I've already mentioned a few times in my blog that I worked at Weight Watchers for a little over five years. It was a fantastic learning experience. I learned the basics of how to lose weight and healthy eating from Weight Watchers, but I learned the subtle ins and outs, the tricks and tips, what really works and what doesn't from the clients.
The scale was like a confessional. That was my one-on-one time with each client when they would see their results for the week then talk to me about what went right or wrong, what worked for them and what didn't. They confessed, I listened, I made mental notes. I knew I was getting good stuff and I wanted to pass it along.
So, here is my chance. Today I am starting Tips From the Scale Wednesdays. I have enough material to keep this going for almost a year already, and since food is one of my favorite topics, I'm sure I'll find more along the way. The great thing is, you don't have to do any specific program to use these tips. They are generic and healthy.
Today's topic: Make Minimal Waves
This was advice I always gave during my intro to the program speech because it was some of the best advice I got from my leader when I started.
She advised me not to make sweeping changes starting day one of my diet. But, you say, if I don't change how I eat, I'm going to weigh the same, or keep gaining. You are going to need to make some changes, but make them as subtle as possible. For example, if your family always has pizza on Friday nights, or your group at work eats at the Chinese buffet on Wednesdays, keep doing those things, just figure out better choices for yourself in each situation.
Eating is social and emotional. A diet or just healthier eating will not stick if you must make sweeping social changes in order to follow it. You have family pizza night because it brings the people you love together. Keep the pizza, plan to eat less of it, with veggie toppings and a large side salad and fruit for dessert. Going out with your coworkers is more about office gossip than what's on your plate. So change that. Start with a bowl of egg drop soup (no putting fried crunchy things in it). Then make a plate of mostly veggies with a little of the not so healthy stuff.
Every family has favorite foods. Don't suddenly stop making those. (And don't go on a clean-all-bad-foods-out-of-our-house rampage). Your family will support you more if you don't torture them in the process. Gradually, you can substitute ingredients and stock the pantry with healthier foods. In the mean time, plan to eat less of high calorie (or high point) foods.
I once worked for another (nameless) diet company. Their plan required that you eat their prepackaged meals, which was fine, as long as you were eating at home. If you were going to eat out they suggested that you bring your little frozen dinner along and ask the restaurant to heat it up for you. I had to hold a straight face and tell clients that they should bring the food to a business dinner and ask the chef at Chez Pricey to nuke it for them. (I still wonder how many people actually did that). The drop out rate on that program was high.
One final note, this is not the fast way to lose weight. It is the slow, steady, realistic, keep-it-off way. It's a way you can live with.
I hope you enjoyed my first TFS Wednesday. If you did, let me know. I revised the comment process, so it should be much easier for anyone to comment now. Please take a sec and give it a try. Labels: diet, food, TFS, weight
