Tips on how NOT to be a tub of lard...as I once was

OK, this is for you, Jen...

1. Don't eat everything that sounds good to you (all in one day) as I was in the habit of doing
2. Don't go for seconds, or thirds as I was in the habit of doing
3. Don't look at your fat self and think you look ok as I was in the habit of doing
4. Don't think that running up and down the stairs a couple times a day counts as exercise as I was in the habit of doing
5. Don't ever order more than a kid's meal when you are doing fast food as I was in the habit of doing

No, really, I joined Weight Watchers January 24th and did so good- consistently lost an avg. of 1.6 pounds a week from Jan-June. Then, the summer came along and I didn't even get to go to the meetings because my babysitter was in Chicago all summer, or I was away or whatever. Over the course of the summer I lost 10 pounds, but not as much as I would have had I been to the meetings and weighing in every week like I was doing before. Now, my mom, who was my partner, has quit Weight Watchers and I was bummed. But, my friend, Tammy, is going with me. I actually just got back from a meeting and lost .6 this week.

Exercise was actually not part of my weight loss. I JUST started walking 2 miles a day (or 6 out of 7 days a week) a couple weeks ago. I am hoping that will help me get over this plateau. I am not sure what my ending weight should be. Right now, I weigh about what I did when I got married. I think my goal is to weigh what I did when I was a freshman at college- it may be too low, but I'll figure that out later.

Basically, Weight Watchers encourages you to eat foods that are low calorie, low fat, and high fiber. You get a certain number of points a day, depending on several different things (sex, age, activity level of your current job, etc.) and each point calculates to be a different number of points. Once you have used your points for the day, you are done. You get an extra 35 points a week. Usually, I don't use those extra points, and figure I probably use them by accident when I don't calculate my foods correctly (or aren't as careful as I should be). It sounds like it could be a lot of work, but I love it and it works for me. Plus, after a while, you have the points memorized because you tend to eat the same things over and over. I am a huge fan of Fiber One ANYTHING. I love their yogurt, bars, and cereal (with fruit and honey on top).

So that's my "trick." If you have any questions I will be glad to answer them! :)