I had a horrible weekend. I ate everything in sight, and I mean everything. I would swear AF is coming to visit me soon. I gained 1 pound and I am really goiing to be OP today. The only problem is I have none of my WW at home stuff yet. I can’t find my old points slider either. How am I gonna now what I am eating points wise? I know I am allowed 28 points but that is it. Oh well hopefully the materials will be here soon. I know Leanne wanted us to only put pounds2go but I really need the accountablity of putting my weight so without futher ado I am at a starting weight of 233.

Wish me luck today girls and if anyone wants to help me out with points I would be greatful.

Yeah! I did it. Got my rear end out of bed at 5:30 to get on the treadmill. It’s my first day back to work after winter break so I thought it would be really tough after getting going at 8:00 every day for the past 3 weeks, but it wasn’t nearly as painful as I thought. It’s been only one week since I really started this whole thing and overall I’m pleased. I’ve only lost a 1/2 lb which doesn’t seem like much. But, thanks to Leanne I’m measuring too and I lost 1 1/2″ off my waist and 1 1/2″ off my thigh, so I feel as if I’ve made some progress. Yesterday, instead of getting on the treadmill my daughter and I went 7 miles on our bikes. We had girl time and got some exercise too. It was fun. I’m bringing salmon and an apple for lunch. I did splurge on a bagel with cream cheese this morning at about 270 calories. I decided I like the idea of a free day so I have that on Sundays because my husband is home that day. I didn’t go overboard, but I did have my husband’s chili. Here’s to a good day to all of you!

I have always loved chocolate, so sometimes I just have to have some. Is there any truth to the idea that chocolate is good for you? —D.J., New Hope, Minnesota

“Take two bites of chocolate and call me in the morning,” is one prescription people have longed to hear. And it appears as though that hope may not be as farfetched as it seems.

Recent studies identified properties in dark chocolate that can help lower blood pressure and actually increase antioxidants.

After consuming about 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate every day for 2 weeks, study participants experienced a decrease in blood pressure of 5 systolic points (the upper blood pressure number) and 2 diastolic points (the lower number). These decreases are credited to polyphenols found in dark chocolate. Other studies, however, found that drinking milk with dark chocolate or eating milk chocolate did not increase blood antioxidants. Researchers suspect that the body can’t absorb chocolate’s antioxidants when they’re bound with milk proteins.

Since the verdict is out regarding chocolate’s health benefits, I’d advise you to enjoy it in moderation. Chocolate is a calorie-dense food, and too many calories can lead to weight gain.

Whenever I watch my diet, I lose a lot of weight quickly—sometimes 5 to 7 pounds within the first week or two. After that, it’s much harder to lose weight. Is it true that the first pounds lost are water weight? —K.C., Berline, New Hampshire

Yes, that’s true. When eating fewer calories, the body gets the extra calories it needs from muscle protein. This is the case regardless of what type of calories you consume—protein, carbohydrate or fat.

Protein holds water, so when muscle protein is burned for fuel, water is released and eliminated from the body. And remember that while water might not have any calories, it can be heavy.

Your body doesn’t continuously draw calories from muscle, however. As it adjusts to the reduction in calories, it burns stored fat for energy. When stored fat is used, weight loss slows because water isn’t released as it is when the protein breaks down.

Remember that losing weight takes time. For every 3,500 calories you expend beyond your intake, you’ll lose a pound of fat. If you consume 1,500 calories a day and burn 2,000 calories each day, you can count on losing a pound per week. Increase the calories you burn by becoming more active and weight loss will follow.

OK, I’ve discussed my flop at my first WW weigh in. Now, what to do about it? I am done wallowing, but still mad enough to make something happen this week if I can at all.

Here are my goals for the week:

1. Stay within my points every day, without using activity points.

2. Exercise at least 5-6 days of the week. Run on the treadmill for mornings that I do weights even.

3. Drink more water–at least 6 glasses a day. This doesn’t mean water in the form I usually drink it–Crystal Light Tea, just plain old water. I have to get used to that again.

4. Stay focused and stay positive, even if I don’t have a big loss this next week.

Thanks for all your support ladies! If this week doesn’t show results, I’m looking into low carb. I have diabetes and some of the comments on here make me realize that I may have to do things a bit differently until I can find the way my body needs to eat to lose weight.

Best of luck this week to you all!