I’m back on Weight Watchers and happy to report that the weight is starting to come off! It definitely takes some work, but here are 5 tips that help me stay on target.

1) Start each week with a menu. Download a free Printable Monthly Menu Planner and start filling in WW friendly meals. I use a combination of slow cooker meals, “quick” meals made by baking up Schwan chicken or fish, “full meals” where I spend a little more time cooking, and leftover nights. The key is to plan ahead so that you have everything on hand. You will be a lot less likely to go out to eat or eat junk.

2) Keep healthy snacks in the house. Start with “free foods,” which right now are most fruits and vegetables. I always have clementines, baby carrots, and apples. Then I try to vary other things each week like grapes, cucumbers, pre-cut cauliflower, etc. If I have something right there to grab, I am less likely to grab carbs.

3) Calculate points before you go to restaurants. When you want to go out to eat and stay within your points, try to find nutritional information online in advance and figure up the points for a couple of different meal choices.

4) Exercise! If you are getting in your exercise, you will have activity points to offset those times when you either really want a treat or will be spending time eating and drinking with friends or family and it is too hard to stay within your point allotment. The exercise does tend to make me more hungry on some days, so be prepared for that.

5) Everyone needs a little support around them. If you can meet up with others also on Weight Watchers and talk about meals, restaurants, activity points, etc, it will help to keep you motivated to stay on plan.

Weight Watchers is a healthy alternative to regular “diets” because you truly have to learn portion sizes and gain a better understanding of nutrition and exercise. The good news is that you are paying for them to help you.

Red velvet cake is one of my biggest downfalls. Especially when it has the yummy cream cheese icing on it. I can literally eat it until I get sick. However, it’s not really conducive to my counting of points on Weight Watchers. So imagine how excited I was when I heard that Yoplait now has a Light, Fat Free Red Velvet Cake yogurt.

I immediately began looking for it and struck out at both Marsh and Target. Fortunately, I was able to get it at Kroger today. I came home and made myself a sandwich so that I could quickly get to “dessert”–my new Red Velvet Yogurt. I am a fan in general of the Yoplait Light yogurts, so my hopes were high.

Let me say first to be careful when you open the container. You know how sometimes they kind of  “explode” a little yogurt on you? This yogurt is kind of a dark red, and I now have a spot on my blue shirt. Hopefully it will come out.

Next, onto the tasting. The flavor is absolutely reminiscent of Red Velvet Cake, including the cream cheese icing. The consistency is a little bit thin, but it’s not supposed to be one of the thick yogurt varieties. I think the red coloring actually adds to the experience because it helps your mind *think* that you are eating red velvet cake.

I was prepared not to like it because I knew it wouldn’t taste exactly like my beloved cake. However, it was definitely good and I plan on getting more. It’s more of a “dessert” yogurt than a flavor like peach or vanilla. That’s perfect for me because I love my dessert! At only 100 calories and no fat, this is a dessert worth splurging on. If you want to save a little money on your yogurt, Coupons.com actually has a coupon for Yoplait this week.

Just hearing the words “colon cleanse” makes me a little nervous. I have always ignored the whole “cleanse and detox” thing in favor of Weight Watchers. However, I have a friend who just swears by it. She does it about once a quarter and says that it makes her feel better and lose bloat around her middle. I was skeptical because most of the time I see ads for colon cleanse products, they seem like spam.

Now I see that Jillian Michaels (of “The Biggest Loser”) has a program. I have to admit that I am interested. You can buy the Jillian Michaels 14 Day Cleanse and Burn, which is supposed to jump start your weight loss routine while at the same time cleaning out toxins from your body. It also comes with Probiotic Replenishment, which I do believe in.

It looks like Jillian Michaels has a whole line of other products, some that are similar including another Detox program and some fat burners. They work miracles on “The Biggest Loser” and I have to think that they are using some kind of supplements. Given that Jillian Michaels has her name on these products and has a good reputation, I am considering trying one of them.

Have you tried any of these? What did you think? Is there another short-terms cleanse or detox that you liked better?

(FYI…I checked out my local GNC and they did NOT have all of the products above. So I guess I will be ordering online with quick shipping to get them soon!)

I’ve struggled with my weight since I was in law school. It is so easy to gain 10-15 pounds in a month. The really crummy part is that I am active and healthy. I exercise pretty regularly and even ran the Indianapolis Mini Marathon back in May. I start almost every single day with oatmeal with a little Splenda. I hardly ever eat fast food or fried foods. Where do I go wrong??

Thanks to Weight Watchers, I know exactly where I go wrong. I’ve been a member for over 10 years and started doing it online about 7 years ago. I love that the online version is easy to enter foods and activities. I can look back over weeks, months, and years to see where I have “fallen off the wagon” and why.

I won’t say that the pounds just melt off of me. Weight Watchers doesn’t work like that. It’s really a way of teaching yourself what foods are best for you and what real portion sizes should be. And there is flexibility to eat those foods that you “must have” and share in celebrations with your family.

Why am I telling you all of this now? Two reasons. The first is that it is time for me to get back on the wagon. I can tell now without even weighing myself when I have gained 5 pounds. (and I have!) So I start counting points again today. The other reason is that they are running a great deal where you can get a month free. You really need to give it a few months to work, so signing up for the 3 Month Savings plan is a good idea. It will take a few weeks to learn the system and get your body used to eating more healthy. Give it a shot and tell me what you think! And then we can share recipes.

I’m struggling with being back on Weight Watchers after the holidays and a trip to Vegas. I was watching The Biggest Loser the other day and Bob was talking about Extra Fruit Sensations Gum. I figured that I would give it a shot.

I picked up a package of the “Sweet Watermelon” gum at the grocery store yesterday. I’m one of those people who tires of the flavor of gum easily and wants piece after piece. Needless to say, I was skeptical that sugarfree gum would keep me from eating.

Much to my surprise, it worked! I chewed and chewed that gum so long that I couldn’t even “taste test” as I was making dinner. I finally had to throw it away (and it still had flavor) after a couple of hours. Today when afternoon came and started wanting a snack, I just popped in a piece of the gum instead. I’m looking forward to trying some other flavors. If I can get through this first couple of weeks of counting points again, I will be back on track!