Still hanging in there
Well, my bjp pages are going slowly but I am getting there.
2 things have been impeding my progress.
The biggest obstacle has been a mental one,I think , as this is a project about Weight watchers and my progress. Basically, my progress has been going backwards. From losing 36 lbs since joining Weight Watchers in August 2006, in the last year I actually gained 14lbs 
The good thing is that working on these pages has forced me to refocus on my goals and since I started actually tracking my eating, my pages have been coming along faster.
The other thing that has impeded my progress is a bad case of tendonitis which I think was cause by combination of cutting fabric at work over the Christmas period and sitting at the PC too much. Of course, sewing and beading doesn’t help but given that I really haven’t done that much recently, I don’t think its the root cause of my problem but it does mean I have watch I don’t over do it .
Anyway, here are the 5 pages I have done recently.
About 6 months into taking notes at the WW meetings, I began to simply copy the slogans being used by the meeting leader and they become less like doodles. However, as this project has been moving along, my notes have reverted back to the doodle approach and become more personal. I think this is an additional factor in my current success with my weight loss as I am actively thinking about the process rather, sitting back. I think that when my doodles became less personal and only focused on what the meeting leader had written down, it had less meaning and really didn’t belong to me, I was only half occupied by the intent of the message. Writing down the topic of the day and personalizing it, is reinforcing what I want to achieve from this, health and fitness.
Below are 2 recent doodles.
The other decision I have made is to do less beading on the actual drawing, instead I will bead the flags when I make them up. This will mean the project might end later than August but to keep the integrity of the drawings, I decided this was the best way forward.
Tags: 2008-09 Beaded Journal project, beaded journal, BJP, doodles, prayer flags, sketchbook, weight watchers
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March 17, 2009 at 3:32 pm
One page for each week? You are ambitious! Your sense of humor shows through in these pages. It’s interesting how we remember better when we apply a message to our own lives. Good luck with your weight loss.
Marty S
Crackpot Beader
March 18, 2009 at 2:35 am
This is a fascinating idea, Jacqui — I am thoroughly intrigued by your turning these doodles into bead art!
Kathy V in NM
March 19, 2009 at 10:30 pm
Sounds like we’re in the same boat. I had lost 32 pounds using WW on-line (as we don’t have any meetings on the island where I live), but then got back into my old sugar habits and quit keeping track of points. Alarmingly soon, I was back up 9. Got a grip about 4 weeks ago, using stickers as rewards, and am nearly back to my low… with about 30 still to go to get to goal. I love your idea of personalizing the wisdom offered by the leader and converting it into prayer beads/prayer flags. I will definitely check back here often to see how it’s going with you… both the WW program and your flags. Excellent that we’re both doing well at the moment… any ideas for how to support one another? Robin A.
March 21, 2009 at 10:26 am
Kool Doodles, what a great way to support yourself through weight loss. I should try that! It’s a constant battle but maybe with beads………I can bead myself thin with you!
March 28, 2009 at 6:10 am
These are great!!!!! Keep up with the great work, both losing weight and beading!
April 21, 2009 at 9:05 pm
Congrats on getting back on track! I really like your pages. Hang in there.