When I thought about shopping for my wedding dress, I knew I wanted to lose a few pounds before even trying one on. I knew that I probably wouldn’t be the size I wanted to be when I started shopping, so I started looking into different types of diets to see which one would work better for me. There are so many different types of healthy eating plans out there, and I had no idea which to choose.
At first, I tried a fad, three-day diet. It was one of those where you follow the plan exactly for three days at a time, eat what you want the other four days, and repeat until you get the desired results. It worked. I lost 7 pounds the first week. The downside: I gained some of it back when I wasn’t eating the foods on the plan. The second week I tried it, I was tired of eating the foods I was supposed to consume.
I was back to the drawing board for a new plan. I’m always on the run, so most regimens are difficult for me to achieve. What I mostly wanted out of a plan was to learn how to go back to my healthy eating habits without giving up ALL of the foods I love — and I love food!
I watch an unhealthy amount of episodes of The Biggest Loser. When they break for commercials, pretty much every other commercial is advertising Weight Watchers, so I thought I would do some research on it. It just looked so easy, almost like it was too good to be true. I didn’t hesitate and I signed myself up.
Again, I’m a girl on the go, so I chose the Weight Watchers 360 Online, rather than signing up to attend meetings. Here’s how it works: Weight Watchers calculates the amount of points you get per day based on your height, weight, age and sex. Since I’m petite and I don’t have a lot of weight to lose, I get 26 points per day. I also get 49 flex points per week that I can choose to use at anytime, which is awesome!
Point values are calculated by the amount of fat, carbs, fiber and protein in food. Some foods, like most fruits and veggies, have a 0 points plus value!
Y’all, this seriously is the easiest plan out there — I absolutely love it! I’m getting to where I know the point values of each of the foods I eat regularly by heart, rather than having to look them up. It helps me to stop and think about what I’m eating and to make swaps for healthier choices. I’m subconsciously making healthier choices as well. The best part: I can have the cake, fast food, pasta and every other craving you can think of that I want, it just may cost me a few more points.
Plus, they are SO many useful tools that make the Weight Watchers journey easier. They have created an amazing app that I have on my phone for those times when I need to track my points while I’m on the run. It makes choosing what to eat at restaurants so much easier because I literally have the resources I need at my fingertips. They even have “cheat sheets” for different types of situation (Chinese buffets, concession stands, etc).
They’ve also created a tool online where you can build your own recipes and it will calculate the number of points per serving for you. One of my favorite tools is the recipe page where you can see which recipes Weight Watchers recommends, as well as the recipes that are created by those who are a part of the Weight Watchers community. I’ve come across some of the best recipes I’ve ever tasted through this tool!
So far, I’ve lost 7 pounds with Weight Watchers. Not every week has been perfect. Some weeks I’ve lost weight, some I’ve maintained my weight, and one week my weight fluctuated and I gained a pound (which, according to Weight Watchers, is normal).
I never thought I would love being on a diet, but this is by far my favorite plan! To me, it’s not a diet. It’s a lifestyle change.
– Jordan
Bride-to-be and Benton native Jordan Westbrook graduated from UALR in 2011 with a liberal arts degree with an emphasis in mass media. The former Arkansas Bride intern will be blogging about her adventures in wedding planning right here each week.