Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Journey Into The Big WW

This......



Plus this......




in June =



That's right. I'm attempting Weight Watchers Online.

See, I'm really good at counting calories. Super at it. But, after a while, it becomes monotonous.

So, I'm trying something new.

I am currently using the free week trial, but will most likely go ahead and do the 3-month special. That will take me right to the wedding I'm in on June 25th.

Also, I *am* still using my calorie tracker. Just for my own education. Plus, the calorie tracker tracks all nutrients, which I like. I can get a rough idea of which vitamins or minerals I need to pay more attention in eating.

Like I said, I'm only doing it for my own education. I'm living by the points, but also keeping an eye on what I'm doing in calories/nutrients, each day.

What I like, so far..............
  • My morning banana is zero points, whereas it's 120 calories. It's nice eating something without it necessarily counting against you.
  • Adding on to the above, I do feel WW encourages good choices. A banana may be 120 calories..... and so may a cookie. Sometimes, in calorie counting, the cookie wins out. However, by points, I'm "rewarded" for choosing the banana.
  • I feel like I get to eat more. Beyond my banana situation, I feel like WW allows me more food. Honestly, I'm eating on the high end of what I do for calorie counting. There have been a couple nights, even so far, where I'm past my normal calorie allotment, but I still have points left for the day. It's kind of nice to be able to eat a snack without worrying about the calories.
  • Weekly Points. I love that I have that cushion. Where I can splurge and not worry so much.
  • Activity Points. I love that I get more points when I exercise. When I'm calorie counting, I *do* get to eat more when I exercise, but I do stress a little more. It's nice to have the Activity Points as a back-up for the Weekly Points, lol. As of now, it doesn't even look like I'll use those APs this week, but it's nice to have them.

What I don't like, so far......

  • Nutrient-lost. I really would like to have a firmer idea of where I'm at with my various vitamins/minerals. They have a little food group checker, but it's more up to you to decide. You could get all the points, but be seriously lacking in the nutrient department. This is one of the main reasons I am still using my Calorie Counter.
  • Not as many brands/establishments. I've noticed in the food searcher that there are A LOT of brands and restaurants that aren't in their system. Thankfully, the Calorie Counter does have a lot of them in their database, so I can get the points calculated. I eat out. A lot. I just do. So, I need to be able to find those items and be able to get a rough idea of the content/points.

So, that's where I'm at. I figure I can try it out for the next 3 months..... get me to the wedding.... and then I can re-evaluate.

I'm new to this WW world, but I know tons of people have been doing this for years.

What about you? Have you done the WW thing before? Any advice? Tips? Warnings?

I'm not much of a chef, but any recipes I just have to try?

6 comments:

Katie @ Loves of Life said...

Well, you know I'm a weight watchers fan.

Anyway.

That being said, anything I haven't been able to find in their system (especially restaurant-wise), I can type into google (from my phone) and put for instance, "Red Robin Weight Watchers Points Plus" and theres a great website...something like wiki4weightloss?? or something? that I use all the time. Works great.

I dont count calories. I can only manage one thing. But I'd say, 25 lbs down? Its working! yay!

Congrats to you for going for it.

Brittany Ann said...

My fav client works out with me three times a week and did WW. She lost 55 pounds. She looks amazing! the program worked for her. It doesn't for everyone, but if you are good at it, then it's a pretty guaranteed way to succeed (combined with exercise of course!)

krystal said...

Girl let's be besties! I just signed up for the online program Monday! So.... this is day 3 for me. I am with you on the likes... I am making healthier choices. Either way, I am looking for helpful websites that have recipes and such. Everything I find is on the old points system and not the new pointsplus!

LWLH said...

Good luck girl...you'll do great.

Marianne said...

I did WW wayyyy back in high school and lost 30 pounds. Granted, it made me anorexic, but I was on my way to being anorexic anyway, so I don't blame WW. But, make sure you eat steadily throughout the day. That's the best advice I can give.

ANYWAY... you know I've been doing this diet program (right?), well I think it's a total sham and I'm, like, stark raving mad about it and I won't abuse your blog with my emotions, but suffice it to say I will likely end up doing WW. You may be all the more inspiration I need! I know you'll be successful and rock that gorgeous dress in 3 months!

My favorite recipes always come from kraftfoods.com, especially under the healthy living recipes.

Justine said...

A) You already look FABULOUS!! You can tell you're working hard!

B) I did WW for about 3 months about a year before we got married and lost more than 15 lbs, but then I fell off the bandwagon and gained it all back. I think it is SUPER if you actually stick with it and don't cheat! So I know you'll do really well!! :)