My Day On Weight Watchers

Last week, out of curiosity, I took a look at some Weight Watchers materials. For those who don't know how it works, they've basically simplified calorie-counting into a system of "Points". For example, a glass of milk is 2 points, a chicken breast is 4, and a Chipotle burrito is around 20. There's a formula based on your current age/height/weight which tells you how many points you are allotted each day.

I determined that, with this system, I could eat 33 points each day. I did some quick addition and found out that I had eaten 67 points the previous day. Maybe this wasn't so easy.

I decided to try an experiment. Could I do it for one day?

I woke up and had a healthy breakfast of OJ, FiberOne cereal, egg whites, and a yogurt. That's 12 points already. Coffee with creamer added another 2. Mid-morning I downed a 4-point protein shake. Lunch consisted of 2 chicken breasts, broccolli, and a glass of water. Whooo...was I ever alive with flavor! I had an afternoon banana and milk, which brought my mid-day total to 31. I tried to have a light dinner...grilled chicken with rice and veggies. Oops, that put me at 37.

But wait! I get 5 "activity bonus points" for 30 minutes of intense exercise. I hit the ergo hard for half an hour, then came back upstairs hungrier than I've ever been in my life. I'd never before experienced a "snack attack", but this must be what it feels like. All I could think about was food! I made my patented post-workout shake (milk, peanut butter, banana, protein powder) to stave off the urges, but that turned out to be 10 points, putting me at 47 for the day.

Fail.

Obviously, I knew going in that this type of diet wasn't designed for someone like me. Like so many one-size-fits-all solutions, it's designed for the average Joe or Jane who is overweight and relatively inactive. "Intense exercise" is defined as anything that makes you sweat after 5 minutes.

However, the experience did teach me a few things. Portion control is a big one. I don't need to sit down with 2 cheeseburgers when 1 will do. I used to get a 20-ounce Mr. Pibb whenever I went out for lunch, then get a refill. On WW, that would be 10 points. I always knew that sugar soda wasn't good for me, but it never really hit home until I realized how big of a hit it makes on daily calories. Corn chips are really bad, too. I figured they were relatively healthy (they're made of corn, after all), but one small bag would hit me for 12 points. Getting a side of vegatables at lunch is much better than a platter of fries, and they're actually quite tasty. I'm even learning to tolerate diet soda, though I'm not particularly happy about it. In short, there are a lot of foods out there that seems healthy, but aren't.

By changing my eating habits (albiet quite dramatically) and doing a few early-morning ergo sessions, I've lost 4 pounds in the last 9 days. It doesn't seem to have affected my training at all, which is likely due to the fact that none of the foods I eliminated do anything to contribute to athletic performace. Actually, they probably do just the opposite.

So, no, you won't see me pouring my heart out to a bunch of middle-aged women at a Weight Watchers meeting, but the basic principals are quite solid.

I'm off to eat an apple.