Overcoming a stigma

This week I’m sharing something that generally has a stigma.

Weight.

More specifically: Weight Watchers.

(cue the clenched teeth emoji!)

The years of difficulty I faced when Eva was being treated for leukemia left me putting my own health in last place. I would tell myself that I didn’t have time to exercise or that I had earned that glass of wine or sugary treat because it had been a bad day.

I’m not beating myself up over this, though. That was a hard season of life. Someone else’s health goals were my priority at that point.

But with those hard days further in the past (and with the sudden disruption of the pandemic) I realized that I needed to change some health habits of my own.

So, last spring I rather half-heartedly started working out two times a week. By the time fall rolled around, I had added a strenuous, weekly hike with my husband. By late fall it was two of those hikes and three whole-hearted weekly workouts.

But by the time winter came I was getting pretty frustrated. While I was physically and emotionally stronger, I wasn’t seeing a victory on the scale. (I know it’s not all about the scale, but I had a particular goal I was working toward.)

It’s no secret that you can’t out-exercise a bad diet, but I honestly thought I was doing pretty well with my eating choices. I had worked with a personal trainer who had guided me through a nutrition program. I knew all about the good and bad fats, about protein and carbs, and so on. We make almost all of our meals at home. I know how to shop the perimeter of the grocery store. I know how to read labels to keep too much sugar from sneaking into our meals. But all of that wasn’t making much of a difference.

Then I saw a friend share something about Weight Watchers on Instagram. I kind of thought she was crazy at first. I remember Weight Watchers from the 90s, and that wasn’t something I really wanted to do. But she kept mentioning it and sharing what she was doing. It looked easy (maybe even a little fun!) and I decided to give it a try for one month–just to see what would happen.

My goal was to treat Weight Watchers like a food journal and not like a weight loss plan. I wanted to keep a record of what I was really eating. (Which, to her credit, is something my trainer had suggested I do!)

Choosing a plan and the WW App

Once I decided to jump in, the first thing to do was to figure out what “plan” I should be on. The initial intake process is actually kind of fun. Weight Watchers has an excellent app (they call it WW, so I will too) that is easy to navigate. After downloading the app, it guided me to take a quiz about what kinds of foods I eat and to share a bit about my eating habits. Based on my results, they placed me on the Blue Plan (which is one of three food plans). At this point I no longer felt that WW had earned the negative stigma I had previously associated with it. The app is incredibly user friendly and you never have to attend in-person meetings. (Yay!)

Points

In WW, all food is assigned a point number. Foods higher in sugar or fat have a higher point number. Foods like lean protein, fruits, and vegetables have zero points. (For example there are over 200 zero point foods on the plan I use). Each plan in WW offers a points quota that you can use each day. Some of the plans give a lot of points, some have fewer points. As I track what I am eating, I also enter portion size. Points are automatically deducted from my daily allotment. Furthermore, each plan gives “Weekly Points” that can be used on anything. You can save the “Weeklies” for a pizza night, or you can spread them out over the week as needed. I’ve never felt constrained by the point system. Instead, I’ve felt empowered to use my points however I want. I just make sure to stay within my weekly quota.

How it works

Tracking your intake is really eye-opening. Some of those “healthy fat” choices, were indeed healthy, but not the best choice for me. Some of the things that I had learned when I was eating a Paleo diet weren’t the best choices for my body. For example, I used to think there were certain foods I could eat as much as I wanted because they were in a particular “good” category. Not true for me anymore!

I quickly learned that the goal of WW was to guide me to make healthy choices. I could eat as much as I wanted of foods with zero points, while having smaller portions of foods that are higher in points. I don’t have to “count my macros” or follow an intermittent fast. I can eat from all the food groups without the need to abstain from anything–even dessert! No food is “off limits.”

I have found that tracking food this way makes me feel less regretful and even less guilty after I enjoy something that is high in fat or sugar. It gives me the freedom to say yes to things that would normally make me feel like I was “cheating.” I’ve found I just need to make smart choices for the rest of the day if I’m saying yes to a donut after the Saturday hike or a cocktail on Thursday evening.

I’m just scratching the surface of WW here. There’s much more to the app like tracking activity, sleep, celebrating milestones, setting weekly goals, and even a social network within the app where you can be encouraged by others.

For me, WW has been incredibly helpful as a food journal. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a way to give an honest assessment of what you are eating. I am over halfway to my goal without feeling that I have had to curtail any of my favorite things. And, best of all, I have made progress after a period of frustration. In fact, thanks to this approach, last year’s holiday season was the first holiday season where I didn’t gain weight.

I’m thankful that I overcame my own personal stigma and took a chance on WW.

This is not an ad in any way, just sharing something that I have found to be incredibly helpful.

Healthy snack options

In addition to the way WW has helped me with my main meals, I’ve also discovered a lot of new, healthy snack options. Here’s a quick roundup of my favorites.

• SmartSweets (Candy!! But without the sugar. You can find them at Target. Zero sugar which means only 3 points for “candy” that tastes like the real deal.)

• Skinny Pop Sea Salt Popcorn Mini Cakes (a tasty substitute for popcorn. A portion that fully satisfies my snack craving during a movie is just 3 points)

• Ningxia Red (Full of antioxidants and is my favorite natural energy boost that also supports my immune system. I already drank it daily and was thrilled to find it is just 1 point)

• Perfect Snacks Peanut Butter Cup (1 cup is 4 points)

• Lots of fruits and veggies. I didn’t eat grapes or berries for years because I was told that they were high in sugar. #wrong

These are my favorite, but you can find a lot more (along with recipes) in the WW app.

Snippets of My Week

Fridays in September = kids wear their suits under their clothes at school and we are at the beach twenty minutes after carline pickup!

Caleb was traveling last week, which means: easy button for me for supper one night. (Speaking of Weight Watchers: a “Protein Style” burger has fewer points and still tastes amazing and easily fit in my daily allotment by planning ahead.)

Last week I added running into my morning workout. This is actually newsworthy.

Favorite way to eat eggs: 1/4 c of Greek yogurt spread on a plate. Crispy fried kale. Two over-easy eggs with salt and pepper. I never would have thought to add Greek yogurt to eggs, but it’s actually delicious!

Thanks for reading and letting me share something a little bit vulnerable. My hope is that it encourages you if you have found yourself in a similar spot. I would love to hear your story, friend! Just hit reply if you’d like to respond. (When you hit reply, your message goes directly to my email. It’s a private conversation between just us.) I read all your messages and try to respond, but not always in a timely manner. Sorry! And if you enjoyed this email, you’d be doing me a favor by forwarding it to someone else who might like it.