Weight Watchers
Inspired by 
jodimuse, pafuts, folkmew and especially some of the more recent posts by spiritdance, as well as other participants I know through LJ and work, I decided to join Weight Watchers this week. I've been thinking about it seriously for a few weeks and I attended my first meeting last night.
I find, despite good intentions, I haven't been as faithful with my exercise program this year as last and I've been unhappy to see the weight I was losing and keeping off last year creeping back on this year. I'm hoping following the WW program will give me motivation for good eating and getting back to more regular exercise during the summer. I've been very impressed with the success other woman in the filk community have had with the program and it does seem to be a more realistic and sensible plan than weight loss programs I've tried in the past.
I attended my first meeting at Centerpoint Mall last night and found it interesting in many ways. First of all I was struck by how matter of fact and routine everything runs. As a new member they had me signed up and processed through to my first weigh-in within minutes. It probably helped, though, that I had signed up through the Internet the day before, so a lot of my information was already there. I think it was the first time, though, that I was really struck by what a large conglomerate WW really is- they have these sign-up and weigh-in procedures down to an art.
I was also surprised by how large the meeting was. I expected the meeting room to be some small table stuck away in a corner office, but instead the meeting room was a large conference room overlooking the rest of the mall. I was attending a Tuesday at 5:30 meeting and there were easily 30 women in the room (no men), so considering there are 4-5 meetings a day, six days a week, with this branch being one of dozens in the Toronto area, it gives me a sense again of how many people must participate in WW. There were, for example, two branches of WW in Richmond Hill, closer to me than the meeting I attended, but I didn't like the days and times of their meetings as well.
My first weigh-in was surprising, too. It gave me -great- motivation to discover that the unreliable scale I've been using at home was showing me -five pounds- heavier than my actual weight. Well, hooray for that discovery. I also found it interesting that WW weigh-ins are secret- you don't have to tell your gains and losses to anyone unless you want to. I've been to other weight loss groups where there's been an expectation to share that info at meetings.
A very nice group leader named Wendy took me through the whole WW routine- how to use the Points system, how to use the slide rule card thingie to calculate Points at the grocery store, how to treat yourself with your FlexPoints, etc., etc.. I'm allowed to eat 22 points of food a day and I'm slowly learning exactly what that involves. Heh, today I had two bowls of homemade soup and an eggroll during a special teacher lunch and then learned to my chagrin that I'd blown over half my points for the day. Supper had to be lean, but I'm learning.
That's the other interesting thing about the WW system, too. I'm realizing that not only do I have to stop eating too much bad stuff, but the diaries and the program will force me (in a good way) to eat better with the food I do allow. You have to keep track of your water, milk and fruit/vegetable intake, eat a certain number of portions a day. For example, I'm not much of a breakfast eater, but WW will probably make me more aware of eating something decent in the morning.
The last thing that surprised me today was discovering just how many people out there are either in WW or have followed it in the past. I mentioned to a teacher in the staff room today that I'd joined the program (like me, she had just passed up a fabulous-looking homemade lasagna made by a parent to stay in her point range) and within our fifteen minute conversation five other people in the room told me they were presently on WW or had lost weight through them in the past. One teacher had lost 35 pounds on the program, another 40 pounds and another 60 pounds. And that was just the people in the room. I know two other teachers on staff in the program, too.
Yet another teacher who had lost 80 pounds a few years ago turned up her nose at the WW program saying exercise and self-discipline will get you results much easier than counting points and calculating nutrition labels. Sigh, yeah, I suppose that's true and I do admire people who are that strong independently. For the last several months I tried to be one of those people and sadly found myself succumbing to temptation and the pounds. I'm willing to let Weight Watchers and fellow participants have a shot at encouraging me to greater success.
jodimuse, pafuts, folkmew and especially some of the more recent posts by spiritdance, as well as other participants I know through LJ and work, I decided to join Weight Watchers this week. I've been thinking about it seriously for a few weeks and I attended my first meeting last night.I find, despite good intentions, I haven't been as faithful with my exercise program this year as last and I've been unhappy to see the weight I was losing and keeping off last year creeping back on this year. I'm hoping following the WW program will give me motivation for good eating and getting back to more regular exercise during the summer. I've been very impressed with the success other woman in the filk community have had with the program and it does seem to be a more realistic and sensible plan than weight loss programs I've tried in the past.
I attended my first meeting at Centerpoint Mall last night and found it interesting in many ways. First of all I was struck by how matter of fact and routine everything runs. As a new member they had me signed up and processed through to my first weigh-in within minutes. It probably helped, though, that I had signed up through the Internet the day before, so a lot of my information was already there. I think it was the first time, though, that I was really struck by what a large conglomerate WW really is- they have these sign-up and weigh-in procedures down to an art.
I was also surprised by how large the meeting was. I expected the meeting room to be some small table stuck away in a corner office, but instead the meeting room was a large conference room overlooking the rest of the mall. I was attending a Tuesday at 5:30 meeting and there were easily 30 women in the room (no men), so considering there are 4-5 meetings a day, six days a week, with this branch being one of dozens in the Toronto area, it gives me a sense again of how many people must participate in WW. There were, for example, two branches of WW in Richmond Hill, closer to me than the meeting I attended, but I didn't like the days and times of their meetings as well.
My first weigh-in was surprising, too. It gave me -great- motivation to discover that the unreliable scale I've been using at home was showing me -five pounds- heavier than my actual weight. Well, hooray for that discovery. I also found it interesting that WW weigh-ins are secret- you don't have to tell your gains and losses to anyone unless you want to. I've been to other weight loss groups where there's been an expectation to share that info at meetings.
A very nice group leader named Wendy took me through the whole WW routine- how to use the Points system, how to use the slide rule card thingie to calculate Points at the grocery store, how to treat yourself with your FlexPoints, etc., etc.. I'm allowed to eat 22 points of food a day and I'm slowly learning exactly what that involves. Heh, today I had two bowls of homemade soup and an eggroll during a special teacher lunch and then learned to my chagrin that I'd blown over half my points for the day. Supper had to be lean, but I'm learning.
That's the other interesting thing about the WW system, too. I'm realizing that not only do I have to stop eating too much bad stuff, but the diaries and the program will force me (in a good way) to eat better with the food I do allow. You have to keep track of your water, milk and fruit/vegetable intake, eat a certain number of portions a day. For example, I'm not much of a breakfast eater, but WW will probably make me more aware of eating something decent in the morning.
The last thing that surprised me today was discovering just how many people out there are either in WW or have followed it in the past. I mentioned to a teacher in the staff room today that I'd joined the program (like me, she had just passed up a fabulous-looking homemade lasagna made by a parent to stay in her point range) and within our fifteen minute conversation five other people in the room told me they were presently on WW or had lost weight through them in the past. One teacher had lost 35 pounds on the program, another 40 pounds and another 60 pounds. And that was just the people in the room. I know two other teachers on staff in the program, too.
Yet another teacher who had lost 80 pounds a few years ago turned up her nose at the WW program saying exercise and self-discipline will get you results much easier than counting points and calculating nutrition labels. Sigh, yeah, I suppose that's true and I do admire people who are that strong independently. For the last several months I tried to be one of those people and sadly found myself succumbing to temptation and the pounds. I'm willing to let Weight Watchers and fellow participants have a shot at encouraging me to greater success.