Weight Watchers success story - Rina

Here is a good story about a lady that struggled with her weight and diets for many years before hooking up with Weight Watchers and making the life changes necessary to lose the weight that she wanted and it did take time, but consistently she lost the weight that she wanted

Rina entered her 40s feeling "dowdy," but when she let herself be coached in eating right and exercising, she found her inner athlete – and dropped to a weight she hadn't seen since high school.

I went on my first diet when I was in 8^th grade, and that started my 25-year history as a yo-yo dieter. I actually followed Weight Watchers before, but after I'd reach my goal weight, I'd resume old eating habits and regain the weight.

A Milestone Birthday
I turned 40 in March of 2004, and I felt old, out of shape and unattractive. I was 30 pounds heavier than when I got married in 1989. I decided to take a big step: I signed up for an triathlon that October (my first). At the same time, I knew I needed help and structure, so I subscribed to Weight Watchers Online and started following the Weight-Loss System.

Online Tracking Works!
For me, the secret this time around was tracking points values online. The online POINTS tracker is genius. Every food item you can think of is in the database, and it adjusts for portion size. Plus, I could log on from anywhere.

Slow But Steady
I lost 8 pounds in my first 8 weeks on the plan, and I felt very encouraged. I dropped a pants size, and my physical training got easier as I got slimmer.*

Training like a Celebrity
It may seem extreme to sign up for a triathlon as a first step in exercising, but I knew that celebrities could complete marathons with personal trainers, and I wanted one, too! I put an ad in a local paper requesting a high school athlete who'd help me train at least five hours a week. Will, a freshman lacrosse and football player, lived just down the street. We ran, biked and swam all summer!

The Finish Line
After five months following the plan, I hit my 10% goal – and crossed the finish line of my first-ever triathlon.* Talk about empowering! Will even came and took photos – he's helped me train for two more triathlons since then. I know that without the change in my diet, I couldn't have accomplished such a huge physical feat. I let Will be my fitness coach, and Weight Watchers Online was my expert nutritionist!

Rina's Tips:

• I travel a lot, and when I am in an unfamiliar restaurant, I stick with lots of fruit, green salads, non-fried lean chicken or seafood. Sometimes I take a tiny bite if there's something else amazing that I have to try!
• Stock your home with a variety of fruits and vegetables: fresh, frozen, or canned.
• You don't need to join a fancy gym to be active. Before I ran, I walked. I initially earned up to four activity POINTS values per hour. Buy a pedometer, and try to beat your own daily step record.
• Be patient. It took me 13 months to lose 30 pounds. If you lose half a pound a week, don't get discouraged – those pounds add up!
• Don't use middle age as an excuse. Before I subscribed to Weight Watchers Online, I figured my metabolism had slowed down and I could never be slim again. Baloney! It took a year, and a lot of persistence, but now I weigh what I did in high school.
• My motto: You can achieve anything with a coach – so let Weight Watchers be yours.