The Interview

Krissie sent me some interview questions. Some of these are going to be a little rough for me to answer, but I asked for it. :) Thanks Krissie for taking the time out of your busy schedule to ask me these. :)

1. Of all the many eating lifestyles out there, why have you chosen Weight Watchers?
Well, honestly, because it seems like the most sensible plan and I know it works. I spent a lot of time researching diets online and also trying many diets before I found Weight Watchers. I've been to Diet Workshop, I've done the low carb thing, Slimfast, Optifast, and probably something else with the word "fast" in it. LOL! We're all looking for a fast way to lose the weight, so of course anything with the word "fast" in it is going to appeal to us. :) So many programs out there have you doing crazy things like drinking shakes, not eating carbs, eating prepackaged meals, etc. That might be fine and dandy for getting the weight off, but once the weight is off, then what? You can't do that for the rest of your life. I feel like Weight Watchers offers a safe, balanced way of losing weight, and it's something I feel like I could follow for the rest of my life.

2. At one point in your life, you had lost an astounding amount of weight. How do you keep from being discouraged that you had to start over? (This is a selfish question. I had to start over, and really struggle with not beating myself up about it.)
Ah, this is definitely one of the harder questions. Honestly, I still beat myself up for gaining all of my weight back. I'm not sure there is a day that goes by that I don't at least think about it. I wallowed in self pity and disgust for 2 years. I tried to move on many times, I failed, I picked myself up and tried again. All we can do is really try. I've told myself to stop thinking about what was, and think more about what is and what can be. Telling myself this doesn't mean I don't still think about the past, but it does help me to bring focus into "today". It reminds me that I can't change the past, but I can work on today and change my future. I'm sure we all have regrets that we'd like to go back and change, but until we discover some kind of time machine, we're just going to have to learn from the past and grow from it. I think once I stopped wallowing in the self pity so much, I just decided it was time to move on. Even though I really wanted to lose weight over the past 2 years, I just think I wasn't really ready to do it. My mind and heart just weren't in the game. I still struggle almost everyday, but I think I'm more into it now. I've found a lot of great supportive people to talk to at my message board, I've got my friend Ben to talk to, and I've got this blog where I've met people like you. Keeping this daily blog is kind of like therapy for me. It helps me get some stuff out of my head. :) I also meet a lot of nice people through my website. Helping others has helped me as well. I just think surrounding myself with like minded people has really helped me to stay focused. I also enjoy cooking again and now that I've been able to stick to it for over a month (I use to quit within a couple of weeks) and I've started seeing the results, I'm more motivated. I know I can do this, I've done it before and I know I can do it again. I have to forgive myself for gaining the weight back and move on. I have a couple of quotes that I keep taped here by my computer (since it's where I spend most of my day). They are:

"Remember... it's not what you are giving up, it's what you are gaining"

"If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got and you'll always be what you've always been"

3.You mentioned in one blog that you brushed your teeth to keep from eating. What other top secret tactics do you have up your sleeve for dealing with cravings or munchies?
Hmmm, well, I chew gum sometimes when I want something sweet, and the chewing motion helps (I'm not a real big gum chewer though). I don't eat hard candy very often (I choked on a piece when I was 11, so I have some mental problems in that area. LOL), but I'm sure if others feel safe eating hard candy, it could help get rid of a few cravings. :) I've found having a cup of low calorie hot chocolate or some chicken broth really helps. The warmth from it makes you sip so it lasts longer and I just think it helps keep a person satisfied. Sometimes if I think I need something sweet, I'll have some crystal light. It's sweet and helps get some more water in. If I'm having a craving for something sweet and I know I'm hungry, I'll have a 1 point pudding or if I need something salty, I'll have some popcorn. I don't crave salty too much, my craving is usually for sweets. :) I really do find brushing my teeth a lot of times is the best way to go. How many of us are willing to eat when we've just brushed our teeth? The minty toothpaste sometimes gets rid of a craving too. LOL!

4. You posted once about emtotional eating. I read somewhere else that we fill our appetites with food and we fill our cravings with self-love. How do you reward yourself? Do you have any pampering habits?
Honestly, I've never really been one for pampering myself. I'm probably too hard on myself and I should reward myself more often, but I just don't. I'm very happy when I do well and the feeling I get from that accomplishment is usually enough of a reward for me. :) I am saving $5 for every pound I lose this time around. I suppose in a way, that's kind of like a reward that is being built up for the ultimate prize for when I hit my goal. :) When I hit my goal, I've figured up that I'll have saved around $712. It's not a million dollars or anything, but that's a pretty good prize if you ask me. :) I'll be able to buy new clothes or go get a make over, whatever I want.

5. I am so impressed that you work from home and make your living inspiring others. How did you take that leap?
Honestly, it all started out with me building my website as a way to help myself stay accountable, and I thought maybe I could share my adventures (that's why I called it Aimee's Adventures) with others to help them with their adventures. I just started posting any recipes I tried and taking pictures of the recipe when I made it (at the time, I was the only person with a personal site for Weight Watchers doing this, so it was pretty unique). I also posted anything else that I came across that I thought would help others, like tips, articles, other websites, etc. About a year and a half into it, someone at my Weight Watchers meeting told me that I should put a cookbook together because I was always sharing my recipes with them. I really didn't want to do it because it seemed like a lot of work (which is it) but my husband (ex now) was disabled and not working (he had dilated cardiomyopathy), so I decided to do it. At first it was more like a hobby, but then it picked up and I was making enough to pay the bills, so I figured I'd better make it an official business (I didn't want to go to jail for not paying taxes). LOL! I'm not rich from it, but I make enough to pay my bills each month (though there are some months where I'm afraid I won't make enough and think about finding a part time job to go with it). Some people have told me I shouldn't put the recipes up for free on my website, but I know I like free stuff, and I figure if people like the recipes enough, they'll purchase the cookbooks. :) Right now I'm working on the 3rd cookbook (making new recipes) and I'm putting together another cookbook of "Community Favorites". Even though I put a lot of work into maintaining the site and working on recipes, I enjoy doing it. And when I get an email from someone who tells me how much I've helped them, then that makes it all worth it.

6. Sometimes I am guilty of focusing too much on the scale and not enough on how my life and my abilities are changing. Other than the number on the scale, what are the benefits of weight loss that you look most forward to?
I mosty look forward to being able to do physical activities like I use to. When I lost weight the first time, I remember having so much energy. I loved hiking, I participated in 10k's almost every weekend, I would ride my Trikke for miles, and much more. I can't do any of that now. Where I use to be able to walk 6 miles, I can barely walk 1 mile now. I get out of breath from simple things like tying my shoes to simply walking across the room. I can't wait to not be like that anymore. I look forward to my knees, ankles and back not hurting anymore from all of the extra weight baring down on them. I also look forward to being able to see my feet without bending way over. :) I have quite a few clothes that are smaller in size that are put away. I'm looking forward to getting back into those and then having them be too big for me too. :) Another thing I'm looking forward to is being able to go somewhere and not having to wonder if I'll fit through something or if I'll get stuck in the seat when I sit down. I guess just over all "fitting in" in all aspects of the word and feeling healthier are what I look forward to the most.