Week 1

Welcome to a new feature on my blog. I know you'll all be very excited to participate.*

*I can just hear people muttering "What is that freak Dana getting us into this time?" Well, you can just relax. This is something you will all be supportive of. I hope.

Anyway. Keem and I joined Weight Watchers. We started a week ago. I have returned from my meeting with fabulous news.

I lost 7 pounds. SEVEN! In one week! Woo-hoo!

As you can tell, I am somewhat excited about this.

Weight Watchers now has two programs that you can try - there is the flex points which I remember from the last time we went and the core plan. With flex points, you get a certain amount of points that you can use each day and all food has a points value. Once you have used all of your points, you're done eating for the day. This can really help you make a decision if you're really craving, oh, nachos with chicken (48 points. The maximum points you get per day is 34 (it's weight based) but you also get 35 bonus points for the week that you can use if you want) you may need to make a better choice. Or only eat half of it.

The core plan allows you to eat all the food you want, as long as it is certain foods. For example, I can have all of the chicken and vegetables I want. That's exciting, right? Yeah. Keem and I were on the core plan for this last week. Do you have any idea how boring chicken and vegetables get when you eat them every single day? Really, really, really boring. And I ended up cheating several times (damn Valentine's Day. The managers brought in a dessert buffet. I dare anyone to resist really good brownies. It can't be done (Unless you're Beth and Johnny who don't like chocolate)) but I'm actually okay with that - I cheated in moderation. Which sounds weird until you understand something about me.

See, I'm a binge eater. I have learned, throughout the years, to not eat when I'm depressed or bored or needy - only when I'm hungry. But, if I like the taste of something (and I often do because, hello, what would be the point of eating it if I didn't like it?), I will not stop eating whatever wonderful thing it is. Case in point, brownies. Last year, I probably ate about five or six. This is not healthy. I know it is not healthy. But, dagnabit, it was yummy. This year, I allowed myself one. Much better.

So Weight Watchers is a good choice to make. I know this. And there are a lot of good tasting foods that are one or two points only so if I do go on a binge, I'll have the points system to keep me in line (for example, root beer popsicles are only one point each. You can eat an entire box for six points. I know this because I've done it before. I'm not proud of it but it's a hell of a lot better than eating an entire box of fried chicken (been there, done that)).

This week we're going to use flex points. I think it's a better choice. Today we had a very delicious salad with chicken, bacon and romaine lettuce. I measured exactly 2 tablespoons of salad dressing and used the fork trick (learned the last time I went to WW. You get the dressing on the side and dip your fork into it and then spear the lettuce. It's the perfect way to get just enough dressing with each bite instead of clumps of dressing in some places and none in others). Ten points.

I know I can do this. I know Keem can do this. Wish us luck.