How I Made Weight Watchers Work for Me

Several months ago, I went to the doctor, and standing on the scale, I weighed only four pounds less than the day I gave birth to my son, who is close to 20 months old! It was eye-opening. I had been in MAJOR denial for months, and had gotten really good at lying to myself about my weight problem. I was starting to wear a size 12, but I was good at telling myself that clothes just are not made like they used to be. I would tell myself that they are making clothes much smaller than they did years ago, and that the problem was not me. And when I would outgrow pants I already owned, then I would blame my poor defenseless dryer for shrinking them.

Not once did I ever blame MYSELF for just being fat! But, the numbers do not lie. There in the doctor's office, I was faced with the reality that I had gotten close to 40 pounds overweight from where I was the day I got married. After sulking around for about two weeks, and realizing that my self-pity was only making my weight problem worse, I decided to do something about it. I have known several people who were very successful on Weight Watchers, so I decided to join, and see if they could help me too.

Here are some things that helped me in my journey, and hopefully they can help you too!

Drink Your Water!

The first thing I learned on Weight Watchers was how important drinking water is. Water is so important because it helps flush your body of whatever toxins are in it, including fat. The standard rule of thumb is to drink 6-8 eight-ounce glasses of water every day. I was nowhere near this mark before, so I started counting how much water I drank, and made sure I got them all in. Then I read on Weight Watchers that you can drink other calorie/fat-free drinks, and they can "count" as water intake as long as they are clear and caffeine free as well as calorie- and fat-free, but that it cannot be more than half of your daily water intake. This includes drinking things like Crystal Light or Diet Sprite. But what that means is if you drink 4 glasses of this "non-water", it can count as "water" as long as you drink at least 4 glasses of just water beyond that during that day. This really helped me because I can get sick of just water every single time.

Count EVERY Point

Probably the biggest thing that Weight Watchers is known for is their POINTS® system. It is a system set up that you are given a set number of POINTS® each day that you are allowed to consume, and then an additional set of POINTS® that you can use at any point throughout the week. Daily POINTS® do not carry over from one day to the next, and weekly POINTS® do not carry over to another week. Each and every food can have its POINTS® value calculated either through the Weight Watchers website or if you have a POINTS® calculator (which I totally encourage buying - it's worth its weight in gold!), but the number is based on calories, fat, and dietary fiber.

I viewed my POINTS® as kind of like a daily allowance, as if it were money to be spent. It made me view food as costing me something, and would make me really think hard about whether it would be worth eating that day or not. It also made me plan a whole lot more, like if I knew I was going to be at a birthday party and would want a piece of cake, I can plan and save up for it. I can plan my meals that day and eat low POINTS® food throughout the day, or use my weekly allotment of POINTS® for that particular event.

Another thing I learned was to count every single thing I put into my mouth. I am a grazer, and like to just nibble on things all throughout the day, but those nibbles can really add up! So make sure that whatever you eat, even if it's just a bite of something, know that it IS costing you something, and you need to count it in your daily allowance.

Make Every Point Count

I make sure that most everything I eat is nutritional and filling in some way. If I have a day where I am just extremely hungry (we all have days like that), I know that I need to eat more vegetables that day. For the most part, vegetables are zero POINTS® (there are some vegetables that have a POINTS® value, like corn and potatoes). I also learned that things that are high in fiber actually bring your POINTS® down, and make you feel very full, so look for foods that are packed full of fiber. Protein is another thing that makes you feel full, so on days where I might feel shaky, I try to eat some yogurt or cheese, or something else with some protein in it, and it always makes me feel better.

But realize that on Weight Watchers, no food is off limits, you just have to make sure and stay within your POINTS®. If you are finding that you feel shaky and hungry all the time, then you are planning your daily food incorrectly, and you need to be making healthier choices in your meals and in your snacking. The healthier a food is the more of it you can eat.

Eat Your Veggies

You are supposed to get 5-8 servings of vegetables and fruit every day. And like I said above, for the most part, vegetables have zero POINTS®, and are good snacking options throughout the day without worrying about taking away from your daily allowance. Corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes all have a POINTS® value, so make sure to check that out when eating those. I keep on hand in our house lots of fresh vegetables - carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, and cucumber - already cut up and ready to eat or pack in a bag to take with me somewhere. I also keep lettuce cut up and ready for a salad on a moment's notice.

Vegetables are also pretty easy to "sneak" into meals. When I make spaghetti sauce, I put lots of cut up peppers and onions right in the sauce. It really stretches the sauce out and makes you need less on your spaghetti (which you can eat! - 1 cup of whole wheat spaghetti is 3 POINTS®!). I also like to grill vegetables. The smoke from the grill adds a really fun and unique flavor to vegetables, and keeps them from becoming boring.

Vegetables are also very good roasted in the oven. Asparagus, green beans, and carrots are all good done this way. Just spread them out on your pan, lightly spray them with olive oil cooking spray, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake until they are to the doneness you desire (I like my veggies with a little bit of crunch to them, but some people like them soft).

Making the Most Out of Meals

I have also learned that the more flavor something has, the more it satisfies me. I really like spicy food, so whenever I can bump up the spice factor, I do, and it makes it seem as though I am eating more than I really am. Some staples in my pantry include red pepper flakes and garlic powder. Red pepper flakes are really good in tomato sauce and adding garlic to vegetables or meat can really enhance its flavor. I also keep seasoned salt on hand because it really boosts the flavor of meat and vegetables. I love putting seasoned salt on a Boca Burger® because it really makes it taste quite good, and not at all like I am eating a meatless burger.

Another staple in my house is spray butter. I never use more than 10 sprays because it would eventually start adding fat and calories, but if you stick to the serving size (or even just slightly over the serving size), it is totally fat- and calorie-free.

The Best Cookbook Ever

The best cookbook ever, in my humble opinion, is called "Hungry Girl: Recipes & Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World", written by Lisa Lillien. I found Hungry Girl through the Weight Watchers website, and immediately signed up to start receiving Hungry Girl's FREE daily e-mail newsletter, and then bought the cookbook just as soon as it hit store shelves. The entire book is packed full of recipes that my entire family enjoys, and has really taught me better ways of making food. Every single recipe I have tried so far (and it's pretty close to being the entire book!) is delicious and nutritious, and I just love it. No kitchen is complete without this book.

Exercise is Important

Exercising is VERY important! I have gone on diets before, and I have exercised before. Both are good, but I think you really need to do both in conjunction with each other for weight loss to really be successful. There are lots of different exercises out there, so you just need to find what you enjoy. If it is enjoyable, then you are more likely to stick with it.

I really enjoy doing Tae Bo and kickboxing. I also like walking my son in the mornings around our neighborhood in his stroller, and I like walking in the evenings after supper with my husband. And with Weight Watchers, you can earn more POINTS® the more you work out, and they advise you try to earn 1-2 Activity POINTS® each day, which I usually do. I start every morning with a workout, and have been doing it for so long now that I actually feel worse during the day if I have not worked out in the morning.

Treat Yourself!

I set goals for myself throughout my whole weight loss. Every 10 pounds I treated myself to something that was not food. I got a manicure or pedicure or bought myself a new outfit. I have taken my family to the zoo and on special picnics as treats to myself, and those ended up being a lot of fun for all of us.

I also found it important to allow myself snacks, but I have found ways to make them guilt free. One of my favorite recent treats is what I call "Cookies-N-Cream Pudding". Take a sugar free vanilla pudding snack (one that is already prepared, or you can make it yourself), then crush up ½ of a package of the Nabisco Oreo Thin Crisps (the 100-calorie pack), and mix that with the pudding. Make sure to save the other half of the 100-calorie pack for a treat on another day! Put 2 tablespoons of fat free whipped topping on top of your pudding, and it is a much healthier version of a pretty delicious treat!

I have also found that the Weight Watchers ice cream bars are pretty good, and they are HUGE! More good ice cream treats include Skinny Cow and Slim-a-Bear ice cream bars and sandwiches. Most of these are 1-2 POINTS® each, so you don't even need to feel guilty about indulging in chocolate or ice cream!

I also keep popcorn in my pantry for whenever I have a craving for something salty (although do watch your salt intake, as it can make you retain water). Most of the 94% fat free buttered popcorn is either 1-2 POINTS® for the ENTIRE bag of popcorn. That's a pretty good deal, and it's incredibly filling!

The Most Important Thing

The most important thing to realize is that being on Weight Watchers is not a DIET. Whatever changes you make for yourself during your weight loss, they need to be changes you make for the rest of your life. Find ways to get active that you love doing, and have fun doing them. Find foods that you enjoy and can even look forward to eating and sharing with your family and friends. And if you have a bad day, don't be too hard on yourself. Just start your next day with the goal of making it a better day. Drink your water, count your POINTS®, and enjoy your life!

_{*POINTS® are a registered trademark of Weight Watchers International, Inc.}