After mentioning in my last post an earlier post about losing weight, I figured zero or one of you might be interested in an update.

I’ve lost nearly 50 pounds in the past 6 months. The Weight Watchers plan along with exercise worked for me. I discussed my frustrations with the WW web site in that June post, and I ended up dropping them after my initial three month membership was up. But I stayed with the system, using my own spreadsheet.

Here’s a chart of my “official” Monday weigh-ins:

Weekly weigh in from May to November 2008

Exercise has been the key. Mostly walking until late August, when I started jogging. I think running has ratcheted up my metabolism. I was “on plan” every week up until a month ago, but since then have been going well over my weekly points and still losing. I’ve reached the weight I want to be at for my 5′ 8″ frame, so now I have to learn how to maintain. And I don’t want to succumb to the big holiday season weight gain.

Will Weight Watchers work for you?

Sure. It works for many people. And also has not worked for many people. Some people lose a lot of weight on the plan and then gain it back again. It’s not a miracle fix, but it is practical and helpful if you’re committed to changing how you approach your health.

I think having an objective way to track food intake was the most important thing for me. I like to eat, and don’t self-regulate very well. I’ll eat when I’m not hungry and will keep eating when I’m full. Weight Watchers gave me ability to stay in sensible boundaries. It gave me rules I could follow with confidence that I’d get results.

It helps if you can limit eating out at restaurants. You can still go out, of course, and one of the great parts of the plan is that you can eat whatever you want within your points. But for best results, you need to accurately count those points. That can be a challenge at restaurants, but not an insurmountable one. We’re not eating out as often these days, which has the nice side effect of saving money. (Then again, we regularly have Leeann Chin, Chipotle, and pizza. But that’s eating in, not out. Totally different.) I started bringing lunch to work so I could eat more healthily in addition to counting accurately.

It’s not simply about losing weight. It’s about being healthy. For example, I’m eating a lot more fruits and vegetables now thanks to the emphasis on this in the plan. Which brings up the point that you will have to do some work to be successful. It’s work to keep those fruits and vegetables in stock and to prepare them. I bought a food scale and often use measuring spoons and cups, which adds some overhead to the consumption process. If you’re meticulous about tracking your points, you’re always having to run the numbers on calories, fat, and fiber. (But this all has some appeal for my OCDemons.)

I encourage you to give it a try if you want to lose weight and get in shape. It’s well worth the effort. I feel great!

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