Milestones

This was a landmark day. The womanchild got her learner's permit. She's been driving for awhile, but a few months ago, she hit the curb turning onto the road home and blew out a tire. She got scared and hasn't been behind the wheel since. She's wanted to get back behind the wheel, and I wanted her able to do so without killing my insurance. After all she could have gotten her license last month if she'd already had her permit. Now, on her third time taking the test, she's finally legal to drive. She feels like she's met her first goal of the school year. Getting her grades up is number two. That's her goal, not mine, I promise. Getting a job is third. This is a huge step towards her independence, and I'm proud of her.

It was a big day for me as well. This was the weekly weigh-in, and I hit my milestone. I lost a little over three pounds this week, bringing my weight loss to exactly 25 pounds. I feel good about that. C. accompanied me to my meeting because we hit the Department of Transportation before I hit the scales. She pointed out what I had already feared. I'm not the only one there who's obsessive over this diet, and the meeting felt to her like the breeding ground for eating disorders. I reminded her that for most of us, this one hour a week is the only time we actually get to talk about how we manage our food and how it affects us, but I knew exactly what she meant.

I was put on my first diet when I was five. I went to Weight Watchers the first time when I was ten. The principles of this diet may be sound, but the zealousness and enthusiasm with which some people pursue dieting in a support group environment is something that can be easily twisted into something dark and dangerous. I've wondered many times if I hadn't gotten force fed a diet mentality at too young of an age if I would have had some of the food and thus weight issues I've had. Knowing all of this, I was still proud and pleased to walk to the front and accept a little refrigerator magnet saying, "I did it! I lost 25 pounds."

I had a great Weight Watchers laugh when I found this website, www.candyboots.com/wwcards.html the other day. I remember some of these recipe cards from my days as an early teen in the program. Looking at them now, I know completely why I hated it so much back then. It's hilarious now, and I'm grateful the recipes are much, much, much better now.

teenagers
Weight Watchers