A couple years ago a crazy school and work schedule and some family issues caused my weight to spiral out of control. I have always had weight issues, but had never before had I crossed that dreaded 200 pound mark. However I soon found myself having crossed that mark, and then some. I had always exercised, yet the scale never moved. I thought once I got a dayshift job and my schedule normalized, the weight would start to come off. Unfortunately that was not the case. So when my employer offered Weight Watchers at Work sessions, I sat down and seriously considered my options.
I do not like having to ask for help, or being told what to do, especially when it costs me money. But I had two friends who had success through Weight Watchers, and I was getting a reduced rate through my employer so I felt this is what I had to do to turn my weight situation around.
So I enrolled and immediately immersed myself in the Weight Watchers culture. The key concepts are nothing the average dieter hasn’t heard. Concepts core to the Weight Watchers program, and any other successful diets include:
What goes in must be less than the energy expended to lose weight. Fruit and vegetables are good for you. High fiber foods are good for you. Portion control is important. Journaling makes you more aware of what you eat. Exercise makes it easier to lose weight. Weigh ins provides needed accountability. What Weight Watchers does differently is to incorporate all of these concepts into a comprehensive program with checks and balances in place to show you how true these concepts really are.
For example, instead of calorie counting, Weight Watchers had a scientific tracking system called Points Values. These points values are based on a formula that Weight Watchers originated. This formula takes into account the calories, and amount of fat and fiber in a food and then derives a point value. It provided accountability, and a method of forcing you to learn portion control.
Everyone knows that fruit and vegetables and high fiber foods are good for your health. But that really hadn’t been enough of a motivation for me until I began Weight Watchers. Once I began counting points, I soon realized how costly chips and pretzels were and how inexpensive fruits, vegetables and high fiber foods were. It became just like balancing a budget. Fruits, vegetables and high fiber foods were bargains when you consider the quantity you can eat in return for the points you accumulate.
By having to account for points, you quickly learn to look at what actual portions are. For example, a handful of potato chips would likely be seen as a quick snack, but on Weight Watchers, when you look into the portion size, you will realize that a handful is a likely a full serving.
Tracking points is essentially journaling, which has been recommended for years to aid in weight loss. Tracking points forces you to be honest with yourself about everything you put in your month. This awareness then allows you to alter your eating habits for the better.
Again, everyone knows exercise is essential to losing weight. Where most people go wrong, is with how much credit they give themselves for working out. Before Weight Watchers I would take a 20 minutes walk and feel like I earned a bowl of ice cream. Using Weight Watchers activity points, I have learned exactly how much activity is necessary to burn off what I ate. This helps me make better decision in the future. If I can look at a cookie and know it will take me 30 minutes on the elliptical, I will either skip the cookie, eat a healthier alternative snack or makes plans to get on the elliptical later to burn it off.
Lastly are the weigh ins. Weight Watchers weigh ins are a hallmark of the program since its inception. The idea of weighing in at a public meeting has struck fear in the hearts of many. But , this fear is necessary to get people moving. And it time, the peer pressure of weighing in and being accountable, not to a whole room of people but to yourself and to the leader who sees your weight, is often enough to keeping you making good choices the whole week through. To add support in my goal to lose weight, I also tried leptoconnect. This is one of the trusted brands in the market. It is a lose weight supplement designed to target the root cause of the stubbord buildup of fat in your body.
For me, Weight Watchers taught me portion control, and how to make healthier choices regarding my food and exercise options. I needed the accountability to keep me on track. By resetting your points every day and every week, it allowed me to make mistakes and to start over fresh. You will have bad days, but Weight Watchers also accounts for that with flex points. Tracking points and weight loss became a competitive game for me as time went on- I wanted to see how healthy I could eat, how many activity points I could rack up, and how much I could change my body. And over the course of the past 16 months, I have succeeded in losing almost 50 pounds, making myself accountable and ultimately altering my lifestyle.
So despite my initial cynicism, Weight Watchers has proven to be a doable, and successful lifestyle program for me. By using the online Weight Watchers program, and continuing to weigh myself, I have continued to lost weight at a healthy rate, while still enjoying my favorite foods in moderation. I would highly recommend this program to anyone, as long as you are ready to try. All diets require some effort and commitment, but if you can give Weight Watchers your all, you will be in awe of the ways it can transform you!