Tag: health

Chapter 7: My Waistline Affects My Wallet

Posted on September 13, 2018 by Mama

I cleared another hurdle in my Weight Watchers journey this week and it’s a biggie, because this is where my waistline affects my wallet. After six weeks of staying on goal, I finally achieved “Lifetime” status, which means I no longer have to pay for all the benefits of the Weight Watchers program. Yes, you read that right! I can attend weekly meetings and access the awesome phone app for the rest of my life at zero cost to me!

I absolutely love the Lifetime component of Weight Watchers because it re-emphasizes the idea that this is a lifestyle change not a diet, and the creators of the program believe so deeply in it that they are willing to help me stay on target for the rest of my entire life. I don’t know of another weight loss program that supports its members so completely and for so long, and I didn’t even know the Lifetime component existed when I joined. Bonus for me! Of course there are a few stipulations for maintaining this “free” status, but none of which seem too burdensome.

So here’s the skinny (pun intended) on the whole Lifetime gig. When you join a Weight Watchers meeting (online only members do not qualify for lifetime status) you need to set a goal weight for yourself. There are certain criteria for this goal, but the friendly folks who work at WW can help you set a number that works for your body so no need to fret over this one. If you sign up online like I did, I would suggest that you set or reset your goal weight at your first meeting with the help of WW personnel.

So when you finally hit your goal weight (I know you can do it!) there will be much celebration, lots of praise and maybe even a few tears. This also starts a six-week countdown clock toward Lifetime status. During those six weeks, you must weigh in at goal weight, below goal or no more than two pounds over goal weight. Thankfully there is a little wiggle room with that number, because I went on vacation the week I met my goal and weighed in 1.8 pounds larger than when I left. Yikes!

During the six-week period between goal and Lifetime, I continued to weigh in at my meetings and finally made it to my new status. Yay! Being a Lifetime Member means that I no longer have to pay a single penny to attend meetings or to use the handy-dandy WW phone app that I think I can’t live without, as long as I do two very simple things: 1) weigh in at any Weight Watchers meeting at least once every calendar month, and 2) stay within two pounds of my goal weight. That’s it! Sounds simple, so we’ll see how well I do along the way.

STARTING WEIGHT: 168.2
JANUARY 2018 : -8.6
FEBRUARY 2018: -5.8
MARCH 2018: -6.0
APRIL 2018: -2.6
MAY 2018: -4.6
JUNE 2018: -2
JULY 2018: -4.4
AUGUST 2018: -0.4
CURRENT WEIGHT: 133.8

Chapter 5: Another Weight Watchers Milestone or Two

Posted on May 16, 2018 by Mama

Last night I reached two milestones in my weight loss journey and I have some new bling to show for it!

I officially (as in according to the big Weight Watchers digital scale I step on once a week) crossed the 25 pound weight loss mark! Yay!! Throw some confetti and toot some horns, because this mama is knockin’ down the pounds and buying new clothes. Okay, so “knockin’ down” may be an exaggeration because I’ve been at this since January, but I’m going to take this victory and keep heading for the finish line (in the cute shorts I bought this weekend that are two sizes smaller than when I started).

I also received my 16-week charm last night, which means I’ve attended meeting for that many weeks. I have been in the program longer than that but I have missed a meeting here and there, and I have to weigh in (even if I splurge at Easter or a Mother/Daughter banquet) for the week to count. Considering I had missed the last two regular meetings, it was a good week for weighing. Plus our wonderful leader and one of the other regular attendees were so happy to see me after my short, couldn’t-be-helped hiatus. It feels good to be part of this little weight losing micro group, and it certainly feels good to be missed!

STARTING WEIGHT: 168.2
JANUARY 2018 : -8.6
FEBRUARY 2018: -5.8
MARCH 2018: -6.0
APRIL 2018: -2.6
AS OF MAY 15, 2018: -4
CURRENT WEIGHT: 141.2

Chapter 4: Snacking My Way Through Weight Watchers Road Trips

Posted on April 5, 2018 by Mama

Another month of Weight Watchers is in the books and with two road trips rounding out our family calendar, March was a bit tricky to navigate. Luckily, I had the support of family and lots of WW snacks to help me through the miles. I also discovered that one Peep (not one package, just one stand alone Peep) is only two SmartPoints. Oh yeah! Let me tell you, paired with a hot cup of coffee, that was absolutely the freshest, best tasting Peep I have ever eaten!!

Okay, so Peeps are not a sanctioned Weight Watchers snack choice, but that does bring me to some of my favorite WW friendly go-to treats (when I’m not eating Peeps). That’s the beauty of the Freestyle Program, if you have the points you can eat them however you want. I’m a grazer so I feel that a few low-point snacks are essential to my success. Please know that I also eat a lot of very healthy and tasty meals as a part of my weight loss program, but these snacks are helpful between meals and destinations.

Since I go to meetings at an established Weight Watchers storefront, I have access to a complete line of WW products. After each meeting I stock up on items before I head for home. I understand that remote meeting locations also have snacks to purchase but not an extensive lineup. The items above are my favorites, but there are lots of other goodies from which to choose.

You may not be a snacker and might not need the benefit of prepackaged treats to keep you moving in the right direction; but as for me, I’ll keep snacking away at my goal. I’m twenty pounds down and plan to keep on losing.

STARTING WEIGHT: 168.2
JANUARY 2018 : -8.6
FEBRUARY 2018: -5.8
MARCH 2018: -6.0
CURRENT WEIGHT: 147.8

Page 1 of 2

1 2 »