Happy Monday! I hope everyone will take time out to do something for someone else today. That is the best way to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I am headed to drop off some donations of clothing today. It's another long weekend for me and I am glad to have had good time-off during the winter to rejuvenate my spirit!
I'm also back on track this week with my Weight Watchers Freestyle. I have been asked several times about my Weight Watchers journey. How do I like it? Is it a good program? What's my secret? What do you eat? Is the new Freestyle easier? Yadda Yadda Yadda - yes, I just yadda'd Weight Watchers. So after a little consideration, I decided it would be good to address some of these things and give you a peak into a typical day for me.
First, let me say that Weight Watchers has been successful for me many times before (yes, I've joined and quit and joined and quit). This time, when I joined at the very end of July of 2017, I vowed to myself that I would not quit and my goal is Lifetime (membership) weight no matter how long it takes. This is not a paid post for Weight Watchers, this is all my own personal experience. I also believe that losing weight is mental. I also believe that extra weight is a symptom of something else. I've said it once, I'll say it again....Food is my drug of choice and I've been a heavy user for years. I've used food to fill a void in my life or maybe a hole in my soul. I've tried to fill it with other things, but food.....food always loves me back. Or is it that food loves for me to have fat back? Something like that.
A wise woman once told me that your body likes to eat the same things over and over, but your workouts should always be different. In my case, I believe it. Keep your body guessing so it will release those fat stores. Now I am certain this is different for everyone, but this philosophy works for me. Especially when I am able to throw in a cheat once a week and get away with it. And note, not a cheat DAY, just a cheat meal. Typically, this meal may be one of only two meals the entire day, depending upon the size of the cheat.
Every morning, I get up and cook breakfast to take to work. I don't like to eat first thing in the morning. I like to have my coffee (with 2 Splenda's and Sugar Free Coffeemate for ZERO points). I'm more of an after-9 breakfast eater. So I make it and take it---wrapped in foil to keep warm. This is occasionally successful, but I eat it anyway....because I'm hungry and it's always good.
So, here goes....a day in the life of my Weight Watching:
My daily count is 23 points, with 5 Weekly points for wiggle room (a total of 35 for the week to be used at your discretion...my discretion is 5 a day). I can opt to use them or save them for a special meal or event during the 7 day week.
I also know that my running three days a week and my FitHub High Point HIIT class (Thank you, Lori T!) has done wonders for building up my metabolism. Staying in my points, exercising regularly, and not eating my activity points allows me to have days where I can eat what I want. Sometimes, I have a whole day where I just eat what I want and don't track a thing. I know that week's weigh-in may be a gain or a small loss at best, but I also get right back to it the next day. The key is being consistent, being motivated, and most of all....showing up.
With all of that said, after my vacation (and it was a running vacation--I have the medal to prove it), I was a big loser at the scale on Saturday. Down -2.4 pounds. Don't ask me how I did it. I tried to track and I'm sure I ate every activity point known to man, but I did it.
Tips and Tricks
Have a Burger. I am a firm believer that if you are stuck in a plateau, eat a cheeseburger. A big juicy one. Not a McDonald's burger or a Cook Out burger, but a Burger Batch Burger or a Burger Warfare burger. A REAL, fancy pants, I've got more toppings that you can count burger. No fries. Just the burger.
An Apple a Day. Never underestimate the power of cup of applesauce or a fruit cup. I pair this with a Premier Protein shake for an afternoon snack sometimes....2 points and it's filling.
Peanut Butter. Do you know when I REALLY started to see the scale move? When I GAVE UP eating peanut butter. Now just so you know, I LOVE peanut butter. It doesn't matter if it's regular Jif or Reduced Fat Jif, the points are the same and I'll eat it. When I ran out one week and didn't have time to buy more, my scale moved more, so I decided to test it for a month. Turns out, I've been consistently losing since I got the peanut butter out of my life. We are all different, but if you eat a lot of peanut butter and your scale moves slowly or goes up and down a lot, I'd give this a try and see if peanut butter is holding you back.
Exercise. You are missing out if you aren't moving. Steps are great, but real movement or weight lifting is vital. The more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns at rest. My HIIT class has done wonders for me. Did you know last week I actually did ALL 15 push-ups in both rounds? I was surprised myself. And I LOVE TRX (see below). My next adventure is power yoga.
I run 30 minutes on Tuesday and Thursday (usually a little over 2 miles) and longer runs on Saturdays or Sundays. The longer runs are anywhere from 3 - 12 miles, depending on my training. I'm training for a Half Marathon at the end of February. After February, I will be looking into other cardio.....swimming is calling my name, but that will require a gym change. On Wednesday evenings, We HITT! That's High Intensity Interval Training. This is my favorite day of the week. I love this class like I love chocolate. A LOT!
Meetings. Remember when I referred to food as my drug of choice? Well, I treat my meetings like I'm an addict and I need to go to meeting to keep my sobriety. I have paid for the Weight Watchers app for two years. During some of that time, I was actually working the program. Then I wasn't. I was giving them money every month so I could access the app, but I wasn't using it or I'd track one meal. I cannot stress enough the importance of going to a meeting. I don't stay every week, but I do most weeks. At the very least, I go in and let Tammie weigh me. Yep, I'm on a first name basis with my ladies at my meeting. I need that accountability. No one is going to make me feel bad if I gain, but if you keep losing, you can get charms and stars and a big ol' bravo. And you might make some new friends.
Build a network. My friend, Dana, and I check in every week. We may have good weeks and bad weeks, but we check in because we know it's a lifestyle and not a diet. I also offer my support to any of my friends on the program. I have a couple of NC ladies that I've become friends with on social media (way back when I used to blog in my previous life) and we share recipes and snack ideas. Go on Instagram and look up weight watchers. You'll find a ton of people sharing their journey and their tips.
Oh, and about that medal.....just a 5K, but a warm up for February's Half Marathon.
Do you follow Weight Watchers? What are your tips and tricks?
xoxo,
Laurie
First, let me say that Weight Watchers has been successful for me many times before (yes, I've joined and quit and joined and quit). This time, when I joined at the very end of July of 2017, I vowed to myself that I would not quit and my goal is Lifetime (membership) weight no matter how long it takes. This is not a paid post for Weight Watchers, this is all my own personal experience. I also believe that losing weight is mental. I also believe that extra weight is a symptom of something else. I've said it once, I'll say it again....Food is my drug of choice and I've been a heavy user for years. I've used food to fill a void in my life or maybe a hole in my soul. I've tried to fill it with other things, but food.....food always loves me back. Or is it that food loves for me to have fat back? Something like that.
A wise woman once told me that your body likes to eat the same things over and over, but your workouts should always be different. In my case, I believe it. Keep your body guessing so it will release those fat stores. Now I am certain this is different for everyone, but this philosophy works for me. Especially when I am able to throw in a cheat once a week and get away with it. And note, not a cheat DAY, just a cheat meal. Typically, this meal may be one of only two meals the entire day, depending upon the size of the cheat.
Every morning, I get up and cook breakfast to take to work. I don't like to eat first thing in the morning. I like to have my coffee (with 2 Splenda's and Sugar Free Coffeemate for ZERO points). I'm more of an after-9 breakfast eater. So I make it and take it---wrapped in foil to keep warm. This is occasionally successful, but I eat it anyway....because I'm hungry and it's always good.
So, here goes....a day in the life of my Weight Watching:
My daily count is 23 points, with 5 Weekly points for wiggle room (a total of 35 for the week to be used at your discretion...my discretion is 5 a day). I can opt to use them or save them for a special meal or event during the 7 day week.
- Breakfast - English Muffin Egg Sammy - 6 points
- 2 eggs (0 points)
- one LIGHT English muffin (3 points)
- 1/4 shredded cheddar cheese (3 points)
- Great Value Honey Dijon mustard (0 points)
- Trader Joe's Everything but the Bagel Spice (0 points)
- Snack - 0 points
- DelMonte Mixed Fruit Cup with no sugar added
- Motts No Sugar Added Applesauce Cup
- An apple or banana. (0 points) That wise woman I mentioned earlier also taught me that it takes more calories to digest an apple (with the peel) than the apple has. That makes it a negative food.
- Rotisserie chicken.
- Lunch - at home - 8 points
- Sandwich Bros. Chicken or Angus Burger Melt (5 points)
- Ritz Crisp Salt & Vinegar Chips (16 chips) (3 points)
- Mustard for dipping (0 points)
- water to drink
- Lunch - out at Chick-fil-A--this is my fast food of choice - 7 points
- Chick-fil-A Cool wrap meal with fruit (6 points)
- Side = Fruit Bowl (0 points)
- Large Diet Lemonade (1 point) ***this is the find of the year because it's sweet and only 1 point!!
- Dinner - at home (varies, as I like dinner to have options) - 8 points
- Spaghetti
- Zucchini made into Zoodles and used in place of pasta (0 points)
- Newman's Own Sockarooni Sauce, 1 cup (6 points)
- Grilled Chicken tenders (0 points)
- Kirkland's Shredded Parmigiano reggiano (3 TBS) (2 points)
- Dessert - a home - ONE of the following:
- Sugar Free Jello Pudding Cup (2 Points)
- Weight Watchers Chocolate Caramel flavored mini snack bar (2 points)
- Weight Watchers Rich Toffee Flavored Mini Bar (3 points)
- Halo Top - 1/4 Cup - Assorted Flavors, but I love Candy Bar (3 points)
That totals out to 23 to 24 points. Some days I eat less and roll over some points. I may have a protein shake instead of a meal, especially if I've had a cheat meal the day before. Or I might eat lean chicken all day with salad and fruit making it a primarily 0 point day. Out of my 23, I can roll over up to 4 points a day -- added to my weekly allowance, which makes the cheat days less of a cheat.
My favorite cheat is a cheeseburger. I can tell you that I have one a week, usually. Especially on a long run day when my activity points are through the roof. My entire approach to Weight Watchers is that it HAS to be livable. Livable to me is having cheeseburgers and sweet treats like Ducks Donuts or Krispy Kremes every now and then. I have managed to eat some or all of this junk throughout my journey and still come out on the other side a loser.
With all of that said, after my vacation (and it was a running vacation--I have the medal to prove it), I was a big loser at the scale on Saturday. Down -2.4 pounds. Don't ask me how I did it. I tried to track and I'm sure I ate every activity point known to man, but I did it.
Have a Burger. I am a firm believer that if you are stuck in a plateau, eat a cheeseburger. A big juicy one. Not a McDonald's burger or a Cook Out burger, but a Burger Batch Burger or a Burger Warfare burger. A REAL, fancy pants, I've got more toppings that you can count burger. No fries. Just the burger.
An Apple a Day. Never underestimate the power of cup of applesauce or a fruit cup. I pair this with a Premier Protein shake for an afternoon snack sometimes....2 points and it's filling.
Peanut Butter. Do you know when I REALLY started to see the scale move? When I GAVE UP eating peanut butter. Now just so you know, I LOVE peanut butter. It doesn't matter if it's regular Jif or Reduced Fat Jif, the points are the same and I'll eat it. When I ran out one week and didn't have time to buy more, my scale moved more, so I decided to test it for a month. Turns out, I've been consistently losing since I got the peanut butter out of my life. We are all different, but if you eat a lot of peanut butter and your scale moves slowly or goes up and down a lot, I'd give this a try and see if peanut butter is holding you back.
Exercise. You are missing out if you aren't moving. Steps are great, but real movement or weight lifting is vital. The more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns at rest. My HIIT class has done wonders for me. Did you know last week I actually did ALL 15 push-ups in both rounds? I was surprised myself. And I LOVE TRX (see below). My next adventure is power yoga.
Meetings. Remember when I referred to food as my drug of choice? Well, I treat my meetings like I'm an addict and I need to go to meeting to keep my sobriety. I have paid for the Weight Watchers app for two years. During some of that time, I was actually working the program. Then I wasn't. I was giving them money every month so I could access the app, but I wasn't using it or I'd track one meal. I cannot stress enough the importance of going to a meeting. I don't stay every week, but I do most weeks. At the very least, I go in and let Tammie weigh me. Yep, I'm on a first name basis with my ladies at my meeting. I need that accountability. No one is going to make me feel bad if I gain, but if you keep losing, you can get charms and stars and a big ol' bravo. And you might make some new friends.
Build a network. My friend, Dana, and I check in every week. We may have good weeks and bad weeks, but we check in because we know it's a lifestyle and not a diet. I also offer my support to any of my friends on the program. I have a couple of NC ladies that I've become friends with on social media (way back when I used to blog in my previous life) and we share recipes and snack ideas. Go on Instagram and look up weight watchers. You'll find a ton of people sharing their journey and their tips.
Oh, and about that medal.....just a 5K, but a warm up for February's Half Marathon.
xoxo,
Laurie
Comments
Post a Comment