Water!

When I started looking at what I was eating and drinking now, and what I was drinking two years ago when I was really doing well on the points plan, the first thing I noticed was that I wasn't drinking enough.

In the past I really worked to get the water (or in my case sugar free lemonade) in. As I stayed on the plan, I started to realize, I'd gotten lazy about drinking.

So, I started to fill a 2 liter container and put it in my fridge and each day I make sure that container is empty by the time I go to bed.

The other thing was, I wasn't drinking alcohol. Now I love a glass of wine, or even a lite beer on a hot day, but once again, I was getting lazy and I was drinking a glass of wine almost every day. I counted the points, but I have to be honest. I am not one of those people who can drink alcohol and get away with it.

So I've become a lemonade, tea toddler, and it seems to be working. Of course I am up in the night, but who cares? The scales show it is working!

New Program

Many of you know that the new program is challenging. In some ways it's been like being tossed into the deep end of a swimming pool.

But, I'm here to tell you that, after giving the new plan six months, I've finally started to figure it out. And it does work.

So here are the things I have figured out, and how they have helped me.

The first things I did was to buy a new calculator. You absolutely cannot figure out the new points unless you have them.

I LOVE the Weight Watchers online, and since it is a great savings to have it, and if you are computer savvy, then please do purchase it.

I use the site every day. I took my Leaders challenge to write down everything BEFORE I ate it and since then I have had a steady loss!

I wondered how on earth I was going to use up those additional points I had gotten, and at first I did the wrong thing. I added in extra carbs, a little drinkie pooh on the weekends, and soon I was actually gaining weight!

What I needed to do was to learn how to eat new things, forget about the "old" points system and embrace the "pointsplus" plan!

For me, I do not handle carbs that are not natural. This means I don't make meals out of pasta or artificially produced carbohydrates. (although I admit a real passion for the barbecued pop-chips!)

I eat what I like to call clean carbs. Whole grain, low calorie bread, baked potatoes, or brown rice.

My goal is to keep my meals under 7 points per meal, and to use my snack time for fruit.

I have also taken up drinking at least two liters of lemonade each day. The recipe for that is below.

I'll be trying to write more as I think of it, and if you have any questions leave them in the comment section and I will try to answer them. After all, we are all in this together.

Maribeth

Lemonade:

8 cups water
1 cup lemon juice (unsweetened)
1 cup splenda (I use just under a cup beccause I like it tart!)
Mix, chill, enjoy!