Weight Watchers

Like I mentioned a bit ago, I have lost 9 pounds over the past 4 weeks. (weigh in is tomorrow for this last week) I have also lost 12 inches by working out at Curves over the past month, but that's not what I want to talk about today. Today I want to talk about dieting.

I know, I hate that word too..."diet". If there is a list of words with a stigma associated with it, I think that's near the top of the list. No one ever wants to admit that they are "on a diet". But you know what I have found? I find that when people find out that I am on a diet they are surprised and then supportive. Go figure.

As I said before, I count Points. Most people know what that means, but if you don't (and weren't clued in by the title of this post *wink*) it is the way that people who follow the Weight Watchers plan "diet".

Weight Watchers has a couple of Plan options. There is the Flex Plan (which I use), and the Core Plan. On the Flex Plan: "...[an] updated version of the popular POINTS® Food System, you can eat any food you want. Just stay within your personalized daily POINTS® Target and you’ll be making healthier, better food choices in no time."

The Core Plan does not use Points: "With the Core Plan, there’s no counting—you can eat as much as you need to feel satisfied. The Core Plan provides a balanced diet by centering on a list of healthy foods that keep you full longer. These Core Foods include avocados, potatoes, salsa, brown rice, lean meats, and more."

In my opinion, you have to be pretty disciplined to try the Core Plan. If you are just starting Weight Watchers, I would recommend the Flex Plan. On the Flex Plan you will learn about nutrition and serving sizes and how much you should be eating in a day. That is why I recommend it. With the Core Plan, if you have never changed your eating lifestyle before, I can see where you can better rationalize that what you are eating (and the amounts you are eating) are just fine (and within limits) and hence, overeat.

People often think that you HAVE TO attend meetings if you join Weight Watchers. If you are just starting I actually recommend attending meetings. They can be very motivational and being accountable for your weight loss is crucial if you are just starting out. But once you are an "old pro" at Weight Watchers I don't think meetings are necessary. I don't attend meetings and I keep track of all of my points in a spreadsheet (which I am happy to share, if you e-mail me and ask for it).

Having a plan like Weight Watchers is really great if you are thinking about making a change in your life. But the thing about "dieting" is that you have to want to make a change in your life. And you have to want it for yourself, not the people around you. Until you have the correct mindset, you will not succeed long term at keeping the weight off. It is also very important that you surround yourself with people who want to help you achieve your goal. If you are making a change and the people you hang out with are not, then you will likely fail. I hate to say it but if you see your friend Jane eating that donut on Friday morning you will be tempted. Luckily on Weight Watchers you can eat the donut if you have the Points to spare, but it's really not the way you're going to want to spend them. Trust me.

If you have recently made the decision to change your life and become healthy then that's fantastic!! YOU CAN DO IT!!! (Believe me, I need to hear that all the time)

If you are already in that 2/3 group that is not overweight, that's great too and I am sorry to have wasted your time on this post. ^_^