On Friday I became an official Lifetime member of Weight Watchers. For those not familiar with WW that means I hit a goal weight, maintained it, and now I only have to weigh in once a month and as long as I am no more than 2 lbs. above the weight I set I can attend as many meetings as I want – for FREE!!! (If I weigh in and am over then I have to pay for that week and have until the next month to get back to my goal weight)
Any time I’ve needed to lose weight running on the treadmill and weight watchers have been my best friends. I've learned a lot about food, portion size, and myself on this (these I should say - it's a never ending battle) journey so I thought I’d share some of the things that have helped me out along the way.
1. All it takes is a little preparation. This website. has really helped me make it all work. Not all foods are going to have labels. So I refer a lot to this site to find points for things like flour, a cupcake, etc. I want to cook and prepare fresh homemade meals for my family - so I take my recipe, calculate the points of all the ingredients, and now I'll have all my recipes stored away for future reference with points and all.
2. I don't have to feel deprived. I can go to McDonald's or have a caramel brownie if I want. I just can't have the Big Mac with the large fries and shake (well at least not very often) so instead I make the Happy Meal work for me instead and you know what? I'm just as full :) I just have to be prepared and plan for it. I factor it into my day and plan my other eating choices to make it all work. I can have one brownie, not half the pan :) And really as I looked around - a LOT of people have to watch what they eat - there really are very few who can eat whatever they want whenever they want and be fine - the more I'd look around while I was trying to lose the weight the more I realized that the thin people around me were carefully choosing the things they ate as well. And that made me feel better.
3. Stick to it and it works. Through this journey there have been many a days that I went a little crazy and ate lots more than I should have. And that's okay sometimes. But what mattered most to me is that I jumped right back on the bandwagon and kept on trucking. Because in the end any weight loss plan will work - you just have to actually do it.
These are some of the regular staple foods around our house:
love this stuff. It's Special K with protein. Only 1 pt. for 1 serving. It's been the way I've been starting my mornings.
love these too. All my friends know I've loved Fiber One bars but once I met these I converted. 
Aunt Millie's Healthy Goodness Fiber for Life bread. Soft, yummy, and only 1 point for 2 pieces!
I love chips and Justin's Doritos just sit in the pantry and stare at me sometimes. So I like to have these on hand for those salty cravings. 15 chips for 1 point.
My absolute favorite. I eat this ALL the time - Probably because it takes so long to eat it I can munch on it forever. The ENTIRE bag for only 2 points.
This was on sale last week and since I buy Brooklyn string cheese all the time I thought I'd try out the light kind. It was just as yummy and only 1 point.
Oh - and the sweets. I can't go a day without them. And that's okay because I factor them in and get to have 1 special little treat every night after dinner. Some of my favs - any slow churned ice cream. 1/2 a cup for only 2 points.
These little babies are good too. 3 Little Hostess cupcakes all for only 100 calories and the chocolate ones are only 1 point.
For me my entire life has been somewhat of a struggle with this whole eating/body weight thing. Everyone has different struggles and I know this is one of mine. I wish I didn't have to battle this but I've just learned this will always be something I'll have to deal with. Have I ever been skinny minnie? - nope. And do I care to be? nope. I just like to be at a body weight that I feel comfortable in because if not - I'm not as happy as I'd like to be. And where you feel comfortable at is different and okay for everyone. Bigger or smaller.
So what works for you? How do you feel good about your body? Do you struggle to? What has worked for you? Share :)
6 comments:
Whenever I'm trying to lose baby weight or what-not, I basically just have to ask myself if any given food is worth it. Cream soups? Absolutely worth it for me. Chips or pop? Not so much. If it's worth it, then eat it...but then give up the things that just aren't. Make sure those calories are ones you actually want to spend.
Also, I love to savor my food. Really stop, sit down, and enjoy it. I find that when I plan for it and wait to eat until I have a real moment to myself (like during the littlest's nap) then I actually eat a whole lot less during the day because I'm waiting for that real meal that I can actually enjoy.
Great job with the weight loss! yay! for being a lifetime member, that's such a big deal! yay! yay!
Congratulations on becoming a lifetime member! That is a great accomplishment. Weight issues have certainly plagued my life for a long time and in a lot of ways. I am excited for you and encouraged by your healthy take on losing and maintaining while still enjoying life. Thank you for sharing and keep up the great work!
Way to go! That's awesome that you've met your weight goal! Also, thanks for the food tips. I will be trying some of those. :) My current goal is to eat more vegetables. I always figure if I'm eating healthy foods then I'll feel good and won't fill up on "naughty" foods. (Always easier said than done!)
I also really try to listen to my body to decide how much to eat. My goal is to eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm appropriately full. Once again, it's sometimes easier said than done. But while I like to have a good idea of the fat & calories in foods, counting calories makes me feel restricted and makes me want to eat more. No matter what, you're right; It's always a struggle!
I truly needed this post today - Thanks so much! :)
BTW - CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
Congrats Erica!! Thanks for the tips and advice. My goal is to eat more fruits and veggies. My body usually tells me when I've been eating too badly because I'll crave veggies (which is totally weird for me). I eat WAY too many sweets and have been thinking about that alot lately so this post was helpful for me. Thanks! And good job!!
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