August 21, 2000
Dear Mom,
I have a whale of a surprise for you concerning something you have wanted. You have asked me to consider doing this for many years, probably as early as the late 1970's. After all these years I have finally given in.
I took a drive this morning to a shopping mall in my area. Once I arrived at the mall it took a few last minutes to convince myself to walk in. Signing up only took about five minutes. Once I paid my original $15.00, your prayers were answered. I finally joined Weight Watchers.
I could actually feel that you were smiling down on me as I stepped on the scale for the initial weigh in. After nearly passing out as I saw the goal she wrote on my chart it was time to get seated for the first meeting. They opened with introductions, then members told things they did during the week to help lose weight. We were told we were lucky to have joined with a partner to urge us on further. Then the speaker pulled out some pom poms and lead a cheer to close the meeting. Good grief!
My partner is a very special friend who convinced me to join with her. You would love her also. She plans our meals and keeps track of the points for the day. I could see from the start that this was going to be hard but we are both cheering each other on.
August 22, 2000
Dear Mom,
We survived the first day. It is hard getting used to this point system. I asked for butter with my toast this morning. She laughed as she shook her head telling me it was too many points. My 3 eggs were reduced to 2, my sugar was decreased in my coffee, whole milk became 2% and never mind a second glass of orange juice, it was barely a half a glass. The banana came down to a half. We also had a tall glass of water.
Lunch consisted of a sandwich, fruit and water. Dinner got smaller also. This is the first time I had potatoes without butter. I don't get a piece or slice of meat anymore; I get 6 ounces. I could breathe in 6 ounces. Another 2 glasses of water. I think I'm going to drown in water before this is through.
August 23, 2000
Dear Mom,
Day two is now on record. We found we could have cereal for breakfast. Nice change of pace. Suger for my cereal cost me a point. Now if I want sugar on my cereal I'll probably have to cut back further on the sugar in my coffee. BLT's for lunch. Bacon fits into my point allotment for the day. More water. No beef for dinner due to the BLT's. One piece of chicken. She told me I need to get used to chicken, and without the skin too. More water.
August 24, 2000
Dear Mom,
Day four. I'm starting to think and speak in points. I don't have eggs, potatoes, bread or chicken anymore. I have 1 point, 3 pts. 2 points etc. Getting water logged.
August 25, 2000.
Dear Mom,
I think my friend is pencil whopping me. Her calculation of points are never the same as mine.
August 26, 2000
Dear Mom,
I broke her pencil.
August 27, 2000
Dear Mom,
I am learning fast which fruits are in season and which aren't. Thank God fruits are only 1 or 2 points!
August 28, 2000
Dear Mom,
Have I got news for you! This morning was weigh in for the week. Are you ready for this? I lost 10.5 pounds this week, and she lost 6.5 pounds. The lady nearly fell out of her chair.
August 31, 2000
Dear Mom,
You'd be proud of us. We're still on the diet without cheating. I have tried to buy some points off her but she told me what to do with that idea. We took measurements this morning. I lost 1/2 inch off the chest, 1/2 inch off the arms, 1 inch off the waist, 1/2 off the hips and 1 inch off the thigh. She lost 2 inches off the leg and 1/2 off the thigh.
September 2, 2000
Dear Mom,
We went food shopping today. I have never read so many food labels before in my life. The closest I will ever get to tasting my favorite foods again will be limited to reading the nutrient labels. All I dream about when I sleep now is the food I miss. I woke up this morning swearing I could taste pepperoni, italian bread and provolone cheese. I can see that I'll have to save up some points for my next trip to see the family in New Jersey. Some foods I'll sacrifice but not my cannoli!
September 3, 2000.
Dear Mom,
She went off the deep end last night. As the shrimp was being prepared for dinner, she unexpectedly jumped up from her chair ranting and raving about how we should go out to dinner instead. It took some convincing but I was finally able to convince her to settle for the shrimp. I offered her one of my granola bars and called it a cannoli bar instead by mistake. When she heard me call it a cannoli bar she laughed so hard she totally forgot about going out to dinner.
September 4, 2000
Dear Mom,
Today is going to be torture. It's Labor Day and there's cookouts all over the place. Been thinking hot dogs, burgers and ribs all day, not to mention the potato salads and everything else that comes with a cookout. The points for a hot dog (4 for the dog and 3 for the bun), and burger (5 and 3) would blow me out of the water as far as points are concerned; and I'd be forced to just sniff the potato salad. Forget the ribs at 10 points for 6 ounces, and if I hear chicken one more time someone's in trouble!
September 6, 2000
Dear Mom,
Three more days until our next weigh-in. We changed our meeting days from Monday to Saturday mornings. I had 2 eggs this morning for breakfast. As I was staring at my now empty plate I was thinking how you always used to try to get me to eat the whole egg instead of leaving the hardened yoke on my plate.
September 8, 2000
Dear Mom,
This diet is bringing back many memories. I cooked a hamburger for lunch today. As I stared at the sizzling beef, I was thinking back to Sunday's and your red sauce with meatballs and italian sausage. You used to catch me in the kitchen over the pot with a meatball on a fork. I can smell the sauce now.
September 9, 2000
Dear Mom,
We did it! Two weeks straight with both of us losing weight. I lost another 6.4 lbs (17 total), and she lost another 3.2 lbs. (9.7 total). They gave us 2 more bookmarks and also stars to put on them, one for each 5 lbs lost, and in the middle they gave us a "bravo" star. Last time I received any stars I was in kindergarten, and I didn't even know how to tie my shoes yet.
The meeting after the weigh-in was interesting. First off I am the only male at the Saturday morning meetings......just me and a room full of women. The leader asked members which foods they missed the most. Each had different answers like mayo, doughnuts, milk shakes, cakes, etc. As I listened to this I could not help but wonder if alcoholics were asked which liquors they missed the most at their AA meetings.
Then we were asked if we were to write a "Dear John" letter to our fat, what would we say. One woman said "Hit the road Fat!" which got the whole meeting to start singing Ray Charles' song. Another woman said "Get out of my pants!" which made me think of the Stones and "Get off of my cloud."........lol, and women say they are more mature than men.
September 12, 2000
Dear Mom,
This week has been a little harder. My friend has started a new job and isn't home during the day so I have to plan my meals without her help. So far, so good, but I still crave some of those favorite foods. We have a pound of butter in the fridge unopened and it stares me in the face everytime I open the door. I had to close my eyes last trip to the supermarket, especially when I walked past the ravioli in the frozen food section.
September 14, 2000
Dear Mom,
I have a competitor at work. He's trying to lose weight also, but he's going the heavy exercise route. Tony and I weigh in each night at work to keep track of our progress. So far I'm creaming him........he don't stand a chance! I got e-mail from him this morning. He fell off the wagon last night and went to Outback Steakhouse. Official weigh-in at Weight Watchers is Saturday morning at 8:30. Will keep you posted.
September 16, 2000
Dear Mom,
As I remember you would say whenever you got excited......."Wooooo, Wooooo!" We did it! We lost again! She lost another pound, (10.6 total), and I lost another 3, (20 lbs. total). Received another silver bravo star and another 5 lb. star. So far I have a 5 lb. book marker, three 5 lb stars, and 2 bravo stars. Wooooo, Wooooo!
The leading weight loser in the group lost 50 lbs so far. Also had 3 men at this morning's meeting so I'm not the only male anymore. They are now talking about good tasting foods to look for at the stores, especially cereals and soft drinks. Geezzzzzz! I almost forget what Pepsi tastes like!
We took measurements again today. Her total loss so far is 3 inches in the thigh, 2" in the hips and 2" at the waist. Mine are 1" off the chest, 1 1/4 off the arms, 1 1/2 off the waist, 1/2 off the hips and 1 1/2 off the thigh. Bought some yogurt today at the supermarket. I was trembling when I walked by the Bryers! Totally avoided the aisle with the Chex Mix.
September 20, 2000
Dear Mom,
Half way through the week already. Things are still going fine, daily weigh-ins going my way. Tony seems to be getting a little more worried than he was last week. I tried to get his mind off his concern by telling him he had a bigger problem to deal with. His Redskins are about to get a rude awakening when they go against my Giants this weekend, not to mention they'll be playing at Giant's Stadium.
September 21, 2000
Dear Mom,
Am alone again this morning. Just got through eating breakfast, and enjoying another cup of coffee. Was sitting here thinking and realized the last time you tried to get me to join we were playing bingo. I treated us to coffee and danish when we first got there, and later you treated us to pizza. In between bites you said, "You know Don, someday I'm going to get you to go with me to Weight Watchers," (another bite) "and when I do, you will thank me!" Another weigh-in again this Saturday. Am actually looking forward to it.
September 24, 2000
Dear Mom,
Another good weigh-in. I lost another 1 1/4 lbs and received another bravo star. Linda stayed at the same weight and received another bravo star also. The meeting went well. The leading weight loser was given a certificate for losing 50 lbs. so far. We talked about things that trigger you to eat, like stress or exertion.
We took measurements when we got back. Since starting the diet she lost 2 inches in the waist, 2" in the hips, and 4" in the thigh. I lost 2 1/2" in the chest, 1 1/4" in the upper arms, 3" in the waist, 1" in the hips, and 1 3/4" in the thighs. We actually wore clothes this weekend that didn't fit last week, which now raises hope for my velvet bikini underwear with leopard spots sitting in the back of my drawer.
September 25, 2000
Dear Mom,
I refuse to talk about those Giants.
September 28, 2000
Dear Mom,
Week is going well so far. Scale at work shows a loss since last weekend. Tony is holding his own and lost a bit also.
Linda came home last night with a package of english muffins with cinnamon raisins that fits into our diet. I kidded and said, "great, now we have something for that butter in the fridge!" She snatched the muffins off the table and said, "really now!...... I'll just return these for a refund."
September 30, 2000
Dear Mom,
All aboard! The train is still rolling! Linda lost 2 more lbs. and I lost one. I spent the morning checking out the weight of some of my long pants. It was a bit chilly this morning so I couldn't wear my usual shorts........(I can hear you laughing now). Well it was worth the effort. All my pants were almost twice as heavy as my shorts, so I had to pick the lightest, especially since I wore socks this morning also. Besides......you should see the women on Saturday mornings. Everyone kicks off their shoes when they weigh in and some even peel off their socks.
October 7, 2000
Dear Mom,
Call 911! We had a train derailment! I gained 2 lbs. Either her scale needs to be recalibrated or the heavier clothes I had to wear today made a difference. Temps are cooler again this week so I had to break out the long pants and casual shirt instead of the shorts and t-shirt. Also wore a belt this morning so maybe it was the belt buckle, not to mention the socks instead of going barefoot. Linda lost another .6 of a lb. so she done good this week, and she was the one walking into the mall this morning swearing she thought she gained.
Our leader asked us what kind of games or things we can remember playing and doing when we were 10 yrs. old. Everyone said things like hopscotch, jumping rope, hula hoops, riding bikes, playing ball, tag, kickball, etc. I was about to answer "playing post office" but noticed Linda staring at me with one of her "don't you dare" looks, so I answered bike riding. Then Judy said, "do you notice that everything you said is a form of exercise?" Boy is she slick! She suggested we go home this week and try doing some light exercises as part of the program and we might possibly do some of these things again that we miss as 10 yr. olds. I hope she realizes hula hoops aren't 10 cents anymore.
October 19, 2000
Dear Mom,
We've started chugging along again. Weigh-in went pretty well. I lost 1.6 lbs and Linda lost .6 this week. This week Judy asked for a one-sentence description or a goal or dream you want to achieve, then six steps to take to make it a reality. All I could think of was ravioli, sauce, meatballs, italian sausage, grated cheese, italian red wine.
We took measurements again this week. Linda lost a total of 2 inches off the chest, 3" off the waist, 4" off the thigh and 1" off the arms. I lost 3" off the chest, 2" off the arms, 3.5" off the waist and 1" off the hips.
Tony and I are still in competition at work. He's still trying to keep up with me and exercising daily. I tried to bet him New York will win the World Series this year.
October 27, 2000
Dear Mom,
Another slight delay this past week. We both gained .4 lb. They said when we joined to expect off weeks on occasion so I guess we'll have to see what happens this week.
This week seemed to go well so far. We had somewhat of a confession session this evening. I told her as I was staring at a vending machine during a break at work, that I almost gave in to a Snickers bar. She admitted she gave in and had a Reese's Cups. Her co-workers caught and rode her about it the whole day. Tomorrow's the weigh-in. Time to hunt down the lightest clothes again.
October 28, 2000
Dear Mom,
What a stroke of luck! It's 80 degrees today. Wore shorts to the weigh-in this morning. I felt I lost some this week but when she told me I lost 7.6 lbs. (29.2 total), I forgot all about that Snickers bar. Linda lost .4 lbs. (13.6 total), so we both had a good week. We've been tempted to take measurements again since weighing in but decided to wait until later this week. We figured if the tape measure gives us good news, it'll help get us through the rest of the week.
October 30, 2000
Dear Mom,
This could be a rough week. Halloween is tomorrow. Shopping for candy was a job in itself, especially standing in front of all my favorite candy. Finally decided on a safer choice.......lollipops. I only sampled about 4 of them, all root beer flavored. The rest made it into the kids bags.
Your grandson has been having a time with us also. Sal has brought all kinds of fast foods into the house, from pizza to cajun fried chicken. He walked into the house with a breakfast feast one morning while I was just siting down to a couple of soft boiled eggs and unbuttered toast. He made a smart choice parking himself in front of the tv in the living room. If he came into the kitchen instead, he might have worn my eggs while eating his.
November 1, 2000
Dear Mom,
He did it again. I opened the refrigerator today and found a bag of miniature Snicker bars! Sal even stashed them in the freezer so they were frozen already when I sneaked one. I had no second thoughts. Just grabbed it, tore open the wrapper and bit in before any guilt could sink in. Any guilt would have been wasted anyway because as I turned around there was Linda, tearing into one of her own.
November 4, 2000
Dear Mom.
The roller coaster continues. One week we lose and the next week we gain. I gained 1.2 lbs. and Linda gained a pound. I don't understand how 2 miniture Snicker bars out of a 13.3 oz. bag can put on 1.2 lbs.
November 13, 2000
Dear Mom,
Weigh-in showed both of us lost .2 lbs. Not much of a loss but at least it was a loss. The next two weeks are going to be hard to get through. Everyone's planning on an early Thanksgiving dinner this Saturday, due to Linda and I being out of town Thanksgiving Day. We already have the turkey. Your grandaughter Sam is talking some heavy calories already. She's making lasagna and a few other dishes. She's asking I make some deserts, none of which will help our diet. They already planned the usual, deep dish pumpkin and apple pies, Breyers ice cream for the ala mode, just to name a few.
Thanksgiving will be spent with your son Joe and his family. Their newborn daughter Francesca will be baptized Thanksgiving Sunday and I was asked to be her godfather. Joe already said to leave the diets at home. He said he has some choice restaurants to show us. Can only hope to lose enough weight this week to offset any gain the next two, and I haven't even faced the fact I'll be boarding a jetliner for the first time in almost 18 years!
November 14, 2000
Dear Mom,
Have just talked to my daughter Dawn and have some news for you. Weight Watchers picked up another member. Your grand-daughter has been attending meetings the past two weeks and guess what........she lost 15 lbs. Like father, like daughter! Nothing like a little competition to help you along. If this continues at this pace maybe we can all meet in one city and have a family reunion at a Weight Watcher's meeting.
December 1, 2000
Dear Mom,
We're back. Trip was great. Had a blast. Am also sure there's no way either of us lost any weight. We're daring each other to tip the scales. So far we're both chicken, and we haven't even thought of our next Weight Watcher's meeting.
November 11, 2004
Dear Mom,
Greetings from your long lost son Pogo. It wasn't hard to pick up the name Pogo, considering how many diet plans we've tried over the past four years. We've hopped back and forth between so many diet plans it seemed like we were on a pogo stick. We made another big jump tonight, landing back at Weight Watchers, so I guess you can say that your prodical son is back and counting points again. Oh, before I forget! Do you remember my partner? We got married.
November 18, 2004
Dear Mom,
All Aboard! We're rolling again! The first weigh-in was tonight. Linda lost 2 lbs, and I lost 9. Larry led the meeting and awarded Linda with 2 bravo stars. I got a 5 lb. star and 4 bravos. That's a pretty good start, especially with Thanksgiving coming next week. With a little more weight loss we may get something to stick these stars on. Gobble! Gobble!
December 2, 2004
Dear Mom,
We made it through the first holiday! Last Thursday's meeting was cancelled due to Thanksgiving. After sitting down to a table full of turkey, roast beef and all the trimmings, the moment of truth came to a head at tonight's weigh-in. Holding our breath we watched as the official wrote this week's results in our journals. I lost 2.2 lbs. and Linda lost 1! She got another bravo star and I got another 2 bravos and a 10 lb. ribbon. Now we have 3 more weigh-ins before our next hurdle, Christmas! Wish us luck.
Oh! Did I mention that our meetings are with a special group. It was specifically formed for people 50 and over, which we are. Now before you smile thinking how your boy is over 50 already, I have to tell you something. The 50 does not stand for our age. It stands for weight; those that need to lose 50 or more lbs.
December 9, 2004
Dear Mom,
Woo! Woo! Forget about the Polar Express, we're on the Weight Watcher's Express. Weigh in was tonight and Linda lost another 3 lbs., while I lost 2.2 lbs. We both thought we didn't have a good week, so we were pretty shocked when we weighed in. Linda got her first 5 lb. star and another extra star. She also got one extra star for beating me this week.
She's off to North Carolina this weekend for a week, but will attend a Weight Watcher's meeting back there Thursday. Her weigh in will be Thursday morning, and mine will be at the regular meeting here next Thursday night. She said she'll call me with her results, so I can report it at the meeting. We have 2 more big food holidays coming up, Christmas, which was your favorite, and New Year's Day.
December 16, 2004
Dear Mom,
Weigh-in was today with both of us holding our own. We didn't lose any lbs., and we didn't gain any either. At first I weighed in gaining 2.4 lbs., but then realized I didn't take off my shoes as we normally do. Weighing in a second time showed no gain or loss. Linda is in North Carolina this week, and weighed in there at a Thursday afternoon meeting.
Next week is Christmas week. We already know we're having a ham and all the trimmings. Next meeting is the last weigh-in before Christmas. Wish us luck!
December 23, 2004
Dear Mom,
We missed a weigh-in tonight. Linda came back from Carolina with a bad case of bronchitis. She's on antibiotics and is taking cough syrup for the cough. When we saw how the codine in her cough syrup affected her, we decided to sit this week out.
December 30, 2004
Dear Mom,
Weigh-in was today with both of us gaining a bit. Linda gained 1.6 lbs., while I gained 2 lbs. With all the food available the past two weeks, we're considering ourselves lucky. Linda won a star for beating me this week, and I won a star for pushing a piece of dessert away from her. Larry said after this week, it will be time to get down to the grind, and get back on track. All aboard!
January 6, 2005
Dear Mom,
We lost and gained this week. I lost 3 lbs., while Linda gained 2 lbs. She was however, able to get into an outfit that didn't fit last month, so she is quite happy with the results so far. January is here, and we have been promised that this is the start of bigger effort to lose weight. We're sort of looking forward to the upcoming weeks, and hoping good results come with them. Tickets Please!
January 13, 2005
Dear Mom,
Watch out! We got a run-away train! Had a good weigh-in this week. Linda lost 4.2 lbs., (5.2 after she took off her jacket). I lost 3.6, (17.6 total). I got another 5 pt. star while Linda got 2, one for her loss this week, and one for having a better week than me. The weight loss is getting more noticable. Linda's rings, watch and bracelett fit looser and I might need another hole in my belt. It's almost time for the next set of measurements to be taken, and we're actually looking forward to it.
January 20, 2005
Dear Mom,
Our train lost a wheel. We need to fix it, but also need to know what caused the problem in the first place, so we can prevent this chain of events from happening again. Proceeding cautiously to ensure this train is up and running again, and on track before our next weigh-in.
January 27, 2005
Dear Mom,
Clickety click, clickety clack. We're rolling again, both losing 2.8 lbs this week. This is the first week that we tied, both weighing in with the same results. Weight loss is more noticable for both of us again this week. Linda was able to get into a silky un-mentionable today that she hasn't been able to wear for quite some time, and brace yourself for this now! While showering a couple of days ago, "yours truely" was able to wash and scrub places on my body for the first time in ages, without using my shower sponge with the long handle! I might have to use Map-quest now to familiar myself again to these long lost areas.
February 3, 2005
Dear Mom,
Here we are again, another week and another weigh-in. Linda tried an experiment this week and tried to eat the same things I ate, to see if we would have the same results. The experiment got tossed after I weighed in with a .2 lb. loss while she gained a couple. A new tactic will be tried this week. We bought a Weight Watchers excercise DVD. One-two-three-four, one-two-three-four, one-two-three-four.
February 10, 2005
Dear Mom,
These weeks are rolling by fast. Almost a repeat of last week. I had a .6 lb weight loss. Linda barely gained a lb. But the news isn't all bad. I am about ready to punch another hole in my belt and lost an inch in my hips, and Linda lost 3 inches in her hips and 2 inches in her waist. Valentine's Day is this coming Monday, and we vowed a chocholate free day.
February 17, 2005
Dear Mom,
We're still playing the yo yo game, except this week we changed places. Linda lost 3 lbs., and I gained 1.4 lbs. Funny thing is that she thought she was having a bad week, and I thought I had a good one. We need to string together a few good weigh-ins, because there are only five more weeks before my marshmellow peeps jump out at me for Easter weekend. I can easily avoid the chocholate bunnys but those peeps get to me every year, and don't even mention the jelly beans!
February 24, 2005
Dear Mom,
This train track is still a bit rough. We both gained another lb. this week. I think we uncovered one problem though. One night this week, we decided to eat out. While getting ready to leave the house, Linda asked me to get a coupon she had for a free dinner. It was one of those buy one, get one offers. After looking for the coupon, I asked her where she put it. She told me to look in her file folders. She had it in her "entertainment folder."
March 3, 2005
Dear Mom,
This week was much better. Linda lost one lb., and I lost 2.4 lbs. We were warned that this would be an up and down experiance at times. We also received awards for reaching our 16th. straight week of membership. I'd like the next award for 20 lbs. lost. Linda's nearing her 10 lb. award.
March 10, 2005
Dear Mom.
Still trudging along here. I lost .8 lb. this week while Linda gained .2 lb. Another holiday is fast approaching. This one is Easter and I'll probably come face to face with my favorite jelly beans and marshmellow peeps soon.
March 24, 2005
Dear Mom.
Cough, cough. Boy was I sick last week. Coughing, fever, chills and headache forced us to miss last week's meeting. It was also hard to keep track of points during the week, especially with all the chicken soup I ate. Linda beat me this week, losing 2.2 lbs., while I lost 1.4 lbs. (20 lbs. total).
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