How I achieve success with the Weight Watchers App

success with the Weight Watchers App

Happy Friday!  As some requested, today I am going to continue my discussion of how I achieve success with the Weight Watchers app.

In early July, I shared this post explaining how I jumpstarted weight loss at age 68.

A few weeks later and a 69th birthday, I am pleased to report how I achieve success with the Weight Watchers App. 

NOTE:  The top picture was taken this week when I went thrifting at Goodwill San Antonio and decided to try on jackets. 

I am definitely in between sizes so shopping is a bit of a challenge…but it is a good problem to have!

Now, some of you have requested more specifics of what works and doesn’t work, so this is a follow up and I tried to cover all answers here!

HOW I ACHIEVE SUCCESS WITH THE WEIGHT WATCHERS APP

success with the Weight Watchers App 

 Connie in Oregon specifically asked how many points I am given to eat a day.

The answer is 17.  That may not sound like many, however, green veggies give extra points and most fruits, veggies, and many proteins are free. 

I am eating many more fruits and veggies than I did before…snacking less…and feeling great.  These are definitely measurements of how I achieve success with the Weight Watchers App.

Now, when I am good to stay on the app, then I accumulate extra points for the week that can be used for dinner out…within reason.  There have been times I have eaten out that I thought for sure I blew it… but, thankfully, did not.

Yet, notice I wrote “WHEN I AM GOOD TO STAY ON THE APP.”  There have been a couple of times over the summer that due to busyness, I stopped using the app.  I thought, “I’ve got this. I know what to do and what not to do.”  Then when I got on the scales, I had gained back several pounds.

So, the Weight Watchers App is everything to me to motivate me toward success.

This picture is a typical breakfast: Greek Yogurt, dash of cinnamon (cinnamon has super powers to lower sugar cravings), and fresh pineapple. Depending on your choice of yogurt it can go from zero points to two.

 

HOW I ACHIEVE SUCCESS WITH THE WEIGHT WATCHERS APP:

FAVORITE FOODS

success with the Weight Watchers App

 

 I have achieved success with the Weight Watchers app because I have allowed it to change my overall eating habits and refine the bad habits in healthy ways.

For example, I do love ice cream and wondered if I could give it up.  But this combination of frozen bananas and peanut butter is my new favorite dessert, snack and sometimes breakfast.

A tablespoon of this peanut butter is 3 points…the bananas are free.  I usually eat one tablespoon with one frozen banana.

 

Success with the Weight Watchers App

I also love bread and started the new plan last spring with Ezekiel Bread, but have switched to our local brand pictured here. 

The slices are better for how I eat with the bread, and they separate better than the other brand. 

Each slice is 2 points, but two slices are 3…don’t know why.  I use this bread for avocado toast, a tuna sandwich, a veggie burger, or my own take on French Toast. 

Most of my cooking is done with Avocado Oil or Cooking Olive Oil. 

The point system does force me to make decisions and to think about what I really want or what I do not want because the choice may be many points.

I love to use the UPC scanner in the Weight Watchers App at the grocery store and then I can decide of something comes home with me or not!

Sometimes I just want a quick lunch, and I will eat these Healthy Choice Zero Meals.  I have even poured this over a bowl of broccoli or spinach. The meal is one point….the veggies give two points back!

success with the Weight Watchers App

I am still cooking, though, not as often and I recently wrote how much I love the air fryer.

Here is one of my favorite ways to cook chicken strips (3 oz are free!):

AIR FYER CHICKEN STRIPS

I take a little over a pound of the skinless chicken breast tenders and stir them with a tablespoon of cooking olive oil.

Then I stir the strips in a mixture of spices:

1 T smoked paprika

2 teaspoons of onion powder

1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt

1 tablespoon of dried Italian Seasoning

1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (good for metabolism!)

Dash of black pepper

I set the air fryer to 400 degrees for 25 minutes and cook until they look like this picture.  I also test to make sure they are at least 165 with my meat thermometer.

They are yummy and success with the Weight Watchers App includes cooking foods you like and enjoy.

SUCCESS WITH THE WEIGHT WATCHERS APP: MY WAY

success with the Weight Watchers app

 

The success marks I mentioned in the first post are still true and important for my success with the Weight Watchers app.

I do not eat late…even if going out.  That has been hard for Mr. B because I only want one large meal a day and I want it early.  The last thing I do every day is take my Juice Plus supplements of fruits and veggies because it seems to get my system off and running better in the morning.

I begin my day with jumpstarting metabolism in mind.  The first thing I do every morning is drink a large cup of cold water and take a Vitamin B Complex tablet.

Then I have coffee with my Collagen for Her…see yesterday’s post.

Then I work out with Pahla B.

Next, I eat breakfast and begin my three cups of green tea…which I drink iced and see me through the morning as I work.

 

success with the Weight Watchers App

The flowers are shots I took while walking with Tux yesterday and I use them as a reminder to you all:  Keep Moving!!

The more I move, the more success with the Weight Watchers App I have.

I am consistent to stick to this plan every day.

Concentrating on improving metabolism has helped me so much and I know is a big step in success.

SUCCESS WITH THE WEIGHT WATCHERS APP – TRIGGERS

success with the Weight Watchers app

 Success for me means I must be aware of my triggers which might take me off the app.

I noticed last week that in the evening and at night I was craving sweets.

For the most part, these cravings had disappeared.

It did not take long for me to connect these cravings with stress from our current remodel.

In the past, stress eating has been one of my biggest issues.

Once I realized it, I made sure not to give in to it.

I also mentioned that I went through a time when I gained some weight back.

Two things that immediately stood out…I was not using the app daily, and for some reason had begun to drink Diet Dr. Pepper again (after a long time of not drinking it at all…like years).

Seriously, it is a little addictive and works adversely to the word “diet.”

Once I stopped and got back on the app, then success on the Weight Watchers App continued.

As I said in the first post, slow and steady wins the race…I will be doing this for awhile and I cannot allow some early success to stop me…or I easily regress.

I think I have covered everything…except a report on actual weight lost. 

Well, you see my house in the first picture…I do not know where the scales are…so I have not weighed in a couple of weeks.

Feel free to ask any questions…and I hope this helps those of you asking for more information.

It is a challenge to lose weight later in life in a healthy manner….but I am here to say, that I believe it can be done.

KEEP SMILING, ALL…IT’S THE WEEKEND!

By Pamela Lutrell

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Email is over50feeling40@gmail.com.  

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24 Comments

  1. Congratulations on your success! Managing stress in healthy ways is a good point, because it’s not uncommon for us to turn to ‘comfort food’s during those times. I have personally found portion control to be what works for me and loading up, so to speak, on vegetables. It seems that the counting and figuring of points might also be good for brain activity!

  2. Hi Karen, as I work with the points, I have changed my portion control. Also, there are many things I previously kept in the house that are no longer here. No reason to have items available to tempt me….logging into the app has help me so much make better choices.
    Have a great Friday!

  3. Thanks, Pam, for sharing your Weight Watchers plan. I’ve done WW in the past but never with the app. I think it’s time to give it a try. Your recent weight loss is inspiring! Would you be willing to share what sizes you are wearing now? It helps me to visualize how certain items of clothing would look on my frame. Thanks for all you do ~ your sunny disposition and honesty are so refreshing.

  4. Hi Tess, it is so hard to share on the sizes because I am in between. Also, the brands are different fits on me. I have gone closer to wearing larges where I was wearing XL. For the most part, I have left plus sizes behind.
    I am comfortably in size 16 on the bottom, but if a top is an oversized style I can sometimes go Medium. It has everything to do with the garment, the brand, and me….I hate to be confusing, but right now, it is confusing…and sometimes frustrating, but I need to try things on and going to the stores is important right now. In the past Talbot’s was always a difficult fit for me because it trended smaller. Now I am comfortably in their XL and size 16…so it just depends so much on the brand. I am in between a size 2 and 3 at Chico’s. I hope that helps.

  5. Hi Jane, Bigelow makes a line called Bigelow Benefits and the one I use is called Refresh with turmeric, chili, matcha. I get it at my grocery and it is on Amazon. I do not put anything in it and have used this brand for months. Right now I use three tea bags a day.

  6. Pam this was very helpful. I have joined WW and I’m trying to keep up with the app. I have to make sure I use it more and plan out my meals. I have been on WW before but I went to meetings. They were helpful and I did lose weight.
    What type of Juice Plus supplements do you take? I do take B complex daily but not first thing in the morning as you do. Good idea!
    Congratulations on your positive experience you make it more real when you talk about your ups and downs. We all have those!
    This was encouraging for me. Thanks!

  7. Hi Paula, I am so glad you found this encouraging and I do believe learning to successfully navigate the ups and downs is a big part of a weight loss journey over 60. I am about to link an old post…you can tell by hair…but it explains why I take Juice Plus, whole food supplements for fruits and veggies. Mr. B and I both take them and are on a plan that provides the gummies to some of the grandchildren. This post should answer all of your questions…let me know if it doesn’t:
    https://over50feeling40.com/2020/08/my-healthier-lifestyle-over-50-after-seven-years-of-juice-plus.html

  8. Bravo for sticking to your plan, and it’s obvious from your pictures how it is working for you! I was interesting in seeing your air fryer recipe. We recently bought an air fryer, and I’ve cooked some chicken tenderloins, but they have been very bland so I will be trying your recipe. I started doing the Pahla workouts most days after you recommended her program last year. I try to drink my water, and I keep track of my required daily calories, but have only lost a very few pounds in the past year of following her plan. However, I do walk a mile + daily, and am more flexible, feeling stronger. I do not think I stress eat, but the Southern culture in me wants a bit of sweet after a meal although I do not often indulge. Thank you for an encouraging post today.

  9. So hope it helps! The only thing I do with Pahla is her daily workout and she is great for encouragement! I need this app to stay on track…can’t be trusted yet on my own!

  10. Thanks for the info! I’m petite but a lot of what you do is applicable to most of us. I am not familiar with the WW app, but I write down what I eat. If one is honest about this, it does prevent overeating and snacking and encourages healthy choices. Thanks to you, I am drinking more green tea. If you want to share, I’d love to learn more about having your big meal early in the day. It seems to me that cooking a main meal early takes valuable time out of the day: how do you manage this?. And, how did you convince Mr. B?

  11. Hi Maeve, it has been hard for Mr. B…but at times he wants to eat out late…I just make sure I select items that are within my points. It does take time during the day, but it is time well spent. Sometimes, I will eat around 4, and if he is still in a meeting, he will come warm it up and eat when he wants. He is an off trail runner and Peloton user so he is burning way more calories than I do…and he loves it. We often eat very differently but he likes to eat healthy. I only cook maybe one day a week, and then on the weekdays. During the week we both have different schedules for our work and eat differently. So far, it is not a problem and I have become acclimated to eating early…when I eat later than 4 or 5 it doesn’t feel right…feels heavy to me. I needed to make drastic changes at my age in order to jumpstart my metabolism.

  12. Thank you, thank you!! This is such a terrific help to understand your approach, tip to toe, on what you’re doing to succeed. It is super inspiring. Just taking a stab at one or two components has not been working for me. I’m going back to the Y finally after 2-1/2 years of pandemic excuses and will sign up and do the WW. Thanks again! 🤗💗🌼

  13. Thank you for asking, Connie! I am glad it helped. I miss working out at the Y with my friends. Good decision!

  14. Pam, I wonder if unsweetened flavored sparking water has zero points. I think there is discussion back and forth regarding whether these drinks are harmful to tooth enamel, but most articles I have seen say they do not. I mention them because you said you miss your diet soda. They also satisfy me if I have an evening sweet craving. My favorite is Waterloo brand strawberry flavor

  15. Between Mr. B and me, we drink alot of this water, Mary. However, he does enjoy it more than I do…and it is zero points. I mostly drink water, tea and coffee now…but I cannot tolerate caffeine after noontime.
    Thanks for mentioning this.

  16. I really appreciate this! Food for thought — haha. Really, it is very kind of you to share, and there are elements I can adapt to my requirements. Thank you!

  17. Hi Pam
    Love your honestly about you weight loss and healthy progress. I have been on WW since the beginning of May. I love the app and my eating has change for the better way more fruit, veggies and lean protein. I have lost 33 lbs and am 55 years old. I do also go to live meetings once a week and enjoy the people sharing what is working and new foods they have found.
    Cheers

  18. Great post! I’m a lifetime WW member who’s maintained my goal weight for 20-ish years (through several plan changes); a healthy lifelong lifestyle change! Love your honesty and realization that it begins in your head not your mouth or your stomach. I also like Ezekiel bread (not familiar with your local brand). Why is one slice of bread 2 points and 2 slices 3 points? It’s ’rounding numbers’ which many of us haven’t done since elementary school. WW points are whole numbers, not decimals or fractions. So 2 points could be 1.6 points OR it could be 2.4 points. 2+2=4 BUT 1.6+1.6=3.2 which rounds to 3. 2.4+2.4= 4.8 which rounds to 5. Best wishes as you continue your plan!

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