I need to drop 20 pounds. I am getting married on June 15 and I was worried about my dress fitting since my ten pound weight gain, and sure enough I couldn’t zip it up. I bought myself a sample size dress from a bridal convention last year in 2018 and there is no ability to let the dress out, nor do I want to have the dress accommodate my bad habits. The truth is I need to drop 12 pounds and fast, but I want to drop 20 pounds as I was feeling pretty great ten pounds ago and I know an additional ten will have me feeling fantastic. 
Selfie after an intense work out last Sunday.
As some of you may already know, I am a tall girl, I am 5’10” so I can carry more weight than most women I know who are substantially shorter than me. It is all relative and each one of us has unique goals and unique challenges to face. For me, my greatest obstacle is getting the nutrition piece right, but I have the exercise piece down.
Video on YouTube of Tracy Anderson
I can run 5k no problem and I can go to a high intensity interval class and surpass a good number of tiny twenty something year olds who are just out of shape. I would say I am in pretty good shape cardio wise and stamina wise, but I am not thriving with the extra weight I carry. A girl’s size and weight does not determine her ability to kick ass at sports and other cardio activities. There are larger women who attend some of my high intensity classes who put me to shame with their energy and strength. Only you can determine what you want and what you are comfortable with shape and size wise.
Fat vs. muscle
I would say with the amount of time I put into exercise, the statement indicating weight loss is determined by 80% of what you eat and 20% exercise to be true. At least, this is the case for me. I could be mountain climbing daily and going for runs, but if I continued to eat the crap which I do, I would either gain more weight or possibly maintain. I want to drop weight, so I need to get on board with eating a more healthy balanced diet. I have chosen the course of Weight Watchers, it works when you do it, but I will say the Free Style plan has not been working as well for me, as I had dropped 17 pounds initially before it went to Free Style and then I was barely losing.
List of zero Smart Point foods which means you can eat as much of it as you want & should not suffer the consequences of weight gain from these foods…
Moving in with Brian also played a role in gaining ten pounds of the 17 lost, as he has a wicked sweet tooth, likes his salty snacks (aka Kettle Chips!), and likes to order in; all of this being stuff I avoided like the plague when I had adopted Weight Watchers lifestyle change into my life. So, yes, Weight Watchers works when you do it properly and you track honestly.
Weight Watchers meme
I had a good spell in January and dropped over five pounds as I was tracking daily and being very good, but February was an exceptionally stressful month for me and not that stress should be an excuse, but I stopped tracking what I was eating and allowed a few too many comfort foods back into the menu and naturally gained back the weight I had lost. I am back at square one and I hope to keep the determination in check because as I grow older it seems like the stress just keeps increasing or continuing. What I am trying to say is there will never be a good time to try and live a healthy lifestyle besides right now. Also, maybe I wouldn’t have fallen into such a funk and depression for February if I had chosen to eat healthy. 
What is my plan of action to drop 20 pounds?
- Stay within daily allotment of WW Smart Points (SPs)
- Avoid using all dailies (35WWSPs) within week
- Reduce carbohydrate intake; use points with non-processed foods
- Give up processed foods with sugar added
- Go to gym daily during work week; add additional floor routines at night (abdominals/Tracey Anderson floor routines)
- Go running or some exercise activities on the weekends
The gorgeous Tracy Anderson who is a personal trainer to Gwyneth Paltrow & Madonna
I do know I need to do the exercise piece in moderation as last Sunday I ran on the treadmill for 25 minutes, did 20 minutes on the elliptical, did a half hour of Tracy Anderson moves on my yoga matt (insanity!) and then walked for 80 minutes.
I over did it. I remained sore for three days later but I dare say it is my butt which hurts from Tracy Anderson as her moves are very unique from what I have been taught at my gym classes and she woke up some muscles I am pretty sure have never been worked before. You can find heaps of videos of Tracy Anderson on YouTube which are free; she is great. 
There she is doing her stuff “TA”
Let’s see how this goes! I will be updating weekly with my progress until June 15th. Would love it if you join me to drop 20 pounds like it is hot!
Peace & Love – Rachel
You Know Jacques! 