It has been 9 months since I joined Weight Watchers. This summer has been without a doubt the hardest months in keeping the weight off, yes, even harder than Christmas season.  Around 8 weeks ago I gained 3 pounds and has remained that way even if I stopped my food diary and basically ate anything/how much I wanted, yes even after the 3 all-day buffet Michigan Meet. But I still listened to my body - I didn't eat when I wasn't hungry and stopped eating when I felt full, kept my exercise routine and didn't nag myself because of my added pounds. I figured that this might be what they call the happy weight.

Running route 2. My route in Madison is equally as pleasant as the one in Evanston.

But the thing was, I couldn't go back to my WW meeting without having to shell out $12 (the regular WW weekly fee) because I was over the 2 pounds of my target weight goal. Although I do have the option to adjust it I didn't want to because I was afraid I was going to be complacent and just keep changing the numbers when it suited me. So I put off going to the meeting thinking I could lose the three pounds on my own, committing a mistake I have been doing for so many years before WW.

A couple of weeks ago I got too confident and kept pushing up to what point I will gain another pound. Instead of 3 times a week, I would only do the toning exercise once, I didn't walk as much during the weekends or lunchbreaks, and instead of having a salad for dinner when I have a heavy lunch, I would have a relatively heavy dinner too. So last week it wasn't a surprise to find out I gained 2 pounds more.

So I came to my senses and went back to WW even if I had to pay the money. I also started doing a food diary, 3 times a week toning and have decided to continue doing a blog entry about my weight loss until I am back to my weight goal again. Instead of feeling disappointed with myself I felt proud that I recognized that I needed help and did so at an early stage. I am slowly accepting that this is part of the challenge of maintaining weight loss and is something to be expected.

It was a good time to go back to the meetings too. I found out that for the next 8 weeks WW will be donating $1 for every pound lost by its members to 2 humanitarian organizations (one national, the other international) which among others will feed the hungry. Our goal is donate $1 million by the end of the 8th week. It is shocking but did you know that more than 12 million children in America will go to bed hungry every night? Makes us stop and think doesn't it?

Working Moms On Sarah Palin

I stumbled upon an interesting article on why Sarah Palin is an unrealistic inspiration for majority of working moms. We have to remember that Sarah Palin has an office of her own (while most of us just have cubes where breastpumping would be shocking to passserbys), a lot of times works from home while she collects per diem, has a 6 figure income ($130,000), has a family network, and can afford to have a fulltime househusband. Not exactly your average working mom in America. To quote:

"The deepest insult is that Palin's brand of up-by-your-bootstraps feminism allows the McCain campaign to appear to support working moms--plus hockey moms, team moms, soldiers' moms--while rejecting the policies that would actually make their lives better."

John McCain didn't vote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (women get equal pay; women still earn only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. On average, the families of working women lose nearly $10, 000 a year because of the earnings gap). He opposed expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which covers uninsured children, to include their parents. He has also opposed family-planning legislation.

While compare the Obama/Biden's record for women here:

• Obama has helped protect 330,000 more illinois women from pay discrimination
• Obama was an original sponsor of “Johanna’s Law” (which launched a national campaign to increase awareness of gynecological cancers like ovarian, cervical and uterine cancers)
  
• Obama voted for funding to prevent domestic violence and abuse, including increased funding for the Office of Violence Against Women, and passed numerous laws protecting victims of domestic violence.
• Biden authored and passed the landmark Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the strongest legislation to date that criminalizes domestic violence and holds batteries accountable.
• Obama authored The Victims’ Economic Security and Safety Act - which ensures that victims of domestic violence can seek treatment without losing their jobs.
• Obama helped to dramatically expand day-care services in Illinois - which included a six-fold increase in day care funding.
• Obama will expand sick leave to 22 million working women to guarantee seven days of paid sick leave to the 22 million working women who currently have none.

Another line from his acceptance speech that struck a chord for me is this:

"And now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day's work, because I want my daughters to have the exact same opportunities as your sons."

Isn't outrageous that in this day and age and in a progressive country like the U.S. we still have a gender discrimation in pay? It's simply unacceptable. This must change! And what does the McCain/Palin ticket have to say about this issue? Insert <crickets chirping> here.

Filipino Teachers In the US Makes Us Proud

Something I read on the news today. Mabuhay ang mga gurong Pilipino!

Currently listening to: Evan's CD
Currently reading: Self magazine
Currently watching: Prime Suspect (Helen Mirren)