Healthy Diva Diaries: Dear Weight Watchers, where have you been all my life?

I walked into my first WW meeting exactly a year ago and can honestly say it has been the best decision I have ever made pertaining to getting healthy and losing weight. I have officially become that person who refers to all food by its “Point Value”. “How many points are in that soup?” “I shouldn’t eat that slice of pie, it has too many points in it.” “Damn, I only have 2 points left for the day.” I am pretty sure I drove my husband crazy in the beginning with this “point” business, but it has become such a norm in our house that even he refers to food as points now. One of the things I love about WW is that it’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle (No, Florine Mark did not pay me to type that!). Up until WW, everything I did to lose weight was a diet, a temporary thing. Even though I have a degree in Health Education I never stopped to really think about the foods I was eating, or more importantly, the amount of food. Shortly after joining WW it was like a light bulb went off. Everything that was being said by the leader and everything written in those WW Weekly books you get as a member made so much sense! “Fill up on fruits, veggies, lean proteins and whole grains.” Duh, I learned that in my nutrition class back at CMU! But, why did it take joining WW for me to finally get that through my food loving brain? Maybe it’s the way they presented the information or maybe it was because I was finally serious and ready to lose weight? Who knows! All I know, is that I was in heaven being able to eat carbs again and still lose weight. And not only lose weight, but feel full and satisfied. Another great thing about WW is that they do a lot of the research for you! You have these handy dandy books that list a ton of popular restaurants and food items. Another awesome feature is the calculator that computes points for you, which can also be found as an app on smart phones. WW really does make it easy but you have to be willing to take a few moments and study. The best thing about spending the last year measuring out all the food I eat, knowing what ingredients are in the foods I eat, writing it down in a food log and learning what a healthy portion size should be is the fact that it’s with me for life. It’s all stuff I’ve learned and practiced over the course of the last year and when you see results from your hard work it makes it all worth it!

You are probably asking yourself, do I have to join WW to lose weight? My answer is absolutely not! (Florine, is definitely not going to pay me now that I typed that). It’s all about portion control and the foods you eat. However, if you feel like you could use a refresher on Nutrition 101 and need help being held accountable then you may want to consider it. Weighing in once a week totally holds you accountable! I went to meetings for 6 months and then decided that I could continue to lose weight on my own. However, I made sure I had a friend who I checked in with once a week when I weighed myself at home. Finding someone to hold you accountable is important (I’m sure I will blog about that another day). So, here I am today...137.5 lbs (64 lbs down so far) and I'll admit it, a total Weight Watchers groupie.

NUTRITION TIP: Toast a Deep Chocolate VitaTop Muffin for a healthy, fiber filled, dessert. 3 Weight Watchers Points Plus Value.