New to Weightwatchers? Here are my hints and tips.

There have been a lot of new people reading my blog lately and posting on the Weightwatchers forum. I imagine this is due to the monthly pass which allows you to find the forums. Welcome to you and thank you to EVERYONE for reading my blog.

A lot of new people regularly ask for hints and tips on the forums and a lot of people (old and new) ask how I have so far managed to lose 10 and a half stone. For that reason I have decided to write an entry on here with all my hints and tips on. If anyone reading this thinks it might help someone else in the future, please do not be afraid to pass on the link or my email address (vicky_radford@hotmail.co.uk). OK, here goes...

1. It is not easy - So many times in the past I've thought that signing up to Weightwatchers is enough to make it happen. It is not, you have to work at it and it takes time.
2. Take time to read the information available to you - Whether it is in the form of booklets from your meeting or electronically take time to familiarise yourself with it and learn the programme.
3. If there is anything you are not sure about do not hesitate to ask - Whether it is at your meeting, through your leader or other members, Weightwatcher customer service or on the forums do ask any questions. They may seem silly to you but someone else may benefit too and there is always someone who knows the answer.
4. If you can, make the most of the Weightwatcher forums -I find so much support, inspiration, encouragement, hints & tips not mention friendship from everyone on the forums, especially on 5+.
5. Take the advice from the programme - i.e. cut down and/or limit sugary snacks or food. I have an anti sugar thing going on at the moment but I do find if I eat too much sugar that I lose less weight that week. This does include too much fruit so do try to have veg as the majority of your 5 a day.
6. Drink plenty of water - I make sure I drink 2 litres of water a day on top of tea, coffee and other drinks. Not only does this aid weight loss but it flushes out the toxins in your body and my skin has felt so much better since I have been drinking it.
7. Get moving - It does not have to be a lot but every little helps. It may be walking the kids to school instead of taking the car or going swimming. I have taken it a bit to the extreme because I love exercise but you do not have to do that. Do the amount that is right for you and try to gradually build it up over time.
8. If you are worried about excess skin there is lots you can do to fight it. Every one's skin texture is different so what works for one may not work for another but I've lost 10 and a half stone to date and apart from a little on my arms and tops of my legs, I do not have much, although there is still time for this to happen. I am terrified that one day I'll need surgery to remove the skin so I think I'd rather have a bit of excess skin than be "fat", In the meantime though there are things we can all do to help the skin shrink. These include exercise, drinking water, using a body brush, using a firming lotion and eating a healthy balanced diet. Finally on the subject of excess skin I would say don't panic. It can take up to 2 years for skin to realise it needs to catch up so be prepared to give it time.
9. Be wary of veg - Not a major thing but although veg is free food, it does have some calories in it. A friend of mine stayed the same recently and when she worked out the points of all her veg that week she was having 3.5points extra a day. Just something to be aware of.
10. If you have a bad day/week/month/whatever learn to draw a line under it and move on ________________________________________________________________ There, it's easy really. If you go over points what is the point in giving up? I find it helps me to physically draw the line and learn from what has happened. Then put it down to experience and move on. What is the point in beating yourself up over it?
11. Finally remember this - If you give up this time, in 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 1 year or whenever you will only want/have to lose weight again. The longer you leave it, the more weight you will have put on and have to lose again. Is there any point? Surely it is better to have a bad day, draw that line and get back into things? Last time I "gave up" I put on over 5 stone, as per the before. In fact, I can't remember how many times I've lost and gained that 5 stone. Why? Because I wanted something nice to eat or because I could not be bothered. We all owe ourselves more respect from that. BY CHEATING THE ONLY PERSON WE ARE CHEATING IS OURSELVES!!!

I really do hope this helps you, whether you are first timers or old handers to my blog. Of course not everything works for everyone but these are just somethings that have helped me and that I thought I would share with you.

If we stop making excuses and follow the programme we can achieve our goals and think how proud we'll all be of ourselves and each other when we get there.

Good luck with your journey. Please let me know how you are doing and whether this helps you. I look forward to hearing from you.

Vicky xxx