Weight Watchers is working...

I know. You're saying to yourself--how can she possibly know if it's working if she's only been doing it for FOUR days? It's impossible. Well, actually, it isn't. I've already noticed that I'm making myself a lot more accountable for the foods that I'm eating, and when I eat them. Weight Watchers gives you a certain number of points a day, and your goal is to meet those points. You're also given 35 extra points per week to use whenever you want. Sounds easy right? It isn't. It really forces you to think about what you are going to eat the whole day. Since I have 20 points per day, I have to keep those points under control. I try to think backwards, since dinner is where I spend the largest amount of points per day. Usually somewhere between 8-10.
The great thing about WW is that it is really, really flexible. They assign points for practically everything--and give you this nifty sliding card thingy that figures out the points of ANYTHING as long as you have the info about the items dietary fiber, calories, and total fat. So if you want sushi, or pizza, or chicken and veggies with pasta, you can have it--in moderation. So for example, if you're craving a bagel, you just figure out what points you're going to "spend" on it: it's 3 points for a normal sized bagel, and another point for 2 tablespoons of fat free cream cheese. Four points for breakfast. If you want skim milk in your coffee, and you tend to drink 2 cups in the morning like I do, then that's another point (1 cup of skim milk is 1 point--when in doubt, I figure higher rather than lower). But if you eat that bagel with cream cheese, and you drink your coffee, that only leaves you with 15 points for the rest of the day---so if you're willing to have a green salad for lunch (no points as long as you stick to greens and veggies--things like cheese and olives have point values too!), with fat free dressing (no points), and 3 oz (give or take half an oz) of grilled chicken or tuna (3 points), you're totally fine. Add a whole wheat pita (1 point) and a flavored seltzer (0 points), and you've eaten a filling lunch for just 4 points. Eleven points left for the day--not too shabby. It's this kind of thinking that is keeping me in line--and I've already lost 3 pounds. Probably some of it was water weight, but still. I feel it, and I know it, and I feel so much better about myself already! Hooray for WW!