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

Road to getting FIT!!

Like many people on a "diet" things go really well for a couple of weeks and then slowly fizzle off. I am the queen of excuses. You name it, I have probably used it. "Oh I forgot my socks, I can't go to the gym." or "I am so tired" or "I just don't have enough time" or "My hair doesn't look good today". Seriously you name it, I have used it.

Every time I would try to jump back on the wagon I just couldn't seem to make it stick. So why now? What has made it stick this time? Well, where do I begin? I am 5'2".So although my number on the scale might not seem that bad, factor in my shortness and it is another story. Growing up weight was never an issue. Of course I was very active in High School with cheerleading and tennis. But I would seriously eat a pop tart for breakfast, a Mountain Dew and Funyuns for lunch, swing through McDonalds drive through after school for the two cheeseburger combo meal, and then would eat what ever dinner my mom would make me. How did this never seem to effect me? In all honesty it was. I never really thought about what I was putting into my body and how it made me feel. I might not of been gaining weight but I was gaining a poor eating habit.

In college I was pretty much the same way, however, by my senior year I was trying to incorporate some form of exercise into my week. Not a lot by any means, but I do remember doing some Abs of Steel videos with my roommates or going to the campus gym where we would end up talking more than "working out". I had started noticing that when I would eat certain foods, I wouldn't feel so hot. I was feeling more run down and my stomach was giving my fits all the time.

Fast forward 5 years, and I am visiting with my allergist. He kept insisting that I do a food panel to see if there were any foods that I might be allergic to. I was afraid, because honestly, I knew the truth. I knew that whatever it was that I was putting in my body had left me bloated 24/7 for the past year. I finally reached my breaking point and decided to do the food panel. As I suspected the panel came back and I was severely allergic to gluten. After getting over the fact that I would no longer be consuming Long John Silvers or beer, I wiped my tears, and decided to make a lifestyle change.

It has now been 7 years of living gluten free and I would never go back. Of course that road was very bumpy at times and I would fall off, but quickly realize that the big bowl of spaghetti just wasn't worth it. Now a lot of people think that by living a gluten free lifestyle that you are "so healthy" and "eat all the right things". I am here to tell you that is wrong. In fact eating gluten free left me at my heaviest weight and very unfit. Sure, I felt better because I wasn't eating pop tarts, donuts, and pizza, but I was still consuming the wrong types of food and was NOT active at all.

Two months ago I woke up and was just tired of beating myself up over feeling so run down, overweight, and frankly not believing in myself. I was never able to say anything nice about myself because all I saw was an overweight person staring back at me. After seeing several of my instagram friends joining Weight Watchers, I became curious. I was ready for a change and this program seemed to be just what I needed. I had also been doing a lot of research on Clean Eating, and had been slowly cleaning out our cupboards. This way of life just seems to make sense. I started to believe in myself and that I could do this. Going to the gym is now something I look forward to. I actually miss it on the days I am not there. After two months of being on Weight Watchers, eating clean, and working out I have lost 8 lbs. I have a long journey ahead of me but I wake up every morning excited to work towards this goal. And that goal now is to just be as healthy as I can be!

I know that most people have that "aha" moment when something happens to them to make them realize they are ready for a change. I am not sure I actually had one particular moment, but rather several of them that just started to pile up and finally came knocking on my door!

**I will be posting later this week with my thoughts on Weight Watchers and Clean Eating!! So stay tuned!**

Also I would love to here about your road to getting FIT! What works for you? What doesn't??

XOXO
Amber

Currently...

Watching:

Gossip Girl on Netflix!! I am addicted!


Listening to:

The Xx nonstop thanks to a coworkers recommendation! Great to come home and just chill too after a long day!!

Finished:

Unwind....such a good read! I couldn't put it down.

Started:

this book last week and should finish it up tonight!

What are you currently doing??
XOXO
Amber

Currently...

Listening to:



Alabama Shakes....Not a bad song on their album!!

Reading:


I found this book on Goodreads(of course) and there has been alot of negative talk going on about the author. I thought I would put those reviews aside and just read the book. So far I am really enjoying it. I believe there is even talk that a show on the CW is in the works! Isn't the cover beautiful?? I would wear that dress in a hearbeat..just saying!

Eating:



lots and lots of fresh fruit!

Saw live:

Lukas Nelson (Willie's son)! He played for three hours straight and is so talented!! Love him!!!

What are you currently loving???
XOXO
Amber

Currently...

I have seen people posting things they are currently obsessed with on their blogs and I thought it would be a fun little weekly post to do here. If you would like to join in I would love to see what you are currently obsessed with. Just leave a link in the comments and I will be sure to stop by to see what you are loving!

So here is what I am currently...

Watching:

Wow... this show is addicting!

Reading:

Yep! I decided to check out what all the hype was about and can't put them down! I am half way through the third book now!

Listening to:


Every single song is good!

Drinking:

Seriously start to have withdrawls if my fridge isn't stocked with this stuff!

So what are you currently obsessed with??

**Oh this is my 500th post on my blog!!! I never thought I would be doing it for this long and loving it! Thanks for stopping by to see what happens in our little corner of the world. It truely means the world to me!
XOXO
Amber