Over the last ten years or so, a strange thing has happened to my body. It’s gotten bigger! I haven’t changed my eating habits all that much, but slowly, almost non-perceptibly, my clothing size crept up to a number that I’m not willing to share with you. In February of this year I found myself unexpectedly out of work. I decided to use my time between jobs to try and get back in shape – not so much for the vanity aspect, (sure I want to be thin and gorgeous, but I inherited a set of hips that no diet can reduce) but more to be more healthy. I started eating better, began walking a few miles every morning, and I began to lose weight! Eighteen lost pounds later, I was determined to keep the weight off. I joined Weight Watchers and began to follow their Winning Points program. During my very first week on the program I lost another three pounds. Seven weeks later, my weight continues to drop! The best part about it is that I can eat what I want. I may have to manage my portion sizes, but I don’t have to deprive myself of my favorite foods. The Winning Points program provides me with tools and guidelines to make healthy and tasty food selections that match with my lifestyle and my weight loss goals.

The Winning Points program helps dieters lose weight by teaching them to manage their intake based on a point system. Individuals are allowed a given number of points each day. This number is determined by the dieter’s current weight. As an individual loses weight, they are allocated fewer points per day. The goal is for the dieter to eventually reach their target weight, at which point he/she uses his/her daily point range to maintain weight. Food point values are determined based on the number of calories, grams of fiber, and grams of fat in the food or beverage. By maintaining food and beverage point intake within the allowable range, individuals can successfully lose and/or maintain their weight. It’s easy!

That being said, there are certain guidelines that program participants must follow. First of all, everyone is encouraged to include at least five servings of fruits and vegetables in their daily meal plan. Since most vegetables carry zero points, this is an easy way to fill up while leaving room for tasty treats! Also, everyone is encouraged to have two servings of dairy a day (more for teens and individuals over 50 years old), six eight-ounce glasses of water a day, and some protein. None of this is dramatic, but some of it may be difficult at first. For me, drinking six glasses of water was a big change. For years I struggled to drink more water, but my best efforts to increase my consumption failed – until I joined Weight Watchers. That brings me to the dreaded journal.

Okay. Every diet has its torture element. For me, it’s the Winning Points journal. Program members are encouraged to keep written track of everything that they consume; every meal, beverage, and snack. I hated this! That being said, for me, the journal is what makes the diet plan so effective. By writing down everything I eat, I am more aware of the choices I make. My meals have not changed much – I still eat the same sorts of things during meals. The main change is all the little in-betweens that I used to eat without even realizing; a cookie or a piece of candy; a glass of juice instead of a glass of water. These unplanned “snacks” were the things that did me in. By recording everything that I eat in the journal, I was able to eliminate most of this impulse eating. I also record my water consumption in the journal, and that is what helped me to drink more. If by lunchtime I see that I haven’t had enough water, I pick up a glass and do something about it. The dreaded journal has become my friend. It helps me track my food and water intake and allows me to ensure that I always have enough points for my evening ice cream! I have continued to lose weight on this program, and I have had ice cream every single night since signing on with Weight Watchers! (Ok – yes, it’s low fat ice cream, but that’s a choice I make – I could have full fat ice cream with chocolate fudge if I wanted it and budgeted the points properly).

In addition to making smarter food selections, Weight Watchers encourages members to get active. This doesn’t mean you have to run or join a gym – it means you have to move around and burn calories. Weight Watchers encourages you to track activity, much like you track food consumption. If you work hard for half an hour scrubbing your bathroom, you get activity points. If you chase your kids around the park for an hour, you get activity points. If you walk for a mile in the mall while on a wild shopping spree to buy smaller size clothes, you get activity points. The goal is not to force yourself to exercise in ways that are distasteful, but to get you to move more. Park on the far side of the lot, take a walk on your lunch break, ride your bicycle for fun. The more you move, the more activity points you earn, the more you can eat!

The program is simple and it works! I’m thrilled with the results that I’ve seen, and I haven’t suffered to lose weight. I guess my main complaint would be that the program is expensive. I have elected to go to weekly meetings at a local Weight Watchers office. I pay $12/week to get weighed and to participate in a short discussion of a given topic. Do I get my money’s worth – well that all depends on how you look at it. I don’t love the meetings, but occasionally I do get a great recipe or a helpful hint that works for me. Mostly the meetings are good for me in terms of discipline. They keep the diet program a priority in my week, and yeah – strange as it sounds I felt great when I was awarded my “I lost 5 pound bookmark”. Meetings are not required. Individuals can join Weight Watchers on line at www.weightwatchers.com and get access to the points system, recipes and internet support groups.

The Winning Point system works for me. To quote fellow Epinion’s member “Lynnzop”, “I love being a Loosah!”, and that brings me around to the most important message of this post. Lynnzop is a member of Team EA, a group of ten Epinions members who will be participating in the Avon 3-Day Walk for a Cure for Breast Cancer this October in New York. When Team EA announced their “Support our Breasts” write-off, I was eager to participate, but I really couldn’t figure our what sort of review I could write about breasts. As time went by, it became clear to me that the goal wasn’t really to write about breasts, it was to support Team EA in their fundraising efforts and help to bring awareness to their cause.

Why is the Winning Points system a related topic? For several reasons. One, because Lynnzop was the individual who first convinced me to join Weight Watchers, and she has continued to provide support to me in my dieting efforts. Two, because, in my opinion, the Winning Points system is a program for healthy living, much more so than it is a program for weight loss. If the Avon 3-Day walk is not about healthy living, than I don’t know what is. And finally, because last week I ran into an acquaintance who recently finished her last chemotherapy treatment after a battle with breast cancer. This woman is grateful to be alive and to be cancer free, but her fight has affected her. Right now, one of her struggles is with the weight she gained from all of the medication that she was taking. She feels heavy and expressed a desire to join Weight Watchers to help her take it off. I, of course, told her that I thought that this was a great idea! Her goal – to join Weight Watchers and take off the extra weight so that she can train to walk in next years Avon 3-Day Walk for a Cure. After speaking to her, I knew what my contribution to this write of would be.

"182,000 women and men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. 40,000 women, 240 men, die from it. The ten women of Team EA have decided to make a difference. They've committed to raising $19,000 as part of the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade to fund research and provide early detection and awareness to medically underserved women. Team EA will walk 60 miles from Bear Mountain State Park to Manhattan, New York, October 11-13. If you would like more information or to help this worthy cause, please go to http://teamea.pledgepage.com Thanks for Supporting Our Breasts!"


Recommended: Yes

Approximate Monthly Cost (US$) 48
Food Variety Restrictions You eat any food you want
Restrictiveness of Portions Satisfying