Ch-Ch-Changes!

Things have been quiet around these parts lately. I have been working hard on the "Grows" component of "A BermuDiana Grows in Providence." In early March, despite being happily employed in my current position, I took a chance and applied for a new job. The last month has been consumed with learning, prepping, interviewing, negotiating and, last but not least, decision making. This is exhausting stuff for a change-averse introvert to process, so I had to take a small step back from blogging and social media.

Today, however, I'm thrilled to announce that I've proudly accepted the promotion, and on May 5th I'll start my new job! I'm so grateful to have had the support of friends, family and colleagues throughout each phase, and I'm excited to take this next step in my career.

Big news is best celebrated with bubbles!

Starting Simply

We're almost a full month into 2014, and I'm still stuck in that frenetic loop of reflecting on 2013 and goal setting for the year ahead. I'm proud of last year; I challenged myself and learned a lot along the way, it was humbling. I came out of 2013 knowing a bit more about what I value in, and expect from, my relationships with the people in my life. I also know now that it is liberating to give yourself permission to stop sweating the small stuff and to break free of the busy trap. I didn't achieve all of my 2013 goals, though, and I started this year even further from my goal weight than I was last January.

At this time last year I was diving back into the world of Weight Watchers, and was excited to try their new 360 Program; it was even the reason I started this blog! On my return to the meeting room this year, I learned that they have debuted the two week Simple Start program for new, returning and rehabilitating members. I just completed the starter course, and was thrilled with the results. It was a relatively easy way to wade back into the weight loss waters since there's no need to count Points Plus Values or measure portion sizes.

Thanks, Simple Start- down 6 pounds in two weeks!

I learned to trust, and have faith in, myself last year; I'd like for some of that to carry over into my weight loss journey. Believing in the lifestyle changes that I need to make will go a long way towards helping me finally reach my goal weight. I've made some resolutions outside the health and fitness realm, but I won't bore you with the full list. I'll be trying to keep things simple this year, it worked well during my first two weeks at Weight Watchers, and I think it'll serve me well in general as I tackle 2014!

A simple plan (found on Instagram)

What resolutions have you made for the year ahead? If you're a Weight Watcher, have you given Simple Start a try? What did you think?

Progress Report: Month 2

Considering it's the shortest month of the year, and that I spent the first weekend snowed in, February was jam packed with birthdays, luncheons and special occasions. During the weekend of the 15th I attended three birthday parties and ate in three different restaurants over the course of two days. It was a fun month, but it was plain exhausting!

The minute my social calendar filled up, I knew that one intoxicating little word would contribute to the defeat of my willpower: c-o-c-k-t-a-i-l-s. After all, you can't go to United Skates of America to celebrate a friend's 32nd birthday without meeting for a couple of glasses of wine first, can you? And is a girl really supposed to turn down mimosas at a BBQ birthday brunch? In my meager defense, I showed up at each of last month's events with the best intentions- whether that meant arriving at a restaurant with a well researched menu plan, or showing up at a friend's house armed with diet soda and my favorite Skinnygirl vodka. Whatever the situation, I was prepared... Until I ordered that second beverage, and then all bets were off! After a couple of drinks, I'd find myself powerless in the face of draught beer and party snacks.

Vodka-laced hard milkshake, the most decadent cocktail on the menu at Harry's Bar & Burger!

Social obligations are only going to kick into overdrive from now through Labor Day, and it's clear that I'm going to need a better game plan. It's Monday evening, and I only have nine of my weekly 49 points remaining. Alcohol is most definitely to blame. What started out as a points plus-friendly evening of sushi and a single martini with friends turned into a night of bar hopping and beer-swilling. By the time I got home, I was drunkenly ravenous and opted to eat again before bed. I wish I had prioritized drinking lots of water instead, because my Sunday morning hangover was no fun! Resolutions don't stand a chance in the face of a hangover, so I ordered a recovery pizza and parked myself on the couch for a day of Netflix and napping.

Cucumber sake martini

Between Saturday nights on the town, and Sundays spent on the couch, it's no wonder the scale didn't move much this month. I already know that March is going to be even more challenging than February because I'll be putting in a lot of late nights at work. I'm going to be busy. I'm going to feel stressed. In all likelihood, I'm going to be fairly miserable by mid month and will want to turn to lazy, fatty, comfort food and wine for solace. If I add in some evenings of drinking with friends and post-bar taco binges, I'll be setting myself up to fail again.

Saturday's Weight Watchers meeting was all about setting measurable goals. I've never thought about giving up my cocktail habit but, for the first time, I'm considering it. Each week that I get closer to turning the big 3-0, my hangovers get just a little more miserable. With only one day off a week this month, I can't afford to waste that day on the couch paying for the night before. If I'm going to stay on track, I've got to be prepared to spend that day grocery shopping and cooking/planning for the week. So, I'm going to give operation "1 Sober Month" a shot, starting today. Wish me luck!

I guess I'll have to wait until April to try out the Bacon Maple Ale.

And now, the numbers...

I only lost 1.7 pounds this month, bringing me to a total of 9.4 pounds lost so far this year. I've misplaced my measuring tape, but doubt that I've lost much in terms of inches from my waist, hips, arms, bust or thighs.

A Word About Wednesdays

I'm committed to this blog, and I don't take that commitment lightly because "this ain't my first time at the (blog-)rodeo!" Not only do I plan on sharing my journey with Weight Watchers and stories of personal growth, but I also envision this space as a means through which I can explore my passion for food, crafting and photography. This is likely to be another food blog in the already highly populated world wide web of food blogs, without, I hope, becoming just another forgotten food blog.

I'm pretty new at this, but if I've learned anything so far it's that creating content is hard work. Creating new posts is a time consuming labor of love. Brainstorming, cooking, photographing, writing, editing... Each of these steps takes a considerable amount of time. Maintaining a regular schedule is the only way to make blogging both a habit and a priority. I'm still struggling with what that schedule might look like for me, it will be different for all of us. It is important to post regularly, though, or else you risk losing momentum and your blog will go the way of some of my past blogs.

One way to inspire the creation of regular posts, is to "theme" a day of the week. Knowing that you'll post a meatless recipe on Mondays, or that every Thursday you'll post a roundup of your favorite Tumblr finds, gives you a little direction when approaching the ever daunting question: "What will I write about tonight?" The theme that I'm going to run with for now is "Wordless Wednesday" because it gives me the perfect excuse to explore my interest in photography while generating regular blog posts. Instagram has already gone a long way towards making me a daily phone photographer, but this theme will inspire me to dust off my real camera more frequently as well.

I hope that "Wordless Wednesday" posts won't just be a collection of dog photos, but even that's an okay place to start; so, expect to grow to love my little Yorkie! What do you enjoy photographing? Do you have any Wordless Wednesday themes and ideas that I should explore? I'd love some input, so please leave your comments below.

Pup vs Dust Bunny

"I think we all need a pep talk..."

The first month of this new year is already nearing an end. I'm psyched about the progress I've made so far in 2013! I'm feeling healthier and happier than I have in quite some time. I don't feel like my motivation is waning, but I do think that I stumbled across this pep talk at an excellent time. It couldn't hurt to take a little bit of Kid President's positivity into the next month!

If Kid President is to be believed- and, let's face it, the little dude does seem to know a thing or two about life- then this is my time!

New Year, New Me: 360 Degree Evolution

Happy new year to me- and to you, if anyone out there is reading this!

Like many people, I've resolved to lose some weight in 2013, so I found my way back to a Weight Watchers meeting today. I've had success with Weight Watchers in the past. In fact, I lost 17 pounds between January and June of last year, and I felt amazing! Unfortunately, I've managed to gain 26 pounds since the end of June. I like eating well, and I like the idea of being active and healthy. So, I have always liked Weight Watchers- both in theory and in practice.Weight Watchers has rolled out its new program since I let my membership lapse in October, so I decided to stay for the Power Start session at the end of the meeting to find out what "360" is all about.

With the new 360 program, Weight Watchers emphasizes that in order to lose the weight and keep it off, you're going to have to do more than just increase your activity and track what you're eating. The plan takes into account that we're whole people with very full lives, acknowledging that a lot of factors impact how we lose weight. 360 aims to put us back in control of our life as it relates to food by introducing us to ways to manage the spaces we occupy throughout the day and by encouraging us to establish new routines.

Reading the new Weight Watchers literature has made me realize that I could benefit from incorporating this 360 approach into my whole life. Weight Watchers wants us to take a holistic approach to weight loss, and I want to feel whole and complete in all areas of my life. I want to commit to exploring my passions more fully over the next year, and I think that this 360 approach will help with that. What does that mean exactly? To be honest, I don't know yet; it will evolve along the way. I do know that I'm looking forward to this coming year, though; I'm excited about losing weight and finding new opportunities for growth and fulfillment.

360 degrees. A full circle. Complete.