Welterweight

Wednesdays are my weigh-in day on the Weight Watchers plan (it's not Wednesday for everyone -- that just happens to be the day I started the program), and I was excited to note this morning that I have lost a total of 13 pounds since I started. I don't think anyone I see on a daily basis has noticed yet, but I can tell the difference in the way I look and the way my clothes fit. I'm proud of myself.

Honestly, Weight Watchers hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be. They let me eat as much microwave popcorn (the 94% fat free kind) and Diet Coke as I want, and those are my favorite foods. I'm not crazy about all the water they want me to drink (at least 48 ounces per day), but I'm sure it's doing something beneficial for me. The only thing I really mind is that I'm supposed to eat two servings of fat-free dairy per day, and plain, non-fat yogurt is a vile substances and skim milk is not much better. I've discovered that if you mix the yogurt with applesauce (natural applesauce is permitted), it disguises the taste. You can also disguise the taste of skim milk with instant, fat-free vanilla pudding mix (note: pudding mix + yogurt = disgusto).

I have lost more per week than Weight Watchers recommends (meaning more than two pounds per week), which I assume is normal at the start of a new nutrition program because the body is shocked by new habits. It's frustrating to contemplate losing weight so slowly, but I have found that Weight Watchers' inspirational articles actually do inspire. One article pointed out that losing weight, even slowly, is better than gaining, and that is for damn sure. Another got at the idea of losing weight slowly to give yourself time to adjust to a new routine. That addresses some of my concerns about the psychological implications of losing weight. If it takes a long time, it gives me the opportunity to develop a new relationship with food and find new ways of easing the pain of boredom, loneliness or sadness. Plus, as another article pointed out, quick weight loss plans advocate unsustainable diets while Weight Watchers (and perhaps other plans, but this is the only one with which I am familiar) champions a more sensible and broad-based approach.

So far, I am happy with my progress, but I still have a long way to go.