I am no longer overweight

My official weigh in isn't until Monday, but the last several days' weights have been below 139 (which corresponds to a BMI of 25).

Yay for me!  And yay for Weight Watchers!  I was overweight for about 6 months (since mid-March).

Even with my husband's travel, I've managed to stay on plan and stay off the chocolate.  5 more lbs to go!  I am having to dig through my drawers to find shorts/crop pants that don't fall off.  I still have a pair or two that are too small. (They may never fit, since your hips widen as you age.  If I hit my goal weight and they don't fit, they get donated.)

Weight watchers isn't magical, it's just counting.  Being aware of everything that you put into your mouth.  But I do have some tips that I think have helped me out.

1.  Plan everything ahead.  This means the night before at least.  This also prevents you from wasting food.  Sadly, my husband was out of town this week and I lost TWO beautiful heirloom tomatoes from the CSA to mold because I just couldn't eat them fast enough.  I'm still bummed.  That's food and money right down the drain.  Or in the compost.

2.  Use all of your points.  For me, that's 29 per day.  I also get 7 flex points (on average) per day, and I've been earning 3-9 activity points per day (though that goes down when spouse travels, and will also decrease now that my triathlon training has ended).  I make sure that I have AT LEAST 30 points of food, and if I am doing a hard workout that day (biking to work or running), then I have at least 34 points per day.  I generally eat all of my regular points and the flex points.  And some of the activity points.

3.  Unless you have a get-together planned.  This goes without saying, but if you are going to a party or potluck where the food is unknown, plan for low points the rest of the day.  Those things always get out of hand.  I generally plan around it if possible (eat before I go).  Or make sure there is a lot of salad available to eat.  I let myself choose one or two higher-calorie items to indulge in.  Last night, at the CSA potluck, I chose red wine and tri-tip.  I passed on the pasta.  Tonight, I will probably also choose red wine and tri-tip :) and pass on the bread.

4.  Don't be afraid to eat weird foods for breakfast.  One of the ways that I've been able to "use up" yummy foods like tomatoes or apple crisp is simply to eat them for breakfast.  I made apple crisp this week with lower amounts of butter, sugar, and oats, and walnuts.  Topped with some yogurt, and it makes a fine breakfast.  I've also been eating tomato sandwiches for breakfast.  Just not fast enough.  These choices allowed me to have a "dessert-like" or "appetizer-like" food, without adding a dessert or an appetizer to my meals.

5.  Eat lots of fruits and vegetables.  Why is this number 5 and not number 1?  Because it's obvious.  I generally get 3 fruits and 4-7 servings of vegetables per day.  Your body needs the nutrients.  I've seen people fail on losing weight before, and it's often lack of portion control or lack of vegetables.

6.  Give up the bad food.  Fried food.  Dessert.  White bread.  These things are okay to eat now and then, once in awhile.  "Once in awhile" is once a week, (or once a month!) not every day.

7.   Don't snack at night.  This is just an easy habit to get into.  And a hard habit to get out of.  It's such a mental thing to desire something right before bed.  Then you eat something one night, the next night, then you get used to it.  To avoid this, I drink water before bed.  And I try to make myself a delicious dinner with something really satisfying.  It may be nuts and avocado on a salad, or a grilled cheese sandwich, or a delicious small potato with real butter.  It has to satisfy me physically AND emotionally.

The other thing that I have been doing is try to watch my carb intake.  Now, when husband is out of town, I just eat what I feel like (pasta, bread), and count the points.  It's too stressful to do otherwise.  But when he's IN town, I take extra time for cooking and prepping, and tend to do more Hugh Jass salads with some protein for at least one meal per day.  They are more work to prepare, though, with the washing, chopping, etc.