How I Got Here
It's only been a couple of weeks, but I've been following the WW (formerly Weight Watchers) plan and lost a few pounds! I have never been on a diet in my life. In the past, when I wanted to lose weight, I worked out. I worked out every day and tried to burn at least 500 calories during each session. That let me eat whatever I wanted, which was pretty great.
As hard as I tried in the last year or two though, I could not get exercise to be a habitual part of my day. (I did pretty good in December though!) Mornings are my preferred time to exercise, but I have so many other things I need/want to accomplish in the mornings that trump working out. I would seriously have to wake up at 4:30 am to get it all done.
So, I realized that if I'm going to get to the weight I prefer, I was going to have to make a food change. My relationship with food is an interesting one. As I said, I have purposefully never done a diet. Because I have quite the obsessive personality, I have been very wary of creating a problem. Prior to this past month I hadn't weighed myself in years. I don't like restrictions, because I am afraid that I will become restrictive. (I hope that makes sense.)
All that to say, I've been very hesitant to do any diet or follow any food rules. There are so many opinions out there, and I've seen a lot of people close to me jump on the Keto train, or Whole30 or Paleo...and have success! But, I just did not like the idea of having so many rules. Do you know how hard it is to invite people over for dinner when you know they won't eat what you like to cook? I did not want to be one of those people.
My mom did Weight Watchers after my little brother was born 20+ years ago, so I remember her doing it and counting all her points. She started it again last year and looks better than ever. She would talk about it, but at that point I wasn't really interested in doing a diet.
Something clicked this summer though, and I realized if I am not going to be able to exercise like I had in the past, I needed to change up the way I was eating. I'm not sure what it was, but I decided to sign up for WW one evening. I just did it.
I can't even tell you how much I'm enjoying the program! There are no 'bad' foods. I can drink wine, go out with friends, eat my favorite things and still lose weight. I seriously see myself doing this for the long haul.
How it Works
In short: I get 23 daily points to use. There are TONS of foods that are 0 points. (Chicken breast, eggs, greek yogurt, most fruits, most vegetables...etc) Other foods have point values based on overall nutrition. Then you get additional weekly points that you can spend however you want. I find that it's nice to save these for the weekend. You can also earn extra points for physical activity.
There are meetings, but I am just doing the mobile membership. The app is very easy to use and helps you track your day. I really love using the barcode scanner. You can even earn wellness points that you can spend on merch, just for logging your meals and weight.
I have to admit, in the last month, I haven't gotten more than 5000 steps a day, and haven't worked out once. But, because I'm eating this way, I've lost at least one pound per week anyway.
If you want to give it a go, use my link to sign up for WW and get your first month free.
Here's What I Eat In a Day
Breakfast - Scrambled Egg Tacos
4 SmartPoints Ingredients: La Tortilla Factory Tortillas, Free Range Eggs, Cilantro, Crystal Hot Sauce
This breakfast couldn't be easier! I eat it every. single. day. I'm one of those people who could eat the same things every day and never get sick of it.
Of course, I always have a cup of earl grey in the mornings too! I'm really loving my current morning routine of eating breakfast, drinking my tea, and doing my daily Bible reading at the table.
Lunch - Watermelon and Feta Salad with Homemade dressing
4 Smartpoints Ingredients: For the salad: Romaine and butter leaf lettuce, tomato, red onion, watermelon, cucumber and 2 tablespoons of crumbled feta. For the dressing: 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar, italian seasoning, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and minced garlic.
Don't let this picture fool you, this bowl is deep! I could barely finish this salad. The perfect bite is a piece of watermelon, feta and red onion! So delicious. I really love adding fruit to salads, especially watermelon.
I have found some zero point salad dressings, but I really love making my own. This dressing is 2 points, and is the perfect amount for a personal salad. Measuring is the key here! Olive oil is 4 points per 1 tablespoon, so I went with 1/2 a tablespoon and loaded up on the other 0 point ingredients.
Snack - Peanut Butter Banana Roll Up
3 Smartpoints Ingredients: Tumaros Low Carb Wrap, Banana, 1 Tablespoon whipped peanut butter
Not the most beautiful snack, but gosh is it delicious! And filling. This is so great for keeping me full until dinner.
Dinner - Greek Chicken Wraps
3 Smartpoints Ingredients: Shredded baked chicken breast, Tumaro low carb wraps, tomato, chickpeas, cucumber, red onion, lettuce, 1 tablespoon feta, and Tzatziki sauce. Tzatziki sauce: 0% Fage Greek yogurt, diced cucumber, lemon juice, garlic, dill, salt and pepper. (Mix the cucumber, red onion, chickpeas, and tomato with italian seasoning, red wine vinegar, and 2 tsps olive oil)
Such a delicious and easy going summer meal. And so filling! I definitely overstuffed my wrap, and could barely finish the second half.
Total points for the day: 14! I still have 9 left over, which can be used for something like wine or some can roll over into my weekly points. (They want you to eat all of your points!) This is what's cool to me about this plan, I can eat three full meals and a snack and still have plenty of points for dessert. It does take some forethought and planning, but it's really doable.
Talk to me! Leave a comment below and tell me how you feel about diets! I would love to hear what you've been successful with, and how long you stuck to it.
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