The Top Six Mistakes that Sabotage Weight Loss Attempts on Weight Watchers
1. Failure to Measure and Weigh my Food Portions If I do not measure the food I take, it is very easy to take two cups where I need to take one and take no notice of it This type of apparently harmless attitude gradually amounts to my taking twice the amount of calorie content I need. It is as clear a sabotage of my weight loss goals as I could ever come up with
Do you identify with this mistake?
What to do: There is only one way out of this hole. Purchase bowls and spoons which are exact measures or slightly below the standard configurations. There are some online tools to ensure you always get your portions weighed and measured out exactly.
2. Taking a Wild Guess When I Can’t Find a Particular Food Indicated on the WW App If I look back at all the major reasons I have regressed in my weight loss goals, this one has to constitute the biggest one I have a particular liking of Chimichanga, a Mexican delight that my local restaurant do so well and serve in especially generous portions. While I may find a Chimichanga something on the WW app, I can tell from its WW SmartPoints that what I am taking is way off what the apps says. In a couple of days I am at the Weight Watchers meeting and I can intuitively tell exactly where that extra 1.5 pounds came from
Do you identify with this mistake?
What to do: It is simple. You need to always have a clear plan ahead of time, always and not just sometimes. It is not even radical to make sure you have your own food packed whenever you sense you are about to enter a minefield. It is better to forego a certain meal if you are not sure the dish before you has the right WW SmartPoints rating than taking it only to realize that you overshot your daily target by some double figures! Some of the errant WW SmartPoints “guesses” come as a result of wrong reading. For instance, you could easily (as I have done in recent weeks) mistake a certain restaurant chicken entre to be valued at 4 SmartPoints while in fact it is around 15! This often happens when I don’t take time to understand what the wording on the app actually means. In the aforementioned case, the chicken entre apportioned 4 points was supposed to be paired with another meat dish for lunch while the 15 point one was a full dinner portion all on its own.
3. Assuming One Day of Not Caring Doesn’t Matter This is a mistake just about everyone of us has fallen prey to in the past. It is understandable too. Eating healthy is tough and the temptation to splurge all too aplenty. A crust pizza you know is total bad news looks too appealing and the next morning you will not be able to resist clearing the leftovers. Perhaps it is your birthday and since everyone wants to spoil you, you don’t stint at engorging on chocolates, creamy cake and pop. Before you know it, yesterday’s splurge spills over to today and saying no becomes a much tougher proposition each passing day. The result: your well laid weight loss plans all sabotaged.
Do you identify with this mistake?
What to do: So a day has gone down the drain. The damage is done. Pause and get hold of yourself. Go back to the right track straightaway. Granted, a slice of pizza or two will not do you too much harm. However, if it is an out-of-control splurge that was totally off the scales you need to remedy it fast. The results will definitely show on the scales next time Consider having fruits and veggies for your next meal. A bowl of soup could also help cut down on your calorie intake while filling you up. There are other equally effective low calorie ideas you can explore if you want to undo the damage of a day of splurging.
4. Failing to Exercise I do not know about you but my physical exercise regimen seems well tied to the annual season cycles. Over the summer months I need no exertion to manage working out, not to speak of all the yard work like mowing the grass. The wintry climate seems to sap off any motivation to run or take a scenic walk about my neighborhood. The bottom line is that if we all managed to work out more consistently, dropping those pounds would be a much easier affair.
Do you identify with this mistake?
What to do: If you are willing to be creative, you can compensate for that one hour gym class you missed. You do not even require to use fancy equipment to achieve good results. Walking in place, squats, knee lifts and grapevines will all exercise your core muscles, burn calories and fat. Of course, you can do all these in the convenience of your kitchen or bathroom. Do not over-think such impromptu exercises. Just keep doing them over till you are short of breath and sweating. It is the only way to fight that bulge!
5. Not Tracking Food Intake Complacency is easy once you let your tummy get its way. I have fallen into this trap quite often. I would instinctively check each tempting snack and think to myself: “this isn’t much” and just gulp it without tracking it Whenever I felt hungry I would indulge in another snack that wasn’t much and not track it Before long, these “not much” food portions were contributing a substantial proportion of my daily diet and undoing all the good I was achieving with the tracked dieting and exercises.
Do you identify with this mistake?
What to do: There is a simple solution to this Don’t eat anything which you don’t track using the Weight Watchers app, period. If you are one of the few members who do not use the app, keep a journal and track everything you eat and drink. It may take some doing to stick to the disciplined observance you need but the rewards you’ll reap will make it worthwhile.
6. Forgetting your Initial Motivation I have found that keeping in mind that dieting and exercises are not an end to themselves always spurs me to keep on the straight and narrow. Particularly, the motivations which first moved me to join the Weight Watchers movement have proved particularly inspirational. I was motivated to set a better example for my kids. I was longing to fit better in some clothes I loved. And, as I have said before, I always relish visiting my doctor some pounds lower than last time round. When I have had a couple of particularly bad weeks (like this present moment) thinking of these motivational reasons helps me to go back on track.
Do you identify with this mistake?
What to do: make a list of the major motivations spurring you to do some weight loss. Share those with someone. You could even make a comment with those ideas right in the comments section below. It might be of benefit, not just to you but dozens of other readers who come here daily. Visualize how much different your life would be if you carried an ideal body weight. Consider the Weight Watchers’ idea of a visual board with your ideal lifestyle without all the extra pounds. If that doesn’t motivate you, perhaps nothing else ever would.
As you can see form the foregoing, it is just about everyone who finds the task of achieving their Weight Watchers goals hard and challenging. But you need to rise above the challenges and focus on the goals. Identify the risk of these mistakes before they happen and guarantee yourself success.
Credit: quicknhealthypoints