Thank you so much, I really appreciate your support and words of wisdom.

I totally hear what you’re saying about changing your relationship with food. In my experience, the mental hurdles of losing weight are BY FAR more overwhelming than having to change your diet and get more exercise.

It sounds like you’ve found a way to balance a healthy lifestyle with daily indulgences and occasional treats, which I think is the ultimate goal for all of us!

I’ve experimented with lots of different snacks, and you’re so right — the “low-fat,” “diet,” “100-calorie,” snacks etc. are so not worth it, with the exception of a select few. (I still LOVE chocolate Vitamuffins).

These days, though, I’m finding that snacking on an orange or a handful of grapes is much more satisfying…but we all need that glass of wine or dessert sometimes to stay sane.

It seems so obvious, but maybe I really should change my weigh-in day. My problem has always been my tendency to get stuck in a rut and my unwillingness to change routines that have become “comfortable” to me. I’ve been weighing in on Sunday mornings for 3 years. What’s stopping me from changing things up? It would make a heck of a lot more sense to have my WP/AP reset for the weekend instead of “saving” every POINT I have all week in anticipation of Friday and Saturday dining out and drinks.

Your advice about not doing anything to lose weight that you’re not willing to do for the rest of your life is my daily mantra. It’s so, SO true.

Thanks again!!

Jen

It seems like maybe your weigh in day is part of the issue too. Could you WI on Friday instead? That way your WPs reset so you can use those all weekend, but then you have all week to catch up. Might help you be more honest with yourself.

The best advice I’ve ever gotten on this subject is don’t do anything to lose weight that you aren’t willing to do forever.

I’m not a WW genius but I sure have learned a lot along the way!

Thanks so much for reading. I really appreciate you sharing your experience and advice!

You know what? I think you’re absolutely right. I walk around all the time telling people “I don’t deprive myself to lose weight…I’m on WWers…I eat whatever I want,” etc. And to answer your question, I most certainly use my WP and AP. Couldn’t live without ‘em!

But here’s what I’ve been doing since I started this journey, and what could very well be leading to my weekend bingefests now: I stick to the program to a “T” during the week. I dip into my AP if absolutely necessary, but otherwise, everything that passes my lips is a lean protein, veggie, fruit, or something that’s completely “healthy.” I work out like a fiend, I don’t waste POINTs on alcohol, and I try to avoid dining out at all costs.

But then comes the weekend. I had the great idea to save up all my WP and AP so that I can go out with my BF for dinner, drinks, etc. on Friday, Saturday, and/or Sunday. To be completely honest, I only loosely count the POINTs I eat on Fridays and Saturdays. Then I weigh in on Sunday morning — when I often feel bloated from two nights of dining out — and all hell breaks loose for the rest of the day.

I proceed to stuff myself with all the things I’d like to eat during the week but don’t manage to work into my plan because I don’t want to “waste” POINTs on them — snacks like Popchips and Pirate’s Booty, drinks like Starbucks’ Light Frappuccinos — and I don’t count them. Granted, it’s not like I’m sticking my head in a gallon of Ben & Jerrys or downing french fries, but I know the calories from too many “lighter” snacks are still adding up.

I think I just really enjoy having that one day where I’m not counting POINTs and agonizing over every single bite that goes into my mouth. It worked for the first 90 pounds, so I guess that’s how I justify the behavior to myself.

But then I wonder why the scale has gotten stuck, and nothing I do on weekdays seems to get it moving again. I basically just keep gaining and losing the same 3-5 pounds over and over again.

I need to do what you’re doing. I need to own up to what I’m eating, regardless of the day of the week, and start indulging within the actual parameters of the POINTs I have left.

I’m thinking I need to blog about this…

Thanks again, Kelly. I look forward to hearing from you again!

Jen

Happy New Year! YES — thank you for catching that. Oops! I meant to say carbs are being counted, and we’re supposed to watch sodium. Gotta fix that.

I’m lazy, too, when it comes to cooking…that’s definitely proving to be my most difficult resolution. So far I’ve been relying on anything from the WWers Recipe Finder that’s labeled “easy,” with a prep/cook time under 30 minutes. Haha.

Great to hear from you!

Jen