Weigh in # 78

Where did a whole month go? Neither of my blogs have had a new post. Life was simply busier than it had been and coupled with a cold (hopefully my annual one so I can now say one and done), I just haven't taken the time to write.

I wasn't avoiding coming here because of gains but I did have two small, consecutive gains. I was getting lazy about tracking and cocky about how much I could snack and get away with it. Most of that was leftover Halloween candy that wasn't even favorites and therefore not worth it.

Just as I was about to rededicate myself to tracking, the new Smart Points plan was introduced. While  part of me was wishing they had waited until January to roll out the new program, I wasn't truly upset by the timing. The many glitches in the WW mobile apps and inability to access their site on my PC had me uttering a few choice words. There are still problems, but they're being worked on.

The changes in the program itself are good. The focus is more on protein and less on saturated fats and added sugar. We all know we should have been headed this way but you could follow the old program faithfully and still maintained some bad habits.

Ice cream is one of the things that got me into trouble over the years. I loved ice cream and rarely had a moderate serving. I have had WW brand frozen treats on hand since returning to WW in June of 2014. I have had one almost daily, tracked and fitting into my day. So what is the problem?  For me, it was a bad habit being continued in only a slightly better package.

With Smart Points, many lean proteins now give you more quantity per point. Saturated fats and added sugars have the opposite effect. Some frozen treats that were formerly 3 points are now 6 points. Milk and yogurt have gone up too. Certainly they aren't bad foods, but my morning coffee yogurt is now 6 points instead of four. The yogurt is important to me and a healthier habit than having ice cream every night.

So how did my first week on the new program go?  Twice my schedule was so derailed I had McDonalds for dinner. I tracked and had raw veggies and fruit once home again to round out those unplanned meals. I only used  a total of  3 optional weekly points, never felt hungry and ....tah dah....lost 3.8 pounds!  My new total lost is 85 pounds.

Onward and downward!