Watching Weight - Thoughts On Weight Watchers

In 2006 and 2007, my doctor repeatedly recommended that I consider Weight Watchers (WW).  To be honest, this offended me.  I wasn't like THOSE people who needed a cliched program to lose weight.  I had been at a healthy weight before and knew how to lose weight.  I didn't need to go to weekly meetings with some peppy cheerleader telling me about the importance of fruits and vegetables.  I was going to do it on my own!

Then, in December 2007, I went to the doctor's office again and climbed on the scale.  I was appalled to see that I weighed in at 189!  Again, my doctor suggested WW and this time I listened.  I left the office in tears, called my husband to inform him we were joining a gym that weekend, and logged onto WeightWatchers.com.  What a wake-up call when I logged my breakfast that first day!  I had my usual Wednesday morning study breakfast (Starbucks latte and scone) which accounted for about half my points for the day.  I knew I hadn't been eating very well, I just hadn't realized how poorly I had been eating!  No wonder the number kept going up on the scale!

From the very beginning, I made the decision to stick with the website interface and to not go to meetings.  Once I have a program to follow, I'm pretty good at following it.  I would rather educate myself and read the information online than sit in a meeting for an hour each week.  And given my work schedule, I wasn't sure I could consistently make it to a meeting each week.  Meanwhile, I'm continuously on my computer so tracking my points through the website (as opposed to in a notebook), seemed like the obvious option.

I will admit that I also had a personal bias against going to the meetings - I didn't want to be one of THOSE people.  By going to a meeting, I would be grouping myself with overweight women who didn't know how to make healthy food choices.  Umm, hello?  That's precisely what I was!  But I had other assumptions and stereotypes in my head about what it meant to be someone who follows the WW program.  (I had originally typed "follower" in there but didn't want it to be perceived as a disciple or fanatic.)  These assumptions included, but were not limited to:

• people who were looking to blame someone else for their weight;
• people who were lazy and were looking for a quick fix;
• people who were more interested in socializing than in learning to do things differently;
• people who were more likely to complain about their lives than to see about living them differently;
• people who were unsuccessful (both regarding weight-loss and other aspects of life);
• people who were less intelligent/sophisticated/cultured/etc.;
• people who were ignorant and ill-informed about health, nutrition, and fitness; and
• people who were using weight as a scapegoat for life's problems

Guess what?  NONE of these are true!!!  These were more a reflection of my own insecurities and how I may be perceived more than anything else.  I didn't want to be seen as any of these things.  People following the WW program are no more likely to embody these characteristics than anyone in the general population.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they are LESS likely to reflect any of these points.  The people who follow WW and actually make it work for themselves are taking responsibility for their food intake, their weight, and their lifestyles.  They recognize that it's a gradual process that takes dedication and consistency.  They're educated about food options and continually learn about all aspects of nutrition.

Now please note that I'm referring to people who FOLLOW the WW program.  Simply going to the meetings each week or logging onto the website isn't going to magically result in weight loss or healthier living.  (I think that's the type of person I was fearful of becoming.)  WW is a great tool for teaching someone how to approach food and exercise in a way that is balanced and sustainable.  Someone who doesn't use that tool can't be disappointed when it doesn't work.

After 8-10 months of following WW, I decided to try weekly meetings.  Primarily, this was so I could support a friend who was wanting to follow the program, but I also wanted to see what I had been missing by relying on the online interface.  By this point, I was just a few pounds away from my weight loss goal (147) and attaining "Lifetime" standing - I had already done a lot on my own.  Most of what was covered in the weekly meetings was old news to me.  At that point I felt like I could have run the meetings myself, and that's probably true.

WW worked incredibly well for my initial goals:

• I was more conscious of my food choices
• I was eating healthier foods
• I was physically active
• I read food labels
• I ate fruits and vegetables
• I monitored my portions
• I lost over 40 pounds

Despite all these gains, I began to feel as though I had "out-grown" the WW program.  Given the new levels of fitness that I was striving for, there weren't enough points to feed my increased muscle mass.  The weight range didn't take body composition into account, so my weigh-in at 153 at the beginning of 2011 would have been considered overweight.  (NOTE:  This was before the launch of the revised WW program that revamped the point system and allowed for more protein.)

While I no longer follow WW myself, I am a strong advocate and frequently recommend it to others.   (Not unsolicited recommendations, but when I'm having a conversation with someone who's interested in losing weight and adopting a healthier lifestyle.)  In a society where we're bombarded with gimmicks and quick-fix schemes, WW has it's head on straight.  Compared to other programs, it seems like WW is the only one that focuses on developing a foundation for a healthy lifestyle.  I encourage people to consider WW because it addresses the interaction between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and how this relates to an individual's weight.  The accountability of weekly check-ins can be important to help someone stay with the program.  The meetings are actually a great source of support and encouragement.  Basically, it's a program that teaches people how to live their lives with while adopting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

When people comment on my transformation over the past 3 years, I'm sure to emphasize that it didn't happen overnight and I didn't start out as "hardcore" as I am right now.  Everyone has to start somewhere.  My path started with WW and, with that foundation, has taken me from there to some pretty incredible places!

Food Log: 

• Meal 1  
• 4 egg whites and 2 eggs with Mrs Dash and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray 
• Meal 2 
• 2oz chicken
• Artichoke hearts, peas, onions  
• Meal 3 
• 2oz chicken
• 20g almonds 
• Meal 4
• 4oz chicken
• Asparagus
• Tablespoon of peanut butter
• Meal 5
• Protein shake

Exercise: 

• Time:  1-hour total body workout with trainer  
• Calories:  Probably about 400 - I forgot to start my heart rate monitor until about halfway through the session 

Today's Weigh-In:  144.3
(I was pleasantly surprised with this, as I was expecting my weigh-in to be higher today after the salt and dessert from yesterday's cheat dinner.)