so...about Weight Watchers
Any time I start (or in this case re-start) an activity, I get a little bit obsessed. So forgive me if I ramble on, if I bore you.
Long-time readers will remember that I joined Weight Watchers in March 2015, quit in December of that year when the company changed the program, rejoined briefly in 2017. Truth be told, my relationship with Weight Watchers goes back to the 1990's, but the program was very different then.
I rejoined this time because a friend was gushing about how wonderful the new program is, how there are really three different programs, how you can earn rewards just by going to meetings and tracking your food.
Well, the "going to meetings" part isn't going to work for me. The meeting I used to attend doesn't exist anymore. I can't find one that's convenient.
But the plans....I'm on the Blue Plan, which is essentially the same as the Weight Watchers Freestyle Plan I tried in 2017. I don't think I gave the plan a fair chance last time. I decided to give it another chance.
The way this plan works...foods are assigned a point value based on calories and nutritional content. For example, an ounce of chocolate chips has 150 calories and a point value of 7. By contrast, two ounces of whole wheat bread has 140 calories and a point value of 4. The bread is obviously the better choice nutritionally. Sometimes you need that treat, though, so you can work it into your plan.
Some foods are "zero point" foods, meaning that you can eat as much as you want, in moderation. Moderation is the key. The Blue Plan has 200 zero-point foods, including most fruits and vegetables as well as lean proteins such as chicken and eggs. The Green Plan has a more restrictive list of zero-point foods, the Purple Plan has a more expansive list.
You're given a certain amount of points each day, plus a number of weekly points. You can use some of the weekly points each day, or you can save them for a special occasion. Exercise earns you "fitpoints", which can also be swapped for food. You can link your Fitbit to the Weight Watchers app, and the app will calculate your fitpoints automatically.
So...my first week on program. I found it very hard to stay within my daily points, had to use some of my weekly points every day.
I previously had success losing weight by using My Fitness Pal, an app that tracks food based on calories. (It also gives you feedback about the nutritional content of the foods you track.) The app gives you a calorie budget which tells you how many calories you may eat in a single day. I'm more than a little calorie conscious. I "double tracked" this week, tracking points in the Weight Watchers app and tracking calories in My Fitness Pal. I was consistently below my calorie goal every day this week.
My weigh-in day is Monday. I think I'll be happy with the results.
Long-time readers will remember that I joined Weight Watchers in March 2015, quit in December of that year when the company changed the program, rejoined briefly in 2017. Truth be told, my relationship with Weight Watchers goes back to the 1990's, but the program was very different then.
I rejoined this time because a friend was gushing about how wonderful the new program is, how there are really three different programs, how you can earn rewards just by going to meetings and tracking your food.
Well, the "going to meetings" part isn't going to work for me. The meeting I used to attend doesn't exist anymore. I can't find one that's convenient.
But the plans....I'm on the Blue Plan, which is essentially the same as the Weight Watchers Freestyle Plan I tried in 2017. I don't think I gave the plan a fair chance last time. I decided to give it another chance.
The way this plan works...foods are assigned a point value based on calories and nutritional content. For example, an ounce of chocolate chips has 150 calories and a point value of 7. By contrast, two ounces of whole wheat bread has 140 calories and a point value of 4. The bread is obviously the better choice nutritionally. Sometimes you need that treat, though, so you can work it into your plan.
Some foods are "zero point" foods, meaning that you can eat as much as you want, in moderation. Moderation is the key. The Blue Plan has 200 zero-point foods, including most fruits and vegetables as well as lean proteins such as chicken and eggs. The Green Plan has a more restrictive list of zero-point foods, the Purple Plan has a more expansive list.
You're given a certain amount of points each day, plus a number of weekly points. You can use some of the weekly points each day, or you can save them for a special occasion. Exercise earns you "fitpoints", which can also be swapped for food. You can link your Fitbit to the Weight Watchers app, and the app will calculate your fitpoints automatically.
So...my first week on program. I found it very hard to stay within my daily points, had to use some of my weekly points every day.
I previously had success losing weight by using My Fitness Pal, an app that tracks food based on calories. (It also gives you feedback about the nutritional content of the foods you track.) The app gives you a calorie budget which tells you how many calories you may eat in a single day. I'm more than a little calorie conscious. I "double tracked" this week, tracking points in the Weight Watchers app and tracking calories in My Fitness Pal. I was consistently below my calorie goal every day this week.
My weigh-in day is Monday. I think I'll be happy with the results.
Good luck with this...I sincerely mean it. I was anorexic throughout my teens and late into my twenties, and now, I have come to accept it just isn't in my DNA to remain a skinny Minnie, just keeping it real.
ReplyDeleteUNFORT. (tmi) since the hysterectomy, everything is off kilter. Trying to find that happy balance is proving to be quite difficult, just keeping it real, sigh.
Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI'm doing the green and actually, I like it. Funny, my biggest problem is self-control. I can eat 10 ounces of chicken and when it's free I do. Green has me weighing and measuring everything. So far so good. 9 pounds down! But so many more to go. Don't even want to think about it.
I wish you the best of luck. The trick, as we both know, is not so much losing the weight but keeping it off. So hard!
ReplyDeleteI think the green is supposed to be the original Smart Points plan that came out in 2015ish - the one that I crashed and burned on after three years of success on Points Plus. I quit and then rejoined in September of 2017 and it took me a year to lose what I had gained back. I've been at goal for the last several months - until the Holidays, that is. When I weigh in next (I haven't weighed in since before Christmas) I don't think it's going to be good, but this time I won't give up. I'm on blue also. I thought about purple but I am not a big whole grains person - on the other hand fish and chicken (and eggs) work for me fine. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com
Weight lost support groups or any support group are great. Our town don't have a ww. We have a T.O.P.S here and I wish you all best in weight lost journry.
ReplyDeleteGood luck.
ReplyDelete