Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Margo Dill's Weight Loss Win


All weight loss experiences are unique and should be tailored to an individual's needs, desires and lifestyles. Guest blogger Margo Dill recently lost weight she had gained during her pregnancy, She used Weight Watchers. Her determination is to be credited. Many women, who put on weight during their child-bearing years, let themselves go after giving birth. They let the larder lure them to continue addictive habits picked up to satisfy pregnancy cravings. Many friends of mine fell under the spell of being the nurturing mom, while nurturing their appetites along the way and they have struggled with this weight gain for years until they just gave up.

Margo is stopping the incremental weight gain Hydra by cutting off the central head: immediately ridding herself of the baby fat. Find out from her post how Weight Watchers really helped Margo take authority over her eating habits. 

MARGO:
I recently became a Lifetime Weight Watchers member. I did it in 4 months, and I lost 41 pounds. It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t as terrible as many people make dieting out to be. I truly believe this is because of the Weight Watchers plan. It lets you have a normal life. You can go out to eat with your friends. You just get a chicken wrap instead of the burger.

I chose to go to Weight Watchers in January 2011 for two reasons. I was turning 40 in February; and I had just had a baby in October 2010, and I had gained 60 pounds with the pregnancy. Since I was nursing, I easily shed 40 of that. But I was overweight when I got pregnant, so I wanted to lose the 20 pounds left, plus 20 more.

So, in January, I went with my mom and my daughter to Mommy and Me class, and started learning about making healthier choices. I also got out my walking shoes and went mall walking—it’s too cold in the Midwest for winter walking with a newborn (especially a preemie!).

Here are some things I learned on the Weight Watchers program:

1. Go to meetings. Find a leader that you like and that inspires you, and go get yourself weighed each week. Go with a buddy if possible.

2. Stock up at the grocery store on foods you need to eat. Weight Watchers wants you to eat plenty of fruits and veggies and lean meats and get your dairy in. If you have apples, oranges, and bananas at your house for snacks and NO CHIPS, you have to grab the fruit.

3. Track what you eat and figure your points. The number one thing I heard people not having success say was: “I never write anything down.” I wrote EVERYTHING down—even two M&Ms, and I estimated points high if I didn’t know them.

4. Weigh yourself just once a week. Women have it harder than men, in my opinion. We retain water like no other. If you eat salty foods one night, you could retain two pounds of water. You might get discouraged if you weigh yourself every day. 

5. Life happens. When my 40th birthday came, my husband and friends threw a surprise party. Did I follow Weight Watchers? NO—I went to White Castle drive-thru at 11:00 p.m. on the way home. But I got right back on the next day. I didn’t wait until the next week when I went to Weight Watchers again.

6. Your family will bring home things that you shouldn’t eat. It’s going to happen. Kids have Halloween candy. Husbands go to the store and grab chips. Try to have healthy alternatives when they are chomping on things that you shouldn’t have. I got some of those Weight Watchers bars and chips when they were on sale. 

7. Plan ahead when you eat out. Most restaurants have nutritional value available, so you can figure out what menu items are the best for you AHEAD OF TIME.

8. The biggest thing. . .it’s all about portion control. You can eat pizza—just have two slices instead of four. Pay attention to how many crackers are in a serving size. 

So far, I’ve been keeping off the weight. I’m very active with a six-month-old daughter who loves to go for walks, and I’m still nursing. I practice healthy eating tips I learned. I eat fruits and veggies for snacks. I measure my meat and my ice cream treat at night. I eat other side dishes besides chips and fries. I also continue to go to meetings. It’s become a part of my life, just like eating a half bag of Lay’s potato chips used to be.

Margo L. Dill is a freelancer who lives in St. Louis and writes for children, teachers, librarians, and parents. You can find out more about her at http://www.margodill.com/

9 comments:

Margo Dill said...

Hi Carole:
Thanks again for letting me tell my story. Hopefully it will help someone else who is struggling. :)

Margo

fsmum said...

Thanks for sharing the post Carole. Well done Margo! That's an achievement. I have always done well with weightwatchers but slipped back to old habits. Recently I have managed to lose 16lbs through yoga, being more mindful of what I eat but still calculating old weightwatchers points (I think they have a different plan now. I also read an excellent book which is helping me to lose in a more holistic way. Again, well done.

fsmum said...

Carole, I tried to 'follow' your blog but there seems to be a problem with blogger/blogspot. It won't let me follow you and all your followers have disappeared. It's the same situation over at my blog. I had 76 followers on one blog but now I seem to have none!

Carole Di Tosti said...

Very annoying. Margo said that sometimes this blog and others "go down" for a bit. I'd like to follow yours as well. Is there a way to get help or complain?

Carole Di Tosti said...

Hey Margo,thanks again for posting. Amongst family and friends there are big Weight Watchers fans. They will enjoy your confirmation about the Weight Watchers' lifestyle.

Margo Dill said...

Wait a couple days for your blogger issues and see if they are fixed. Claire, thanks for reading my post. I love that you lost 16 lbs. doing yoga--I saw that on your blog yesterday. AWESOME! :)

Carole--some people from Facebook read this too and commented on Facebook on my wall if you want to check it out. I think that is just a trend for some people. They are more comfortable on Facebook than on blogs. :)

Margo

Carole Di Tosti said...

Yes,I know. I have friends commenting in e-mails for the same reason.

Claire, I've been meaning to take up yoga again. That's great you lost weight with yoga. My cousin Mick does the hot yoga and she is really trim and is able to eat substantially. She also works out. But as I age, I know yoga would help my balance and counteract any stiffness.

Carole Di Tosti said...

I received a comment from a former student of mine who said with Weight Watchers, he lost 150 pounds. That's great. He thought it was the best lifestyle plan out there. I'm beginning to be swayed to this; before, I never took WW seriously and didn't use it to lose my weight. Maybe with more testimonials, I'll be convinced!

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