How I Lost 10 Pounds In 2 Months Without Giving Up Wine, Cake Or Pasta
I’ve struggled with weight my whole life, but in 2017, I started Weight Watchers, and it’s been surprisingly easy to drop pounds fast while still eating my favorite foods. (Thanks, Oprah!) See how I did it and follow along with my journey below.
Weight has always been an issue for me. I’ve literally fluctuated by 50 pounds in my adult life. After losing weight for my wedding, I had an amazing honeymoon, where I was confident in a bikini and loved having my picture taken.
After my wedding in 2013, I was thrilled to stop eating salad. With no big life event approaching, I quickly gained a lot of weight. Eating at fancy NYC restaurants with my new husband was fun, but it made my jeans too tight and my self-esteem drop.
Celebs Working Out — Stars At The Gym
Fast forward to 2017. It was time to get my weight under control. I’d tried Weight Watchers in the past, and it had worked for me. Now, they have a re-vamped point system that rewards healthy choices, rather than just counting calories.
So here is how it works — you get daily and weekly SmartPoints, which are based on calories, saturated fat, sugar and protein.
You also earn FitPoints, on any activity where you move. I use the app and the online program, which I prefer rather than going to meetings. It’s cost-effective, easy, fast and can be more anonymous, if that is what you want.
Weight Watchers also hooked me up with a coach. We talk for 15 minutes weekly, and she keeps me accountable and answers any questions I have about the program.
I range from a size 6 to 12, depending on the store and the article of clothing (I am much smaller on top). I get 30 SmartPoints daily, and 35 additional points every week. You can use your weekly points at your discretion, averaging about 5 more per day, or in one sitting, which I did on my husband’s birthday (mac and cheese + cake + wine).
In 9 weeks, I lost 7 out of 9 weeks. The weeks I did gain, it was 1 pound or less, and after a big loss the week before (like one week, which was a loss of 3.8 pounds!). On the program, they encourage you to lose one to two pounds a week, which is a healthy rate and very sustainable.
From January 20 to March 22, I lost 10.7 pounds.
With Weight Watchers, it’s all about balance. So, most fruits and vegetables are ZERO points, because they encourage healthy eating and great habits.
Lean meats like turkey and chicken have 2 to 4 points per 3 oz serving, while a lean steak has 5 points for 3 ounces. (It’s also important to watch portions).
My nights are usually filled with beauty events, hor d’oeuvres, cocktails or take out. I try to save my points for later in the day. So typically I have a greek yogurt for breakfast (Siggi’s has 3 points) and maybe an apple or banana (0 points). Lunch is usually a salad with grilled chicken, tons of veggies, egg whites and balsamic vinaigrette. The salad is usually about 5 points. If I’m craving chips, I reach for SkinnyPop, which has 3 points.
Other great snacks are a green apple drizzled with PB2 (dehydrated peanuts you mix with water, only 1 point), or red bell peppers dipped into Chobani Meze Dip, Roasted Red Pepper, which is only 1 point.
That saves me 17 points for dinner and dessert! I made lasagna from the Weight Watchers recipe site the other night. It was 10 points, but it was beef, white noodles, and super hearty and filling. I also love to save for WINE. A glass is 4 points. I find if I am mindful during the day, I always have points left for wine in case I get invited to an unexpected happy hour.
3 points left mean dessert is a chocolate chip cookie. Again, it’s all about portion control and enjoying your food. So my day did have a salad, but it also had pasta, red wine, and a cookie. Not bad, right?
The other thing I love is that you can “trade” in FitPoints. So an intense SoulCycle class can earn you 13 points, which could mean a nice dinner out with no regrets.
I’ll keep you posted on my journey, as I still have weight to lose.
HollywoodLifers, let me know, would you try Weight Watchers?
