Weigh in With Jen: Part 5 – Starting on Weight Watchers

Your first trip to Weight Watchers includes an enrollment fee, some paperwork, and your first weigh-in. Your first trip to Weight Watchers includes an enrollment fee, some paperwork, and your first weigh-in. They give you a little book that kind of looks like an old-fashioned savings account passbook, and you bring it each week so they can record your attendance, weight, and payment. They keep the same info at the meeting site on a card in a big box. For one of the world’s most popular weight-loss plans, it’s all very quaint and so 1970s, with the hand-written system and monthly pass mailings.

Our meeting leader was very outgoing and grandmotherly, in that modern way that includes wearing cute t-shirts and sneakers. Although mom and I don’t consider ourselves “joiners,” she quickly had us in the mix reporting on foods we had trouble controlling (me: sandwiches; mom: chips ‘n queso) and reasons we’d like to lose weight. After the meeting, she welcomed mom and me and taught us the system.

In addition to the ubiquitous POINTS (Flex) Plan, there was a new Core Plan that reminded me a little of South Beach. Mom and I both decided to stick with POINTS for now. We’re both generally bigger fans of portion control, because we’d rather have smaller quantities of yummy foods than unlimited amounts of, well, healthy ones. Our leader found our daily POINT allowance and explained the system. Mom was a little miffed that she got less POINTS than me, so I told her to get fat if she wanted more. She demurred.

After the meeting, we headed straight for the grocery store to stock up on new diet food. Neither one of us usually cooks for ourselves, so we bought pretty much every variety of Smart Ones and Lean Cuisine frozen entree, all the new Weight Watchers muffins and little cakes, and controlled-portion snacks like the 100-calorie chip bags. My haul looked exactly like what a fat person would eat – chocolate cake, cheesy chicken paninis, Doritos – except each had a manageable POINT total. Would I lose weight on a diet of chips and chocolate? Only time would tell…

Current weight: 187

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Weigh in With Jen: Part 4 – Choosing a Diet Plan

In my first entry, I listed a handful of diets I’d tried in the past. Trust me when I say that those were merely the tip of the iceberg. Frankly, I’m not sure if there’s a diet I haven’t tried. So how would I choose the next one? In my first entry, I listed a handful of diets I’d tried in the past. Trust me when I say that those were merely the tip of the iceberg. Frankly, I’m not sure if there’s a diet I haven’t tried. So how would I choose the next one?

Ideally, I’d love to eat like Halle Berry, who reportedly consumes only fish, chicken, green vegetables and brown rice. I’d also love to have a macrobiotic chef who balances the yin and yang of all my meals and serves them by candlelight to shamisen music. But, as it turns out, I’m neither a Hollywood A-lister nor a billionaire, and, when it comes right down to it, I’d rather just have a sandwich.

Mom suggested Weight Watchers. As you might guess from my history, I’ve counted the occasional POINT® in my past. I’d never done it with a buddy, though, or with my new commitment to slow, steady progress. I checked their Web site for a meeting schedule and found one that was at a convenient-enough location for both me and mom and at a time we could both make—lunchtime on Thursdays.

We agreed to meet that Thursday … at a traditional Southern meat-and-three for a decadent last meal. We’d hit the meeting and have our first weigh-in right after. I ordered fried chicken and sweet tea and had peach cobbler as one of my “vegetables.”

Afterwards, we sauntered fat and happy into our first Weight Watchers meeting. Held in a church basement near its daycare, I felt more like I was walking into Sunday School than a nutrition support group. Would it prove to be my salvation?

Current weight: 187

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Weigh in With Jen: Part 3 – Setting Goals

People have different ways of setting weight-loss goals for themselves. Some people want to fit into a certain size, or something crazy ambitious like their junior prom dress.  People have different ways of setting weight-loss goals for themselves. Some people want to fit into a certain size, or something crazy ambitious like their junior prom dress. Some people have an ideal weight in mind. Some people just want to “be healthy,” which – while vague – certainly sounds noble. Personally, I have two goals: to be a weight at which I am not fat, and to get to that weight in a way I can maintain for the rest of my life. So, not vague at all, right?

For the first, I decided to settle on a kind of rolling estimate. I chose 127 as my goal because I know for a fact that at that weight I can fit into 28-inch jeans and wear a bikini without feeling like a manatee caught in a fishing net. It’s somewhere in the middle of my ideal weight range, and gives me a decent waist without decimating my lovely lady lumps. BUT, and this is important, if I found myself happy at a higher weight, or still too big at 127, I would readjust.

For the second part of my goal— maintenance—I decided to make one huge change in my traditional weight-loss regimen: I was going to take it slooooooow. So, no low-carb induction, no starving, no four-hour workouts. Whatever changes I planned to make would have to be so incremental that I barely noticed them.

Initially, it was a little daunting to think that I might go as long as six months before noticing any real changes, but it was even more daunting to think about going through all of this again one day. If quick-weight-loss plans worked, I’d weigh 102 pounds and be writing a list of turn-ons for Playboy instead of a diet journal for Health magazine. It was time to try something new.

Current weight: 187

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Weigh in With Jen: Part 2 – How I Started My Zillionth Diet

So we’ve established that I’m fat, and that I’m ready to do something about it. But what brought this on, anyway? I’m not about to get married, I haven’t received a high-school reunion invitation, and it’s not even bikini season. So we’ve established that I’m fat, and that I’m ready to do something about it. But what brought this on, anyway? I’m not about to get married, I haven’t received a high-school reunion invitation, and it’s not even bikini season. Maybe my jeans are a little tight, but my Juicy Couture is awfully forgiving, and I have sets in almost every color. What set the wheels of the diet train in motion? It was an otherwise uneventful doctor visit.

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting any news when the nice nurse in the teddy-bear scrubs asked me to step on the scale. But as she moved the little bar higher and higher and higher, the walls started closing in, and I truly thought I might faint.

One-hundred and eighty-seven!

Nearly fifteen pounds higher than any previous weight I’d ever attained, even at my fattest! I couldn’t believe it when the nurse continued prattling on as though we had not just discovered I weighed twice as much as Nicole Richie plus half of Kate Bosworth. My life was over – I was two-and-a-half starlets.

Of course, I did the first thing anyone would do in that situation—got out of the appointment as quickly as possible and called my mother in tears.

Trust me, if you want some perspective on your weight, call your mom. If I was upset, she was horrified. And frankly, it was just what I needed.

If you have five or 10 or even 20 pounds to lose, there’s really no harm in going it alone. When it’s 50+, it’s time to call in the big guns. Mom promised to join me in my weight-loss efforts, whatever they may be. Now I just needed to pick a diet and exercise plan. Fortunately, there were only several hundred thousand to consider…

Current weight: 187

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Weigh in With Jen: Part 1 – My Absolute Last Weight Loss Attempt

Dear Diary,
I’m fat. Pretty shocking revelation, I know, considering you can’t throw a dart in a room full of Americans without a 50-percent chance of hitting a fat person. Dear Diary,

I’m fat. Pretty shocking revelation, I know, considering you can’t throw a dart in a room full of Americans without a 50-percent chance of hitting a fat person (maybe even better, really, since we tubbies take up more space and don’t duck as fast).

Like some of you, I’ve struggled with weight my whole life. My first diet memory involves eating plain tuna and saltines out of a Charlie’s Angels lunch box; there was probably Tab in the thermos.

I have Diet Centered and Atkinsed. I’ve been on South Beach, Cabbage Soup, Body-for-Life. I’ve attended the Weigh Down Workshop and have had food delivered from no less than three different companies. I’m a lifetime member of Jenny Craig and a graduate of LA Weight Loss. I’ve done Deal-A-Meal. And, with God as my witness, I’ve even done my fair share of Sweatin’ to the Oldies.

My most successful weight-loss attempt was also my most basic. Junior year of high school, I came up with a brilliant two-step plan: 1) don’t eat junk food and 2) exercise. As you might suspect, it worked like a charm. Why I didn’t carry that wisdom into college and beyond, I have no idea. But better late than never, right?

All that said, I’m still fat. And now the stakes are even higher. I’m writing a book on the economics of obesity and, frankly, would sooner die than have a chubbo picture on the book jacket. Would you read about obesity from a woman who can’t even conquer her own?

What’s more, I’m single, and I really, really like cute guys (the ones who don’t date fat chicks, unfortunately).

So there you have it. My career and love life hang in the balance. And the scales are not tipped in my favor.

More than anything, I want to make this zillionth weight-loss attempt my absolute last. So I’m going back to the basics. I have a big, mean trainer named Nick and a Weight Watchers buddy named Mom.

My goals are to lose 60 pounds and to make lifestyle changes I can live with. I’d planned to do it without publishing my weight for the world to see, but I guess this is better than being weighed on national TV in my sports bra—and this way I have you to keep me accountable. Just please don’t share this with any cute men. Not yet, anyway.

My vital stats
Starting weight: 187 pounds
Weight-loss goal: 60 pounds
Height: 5' 3"
Age: 35
First steps: Weight Watchers, a trainer, and putting my goal out there for everyone to see.

Current weight: 187 |

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Your What to Eat Guide

Tips on how to eat to reach your Feel Great Weight. Your metabolism will be transformed into a round-the-clock fat-incinerating machine with the flexible guidelines below.

“This plan focuses on resistant starches and healthy monounsaturated fats to keep you feeling energized and satisfied all day long,” diet expert Marissa Lippert, RD, says.

By loading up on the right (delicious) food, you’ll be getting fuel your body will use rather than store as fat. “You’ll lose weight, blast fat, and actually enjoy what you’re eating without feeling like you’re on a ‘diet,’” Lippert says.

What’s more, the frequent, well-balanced meals and snacks will keep you constantly satisfied and give you more energy. Read on, and check out our first-week Mix-and-Match Meal Plan to get started.

Feel the burn
Fill up fast on slow-burning, supersatiating resistant starches like black beans, oatmeal, barely ripe bananas, lentils, and multigrain breads. This type of starch resists immediate digestion, passing slowly through your body to keep you feeling full for a longer period of time. Plus, it helps your body burn more fat and can even fight disease.

Aim for four to six servings per day (we’ve loaded your Mix-and-Match menu with ’em), and click here for more options.

Don’t fear fat
MUFAs (a.k.a. monounsaturated fatty acids) help you lose belly fat naturally, studies show. These healthy fats also reduce inflammation, which can keep weight gain at bay and even help lower cholesterol and disease risks. Some good sources: avocado, olive and canola oils, sunflower seeds, salmon, and nuts.

Keep in mind that a little goes a long way when it comes to calorie-dense MUFAs, so aim for two to three servings per day; visit Health.com/fgw for serving sizes and a complete list.

Eat like clockwork
Aim to have a meal or small snack every three to four hours to keep your metabolism revved up and those calories and excess fat stores burning off. The goal is 1,400 to 1,600 total daily calories, broken down this way:

Breakfast, 300 calories
Lunch, 400 to 450 calories
Dinner, 450 to 500 calories
Two snacks, 100 to 200 calories each

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What Is Good Protein?

 Protein is an essential macronutrient in your diet. It provides energy when carbohydrates aren't available and gives structure to cells, organ tissues and muscles. There's no such thing as bad protein, but some protein sources are healthier for you than others. These good proteins are complete, providing all of the essential amino acids, and have a minimal amount of fat and calories.

Good proteins are complete. This means that they have all of the amino acids your body has to have from your daily diet -- you need more than 20 different amino acids, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains. Meat, seafood, fish, milk, poultry and eggs are all complete proteins. While beans, whole grains, nuts and other plant-based foods add protein to your diet, the protein is incomplete. You'll need to consume a variety of plant proteins throughout the day to get all of the essential amino acids your body needs versus getting them from one food.

Good proteins are lean, meaning they are low in fat and calories. Your entree should provide the protein your body needs but not wind up increasing your waistline. Examples of lean proteins include skinless chicken breast, beef top sirloin, pork tenderloin and light turkey meat. Fish and seafood are naturally lean, whether you love salmon, haddock, tuna, shrimp or lobster. These proteins each have 7 grams of protein per ounce and less than 3 grams of fat per ounce, reports MayoClinic.com. Fatty cuts of meat, like pork sausage and bacon, have the same amount of protein but also have more than 8 grams of fat per ounce.

Proteins that are particularly healthy for you have good fat. Coldwater fish, such as salmon, tuna, herring and mackerel, are packed with omega-3 fatty acids in addition to complete protein. Omega-3s reduce inflammation in your body, improve cholesterol levels and protect your heart. Consuming 8 ounces of omega-3-rich seafood per week drastically reduces your risk of suffering from heart disease, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010.

Keep your good proteins lean by utilizing healthy cooking techniques. Use nonstick cooking spray, instead of oil, during preparation. Grill, broil or pan-sear and bake your cut of chicken, fish or other lean protein source. When you go out to eat, avoid meat and seafood that are breaded and fried. Although the protein itself is lean, wrapping it in egg batter and breadcrumbs before dropping it in the fryer adds unnecessary fat and calories.

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