My thoughts on Weight Watchers...

In March I decided that I was serious about getting fit and joined Weight Watchers. At that time they were running a three month special and after doing a lot of research on the program, I joined! I tried several free apps on my phone that I could log my calories, etc, but found that most them did not have any of the items I was eating. This would result in me spending hours adding these foods to the program just so I could log what I ate that day. Of course after a few days of this, I gave up.

Weight Watchers online makes it very convenient and easy when you are on the go. I have their app downloaded to my iphone so that I can log my food at every meal and almost everything is in their database. If it isn't it just takes a few things you plug in to get the point calculation. Point counting just seems easier! They also have an extensive recipe collection that has been a life saver. My favorite thing about Weight Watchers online though is the scanner app. All you do is open the app, scan the barcode on your food, and bam you have your points! It really couldn't be any easier.

My three months will be ending in June and as much as the program has worked for me, I won't be rejoining. I made this decision because I really do feel that I have learned what I can from it. There are things that I absolutely love about the program and things that I am not so keen on. I thought I would break it down for you here, in case there are some people out there on the fence about the program.

Benefits to the program:

**Portion Control.... This was a HUGE eyeopener for me. I never paid attention to the serving sizes on items EVER! I would start my morning out with 3-4 servings of my coffee creamer, which of course was just packed with sugar. Meat was another area that I would just consume mass amounts of. Heck who am I kidding? I consumed big portion sizes in everything. That is how our society runs... Bigger is better... get more for you money...and of course this applies to our food industry. Take a look at the actual portion sizes below:

I am definitely more conscious of my serving size at every meal now and I never have that "stuffed" feeling anymore which is awesome.

**Is it really worth it?...Why I never asked myself this question before joining WW is beyond me? But once I started counting my points I really thought about the point value to everything and 99% of the time would put down the candy and have some yogurt instead. It honestly felt like a game I was playing and the best part was that I was winning! It felt good to see that I stayed within my points at the end of each day and felt full. Most days I feel like I actually eat more than what I did before joining WW. Now instead of opening a bag of chips and consuming half the bag, I reach for strawberries!

**Activity Points... I loved that anytime I did yard work, cleaned my house, or hit the gym I could log my activity points. This gave me extra points that I could consume during the week. Honestly, I never really dive into these points that often, but it is nice to know they are there for special occasions. Or when you just really, really need that glass of wine!

**Online Community...I found so many friends through Instagram thanks to WW. It such a nice strong community who really supports your goals and are there for you during your struggles too. I found so many great food ideas and recipes this way and so much motivation!!

Drawbacks to the program:
**I was never able to actually use their website on my home computer to log my food, etc. I tried contacting the company several times and they did reply back, but I was never able to find a resolution. Since I could access it through my iPhone and iPad this really wasn't that big of an issue for me. However, for someone that just has a home computer it would be a major setback obviously. I am sure if I would of taken the time to call them and have someone walk me through the errors it would of been resolved, but it wasn't that big of a deal to me.

**The biggest drawback for me is the suggestion of using low fat and fat free foods when available. By doing this you are obviously lowering your point value, but adding so many "extra" non-clean ingredients to your diet. So many recipes call for fat free cool whip or fat free pudding, but have you looked at the ingredient lists on these foods? It is terrifying!!! I wasn't putting these things in my body before WW and was a sucker and bought some fat free cool whip and felt like crap immediately after consuming it.

With all that being said, I am so thankful for Weight Watchers. I have made a lifestyle change and really that is what it is all about. It is not a quick fix or a fad diet that is going to get you in that bikini. It is a lifestyle change that will be used everyday forward. I have not been counting points for the past three weeks and mainly sticking to a clean paleo-ish diet and am still losing weight. I am now always conscious of my portion size and what I am putting into my body! To date I have lost a total of 11 pounds and several inches! So it does work! It gives you a great start to a new healthy way of life and for that I will forever be thankful for Weight Watchers!

XOXO
Amber