pregnancy weight, even if it took 4 years, at least I’m doin’ it!

I feel like Weight Watchers Flex Plan has been an invaluable training tool, but I can almost predict points and figure out what I should and shouldn’t eat without even punching it into their online database. I do it anyway, because it makes you just that much more aware when you write it all out (or type it in my case).

I was starting to get worried because I wasn’t feeling so hungry this week; it seems to be getting easier. However, considering I am still losing weight and not that hungry it proof positive that my body is adjusting.

The last 3 nights have been the first nights in months that I slept the whole night through. I have battled insomnia for most of my adult life so this is a major benefit and joy for me.

I know my next goal will be to integrate some sort of strength building regiment into my schedule. I really need to do crunches. God, I hate crunches.

Stay tuned next week — I’ll post my one month photo update!

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My mother gave me sage advice when I was a wild-child teen: “The people you are most attracted to, are the people that are bad for you. The ones you don’t desire are the ones that are good for you.”

That probably comes as an insult to my husband, but have no fear my dear, I truly feel like I got the best of both worlds with my significant other. However, I am finding that her advice is applicable to my diet. The things that look good and are pretty and charming to be around but have no substance are not what’s good for me on my diet. The ugly shit, the stuff I’m not attracted to and that in which I have no emotional connection to and no desire to indulge in is the shit that’s good for me.

I have done well so far. This week, I weighed in at 191 which is 4 lbs. lighter than I was last week. Yep, this loser feels pretty good about herself. It hasn’t been easy, there were nights I was hungry and sometimes my mind would wander with thoughts like, “I could be hit by a limo with a rock star in it tomorrow, and my last days will have been lived out sleeping with the uglies (ugly food).” How many times in the past has that caused me to fall off the wagon and then life zips by at breakneck pace only to find me with the same largish butt. This time, I’m not going to drown my sorrows in cookies I don’t appreciate because I allowed myself to believe my alter-ego.

Weight Watchers Flex Plan rules by the way. It’s fun and motivating and it makes sense. Most of all, it works. Today I noticed a tid-bit that puts it all into perspective:

If you lose 1 lb., that is equal to 4 sticks of butter being removed from your body.

If you lose 5 lbs., that is equivalent to losing a sack of potatoes off your body. (I’m almost there!)

If you lose 10 lbs., that is equivalent to losing 8 medium cantaloupes off your body.

If you lose 25 lbs., that is equivalent to losing 3 gallons of milk off your body. (Think of what it must feel like getting rid of that heavy load? I’m currently walking around with almost 6 gallons strapped to my body!)

So, MILFs and DILFs, as we head into week 2, keep your eyes on the prize. If you are currently tracking your own progress on your personal blog, email me at jessica (at) imperfectparent (dot) com and I will feature some of you over the coming weeks!

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As I confessed last week,I have been eating like a person on death row. In fact, I have been eating like every brownie, hamburger and cookie will be my last. I think I’ve managed to gain 8 lbs. over the last two weeks. I try to rationalize it — surely weight that has been put on so quickly will quickly melt off, right? Right? Someone? Anyone?

I signed up for Weight Watchers today and chose the flex points plan. Prescott and few others from The Imperfect Parent forum and our Cranky Mama blogger have said they would join me. This is so exciting! Some are deciding to go with Spark People because it’s free and for comparison’s sake because I’m such a big Weight Watcher’s Online fan. WW is such a no brainer. The plan I’m doing, you just enter your weight, your goal weight and it assigns points to whatever you eat. They provide a database of thousands of foods, or you enter the nutritional information if they don’t have it pre-loaded and it tells you how many points you used up. I get 25 points for my daily ration. If I exercise, I get points back. Sweet!

I am going to start off with an aerobics class 2X a week. I’ve heard that if you start off too aggressively, you’re more apt to quit. Sounds good to me! Twice a week it is! I also have an exercise bike in my bedroom that I found after releasing it from the burden of carrying clothes.

In effort to motivate, I am compiling a list of reasons to lose weight. Tony Robinson, the motivational speaker, said on a morning program the other day that in order to lose weight, you must have a very personal and really compelling reason to lose weight or else you’re doomed. Here are my 5 reasons, but I would love for readers to participate and add to the list:

1. Sleep better
2. Have more energy
3. Wear skinny jeans
4. Live longer
5. Not have to unbutton my pants while sitting at the computer a long time

The down and dirty details (as well as my complete humiliation) after the jump…

continue reading…

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