The Weight Game

I joined Weight Watchers online at the beginning of February. I'm not one of those people who needs to lose just a couple of pounds, either. I've never had a lot of luck on diets because mentally, I just can't stand feeling deprived. It's a major mental block for me.

The sad thing is, I actually love the foods that are supposed to be good for you, like vegetables and lean meats. I don't care for pork or beef, and I love fruit. It's just that dropping by Taco Bell on the way home was so much easier for my crazy busy lifestyle, and that adds up.

Anyway, I joined WW online and as of this past Saturday, I'd lost 16 pounds. And it's not been at all difficult. I haven't felt deprived or hungry, and many days I haven't been able to finish up all the points allotted to me (although I know I should). Usually by this point in a new diet, I'm starting to struggle. But that's just not happening this time.

I've been trying to figure out why, and I think this article sums it up about as well as any.

Weight Watchers Online fixed two problems I had with the old version of the program, which I tried about 20 years ago. First, I'm not a social person, so not having to go to the stupid meetings, for me, is a blessing. I don't need the peer support, and I don't need the kumbaya aspect of weight loss. It works wonderfully for a lot of people, but it was a negative for me. Second, being able to track my points online, and play around with my daily menu to add and subtract points as my daily diet plan changes, gives me the flexibility I need for my hectic lifestyle. I had planned for eggs and grits this morning but changed it to an egg salad sandwich. All I had to do was go to my online tracker, make the changes, and voila. I was done.

The program also allows you to have fast food, as long as you account for the points. What this does for me is make me think hard before I spend those points on something at Wendy's or Burger King. Wouldn't I rather save the points and have a really great salad at home? Or maybe I'd rather have that seven point Subway sandwich instead of the eleven point Milo's hamburger, and then I can also have a piece of fruit and a couple of graham crackers. *I* make the choice, not the diet. It's retraining me to search for nutrient rich, low calorie, high fiber choices. And I'm mentally and emotionally satisfied, because I know I could have the hamburger if I wanted it; I just chose something else instead.

So, I'm not going to turn this into a diet blog or anything. I just came across that article comparing Weight Watchers to an RPG and thought I'd share.