A muffin is okay if I have enough points

Let’s skip the whole “I’m sorry, No Moore Muffins, that I ignored you for a whole month and a half” thingy. Because I don’t want to make excuses. But I will throw out a few.

In my absence, I managed to get a job at Bally Total Fitness and then get my hours cut down to diddly squat, move out of the house where I grew up, go on a fabulous trip to Seattle, win football tickets to the Ducks vs. Missouri State, run a 5k in Race For the Cure, and attend my first baby shower. I live and work in Portland now. There, now you’re all caught up.

What I really want to talk about is how this week is my first week of Weight Watchers!

So. I’ve never done Weight Watchers (WW) before but I’ve heard marvelous things from close friends, semi-close friends, and countless Facebook friends. Much of what I’ve heard are things like “OMG I lost 20 pounds on Weight Watchers!” But the reason I decided to start WW is because of the good, realistic eating habits it’s supposed to teach you. I know that I have been known to bash many weight loss and diet systems that aren’t DIY, but I have made my peace with Weight Watchers. Here’s why:

1. It’s not a diet! There aren’t any strict food rules. You can eat any combination of foods as long as you stay under your daily points allowance (and your weekly allotted extra points). The idea is that keeping track of what you eat is extremely conducive to developing healthy eating habits. Anyone who says that Weight Watchers is a diet is clearly just as misinformed as I was. About a year ago, I had ignorantly thrown Weight Watchers into the ‘diet’ category in a Blog post. my brother’s girlfriend Emily kindly informed me of my misunderstanding:

“It is a tool that teaches you effective changes of mind that help you eat nutritiously and in a way that is realistic. Yet it gives [you] the opportunity to make a real lasting life decision on how you are going to fuel your body,” Emily said.

Emily’s words have continued to pop back into my mind whenever I think of Weight Watchers. And I also couldn’t help but acknowledge the fact that Emily, who did Weight Watchers a few years ago, hasn’t appeared to have gained back any of the weight she initially shed. No, she seems rather thin indeed. In a way, Emily–along with Jennifer Hudson–has shown me the light.

2. One of my favorite things about WW so far is that it coincides with my own philosophy that I should be able to eat as many fruits and veggies as I want. In WW’s PointsPlus program, fruits and veggies don’t have any points  value. Meaning, I can eat myself into a raspberry or watermelon oblivion if I so please. And I happen to be doing so right now!

3. As proud as I am that I was able to lose 70 pounds with nothing but my own willpower, it turns out that my strict eating plans in which I proclaim no more cookies! No more cake! No more muffins! is very difficult to maintain. Which is probably why I have gradually gained back 10 pounds from the 70 that I lost. After about a year of failing to get past my plateau, I’ve accepted the fact that I…need help. It’s hard to admit that–even in writing. While I understand completely how to eat for weight loss, it’s difficult for me to put it into action without the motivation that 70 extra pounds gave me.  So I want to see if Weight Watchers can help me reach below my plateau weight, and teach me how to get rid of those last few pounds once and for all.

I get 29 points a day and 49 extra points to use throughout the week on treats and extras. My first goal is to lose 9 pounds (5% of my body weight). After I lose the 9 pounds I will set another goal. I paid for 3 months of Weight Watchers, and that will get me at least halfway through December (which is when I need the most help with my eating). Because I signed up for the WW Online program, I am not going to be attending the meetings. However, my friend Madison has also signed up and we are going to be a support system for one another.

I want to learn how to incorporate treats, wine and other extras into my life while losing and/or maintaining my desired weight. I’m excited for WW to teach me that balancing act. In fact, the most exciting part about this is how enthused I am! I find that it’s always a good sign if I’m excited about starting a plan, because that means I am confident about succeeding.

In light of all this, it may make more  sense to change the name of this blog from No Moore Muffins to A Muffin Is Okay if I Have Enough Points. However, I am pretty satisfied with my chosen title so I think I’ll just stick with No Moore Muffins.