100 Days of Jenn – Summer Challenge 2023 – Week 1 Update!

So excited to update you on my 100 Days of Jenn – Summer Challenge 2023 – Week 1 Update!  First of all, I’m super inspired by how many of you are joining me in your own 100 day challenge.  I’ve gotten so many messages from you that make me so happy that you are focusing on yourself and thinking about goals you want to make happen this summer.

If you missed my first blog post last week of me explaining what this is – click here.

I was definitely nervous to share outloud what my plan was!  Like so many of us on a journey to better ourselves – there sometimes is doubt we can finish, we don’t want to dissapoint, or give up.  For me, I think it’s made it more exciting.  And having so many cheerleaders and makes this a million times more fun!

Is this about Weight Loss?

My focus this next 100 days has nothing to do with the scale or what number is on it.  For me, I want to feel good, challenge myself to new movement goals and nourish my body with as many of healthy foods as I can.  The result of shifting the focus away from the scale/weight loss to healthy habits WILL automatically result in me losing weight.  There is no quick fix here.  I’ve seen so many headlines of videos on YouTube – where someone lost 30 pounds in 30 days- or 100 pounds in 90 days and people who read that are like “What did you do for that to happen?”  I can already tell you.  Restricting – too much working out – not healthy and more importantly – not sustainable.

What’s the difference between a diet and a lifestyle?

This has taken me a LONG time to figure out. Our culture is in such a “diet mentality.”  According to Market Data Forecast the weight loss industry made 240 billion dollars last year.  That figure is expected to rise to 432 billion by 2028!  That’s people spending money on fitness equipment, diet plans, weight loss pills, shakes, weight loss surgery, etc.

To me the difference between a diet and lifestyle is a diet is something temporary to get you to where you want to be.  A lifestyle is small changes (that you love!) that make you feel great, but manageable and something you can sustain the rest of your life.  If you cut corners, eat too little food, overexercise to get to your goal, then what happens after you get there?  There’s no way you can keep that up and the result is going back to your old habits and gaining the weight back.

When someone is on a diet, and eat something that is higher in calories (pizza, donuts, cake, cookies) they cheated on their diet.  If you are in this for the long haul and make your healthy changes for life – there is no cheating – sometimes there are events that you will eat more at (vacations, parties) and that’s part of life.  It’s unrealistic to say you can’t eat foods that are more indulgent.  In order to see results, you can definitely indulge, the difference is you can’t do that for every meal, every day (which is what my life was like before Weight Watchers)

Take a time limit off your goal

I’m focusing on the next 100 days, but I’m not saying – “In the next 100 days I want to lose 25 pounds.”  That’s a recipe for disaster, because what if I finished the 100 day challenge and super proud of everything I accomplished, but didn’t make that specific goal?  I would probably think about not achieving that despite all the great stuff that happened.  Time goes by fast anyway – small steps each day – and being consistent is my goal, not a certain number or clothing size.

Think about abundance – vs. scarcity

Building a healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to feel like you are giving up everything you love!  You get to ADD so much to your plate – all the non starchy vegetables you want – fruit – tofu and tempeh, eggs, beans, peas and lentils, lean chicken and turkey, corn and popcorn, fish and shellfish, yogurts and cottage cheese 😄

People who inspire me!

Here are some of my friends who have lost a lot of weight and are eating AMAZING foods.

Debbie! What Works 4 me

I have to start with my WW coach – Debbie!  One of the blessings of the pandemic is when in person workshops shut down, virtual meetings popped up and you could join anyone you wanted.  She lives in Connecticut, I live in Illinois, but every Tuesday I could log into her meeting and learn the new techniques and the group of women in that meeting cannot be matched.  I love attending her meeting every week and leave inspired every single time. Deb has lost 200 pounds and has kept it off over a decade!! Follow her on Instgram – she gives people tough love when they need it – and shows by example EVERY day what she does to maintain her weight loss.

If you are a WW member – the meeting I attend every week is Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m. Eastern time. You can find the zoom link on the WW app via Connect and search for the time slot or Coach Debbie R.  I invite you to come! 😍  (as a side note – you do not have to speak or be on camera to attend a virtual workshop – there are lots of people who come on to just listen and that’s ok!)

Nikki Gets Fit 

Nikki has lost 70 pounds on WW learning how to make her favorite meals at home for way less points.  Before WW – she and her husband frequently ate meals outside of the house for convenience and once they realized their favorite dinner out was 75 points – it was a wake up call to swap out some of those meals for healthier but still tasty options.  They do make it a regular habit to have their favorite sushi night.  They log the points and move on. #balance Check out Nikki’s YouTube Channel here with lots of recipes, food finds and What I eat in a Day videos.

Chef Allie’s Kitchen

My friend Allie has lost 100 pounds on WW!  And kept it off for several years now.  Not only did she accomplish this, but she has 3 kids, works, and also suffers from a chronic pain.  She’s recently been featured on her local TV station too – sharing her recipes.  If you like icecream – she has a ton of WW friendly recipes for the Ninja Creami.  Check out her Instagram page here. 

Cucina di Carla 

Carla is one of the first Instagram friends I made (we’ve met in real life too!).  She joined WW in 2016 – has lost over 100 pounds and kept it off.  I admire her so much because she really has made this a lifestyle shift.  She’s a peleton gal – has favorite trainers that she loves to work out with – which keeps her motivated to keep going.  She keeps it real saying there are definitely days she doesn’t want to move, but then remembers why she is doing this as well as how she feels afterwards! I watch her stories on Instagram every day for wisdom and inspiration!

WW Chef Steph 

Steph is another person who I love following their journey on Instagram – she’s lost 117 pounds on WW.  The best thing about her is she has found workouts she loves, and creates incredibly delicious food that’s easy and anyone can make.  I also love that she shares what she eats in a day – so people can see how to work the WW points and how she fits it all in.  Definitely give her a follow on Instagram!

What were my results for Week 1?

Before I even stepped on the scale – no matter what the number said – could take away how I felt this past week, or what my accomplishments were!  However, when I did weigh in the morning I was down 1 pound – so I am thrilled with that!  As I said earlier, I’m not in this for the weight loss, but how I feel – and last week I felt amazing. I woke up each day excited and ready to make better choices.

One example of that was over the weekend, we ordered from Panera.  Instead of just picking out anything on the menu – I used the WW app, to look up Panera foods and see what options I had.  I remembered my daughter Claire enjoying the Chicken poppyseed salad – and when I looked up the points for that – it was 5 points!  Sweet!  The salad had romaine lettuce, sliced chicken, walnuts, strawberries, mandarin oranges, pineapple and a delicious poppyseed dressing.

What have I ordered the last 2 times at Panera – WITHOUT looking up the points or tracking it???  The pepperoni and cheese baguette!

When I was looking up the points for the poppyseed salad, I decided to look up the points for this sandwich at Panera.  I almost had a heart attack when I read the number! 35 points!  And I was having that for dinner after eating breakfast and lunch!  Yikes.  Even myself after being a part of WW for 24 years gets complacent, doesn’t look things up, guestimates on points.  The other hope I have for this 100 day journey is to be a little more aware of things and USE THE WW APP!

I would love to hear from you!  What are your goals for this summer?

It can be anything – taking a class you’ve been putting off, learning a new language, travelling more, etc.  You can start your day 1 today! Leave a comment below of your goals and if you want to join me.  I’ll be updating my journal on my Instagram stories every day as well as writing a new blog post weekly sharing how I’m doing.  It’s not about perfection – just being more consistent.  We can do it!