Weigh-In ... Joining WW

Today's Weight:  164.5

Loss/Gain: -1.5 lbs

Yay!  I was a little worried about the scale because it heading down and then yesterday was an off day.  It's good to know I didn't ruin the entire week's worth of work with my carbolicious snacking.  *rolling eyes* Needless to say that's a post for another day, because I think I was snacking away some feelings.

But, I know I earned this loss, because I did indeed work at it this week.  In fact, after much thought over the last couple of weeks I made a decision last Saturday night.  

Short Story:  

I joined Weight Watchers online.  

Long Story:

Over the last month or so I've been perusing various diet plans.  I know what to do to lose weight, but I needed a little more structure.  Some plans make your food for you, some tell you eat only specific foods and others just tell you to stay within a certain calorie budget.  

I have a friend who asked what I thought Weight Watchers and I was reminded I've followed Weight Watchers in the past and I feel it's well-balanced and teaches a person how to eat correctly.   When I ran into a mom who was sharing with me her weight loss story and we were discussing eating and she mentioned she is doing Weight Watchers also, I was like..hhmm...maybe I should look into that again.

So, I got online, read about it and argued with myself about whether or not I wanted to spend money on another weight loss plan.  I also knew I didn't need the meetings.  Noticing the 3-month online plan only was $20 a month I figured, "You know what?  I'm going to probably end up spending that money on something, so why not a tool to help me finish my weight loss."  So, I chose that plan and agreed with myself that if I don't see progress during that time I will quit using their program and go back to doing it on my own.  

For those that don't know...here's a quick view of what it's about and why I like the plan. 

Weight Watchers follows a points plan that gives point values to foods based on their fat, carbohydrate, fiber and protein amounts.  Fruits and veggies are "free" foods with a value of 0 pts.  I've followed the old points program before, so it's not too hard to get used to. 

For my 5' 4", 36-year-old female self these are my points allowances:

 

I was already in the habit of using a calorie tracker on my new iPhone, so switching to their tracker was easy.  They also have a barcode scanner, like My Fitness Pal does, so that's handy too in case there is a food item that isn't in their log already. 

** shamelessly inserting that I LOVE my smartphone so much for things like my food and exercise trackers -- SO EASY!!!!  Thank you, Luv.**

Following their points plus plan this past week I've been reminded that not all calories are equal.  It's exactly what I needed to help me make better choices.  

For example, as I texted a young friend of mine who also recently joined WW... 

So..there it is.  I am following a "diet" now to get to my goal.  However, I think of it as more like just tracking my food like normal, but with some guidelines to help me stay away from the added sugars and fats I don't really need. 

Me thinks this could be the ticket to helping me stay focused to finish up what I've started.  :)  I also am one of those who enjoys these little encouragements:

Now for a little fun photo I found when looking for some pictures for a military appreciation display I'm putting together for a coffee house opening up in our town.  

This is my husband and I before we had kids.  I'm guessing we were married about a year here, which means we'd have been about 20 and 22 years old respectively.  :)  He looks 15 and I look 25.  *giggle* 

I hope you all have a nice weekend and I'm off to get to work on cooking and preparing my house for a bridal shower tonight.  Whee!!