With Karen in 2007

My friend Karen went to her first Weight Watchers meeting yesterday (okay she’s been to WW before, years ago. Who hasn’t? LOL).  Karen’s excited about her decision to lose weight and get healthy (she bought a Fitbit, too). She said the thing that pushed her over the edge was reading Kristin’s Story. Kristin looks and feels so much better – Karen was inspired by the changes she’s made and how they’ve impacted her life!

Now it’s Karen’s turn to reap the rewards of being lighter and healthier, and inspire someone else. Pay it forward.

As for me, I’m not “on” Weight Watchers, but I still use the concepts I learned from Weight Watchers. (Being Fairly Fit is a lifestyle, and I need all the help I can get.)  Actual calorie-counting comes and goes, but I do keep an eye on them, and it helps use the Weight Watchers guidelines – eating more vegetables and fruits (most are “free” on WW), more fiber and lean protein, less fat and fewer processed carbs. And…more than anything: PORTION CONTROL. I think measuring, at least sometimes, is the only way to keep portions in check long-term. Even when I’m not tracking my calories, I measure things like rice and pasta, cottage cheese, yogurt, cheese, etc.

The interesting thing is, Karen was already a pretty healthy eater. She’s always avoided junk food and processed food. She’s a huge fan of fruits and veggies. Six weeks ago she decided to go one step further – to eat less and cut down on snacking. Guess how much weight she lost?

Zero.

After one day on Weight Watchers, she says she knows why -  portion size, and carbs. Today she figured out that her small bowl of Kashi with 1% milk was SIX POINTS. Weight Watchers steers you away from eating too many carbs (especially simple carbs) by making them more “expensive” when it comes to points (one of the reasons I often eat eggs for breakfast – a giant veggie frittata with two eggs is only 4 points.)

The other” light bulb moment” came when she started measuring her portions. Karen said she bought ALL the Weight Watchers measuring tools and has been surprised how much smaller her portions need to be. She didn’t think she’d been over-eating, but in order to lose weight she definitely needs to eat less. The silver lining? The amount of food is still satisfying.

I love that she’s re-educating herself (or getting re-educated?) on what and how much to eat.

I’ll be checking in every so often with Karen. Many of you have told me how much it helps and encourages you to read about what OTHER FFFs are doing to get fairly fit. I know how determined Karen is once she sets her mind to something. All I can say is…Watch out Fairly Fit Females…here comes Karen!

10797 steps taken
26 floors climbed
4.58 miles traveled
1897 calories burned
? calories eaten
132.8 pounds
FYM Day 179: no workout besides steps