day 2: "weight watcher" survival skills

day 2 of the blog-everyday-in-may challenge is officially underway! today's topic requires me to educate you on something that i know a lot about or am good at. now, i'm definitely not trying to claim to be any type of fitness and nutrition guru, but i absolutely can shed some light on how to survive weight watchers (or any diet in general). 

you may or may not know that over the last few years, i've struggled with my weight. now, i'm a pretty confident gal, and i believe that women are all beautiful, no matter their size, (cue dove's beauty campaign here) however, i also understand that when i am carrying some extra weight, i don't feel as good as i do when the weight's not there. i have personally found a lot of success with the weight watcher program. as a person who eats to resolve any situation (happy, sad, stressed, anxious, etc.), weight watchers allows me to be mindful of what i am putting in my mouth at all times. if you are looking to drop some pounds, give weight watchers a shot, and when you do, take these survival skills, pack them into your brain, and never forget them. they'll save you so much stress (i hope!). 

1. don't drink your points (or calories) away. you aren't given many points, so you have to learn to make them stretch throughout the day. one way to totally screw yourself is to waste points on non-filling things like juices (which super high in sugar and carbs) and non-diet sodas. For example, an 8 oz. glass of simply orange orange juice is a whoppin' 3 points! when you only have 26 points each day like me, 3 points is a lot to waste on something you drink. this also (unfortunately) applies to alcohol. i've basically stopped drinking altogether simply because it's annoying to have to a) count points when you're trying to have fun when you're out with your friends; b) let's be serious--after a couple of drinks, you just aren't worried about how many points you've consumed, and then you're back at square one. needless to say, drinking, while it does cause lots of fun, it also causes killer headaches, nausea, and hangovers that make me want to scarf all the greasy goodness i can find. never good when you're on "the watch."

2. restaurant food is pretty much always bad for you. the sooner your realize that, the less frustrated you will be. when you can, just stick to cooking your own food. now, i know what you're thinking..."rachel, it's impossible to not eat out." you're pretty much right. our society makes food not only the center of our lives (there's an entire tv network devoted to it!!), but it also is one of the more social aspects of life. i mean, when was the last time someone said, "hey! it's been a long time since we've hung out! let's go for a jog!" yeah right. it's always "let's grab drinks!" or "how about dinner?" this can be really challenging, but i've learned the best way to combat it, is to plan, plan, plan. if you know you're going to be going out to eat, check out the restaurant's menu online and decide what you're going to eat hours in advance. it sounds crazy, but going in with your mind already made up makes a huge difference.

3. the healthiest choice isn't always the most obvious one. this is somewhat of an extension of #2. when you sit down to order, i'm sure your eyes immediately go to the "salads" section of the menu and think you're home free. not always a good thing. take chili's, for example. the quesadilla explosion salad has an astounding 1360 calories, 88 grams of fat, and 87 grams of carbs (!!!!!!!!!!!). even the santa fe chicken salad rings in with 680 calories, 46 grams of fat, and 36 grams of carbs! at chili's you can get the classic sirloin, rice, and steamed broccoli with garlic butter (yum!) for a total of 520 calories, 19 grams of fat, and 51 grams of carbs. HUGE DIFFERENCE!!!!

4. track, track, track! write down everything you eat with the points plus value it has. here's where you have to get a little psycho (and that's totally okay!). make it a game! see how much food you can actually consume and still make your points last. if you aren't writing down what you're putting in your mouth, there's not possible way you can know exactly how much you are eating. i was just floored when i first started tracking. it definitely makes you mindful of not only what you're eating, but also how much you were eating beforehand. 

5. stick with it, even on the hard days. you know those days when you wake up and just want a cheeseburger? that's okay. every once in a while, you can have that cheeseburger. the key is to just not have the cheeseburger, fries, jumbo chocolate milkshake, and dessert. stick that delicious cheeseburger with a side salad and call it a day. you get to feel like you're eating the good stuff, but you aren't totally blowing it out of the water. one of my favorite quotes (that i heard from my weight watchers meeting leader) is "the time's going to pass anyway, so you might as well lose the weight, too." 

these are just a couple of little tidbits that will help you stay on top of your weight loss program. i continue to learn new things about myself and what works best for me when it comes to weight loss, but the most important thing is that i keep myself dedicated to striving to be healthy. after all, "nothing tastes as good, as healthy feels." 

until tomorrow...