When Suzanne approached a milestone birthday, she set a goal for herself—and Weight Watchers helped her achieve it.
My mother, sister and brother are all very slim, but I took after my father. I graduated from 8th grade weighing more than my adult goal weight. The scale went up and down throughout my 20s, but as I approached 30, I committed to a diet plan for that milestone birthday, and I lost 100 pounds. I kept that weight off for 10 years, but gained it all back in my 40s.
Fateful Web Surfing
Heavy again, I was nearing my 50th birthday. One night, my husband logged onto the computer and I asked him to look up the closest Weight Watchers location. He responded almost immediately—apparently, he had just seen a Weight Watchers ad onscreen. I took that as a sign!
A Golden BirthdayI wanted to reach my goal weight by the time I turned 50, and when I joined Weight Watchers meetings and started following the POINTS® Weight-Loss System in January 2003, I had a little over a year and a half to do it. For me, personal ambitions were essential—I would set weekly and monthly goals for the meetings. Weighing-in was a huge motivator for me, and my Leader and other members were invaluable for tips and support (bragging when I lost a few pounds wasn't too bad, either!).
Downsized—and Spreading Success
I've gone down nine dress sizes, and my old shoes are too big*! I even found time to work as a Weight Watchers receptionist since I found their support so encouraging as I was going through the program. My husband eats the same foods I do, so he's lost weight too.
I look and feel younger, and have energy I haven't felt in years! Not only can I walk up stairs without getting winded—I can speed walk! For exercise, I use the Weight Watchers workout DVD: I started with light intensity moves, then graduated to moderate ones, and now I'm up to the high intensity workout. I used to be "too busy" to exercise, but now I make the time after work and before dinner. I even sleep better now.
I stuck with the program, and it was—pardon the expression—a piece of cake!
Suzanne's Tips:
I like to eat in volume to get the biggest bang for my buck.
Find your favorite zero POINTS values foods and go to town! I love to mix string beans with canned stewed tomatoes and sliced mushrooms—you get to eat so much!
- As my Leader says, "Christmas is a day, not a week." You can splurge a little on the holidays, but the day after Christmas, you're back on program.
You'll have good weeks and bad weeks, but keep the bigger picture in mind to keep focused and on track for the long haul.
Really follow your Leader's suggestions—after all, she's the expert, right?
Find a meeting you love—there are usually several that are close enough to attend. The weekly group support was the most important aspect of my weight-loss success.
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