I'm Weight Watching!

I've been dragging my heels for some time, knowing that I have to do something about my creeping weight gain. I love to eat and in fact it's a wonder that I don't already weigh 200 pounds despite the fact that I think I eat good stuff: whole grains, lean meat, rarely anything fried. I successfully did Weight Watchers maybe 15 years ago, but they no longer have a meeting in my neighborhood. So I was pleased to see a Weight Watchers online offer of $1 plus 3 months prepaid. I figure that will give me time to see if it's a good choice for me.

One week has passed and I'm down 2 pounds, a very motivating start. I'm a list maker anyway, so it's easy to track what I eat. Foods have a point value, and I'm allowed 26 points a day, plus a weekly allowance of 49 points to spend on whatever floats my boat. Activity gains even more points -- my usual daily walk nets me 2 points, and I've been motivated to add 15 minutes to my walk for an extra point. Most fruits and vegetables are free -- zero points! -- so it's been a pleasure to add apples, bananas, peaches, cantaloupe and/or watermelon to each meal, as well as a big heap of green beans or summer squash or broccoli. Some foods are quite surprising: the little individual cups of brown rice that we eat? 6 points! Whereas mashed potatoes are 3. I'd rather eat the potatoes anyway. Making better choices is a big part of the plan, I think.

We'll see how this progresses. It's pretty easy and I'm not hungry. I only set myself a goal of 5 pounds to start. When I reach that, I'll try another 5. I need to lose about 15 pounds total, so it's quite doable!

Wish me luck!

8/19/12 As an update, I lost 5 1/2 pounds in the month since I began, and believe me, I use every last point I'm entitled to whether basic, bonus, or earned through exercise! Off to a good start!