The following tips and advice are for those following the Weight Watchers Momentum Plan. If you have any other tips or advice that you think others would benefit from please feel free to add them in the comment section below:
***Write down everything that you eat/drink. Maintaining an accurate journal, especially in the beginning, is the key to your weight loss success as it helps keep you honest and allows you to see where your diet may be lacking (like veggies, etc).
***Avoid drinking your POINTS® away. You would be surprised how quickly a couple glasses of regular cola can deplete your daily allotment of points. Some zero POINT® beverages include water, diet beverages, crystal light, tea, black coffee and more. Be sure to check the labels for the correct serving size.
***Use all of your daily POINTS®. Weight Watchers has set up the program to help you lose from .5 to 2 pounds a week. This is a safe and healthy pace to lose weight.
***Drink lots of water. Keeping your body hydrated is the key to a healthy metabolism and successful weight loss. Water is necessary for flushing the toxins that are created within your body. Drink about eight to ten 8oz glasses per day. Some studies suggest that drinking ice cold water can increase your metabolism as your body tries to maintain its core temperature.
***Recalculate how many POINTS® you get per day to be sure that you are not eating too many. Remember that every time that the second digit of your weight changes, so does your daily POINT® allowance. For example if you weighed 170 pounds one week and then 169 pounds the next, your daily POINTS® allowance just dropped by one POINT®.
***If you are using the 35 weekly bonus POINTS® STOP! Use them only for special occasions (holiday, birthday, etc) and use as few as possible
***Exercise 4-5 days a week for 30-40 minutes. Concentrate on cardiovascular type exercises such as running/jogging, swimming, biking, etc. These burn fat faster than weight lifting, crunches, sit-ups, etc. If you are just starting with your exercise routine, start off slowly and work your way up. The key is to do more than you used to.
***Do not add activity POINTS® for the exercise that you do unless you are really doing some intense training for a few hours at a time.
***Make sure that you are correctly calculating POINTS® for the food that you eat. And remember that the POINTS® that you get only apply to one serving. If you have more than one serving you have to recalculate to be sure of the POINTS®. An example is a fiber one bar, they are 2 POINTS® for one bar but if you have two bars they come up to 5 POINTS®. This has to do with the rounding that is done by the POINTS® calculator.
***Enlisting a friend to join Weight Watchers with you can make your meetings a little more fun as well as provide a little added motivation for losing weight. But even if they are not interested in doing Weight Watchers, you may be able to convince them to become an exercise buddy.
***Eat smaller meals more often throughout the day. Try to eat something every 2-3 hours to keep your metabolism going
***Find some 0, 1 & 2 POINT® snacks to help keep you satisfied. These include fruits, veggies, fat/sugar free Jell-o & gelatins, 100 calorie packs of assorted snacks. You can also create your own 100 calorie packs by dividing bulk items into smaller 100 calorie serving sizes based on the nutritional data.
***Always take your POINT® calculator with you when shopping. This way if you find something new that you want to try you can accurately calculate the POINTS® for the item and make an educated decision on whether to buy it or not instead of just ‘guess-timating’.
***Calculate and mark all of the food in your home with POINT® values. This requires a little extra effort when putting away your groceries but saves time and makes life easier in the long run.
***Never eat any bulk food/snacks (like chips, pretzels, etc) directly from the package. Divide into single servings and package in zip lock bags which can be marked with the POINT® values and expiration date for the items. When you desire a snack these single serving packages will help keep you honest and on target.
***Whether you are going to work or out for a day of shopping, it is a good idea to plan ahead and pack for the day accordingly. Bringing your own food and snacks can not only save you money but will also help keep your POINTS® in line with your daily allowance. If you will be eating out, determine where you will be eating before leaving and do some research to select the best meal that suits your needs.
***In addition to your daily food journal, start another journal where you can write down all of the POINT® values for food that you calculate on a daily basis. If you spend the time to calculate the POINTS® for an entire meal, be sure to log that, also. This will help cut down on repeatedly calculating the same items over and over.
***When dining out, request a ‘To Go’ container at the beginning of the meal and separate the meal into two equal meals before taking your first bite. Save the container for lunch tomorrow or give it to another family member when you get home. Don’t be afraid to ask for dressing on the side or smaller portions if taking food home would not be convenient.
***Weight Watchers has not banned anything from your diet and neither should you. It is perfectly alright to indulge a little here and there, just remember it is all about portion control. If you love pizza, you should have a couple of slices once in a while. Are you a chocolate lover? Remember, one bite tastes just as good as ten. Denying yourself access to comfort foods and other favorite items could spell disaster for your long term goals as it will usually lead to cheating and giving up.
***Do not avoid special occasions. These are the perfect time to put what you have learned to the test. Try eating a little something (I like fiber one bars) before going and drink lots of water. This will fight the urge to over indulge but still allow you to sample some of your favorites.
***The weekly weigh-ins are a real motivator and should not be missed, even if you had a bad week. If you are doing Weight Watchers on your own, let family and close friends know of your goals and your weekly progress. Encourage them to ask for your weekly results to help keep you motivated.
***Trying new items will help avoid the ‘rut’ that people on a diet usually face at one point or another. A good place to experiment is in the produce aisle. Try to find a new or unusual fruit or vegetable to try a couple times a month.