FAQ’s

I’m still working on these but here’s what I have so far.

• How do you stay motivated?
• Why do you count carrots as a point? I though they were free.
• Do you know how many points are in ________?
• What is the one thing that you attribute the most credit to your success? Was it Weight Watchers, blogging, etc?
• How fast did you lose the weight? Did you have weeks where you gained? Do you weigh in weekly?
• What is your goal weight? How much more do you want to lose?
• Do/Did you use your extra 35 points?
• How many points are in a bag of popcorn?
• What do you do for exercise? Do you work out?
• Can you help me?
• I love your food photos. Can you tell me what kind of camera you use? Are you a professional photographer?
• What was the Tummy Tuck experience like? Was is worth it? Are you planning more kids? What will happen if you have more kids?
• What’s your email address?

How do you stay motivated?

This is the hottest topic in my inbox. I also believe it is the most important aspect of weight loss. When I was motivated I couldn’t be stopped, I was a women on a mission but when that motivation died (normally after 1-3 days of dieting) I would eat everything in site. Somehow, I broke that cycle. For a little insight into how I did it check out my post the matter of motivation. .

Why do you count carrots as a point? I though they were free.

Yes, you are right.  One cup of raw carrots is 0 points but I rarely eat 1 serving.  I’ve been known to eat an entire bag in a sitting.  It’s my go to munch food and even though it’s a vegetable the calories add up.

Do you know how many points are in ________?

Probably, but, I’m sorry, I can’t be your personal point finder.  I know that sounds mean but there are many ways to look up points for foods you don’t have nutritional information for.  Check your materials or do a search on Google. Here is one of my favorite Generic Food’s weight Watchers Point lists.

What is the one thing that you attribute the most credit to your success? Was it Weight Watchers, blogging, etc?

If I had to pick the one thing that made the biggest different in my success it was the accountability from the blog. I truly believe any reputable diet plan works if you follow it.
What got me to follow it was the blog and staying true to it. I don’t necessarily think that accountability needs to be a blog, it could just be a journal BUT you have to make the commitment to keep it up, good or bad. Record the gains, the loses, the splurges and the successes, NO MATTER WHAT. That has helped me. That’s why I started the Blog to Lose, weight loss community, to give other people an outlet to do the same and find support. .

How fast did you lose the weight? Did you have weeks where you gained? Do you weigh in weekly?

I post all of my weigh-ins on my progress page. You can see how every weigh in has gone for me since June 2005.  As of right now I’m still trying to weigh in weekly but sometimes life gets in the way.  When I was in losing mode, I weighed in EVERY week and never missed a meeting.  It was very important for me to go. 

What is your goal weight? How much more do you want to lose?

I listed all of my goals at the beginning of my journaling here. To date, I have reached all of them (except the one about become a success story) and now use the site as a tool for maintenance. My original goal weight was 149 pounds, which I surpassed. My new weight related goal is to stay within my comfortable range of 135-140.

Do/Did you use your extra 35 points?

Why do people think by using your points you are cheating? YES! I used them they are part of the plan. Did I set out to use them? No. Did I ignore them? No. My philosophy was to shoot for my daily target if I was hungry afterwards I’d dip into my weekly. Normally I would save them for the weekends, which were a little more challenging for me. I would say, overall I used at least half of my weekly points on average while losing the weight. I need to add that the weeks I used more of them I always went to weigh expected to gain, when in fact I would see a bigger loss.

How many points are in a bag of popcorn?

This is a very common question across all the board. I posted about it once and I still get ask a lot. Check out my older post on popcorn here.

What do you do for exercise? Do you work out?

My old wishy washy response… “I stay active, take walks, dance around with my son and, every once in awhile, do a real workout.”
I’m working on this because I know how important it is to include exercise in your daily routine but to be honest, I HATE it. I much rather take a walk or go for a hike then do a ½ hour aerobic video or something. I also answered this in a post once it may shed a bit more light on the subject for you.
Update: I now LOVE working out. I know, I know a complete 360 but it didn’t happen overnight. Check out my post entitled The Making of a Gym Rat I also track my workout progress here.

Can you help me?

I hope I am. This site serves many purposes. One is to help me stay motivated, that is a little self-serving but, hey, it’s my blog, right? Second is to help you. I try to post my daily menus to give you ideas on how to incorporate good food into your diet or even work the not so good in. I post all of my food ideas over on GreenLiteBites, again to give you some ideas on light cooking for the family. I post any tips and tricks I use to help my weight loss efforts and I post about some of my insights. Finally, I show you it is possible and it is! If you are looking for a quick fix, sorry I don’t have it (Man I wish I did!). My success came from a little hard work and the right kind of motivation.

I love your food photos. Can you tell me what kind of camera you use? Are you a professional photographer?

This question cracks me up! First, no, I am not a professional photographer and I think some of my photos show that! I use an older Kodak digital camera, a 4 megapixel. I use that, a piece of white foam board, my regular kitchen dishes and light from the window. I then optimize them a bit in photoshop and prepare them for the web.
You should see me, the husband thinks I’m nuts, I take a plate before dinner, place it in front of the window and snap a few shots. He actually asked me one day if I was now taking pictures of everything I ate. :~)

What was the Tummy Tuck experience like? Was is worth it? Are you planning more kids? What will happen if you have more kids?

I can’t say this enough, I would do it again in a heartbeat. The first 2 months were painful, I can’t lie. It’s not the quick fix everyone thinks it is. Recover is long and hard. You swell for about a year and the scar is pretty intense. But even with all that it was well wroth it for me. As for the kids question, I asked the same thing of my doctor. I am not planning more kids so it was the right time for me. If I was I would have waited until I was done. However, the doctor said it would not be the end of the world if I would happen to get pregnant. I would just undo a bit, re-stretch skin, muscle and such. If you are considering the surgery I recommend getting a free consultation (most plastic surgeons give them) and asking. It doesn’t hurt to ask.

What’s your email address?

I used to have my email address on the main page but I started to get too many and couldn’t keep up. If you would like to contact me feel free to send a message to roni@skinnyminnymedia.com. At least this way I know you dug a little to find it! ;~)