New Feature.....

Today I am introducing a new feature to the blog! Weight Watchers Wednesday!!!! NOW....let me be VERY clear (lest I receive some punishment from the ACTUAL Weight Watchers Organization) I am not officially representing them in any capacity. I am not a leader at a meeting, nor am I receptionist at one of the centers. I am just a very satisfied customer! I have several friends and family members who have recently incorporated the Weight Watchers system into their lives. I have consistently been asked the same question, "Do you have any tips? Any advice?" I found myself repeating the same things over and over again....and YES....I, Patty Vela, actually got tired of hearing my own voice. Having given it some consideration I have decided to add this feature to the blog. I know it isn't of interest to everyone. But who knows....you might come away with a tip that is beneficial to your specific daily diet.....not necessarily related to weight loss; rather healthy living and conscientious eating.

My first tip for my Weight Watchers friends is keep your goals small and simple. Certainly you have been encouraged to set 5% of your start weight as your FIRST goal. In other words....your first goal should be to lose 5% of what you weighed on your FIRST weigh in. Roughly that is the first two numbers...divided by two. So if you are starting at 180....5% of that would be 9lbs! While I found that 5% was easily attainable...it doesn't necessarily happen the first week, or the second, third, fourth, fifth, etc. That is when I would find myself frustrated! So...a few weeks into the program I decided to make my goals MUCH, MUCH, MUCH smaller. I surrendered to the idea of, "Oh in three months I might be a size 6 or weigh 132.5 or fit into those jeans, etc, etc." I realized if I did that I was setting myself up for failure. So this is how I approached weight loss. If I lost 1.2 lbs one week, I would set .8 lbs loss as my goal for the next week. I almost always reached my goal, if I made the goal that small. I would reward myself with a sticker (I just bought my own stars and kept them in my journal.) I would weigh in, sit in the meeting and write down my goal for the next week in my journal. That held me accountable. Eventually the small losses added up to one huge loss and here I am...still maintaining after roughly five months. Baby steps....and remember "If it is to be, it is up to me!" Good luck and I want to hear all about your successes! Each and every one of you and you know who you are! Call me, text me, email me....but I want to know and I want to help! In an emergency...call me. I WILL tell you to step away from the carrot cake because...let's be honest...you already know what carrot cake tastes like. Do you really need further confirmation? Nope, didn't think so! Of course...if you saved up your points....go for it.....cream cheese frosty goodness waits for you at the end of the fork!

One final thought....keep 10 baby carrots in your purse or lunch box at all times! In a pinch...you've got something you can munch on before your hunger burns out of control. (I found myself without snacks today.....just forgot....and I ended up snacking on some cheese and peanut butter crackers because there was nothing else! Trouble!) And remember...10 baby carrots are zero points....but 20 are not zero points. In Weight Watchers 0+0 does not equal 0! Don't fool yourself. Err on the side of caution when adding up your points for the day!

Good night friends.....