Alexis Lost 73.9 lbs
“ I’m not perfect – I’m persistent. ”
When her doctor told her she’d have a heart attack by age 50 if she didn’t change her ways, she knew she had to quit her bad habits for good. She subscribed to Weight Watchers Online — and 70 pounds later, Alexis is eating healthier and running 5Ks!
In Alexis’s words:
My final ‘a-ha’ moment was when I saw pictures from my godson’s baptism. I thought, “Oh my god, I’m huge and I’m not going to get to see him grow up.” Around the same time I was prescribed drugs for high cholesterol and high blood pressure. My doctor said if I didn’t change something, I’d have a heart attack. Those two events combined gave me the final push I needed to do something about my weight once and for all.
Why Online?
I’d tried other diets in the past — including Weight Watchers meetings a few years back. But when I stopped attending, I stopped seeing success. With Weight Watchers Online, I could follow the Plan on my time. I loved that! Plus, I like geeky stuff, so eTools is super helpful. I especially love being able to plug my food into the Tracker. Weight Watchers works for me because I can have a life and lose weight at the same time. I can still go to parties and have a glass of wine. Nothing’s off limits.
Finding love in the produce aisle
Before Weight Watchers, I never ate vegetables because I thought I hated them. Weight Watchers showed me new recipes to try and now I find myself experimenting with vegetables I never would have touched before: radishes, Brussels sprouts, bok choy… the list goes on. The freezer used to be my go-to spot for lunch and dinner. But now I cook much more fresh entrees. This is especially important because with my high blood pressure I need to watch my sodium — which isn’t easy with frozen meals. Now I watch food shows on TV and tweak their recipes to make them healthier.
Staring down free food
I work at a college, so there are always visitors coming in, and when we throw events there’s always leftover food afterward. I used to eat whatever was there. My mindset was, I’d eat it so it wouldn’t go to waste. Same thing went for sweets when it was someone’s birthday. Now, I’ve found self-control and can say no to the free goodies.
Learning to love activity
When I first started out, I didn’t focus on fitness at all. I absolutely hated it. But as I started losing weight, I started walking more. Starting to get fit made me wonder if I could do more. I always knew running was a great way to burn calories so I wondered if I could do it. One day I challenged myself to run for 20 minutes straight and I did it! I was so proud of myself. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a speedy runner, but I was still able to finish my first 5k last year!
Another thing I’m proud of is that this whole time, I’ve never joined a gym. It just wasn’t for me; I didn’t want to spend the money. But running and walking you can do on your own. I also did push-ups and sit-ups at home. You don’t need to be a gym rat to lose weight!
Social butterfly
In addition to using the Weight Watchers Community, I also have my own blog, Diva On A Diet . Mostly I update my weight and tell stories about what’s going on my life, but it’s also a great way to trade recipes and food ideas with other people. There are a bunch of other Weight Watchers members and subscribers on Twitter, too. It’s great that there’s a community of people out there 24/7 to chat or vent with. I get lots of inspiration from my followers.
The new Alexis
The best part about losing weight is that I don’t avoid the mirror like I used to. Now I’m able to go shopping and actually try things on that fit me! Before I lost weight I was sick all the time and wouldn’t go out socially. I’d make excuses when people invited me places because I just didn’t have confidence. All that has changed now. Plus, my blood pressure and cholesterol numbers have stabilized.
When people ask how I did it, I tell them I’m not perfect, I’m persistent. You’re going to fall off the wagon. I certainly did. But Weight Watchers just teaches you to get back up and keep trying if you slip up. If you go over your PointsPlus Target for the day, so what? Every other diet I tried, I thought I had to be perfect. If I went off plan I’d get frustrated and quit. But now I know the truth: I don’t have to be perfect, I just have to keep trying.