Tracy Lost 49.8 lbs
“ It’s not about dieting. It’s about putting together little pieces of the self-awareness puzzle and working on them over time. ”
Tracy struggled with her weight for decades. Fearing what lessons she was teaching her daughter, she finally found a way to address her eating habits and get healthy for good.
I started serial dieting in high school. I was always the chubby girl with no self-confidence. I’d lose weight on the latest fad diet only to gain it all back, and then some. I’ve been riding the diet rollercoaster my whole life. Without really realizing it, I got used to being overweight.
But when my youngest daughter came to me in tears because she was embarrassed of her weight, I had to admit to myself that I’d been feeling the same way for years. I was just older and better able to handle it. Seeing her struggle made me realize that my bad habits and acceptance of my unhealthy weight were setting a terrible example for her. I needed to make some serious changes and prove to myself and to my daughter that it wasn’t hopeless.
Taking the first step
Together, we joined Weight Watchers meetings and began following the program. Sure, I was nervous for our first meeting. I expected to be the fattest person in the room and to feel humiliated. Instead, I felt immediately at ease. I found myself with a group of people who were just like me. We were all inspired by our amazing Leader’s no-nonsense approach.
At first, I was only attending meetings to be a good mother. My daughter needed support, and she needed me to lead by example. But I got way more out of the meetings than I expected. I learned that I was an emotional eater, that I relied too heavily on processed convenience foods, and that I certainly didn’t know how to make sense of a food label.
Weight Watchers helped me tackle my problems with overeating and learn effective portion control. It’s not about dieting. It’s about putting together little pieces of the self-awareness puzzle and working on them over time.
eTools for success
Throughout my weight loss journey, I took advantage of Weight Watchers eTools. I love tracking my food choices and recording my progress online. I rely on eTools for all my new recipes, and I love reading the articles on the website, too. The resources available to me made it easy to stick to the program.
Finding my happy weight
It took me just one year to reach my goal weight. There were many times when I wanted to quit, but my daughter kept me motivated and other members kept me inspired. I didn’t stop after I reached my goal, either. By continuing to follow the program, I lost an additional 12 pounds*. Now I’m at my happy weight. I weigh less than I did in high school!
I feel fantastic! I have so much more energy. I’m not too shy to try new things, and I actually have fun dressing up now.
Time to lead
I enjoyed my weight loss journey so much that shortly after I reached my goal, I decided to become a receptionist for Weight Watchers meetings. I shied away from the idea of becoming a Leader because, despite my success, I still didn’t think I had the confidence to lead others. I was also pretty sure that I was going to blow it and gain all the weight back!
But it wasn’t long before I had a change of heart. Seeing the kind of impact Weight Watchers has on the lives of members every week made me want to take on a bigger role. I’ve been a Leader for over a year now.
I am so inspired by the hundreds of members that I see each week. The best part of being a Leader is that I get to see people change their minds about what’s possible, just as I did. And then I get to see how happy they are when they see that they have the power to change.
Tips:
- Don’t think of activity as exercise. Start by making small changes to your routines. For example, take the stairs instead of the elevator, get off the bus early and walk a few blocks, park your car farther from the entrance, use a bathroom on a different floor, etc. These small changes really add up!
Don’t get stuck in a food rut—try new things! Consider recipes with foods you’ve never tried before or go vegetarian for a day. Just do something different. You’ll be glad you did.