Hey everyone!
I'm here to update you on the past 2 weeks of my Weight Watcher journey! As you likely know, I started tracking my food intake through points, which was a bit of a change from what I'm used to, when tracking caloric intake. I did not pay for the Weight Watcher program but followed weight watcher food lists and rules while tracking my food in the application iTrackBites, where 1 Bite is equivalent to 1 WW point.
When I first started, I stuck with the foods I was eating from previous healthy eating habits that I tried, so for example, I had oatmeal with chopped apples and 0 fat vanilla greek yogurt for breakfast. This is usually low calorie, and has approximately 170 calories, which is only about 9% of my daily calorie allowance. When tracking points, this breakfast ended up being 7 points, which was 18% of my daily point allowance. I found this very surprising, as oats and greek yogurt are considered "healthy", however they take up more points due to the carbs and sugars included in these foods, which is considered in the points. After realizing how easy it is to use up points, I decided I would try to stick with fruits and veggies as my snacks through out the day, and for breakfast, that way I can have more point-dense meals for lunch and dinner.
During this diet, I didn't find myself feeling hungry, because even if I used up my points during the day, I can always turn to fruits and veggies to fill my hunger. These foods are zero points, which is great for someone who enjoys lots of different fruits. I definitely found myself turning to healthier options, like veggies and dip, fruits and low point options like premier protein shakes (2 points), or a chicken breast and veggies with soy sauce for lunch (5 points).
Here you can see my results from the past 2 weeks on the Weight Watcher Diet:
Week 1:
Week 2:
I really enjoyed this diet, and would reccommend trying this one out, as I did not feel restricted in any ways. I found my mood was improved, my sleep was fairly good, and I only had a headache on 2 of the first few days of the program. After I got into the groove of this diet, I found myself really enjoying it and seeing positive results. Over the course of the two weeks, I lost a total of 4.6 lbs. These were great results to see, as this meant I lost on average 2.3 lbs per week, which is a pretty healthy rate to lose weight. During my calorie deficit diet, I lost 4.2 lbs, and during the Intermittent Fasting diet, I lost 1 lb. In the end, I found the weight watcher diet, the easiest to follow, and the best results, which is why I would reccommend this eating habit.
While doing some research on this eating habit, I wanted to address some pros and cons that medical professionals have identified.
According to Ariana DiValentino (2018) at
Insider, this weight watcher diet is a realistic diet, with no "magic cures" that involve pills, vitamins or shakes. This diet controls your sugars, calories and carbs, which in the end puts you in a calorie deficit that is manageable.
Another "pro" that this article highlights is the social aspect of weight watchers. There is a great community that you become apart of when you join weight watchers. You have the accountablity you may need in order to stay on track. That being said, I did not have this community, as I did not pay for the actual program, but this can be a positive aspect that people may consider when joining.
The next "pro" is something that I completely agree with. "Weight Watchers focuses more on flexibility than restriction"
(DiValentino, 2018). When tracking points, you can still eat anything you really want to eat, but it has to fit into your points. One thing I really like about this program is the fact that fruits are zero points, as I find fruits as a great substitution for sweets, because they have natual sugars that satisfy your cravings.
A few cons that this article lists are that, weight regain is a posibility, just like any diet. If you try weight watchers and then you quit, its possible to gain the wight back if you don't make perminant changes to your eating habits. Another "con" is that Weight Watchers is led by coaches, not medical professionals, so you aren't getting the broader spectrum care, like heart rate or BMI, you are mainly focusing on points and losing weight. And finally, a "con" that I think can be challenging for people is that points are not listed in the nutrition facts on a food label. One thing I found difficult was grocery shopping. Before I started this diet, I went to the grocery store and picked up healthy foods that I thought would be low-point options, but little did I know, one pack of oatmeal is 6 points. I ended up going back to the grocery store after researching different food options, and using the application to find point values of certain foods to make a grocery list that would help me stick to my point allowance.
Overall, I really do believe that the weight watcher diet is a fairly easy eating habit to follow and maintain, as long as you can prepare your grocery lists to ensure you are buying low point options. I would recommend downloading the applicaiton iTrackBites, and trying the point system to track your food to see if this program works for you. I know I will be continuing to use this eating habit for a few more weeks, to see if I find any more downfalls involved with this diet.
Stay tuned next week for a recap of the 3 eating habits that I followed over the past 7 weeks, as I include research about each diet, my person experiences with the 3, as well as some information about other eating habits that may be of interest to you!
Thanks for checking in!
- Jenna :)
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