Why I like Weight Watchers..

I'm going to post twice today..so suck it fellas!

I sort of got the inspiration for this post from the Weight Watchers message boards.  Just to be clear, this is my second go round with Weight Watchers.  The first time was successful but I don't think that I last longer than maybe 3 or 4 months.  I lost weight, but I thought that I could really follow the plan without tracking.  It didn't work and I gained my weight back.  This time around it seems easier.  I am able to do everything online and can track with my phone.

But that's not why I am writing this post.  Someone posted on the boards that they like Weight Watchers because it didn't have to disrupt his whole family.  In other words, he didn't have to force his diet on his family.  Luckily for me, that wouldn't have been an issue because my wife and I are doing the diet together but I still like the sentiment.

For years now, my buddies and I have gone out on Monday nights for drinks and dinner.  Recently, I gave up the drinks parts (don't like what I can turn into when I drink) but I still like to do the dinner part.  One of my buddies has been on a couple of different diets over the last few years.  When he was on South Beach, we had to find a place that was carb friendly* and served wine**.  Now that he is on some cleansing "No Red Meat" diet (I don't even know what it is called), we have to find places that fit into that sort of thing.

* The funny thing is, WW wants you to restrict your carbs too and I'm pretty sure it's because a carbs are a source of a crap load of calories (just like fat, etc).  However, I can still have a piece of bread and not feel like I am going to derail my diet.

* * I've always liked that Weight Watchers dings you (more or less) the same for standard servings of wine, beer, or hard liquor (of course, foofy drinks get ya).  I seem to remember from one of my early meetings that the bad stuff in alcohol was, well, the alcohol.  


To be completely honest, it has never really bugged me all that much because diet or no diet, I was always able to get beer at a place that served wine and I could find something that I wanted to eat anyplace.  With WW, I can still do that.  I've been on the diet since September and I don't think that I've ever uttered the words "I can't go there because of my diet***" with friends, family, etc.  I might have to choose something a bit different than I did before, but I know that I can find something on any menu that will keep me on the right track.  Even if the food is on the "bad" side, I have enough extra points that I can kind of splurge if I have to.

*** Now, I have had to tell people that I couldn't take their treat or sweet but I think that is a little different.  One day my brother tried to get me to eat a cookie our sister made.  I had already scarfed down a few cookies at home that day and I just had to say no.  I just knew it wasn't going to fit into my points that day (plus, the cookies at home ate into extra points, etc)

In closing, I want to thank Weight Watchers for giving me the freedom to choose whatever I want on the menu as long as I have the points to eat it.