‘You have to track, track and pre-track’

How Ellise has found sustainable success on WW.
Published June 24, 2020

Ellise began her weight loss journey in April 2019, when she decided to do a high-protein, low-carb diet. Unfortunately, although she was losing weight, that diet landed her in the hospital with kidney stones.

“My doctor told me, ‘You have to get off of this diet.’”

Ellise Then

So Ellise started thinking about alternatives.

“I knew that if I was going to switch programs, I needed something with structure, with support.”

She had joined WW several years ago and knew it would give her both those things. She rejoined again on Sept. 4, 2019.

A WW event in Brantford, Ont., in November of that year, introducing myWWTM gave Ellise an opportunity to connect with the wider WW community.

“There were lots of members there that were discussing their successes and struggles and everything. It was just a really great way to really become part of the WW community.”

That community, Ellise says, is vital to her success.

“My coach, Lisa, she’s not only just there for us to talk about weight loss … she’s really, really been supportive,” Ellise explains, recalling some difficult moments in her personal life that her coach helped her through.

“All the members in my WeightWatchers Workshop, we’ve become a little family,” she says, adding that with Workshops now moving to virtual due to COVID-19, they’re still connecting with one another online. “We laugh together, cry together, we’ve been through all the ups and downs together.”

Another key to her success is tracking.

“You have to track, track and pre-track. Anybody in my Workshop knows that I am super, super adamant about tracking. I track my day the evening before.”

She finds that level of planning makes it easier for her to manage her Points budget.

“It takes the guesswork out of the day.”

Ellise also finds it helpful to pre-track before social events or holidays when she knows there might be some more indulgences than she’d usually have. Even if she ends up over her Points budget, the tracking keeps her aware of what she’s eating.

“I’m the type of person where I want ZeroPointTM foods, but I want balance as well,” says Ellise, explaining why Blue is a great fit for her.

“WeightWatchers is something that is for real life and it’s something that you can do long-term. It’s not a fad diet. … WW really gives you the tools to learn how to eat healthy and properly. I feel like, as somebody that struggled with their weight their entire life, it sounds silly, but I feel like I didn’t know how to eat properly. WW has given me those tools.”

How to overcome struggles along the way

All of us hit bumps in the road along the way toward our goals. One of the things Ellise does to keep herself motivated, in addition to relying on her WW community for support, is looking back at how far she’s come.

Recognizing that she’s already accomplished things she never thought she would helps her keep pushing toward her goals.

She also tries to look beyond the numbers to track her progress.

“We get so hung up on the scale. Everybody says don’t stress about the scale, but we all do.”

Ellise started taking her measurements and snapping before and after photos as other ways to see changes in her body, but she also takes note of how she feels, not just what the numbers say.

“I can have a week where I feel amazing, I get on the scale and I’m up a half a pound. But at the end of the day, I still feel amazing, I still feel like I did a really good job that week. So, I try to shift my focus from not being so obsessed with the number on the scale.”