Feel-Good Friday: My Experience Beginning Weight Watchers

There is one bullet that makes it to the top of my New Year's resolutions list every single year. It is one of my great insecurities and has been for the majority of my life. And that is my weight. I have been on the heavier side my entire life, but it wasn't until high school and the beginning of colleges I really became overweight. Starting off 2017 at the heaviest point I have ever been (by a long shot), I knew I had to make a change--a serious one.

I have played with a bunch of different methods over the past year or two: the one I was most attached to (and failed at the most) being eating clean. However, living at home with three others who don't eat clean, meaning the grocery list is not clean, in addition to living a crazy busy life and not having time to cook much during the week, made that an absolute failure. And so, I continued to gain.

My mom has met her goal on Weight Watchers multiple times. A few friends of mine had signed up and were getting results and loving their experiences, so I took the plunge one day and joined. I currently do not attend meetings, only having the app where I can track and log, and the whole concept is perfect for my busy lifestyle. I don't have to carve out time each week for meetings, I don't have to restrict myself to only eating certain foods, and I can do the whole thing on my phone waiting for class to start.

At the beginning, it was hard. And I mean truly, incredibly hard. I tracked points for everything, paid close attention to serving sizes, and measured everything. And it was eye-opening. A serving of regular coffee creamer, which is two points, is only one tablespoon? One tablespoon of coffee creamer for my extra large coffee that I drink every morning during my daily commute? I switched to sugar-free, which is one point for two tablespoons. Eight points for the two Eggo Chocolate Chip waffles I ate as a snack because they're not filling? I cut those out of my diet in a heartbeat.

What I like about Weight Watchers is that they do not restrict anything--you just have to sacrifice if you want to indulge one day. A born-and-raised Long Islander, I thought going on a diet would mean that I wouldn't eat a beloved bagel for a year. Except....I could. I could spend my nine points on a "restaurant-type everything bagel" and the extra two for low-fat cream cheese. It just meant skipping my nightly square of dark chocolate. If I want to go out and splurge all of my daily points on a greasy grilled cheese from my favorite diner, I can, if I eat fruits and veggies (zero points!) for the rest of the day. Will I do that? Probably not. But I could, and I like having the option.

So, yes, it's been hard. It's been eye-opening. But I feel better. I feel like I'm eating better ("cleaner" even). I feel like my body is finally being nourished after years of being overfed. And the scale reflects that. I often get sad that I don't see major changes in my body (I began about five weeks ago, which my Mom continually reminds me, so I can't expect to look thinner overnight) but my mom, who is my best friend and biggest support in life and in this journey I am taking, keeps me on track. In the end, I know I am doing what is best for me and I'm so thankful I took the plunge and joined Weight Watchers. The goal, right now, is to continue what I'm doing and make my weight goal so I can be healthy.

As always, thanks for reading xx