Weight Watcher Lifetime Member

Today is a really special day for me! Today I became a Lifetime member of Weight Watcher's. I'm so excited that after 9 months I've finally achieved my goal. Whoo hoo!

The total I've lost through this program is 26.6 pounds. I have a couple of photos from my weekend in Denver, but I am getting a new model/professional portfolio shoot taken in July by my new friend, Jodie Westfall. You can check out her work at:

www.jodiewestfallphotography.com

In the meantime, here's some things that changed for me.

Tips to change? Here's some things I did.

1. I started Weight Watcher's and chose the Flex points.

2. I determined that it would be an adventure instead of a chore. I became adventurous with the foods I tried.

3. I learned the vegetables I like by trying a bunch of new recipes.

4. I switched things one week at a time. I didn't do it all at once and overwhelm myself.

5. I didn't quit.

6. I learned that I really did eat too much.

7. I didn't give up my favorites, I just made sure I counted that in my daily points. Because of this, I actually began to choose different foods on purpose. I didn't think I would ever NOT eat a bunch of bread each day. Now, I'm shocked to realize that I go days to weeks without it and don't miss it.

8. I really do load up on vegetables now. I usually serve 2-3 different vegies at dinner. I would never have thought I would do that before!

9. I eat when I'm hungry, but before I'm too hungry. This was a hard one for me. I really had a tough time learning this, but it is one of the best things I learned.

10. I eat breakfast. My favorites are Arrowhead 4 Grain Cereal with Flax, brown sugar, and skim milk. I also like homemade hashbrowns, an egg, and strawberries. Every now and then, I have to plan for Swedish pancakes. When I do that, I'm very careful with my points the rest of the day.

11. I add fiber to my diet every chance I get. That's one reason I eat the Arrowhead 4 Grain cereal most mornings.

12. I swim, walk, clean, and look for ways to add steps and excercise to my days.

13. I pay attention to what events are happening each week so that I won't over do every night.

14. I gave away all my larger sizes. I completely cleaned out my closet. That was hard because I really liked some of them:-)

15. Then I went shopping! I didn't do massive, expensive shopping. I just shopped a little bit at a time to continually reward myself and rebuild my wardrobe. I'm still astonished that I wear a 4-6, depending on store and style:-D

16. I changed my recipes to lower the fat, add fiber, add healthier options. For instance, chocolate chip cookies are made with a combination of butter, peanut butter, and applesauce instead of a cup of butter. Then I use whole wheat flour and oat flour instead of white. I'll post that one next. I even had a nutritionist check out the recipe.

17. I eat a lot of salad, but not the rabbit food, lol. I make several different kinds. One of my friends brought over a salad full of different vegies. ROFLOL, I never knew salad could be like that! Some days it's lots of different fruits chopped up too. We eat it first.

18. I keep snacks I like, yes, but one of my favorites is really miniwheats.

19. I am still going to the weekly meetings. Why? Because I learned accountability made all the difference for me.

20. I find ways to encourage other people. It's amazing what a blessing that is to me. You think encouragement is something you give away, but it's really something that comes back to you through the uplifted expressions and the feeling that you might have made someone else's day, or even life, better.

You know what? If this is one of your goals, you can do it too!

Angie