Weight Watchers Day 1

So it finally started. I find myself back on the first "diet" I ever remember joining (I was 8 years old last time I did it with my mom.) I am hoping that by doing it again I can really stay committed to losing my last 30 lbs. No doubt I've come so far on my own with this band and I'm sure I could continue doing it but I don't want to take any chances. Plus, I've constantly been struggling throughout my time with the band between what is the right way to eat... low carb seems to make me drop weight the quickest and most reliably but it doesn't work in the longrun only because I really enjoy whole grains and should be able to have those "good carb" things once in a while without it throwing off my entire weight loss efforts. I also know I'm sugar sensitive so it's ok to avoid sugary and processed stuff most of the time but WW allows for and encourages treating yourself to stay motivated. So it seems too good to be true, right? I'm allotted 29 points according to my group leader who didn't input the calculations (just eyeballed me) but actually 31 according to the calculator. I'm probably on the cusp and will lose the 2 extra ones by next week but I may try to aim for 29 anyway. I've found 31 was not easy to eat all of today except that I'm ending my night with a 30-gram-protein shake both to finish off the unused points and as a treat cause it's my favorite new recipe (8oz 1% milk, 8 oz decaf hazelnut coffee, 1 scoop chocolate whey powder, ice) That makes a 20oz chocolate frappuccino and id 7 points in case you were wondering. Normally this is my breakfast (don't report me to the band police! I can't do enough solid food before noon to get a good protein start to my day.)

So here you go, my official review of WW and the Points Plus program (blech at the marketing scheme) as well as my WW@work program.

The good:

Convenient. It's right in my office building, once a week, for 45 minutes. You can't get any better than that and if it weren't for that, I wouldn't have joined. I live 5 minutes from a local WW chapter which is nice in case I ever miss a work meeting and need to get my meeting in but really, I know that if I joined an outside of work location I'd never go.

The program. It's definitely better than it used to be. Fruits and vegetables are unlimited and free so (I don't know about you) but it makes me want to try eating an apple or banana first and if I'm still hungry, go for a small amount of peanut butter or chocolate or something I really love rather than starting with the richer foods. It's great that WW finally got with the program and decided that a 100 calorie apple is in fact NOT the same to your body as a 100 calorie oreo pack! For crying out loud, it took them long enough! I'm super happy with the way foods are calculating out in the new points plus system and luckily I'm finding that most of what I already eat is well within my ability to keep eating. If anything, I am going to eat more fruits and vegetables and not much else differently because I've avoided fruits due to calories. Can't wait for spring and summer and all the fresh stuff!

The bad:

Their scale! OMG if I didn't flip a shit this morning at the weigh in. Listen to this. On my doctor's scale last week I was 184.5 which is the same as I was at home on my scale with clothes. I've since dropped to 180.6 unclothed and am jumping for joy at being out of the 180s ALMOST for good. Then I step onto their scale today, expecting it to be like 183-4 (no shoes) and it's 187! I know it's just a number but it bumps me back to a bad mental place cause I was stuck at 187 for several months. When I got home, I'm not going to lie, the first thing I did was get naked and jump on my scale. 181.6, thank goodness! The difference is due to whatever I've eaten or drank today, who cares, but nowhere close to 187. Now that I am reassured I didn't magically gain several pounds back I'm ok. I've been lucky enough up to this point that Dr. A's scale aligns so closely with my own that I know what it's going to say by stepping on my with clothes before I leave, so no surprises. I'm thinking of putting my home scale away for the next 12 weeks though since the only one that's going to matter is the WW one. In fact, I just told Steve to remove the scale from the bathroom. I am going to try following WW and using their scale and seeing what happens without obsessing over it daily. Keyword here: try!

The merch. I'm talking MAJOR merch. WW is a business, let us not forget. They have everything for sale and don't think that anything you buy now is going to last long cause they'll be out with a new plan soon enough or tweaking this one or whatever and you'll have to buy more. I bought the $5.95 points calculator and also have the droid app but I'd have to pay 12.95 a month to keep my "etools" subscription going beyond the 14 week period (unless I rejoin I guess.) So investing in the little pocket calculator will let me keep going as long as I want to follow points even if I'm not enrolled. So what are these magical points? Interestingly they no longer measure calories when calculating them. You account for protein, fat, carbs, fiber. Stuff that's high in protein and fiber and low in fat/carbs gets low points. Stuff high in fat and carbs with little protein/fiber gets high points. And fruits and vegetables are free as long as they aren't starchy or fatty ones. Too bad I can't eat unlimited avocados, my favorite! But overall it definitely is pointing you in the direction of eating healthier and not just eating less. It's kind of the same "diet" so many other people and groups have been preaching. Load up on fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and use fats and processed foods sparingly. Not that much too it.

Well, we will see. I am sooo not changing my tickers back up to 187 though. I will change them all to 181.6 and leave them there till I go back to Dr. A on 2/25 and I'll update with his scale's number which corresponds close enough to mine. This will be exciting. Can I do it? And by do it, I don't mean lose 30 more lbs, I mean keep myself from getting on the scale 4 times a day! ;)