The
winners at
weight
control do
not have
more
willpower
than those
who fail.
They have
better
strategies.
Nicole's Weight Watchers Site
"What works for me"
A Few Tips and Tricks  >
Make a list of all the reasons you want to lose weight. Carry it with you or
post it someplace where you'll see it often.

Make a list of what you're going to do differently THIS time. If you're like
me, you've probably tried to lose weight a few times. This time is
different, because you're going to DO it! Write down what you're doing
differently to set this time apart from all the others.  

If you live with people, see if you can get them to do Weight Watchers
with you for a few days or weeks just so they can see what it's like. My
husband did WW with me for a while (and he lost about 20 pounds).
Now he knows what I mean when I say "I don't have the Points for that." It
makes it easier for me.  

Check out Picture Perfect Weight Loss by Dr. Howard Shapiro. It visually
illustrates how you can eat more food and take in less calories. He has
a diet plan, too, but I didn't follow it (obviously). I do love the pictures,
though, which mostly entail things like "you can have this tiny piece of
cheese or all of this food!"

Recognize that this is a lifestyle change. Don't tell yourself, "I'll eat those
when I get to goal." Find a way to incorporate foods you love into your
WW program. Otherwise, you're setting yourself up for failure.

Educate yourself about healthy choices. If you can change your mindset
to one of eating healthy, it will be even easier for you to stay on program.

Drink all your water. Every day. I have a plastic bottle with a plastic straw
that I keep filled with water. For some reason, it's easier for me to drink
my water with a straw.

Start a diary where you can write about your weight loss journey. I've
found it very helpful to have a place where I can vent and record my
accomplishments. There are online sites available in addition to good
old-fashioned pen & paper.

Plan out what you eat before you eat it. This is particularly important for
holiday meals or new situations. Planning saved my butt on
Thanksgiving, believe me! Beyond special occasions like that, though, it
really makes sense to write down what you eat BEFORE you eat it. You
might think dinner will be only 8 points, but figure it out for sure before
you chow down. Once it's in your tummy, there's no going back.

Don’t buy anything you shouldn’t be eating. If you have kids that want
junk food, buy them things YOU don’t like, or don’t buy anything at all.
And really, why do you want to aid your kids' bad eating habits, anyway?
They find that stuff everywhere. It's not like you're depriving them entirely if
it's not in your house. Give 'em a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich or
some Baked Ruffles.

Don’t use special occasions or holidays or achievements as an excuse
to pig out. There will ALWAYS be a reason to overeat. You can’t live like
that if you want to lose weight and get healthy.

Get a digital scale for weighing food. It's indispensable for some things
(like Baked Ruffles).

Reward yourself when you hit milestones. I like to buy myself something
for the kitchen so I remember my accomplishments every time I cook.
When I lost 100 pounds, I bought myself a lovely set of All-Clad pots &
pans. When I make goal I'm going on a shopping spree. Yay!!

Measure everything. After two years on the program, I still measure every
bowl of cereal I eat. Not only will you avoid "portion creep," but you'll be
really good at estimating portion sizes (useful for when you go out to eat
and they hand you a huge pasta entree). Williams-Sonoma makes
some great odd-size measuring cups. I use the 2/3 and 3/4 cups every
day.

Focus on becoming more healthy instead of losing weight. This is
particularly important if you have a lot to lose (like me). Sometimes it
seems so daunting to think, "I have to 147 pounds until I make goal." I
found it's easier to think about how much better I'm treating my body now
compared to when I started.

Journal what you eat.  Find what's right for you and journal--whether you
use paper, an Excel spreadsheet or WW Online. Just make sure you
write it down. Remember, do it religiously for 30 days and it becomes a
habit. I HAVE to journal now or I don't feel right. Seriously.

Eat off small plates and bowls. You'll be amazed at how much more
satisfied you'll feel. I used to eat a huge bowl of spaghetti for dinner. Now
I have less than half of what I used to eat, but I eat it in a smaller bowl,
and I'm just as satisfied!

Buy yourself some lovely bowls and plates to eat off of. I recently found a
small crystal sundae dish for 40 cents at a kitchen supply store (yay!). It's
the perfect thing to use for my little serving of Edy's Grand Light. It makes
the experience that much nicer.

I highly recommend YOU: The Owner's Manual. It's written by two
cardiologists and the cool thing is that they explain to you such things as
WHY you should exercise and WHY you should avoid sugar. Everyone
seems to assume that we know these things. I found it very motivating,
actually. Motivating to eat better and exercise simply because it's the best
thing I can do for myself.

Buy yourself a pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps a day. I've found
myself pacing around my bedroom just before bed, trying to break a
8,000 or 10,000 or 13,000--whatever I'm closest to. My record is 17,020.
This is the one I use. I've found it to be very accurate, plus I love the fact
that it automatically resets at midnight.

If you use a Palm Pilot and use the WW E-Tools or WW Online, pony up
the extra money for the downloadable WW Palm Pilot program. I use it
often, and the best part is no one has any clue that you're calculating
Points!

Buy snacks and sweets in single portion servings if you can. That way
it's easier to be honest about the number of points you take in.

Get a snow cone machine and some sugar free Torani syrups. No
points! I got my machine at Walmart and the syrups at World Market. So
far I like mango and peach the best.

If you're a Splenda person, make sure you take some with you when you
travel. Keep it in your purse or shove a few in your wallet for easy access!

Take your measurements! I didn't take my measurements until four
months after I started Weight Watchers. I remember at the time thinking
that I'd already lost SO MUCH (41.5 pounds), that it almost wasn't worth
my time. Well, since then I've lost much, much more (as you know), and
being able to compare my inches helped me when I was on that terrible
plateau. I recommend taking them monthly. My inches didn't change
enough from week to week to warrant doing it that often, but your
experience may be different. Some of you can't bear to face the
measuring tape. That's why I didn't do mine sooner! Please try to do it.
It's worth it.

Spritz 94% Fat Free Orville Redenbacher microwave popcorn with  butter
spray and sprinkle with Splenda and cinnamon. It tastes like cinnamon
toast. So good!

For a good savory snack, cook a Boca burger in the microwave. Top with
however much fat-free cottage cheese you want/have the points for. I use
1/3 of a cup, which is one point. I know...I know...this sounds weird for a
lot of you, but trust me, someone is reading this and saying, "That
sounds really good!" I love cottage cheese. Plus, this is Core.

Another good snack is to take a slice of tomato, sprinkle it with salt,
pepper, vinegar and just a dusting of sugar. It tastes really good and is
no points. I think you could do this with Splenda, too, but frankly I use so
little sugar that I don't even worry about it.

If you buy measuring cups from a discount or dollar store, make sure
they're accurate. I had a set from the Dollar Tree that was HIGHLY
inaccurate.

Remember that your success is going to be the product of a series of
good choices. They all add up!

In the words of my Weight Watchers leader, if you find yourself in a bad
situation, "Do the least damage possible."