Oy.
Here we go, friends: full disclosure time.
Even after that last post about why I quit Weight Watchers, can you guess what I did?
Yup. Funny right? I think it was actually writing that post that made me reflect more on my experience with WW. While I still don't think it's a long-term solution for me, I realized that right now I just need immediate help with getting my eating habits back on track. So I signed up for a six-month package with WW.
And you know what? The morning after I registered, as soon as I started tracking my points, I felt relief. I knew I no longer had to guess at how much to eat, and I knew that as long as I work the program properly, I'll lose the weight I need to lose.
(Can I just remind everyone that right now, losing weight isn't just about vanity for me? I've regained so much weight over the past 10-11 months that almost nothing I own still fits. It's either lose the weight, or buy a new wardrobe. Makes sense to go with the option that will ALSO make me feel better about myself.)
To be clear, even though I'm doing a "conventional" diet, I'm following WW with a grain-free, legume-free, mostly-dairy-free, mostly-sugar-free approach. (But there is still some sugar in dark chocolate!) Since Weight Watchers counts most fruits and vegetables as zero points, I'm basically just having to be accountable to my protein and fat serving sizes.
Last night was a great illustration of my need for accountability. I had tossed some drumsticks and boneless, skinless chicken thighs in taco seasoning and then broiled them. I weighed two chicken thighs and tracked them. Then I topped each one with a measured tablespoon of guacamole and tracked that, too. I loaded up my plate with steamed green beans (tossed in butter) and asparagus broiled with EVOO and sea salt, and accounted for the butter and oil. My meal was delicious and satisfying, and once my plate was empty I was definitely no longer hungry. But that chicken! It was so good! I wanted to go get just one more piece, with just one more scoop of guacamole, just to continue to enjoy that flavour. But I really didn't need it, so I just sat and waited, trying to decide if it was worth the extra points. The longer I sat, the more I realized that I really wasn't hungry anymore. Eating past the point of being satisfied is often my problem.
I'm really hoping over the next six months I can hit my goal and spend some time at maintenance, so I get a better idea of what portion sizes my body really needs. I don't want to be reliant on this forever, but I'm grateful for the peace of mind (and hopefully, effective weight-loss) that I'm enjoying right now.
That's awesome! I'm back on WW too..day 3 for me. I keep coming back to it because it works for me, especially when I'm nursing. I know what you mean about self-control though,,I used 14 of m blow points on chocolate from NZ last night :) good luck with it, friend!
ReplyDeleteI wish you lots of success with it!! Get this: I didn't realize that WW kept all my old info, so when I signed up again it just reactivated my old account. After my first day of tracking I was poking around in my settings and came across something I'd forgotten about: when I quit last year, I was still nursing part-time! I changed it to not-breastfeeding, and lost SEVEN points per day! I knew that first day seemed too easy. :)
DeleteOuch! haha...I think the old program used to only give you 10 extra points for nursing and now it's 14!! It's a challenge for me right now to use all of my points on real food and not just on quick delicious garbage like chips and ice cream at night. My last WW leader told me to remember that those points are not my points, they are the baby's so I need to use them for good, real things like an extra serving of meat or a glass of milk. Damn. I can't wait to see how my first weigh-in goes!!
DeleteOh, too funny. I always go back on WW in order to get back 'in control'. And I hate when the nursing stops and the points disappear. I am realising more and more that I need to be at a weight that my body likes to be at and one at which I am not constantly depriving myself because that just ain't fun. Either that or get pregnant.
ReplyDeletethere is definitely something to be said for accountability. it makes us responsible even when we don't want to be!! good for you. i hope it's successful!
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