Monday, April 22, 2013

Why Weight Watchers works for me!


I have am active Weight Watchers member and have been for 3+ years.  Without the tools, tips and tricks I have learned with many thanks to the Weight Watchers program and my original leader (Carol) I admit I would not have achieved the success I have found today.

I joined Weight Watchers because I KNEW it worked.  I was a member when I was around 18 years old and I lost around 40-50 pounds.  I stopped going for one reason or another (I was a member with my mother then – who I would like to note before she got pregnant with me lost over 100 pounds following the program).

The #1 reason Weight Watchers has worked for me is because I believed in the program from the very start.  Even if you start out as a mediocre believer – my only advise is to fake it ‘til you make it because believing in the program AND yourself makes the journey that much easier.  The program is very versatile; it fits into any lifestyle because there are absolutely NO foods that are off limits.  This is all about a lifestyle change – it’s not a diet.  There are no pre-packaged foods you live off of (admitted there are frozen dinners available but those are there for convenience for members, they are not a meal plan), you eat what you love (but the key to this is learning to eat it in moderation and being honest when you track it).

When starting a weight loss journey we should all remember that our journeys should be catered to us.  Since we are all individuals, we take things in stride because at the end of the day we are all different.  I personally dived right into the tools given to me from Weight Watchers and went chopping away.  Admittedly I was a little grumpy for a few weeks (because I went from eating everything and anything I wanted down to a regimented meal plan).  But I knew if I started it not 100% I would procrastinate until I got to that full 100%.  I know of members who cater the program to themselves so they can get acclimated with particular aspects so they don’t get overwhelmed and quit.  I say do whatever works for you, to help you get initially comfortable with the program.  Conquer the bigger aspects – whether that is portion, weighing/measuring, or even eliminating some “problem” foods/drinks (meaning the foods that tend to make you binge).  Once you got those key areas under control, the rest if a breeze and it’ll be the best decision you’ve made in your life.

I admit, even three years in, I still find I have some “trigger foods” that pop up from time to time that I am more comfortable having at a distance than right on hand in my kitchen.  It’s not always the same thing and sometimes trigger foods just happen randomly, even though I’ve never found them to be a trigger before. By the way – if you’re not sure what a trigger food is – it’s a food that when you have just a bite, you simply cannot stop and you will eat it until it’s essentially gone or thrown away.

Because this is a lifestyle and not a diet, I do go out to eat, I eat pizza fairly regularly (it’s my favorite food and if someone told me I could never eat pizza again I don’t know what I’d do) and I do enjoy my sweets. But the difference between me now (as a Weight Watchers member) and before is I enjoy the foods I love and crave in moderation.  I look up the points plus values – and if I cannot find them I do my best guest judgment and I enjoy what I eat.  No guilt because nothing is off limits.  One of the biggest changes is, I cook a lot more now than I have ever in my life. I actually prefer to cook my own means than I do go out and buy them because in my mind I know exactly what’s going onto it and I know the points plus values.  I love food, I would have never become a Weight Watchers member if I didn’t, but cooking gives me a nice, enjoyable outlet to experiment with new foods and flavors.

And remember … if you don’t tell someone something is a Weight Watchers recipe, 9 times out of 10, they’ll never know.  Just a little helpful tip!

QUESTION:
If you've started your journey - how did you personally incorporate Weight Watchers into your lifestyle? 

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