Weight Watchers

Both times I have done the weight watchers program, I have done it on my own. Not everyone likes the idea of going to meetings every week to be "weighed in" in front of a bunch of strangers.
It can be done very easily on your own, as long as you understand the program, and have the desire to follow through with your weight loss plan.

I figured I would post a blog on all the information I have about the weight watchers points program. You can very easily find the weight watchers starter kits on Ebay for around $40-60. These kits are going to include the dining out companion with point values for many common fast food items, the complete food companion with many other common food items, a food journal, and a points calculator. While these things are very nice to have, they are not necessary if you are willing to put in a little extra leg work.

Getting to know the program:

With this program, it’s pretty basic. Find your points range according to your current weight. All food has a point value. Stay with in your daily points range with the foods you choose. Choose your food wisely.

Points

Current Weight = Daily Points Range

less than 150 = 20

150-174 = 22

175-199 = 24

200-224 = 26

225-249 = 28

250-274 = 30

275-299 = 31

300-324 = 32

325-349 = 33

more than 350 = 34

This would the be Points Per day you would want to eat. You really don’t want to go below your range according to your weight. You can go below everyone once in a while, but if it happens too often you may prevent your self from losing weight, you body will store everything you eat in "starvation mode.”

I really do recommend journaling your food every day when you begin the program. You can easily create your own little log like this:

Food Points Balance (starting with 20)

1.5 cup Cereal 2 18

1 cup Milk 2 16

Chicken noodle Soup 4 12

Caesar Salad 7 5

Smart Ones Ravioli 5 0

Water 4 bottles

This allows you to keep track of everything you have eaten for the day and helps to remind you to stay within your points. You will find that the longer you have been on the program, the less you will have to log, but I really think it is necessary to do it when you are using the program for the first time.

Water is very important. Always be sure to drink the equivalent to 4 16.9oz bottles of water each day. I cannot say enough how important this is. No matter how much you are sticking to the points, if you are dehydrated, you will not lose easily.

Time is also important. I usually try to eat my meal within the 6'oclock hour, and have my last snack by 8. You want to make sure that when you go to bed, your body has had enough time beforehand to digest the food you ate earlier. Remember that more sleep is associated with more weight loss! Try your best to get those 7-8 hours in!

How to Calculate Points

The three most important components when you are on the weight watchers program are calories, fat, and fiber. If you have invested in a weight watchers calculator, you can compute this very easy. If you are like me and decided to save the money, you can figure out points with a few small calculations.

Calories: divide the total calories by 50

plus

Fat: total fat divided by 12

minus

Fiber: total fiber divided by 5

In other words, that's (calories/50) + (fat/12) - (fiber/5)

Whatever the final number is, you may need to round up or down to the nearest points value. If it is .4 or below, go ahead and round down. it is .5 or above, round up.(e.g. 3.2 would be 3 points while 3.6 would be 4 points)

Here is an example:

Calories = 100 --> 100/50 = 2

Fat=12 --> 12/12 = 1

Fiber = 5 --> 5/5 = 1

SO..... calories plus fat minus fiber is 2 points.

As you can see...FIBER IS YOUR FRIEND!

Exercise

If you are going to exercise, you can earn extra points with exercise. You MUST factor in exercise, or else you are in danger of eating too few points. A safe guesstimate is about 1 point for every 20 minutes of exercise where you’re a bit winded; you should be able to still talk. Start off small if you have moved around in a while. Don’t go out and kill yourself, find something you enjoy. Many of you have cell phones, if you have unlimited minutes grab your phone walk out the door and call a friend or family member and catch up, you be amazed at how fast that time will go by and you killed 2 birds with one stone. Some people have malls that encourage walkers. If you want it, you will find a way.

To be quite honest, I haven't exercised much at all while on the program. But on the days I do go to the gym, I always add on about 2 pts extra to eat that day.

Fast Food, Eating Out, and being out without snacks

Over time, you will find things at each place that you can eat without feeling guilty. You can still have these things, but make sure to utilize the websites to find out how many points are in the items you want. Just know that if you decide to go have that double decker taco at Taco Bell, you are probably going to have to shave a few points off in other places throught the day.

For me, I have found that getting the grilled chicken sandwich from McDonalds is quite yummy. I usually order it plain and put a little ketchup on it to avoid the extra 5 points in mayo. For a side, you can order the apple dippers off the dollar menu. They are good, and save a TON of points that you would consume if you had chosen french fries.

I also like Wendys because they too offer a grilled chicken sandwich and will allow you to substitute french fries for a baked potato or a side salad.

Subway is also a good pick. I'd suggest always going for wheat bread, and making sure to use little to no mayo. Mustard is pretty much "free" so if you like it, slather it on! Oh, and always pick Subway over togos. Their bread oh so delicious but is oh so terrible for you!

If you like fresh tomatoes and salsa, Taco Bell has some good substitutions that allow you to swap the beans and other junk for lettuce and fresh salsa.

In all honesty, while it is ok to go nuts every once and a while and get something "diet unfriendly" off the menu, you will often find that the points you spend were not worth it when you are hungry again just 2 hours later.

It is always a good idea to have some kind of granola bar or other portable snack in your purse. I like to carry around those fiber one bars, or buy fruit in bulk and divide it into little snack size portions. My fruits of choice are apples, grapes and strawberries. Baby carrots also travel well. Having these healty snacks on hand can save a lot of guilt, an will allow you to pass up that candy bar in the grocery store aisle. Also, the more water you drink, the less you will find that you want to consume snacks during the day. DRINK YOUR MINIMUM OF 4 BOTTLES!

Snacking

I mentioned this before, but I love to buy strawberries and grapes, wash them, cut/pick off and put them in little individual baggies in the fridge. Let's face it, when a snack craving hits, the last thing you want to have to do is pull out fruit and do all that crap to it. By taking 10 minutes or so to do this when you get back from the grocery store, you now have quick individual snacks you can pull out of the fridge at a moment notice. Add some lowfat vanilla yogurt those fresh strawberries and you've got an even more delicious snack!

I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the 100 calorie packs of popcorn. They are surprisingly filling and come in both regular and kettle korn flavors. These make sure that you don't over eat, and are very yummy. My boyfriend loves to have one too whenever I do :)

I also like to take jello fat free/sugar free pudding mix (especially chocolate) and mix it with some fat free milk. I then pour it into 3 small little tupperware dishes before it sets, and put it in the fridge. This makes a nice snack to satiate a sweet tooth. Add some fresh strawberries to it, and it is even better.

There are lots of other snacking options out there. You really just need to experiment to find what fits your budget and tastes. I usually keep diet sodas in the fridge as another defense against a sweet tooth. I wouldn't recommend having more than 1 a day (if even that) and if you do, always make sure you still drink your 4 bottles of water! You can also buy those little zero calorie packs that make your bottle of water into a sweeter drink. Once again, I would't recommend doing it a lot, because these do have sodium, but they can help to fight a sweet tooth.

Motivation

Dieting is not easy, and takes a lot of patience. Don't get discouraged when the pounds drop off quickly for the first couple weeks and then seemingly stop. While you may lose more in the beginning, remember that it is normal to lose anywhere from 1-2 lbs a week on average (and maybe even less some weeks), so don't get discouraged when your body slows down to this pace. THIS is the time when you may find motivation dropping because the payoff isn't as big as before. Stay focused!

You may also find yourself losing motivation when the foods and snacks you loved in the beginning are no longer that appealing. It's hard to look forward to the same old food you eat every single day. To get over this hump, start looking for new "point friendly" foods and experiment a little. Variation is key to keep you from getting bored!

If you slip up, don't let it get you down! We all have our days when we go out and totally blow our diet for the day...or even the weekend. So often, people give up their diets after getting off course for a while. This is normal! Just jump back on the horse and start it right up again the very next day. You may have gained a little when you strayed, but you can lose it again!

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Well, that's a lot of information for one blog. I've been wanting to share what I know for a while, because this program really does work, and is very easy to pick back up again at any time. I used it 3 years ago to lose 30 lbs and recently started again to lose 10 I gained back. Over time, you will become an EXPERT with the program, and will learn how to eat to maximize your weight loss. Keep with it and good luck to anyone who decides to try it!