*People following the WeightWatchers weight-loss program can expect to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week. Members lost weight on prior program and are continuing on WeightWatchers.
As told to Katerina Gkionis
The married co-founders behind the hit line of Dash small kitchen appliances share how WeightWatchers supported their healthy goals during their globetrotting days—and continues to keep them on track in the age of social distancing.
Why we signed up for WeightWatchers
Evan: Rachel and I own a business together. Under normal circumstances, our work has us on the road constantly, traveling from one country to another to keep our operations going.
Rachel: Before the pandemic grounded us at home in New York City, we were on a plane 51 weeks out of the year. Our schedules were packed on those trips.
Evan: We were often stuck snacking in airports or taking advantage of the meals we’d get at hotels and meetings with clients. I rarely paid attention to what I was eating.
Rachel: We’d make spur-of-the-moment food decisions and run to the next meeting. It was a go-go-go lifestyle. On many days, I didn’t feel good about the things I was eating.
Evan: Same here. Over the years, I tried juice cleanses to get my traveling weight off. I’d drop a few pounds and be in a horrible mood the whole time. After a cleanse, when I inevitably gained the weight back, I’d feel like a failure and become dejected.
Rachel: Both our moms had been WW members in the past, so we knew the program worked. In 2017, we were both feeling so jet-lagged and awful after one trip—we can’t even remember which!—and finally had had enough. We signed up for WW together the following week.
Our biggest challenge going in
Evan: It was November 2017 when we joined, and we had a few more business trips planned before the end of that year. We knew we’d need healthy tools to take on the road. So we started browsing the WW app to see what could help us on those trips.
Rachel: Our lifestyle of eating out for almost every meal wasn’t going to change anytime soon. So we had to find ways to use the program to help us stick to our goals.
Right away I could tell that the barcode scanner would be useful. I’d use it to quickly scan any snacks I grabbed while passing through airports. And in cases when the only option was fast food, I’d search the app for the best menu options and choose one of those.
Evan: By tracking what I was eating in the app, I soon found myself becoming more mindful of what and how I ate. That’s not to say I was perfect. On one hectic trip to Europe, I scarfed down quick meals the entire time. When I got home and stepped on the scale, I was up a few pounds. The difference with WW is that I didn’t beat myself up for it. Self-compassion is built into the program. I started drinking more water and tracking my food more carefully. Once I implemented my healthy habits again, I felt in control, and my weight stabilized.
What we eat in a day
| Then | Now | ||
| Breakfast | Bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwiches | Breakfast bowl with eggs cooked over easy, sliced avocado, cheese, and turkey bacon | |
| Lunch | Fast-food fried chicken | Roll-ups of sliced turkey and pepper jack cheese | |
| Dinner | Chinese restaurant meals such as sweet-and-sour chicken and lo mein | Air-fried chicken with cauliflower rice and roasted Brussels sprouts | |
| Snack | Mixed nuts with chocolate candies | Fresh berries with fat-free whipped cream |
The early changes we noticed
Rachel: Because of our traveling lifestyle, we weren’t expecting to drop weight super quickly. Still, we loved the path we were on. Over the years, I had accumulated several sizes of jeans. As the weight slowly came off, I began moving back into some of the smaller sizes I hadn’t worn in ages. I started seeing myself differently in the mirror.
Evan: Same for me. The weight was moving slowly, but I felt that I was gaining a more positive outlook as each month went on. Positivity is one of the rarest commodities! I started feeling leaner and more energized, so I wanted to keep going.
What lockdown life taught us
Rachel: Like many people, we experienced a major shift in our way of working when the pandemic hit in March of 2020. Everything switched to being remote, and all of a sudden Evan and I were making almost all our meals at home. At the time, I was a little worried: I didn’t think of myself as a very good cook.
Evan: When all our travel plans were scrapped, we figured we were in for the long haul at home. Our first order of business was grocery shopping. We’re on Blue, so we took a look at the ZeroPoint foods list. We picked up lean proteins like eggs—our favorite—along with shrimp and chicken breast, plus vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, and lots of fruit.
Rachel: Evan is a natural in the kitchen and can grab a few random ingredients and whip up a meal. Not me. I was especially excited about the “What’s in Your Fridge” feature. I used to call my mom if I had an ingredient and didn’t know what to do with it. Now, let’s say I have shrimp, limes, and eggs on hand—I’ll plug those ingredients into the app, and it spits out a recipe!
Evan: You can also filter what you don’t want in a dish. Rachel definitely chooses “no mustard” for me. I love that we can edit recipes in the app and make them our own.
Rachel: Just as the WW app helped us make healthy choices on the road, it keeps us on track at home with tons of simple recipes to try.
How we cheer each other on
Evan: Rachel has more discipline and self-control than any human being I've ever been around. I’m so in awe of that because it’s not in my DNA. She helps me make smart choices when sometimes, I just don’t want to. She gives me so much strength and support.
Rachel: Evan is the strongest person I've ever met—mentally and physically. He has always been athletic, but he also works hard to improve. On our Peloton bike, he seems to hit a new personal record every day. It’s inspiring. Now I get on the bike more and work out, too.
Evan: While we both reached our goals recently—I lost 29 pounds* and Rachel lost 20 pounds*—we don’t see that as the finish line. This is our life now; this is our everyday.
Rachel: No one can say for sure what “normal” is going to look like in the coming months or year, but now we have the tools to make healthy choices no matter where life takes us.