51 pounds gone (not accurate)

My weight is not accurate because I am currently still admitted to a voluntary mental health facility, and have not been weighing in. I remember when I was first planning of coming here, I considered bringing my scale…but then I talked to a couple WW coaches and they strongly disagreed. Every coach I talked to said to treat this admission like a “vacation” and not to worry about the points while I am here (especially because I do not have control of my diet).

It’s been incredibly challenging shutting off my Weight Watchers brain…but I’m doing what I have to do to get better with my mental health. My health will always be my number one priority.

But because I told myself that I am not doing WW, some of my bad habits are creeping back. I stopped at 7/11 on a walk where I was unsupervised and I bought a big pack of skittles…my favourite. I had seconds at lunch one day when we had tuna macaroni salad because it was so good, even though I know deep down it was a high point meal. I ate a donut when the other patients brought donuts in and offered me one.

All things that I would not be doing at home on the program. I don’t have any unhealthy stuff in my house (besides jolly ranchers 🙂 hehe) because my husband and I like to eat well.

I know that I will be able to flip the switch back on again when I get out of here. I know I am going to be able to find the joy in the journey like I did before because I still join workshops every day that I am in here. I am still inspired by other member’s shares and stories. I am still thinking about what meals I could create when I get out of here. I’m still getting lots of steps a day. I know I can do it!

It was interesting, my WW coach this morning called me out when I said I “feel like a Weight Watchers imposter because I’m not following the program” and she asked the entire room after my share what I am doing towards the program (like getting my steps, drinking my water, going to workshops, aiming for 8 hours of sleep). So many members spoke directly to me with words of encouragement. It was very inspiring. It made me feel better, that even though I am not in control of the food pillar…I can work on the other three.

They have started me on some pretty heavy medications and I am still not sleeping well, and I just talked to the Client Care Coordinator and she said that depending on what the psychiatrist says, they could potentially extend my stay. Yesterday I told my family strongly that I was going to go home on Monday no matter what…but after my horrible sleep last night, I feel differently. The psychiatrist increased all my medications today again. I asked her if I should be worried about these high doses of antipsychotics and what the max dose was and she assured me that I was no where near a max dose (thank goodness!)

So my plan for the week is to keep joining workshops, keep sharing my journey, keep active and keep my head held high! I know that weight at the top will have a substantial change once I weigh in at home and I am going to just label this as a normal setback in my journey. I have to look at the bigger picture and understand that I have still lost 50 pounds….that is huge! I know I’m not going to gain 50 pounds back in here…so in the grand scheme of things, it’s not a big deal. I shared in Coach Kathy’s workshop today that I was struggling and the amount of support I got from members across the country was outstanding. I feel so empowered to have a good day. For those of you on premium WW and haven’t joined in on a virtual workshop, I highly recommend them!

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Now let’s talk about the recipe of the week! This healthy risotto was such a win in our home. I had seen so many TikTok’s and YouTube videos of people making risotto and it’s always been on my to do list to try. I’m so grateful it turned out and I had so much fun preparing it! John was out for the evening so he didn’t get to try it until the next day but he devoured those leftovers and said it was delicious! I’m really proud of this one!

Check out the video here

Until next time.

Photography: Lindsay Maclean Studios