I think Weight Watchers’ best asset is the live meeting where members come to measure their results every seven days. Many people find the weekly lecture and discussion insightful, inspiring and necessary. While others like myself find the anxiety producing weigh-in segment of the program stressful and even humiliating. Therefore, to insure a good result, I have taken it upon myself to live by these five easy rules before weigh-in.
1. Choose the clothes you wear carefully. Even though I’d love to arrive for my weekly Weight Watcher meeting in a bra and underpants, I realize that clothes are essential. If you are like me and every ounce measured counts, you’ll have to dress in light-weight clothing. Except perhaps for your first meeting, where people have been known to wear their heaviest clothes.
2. No hefty jewelry. Before slipping on that gorgeous bangle bracelet and earrings, you might want to weigh each piece of jewelry before deciding to wear it. Here’s where that scale you bought to weigh hamburger on day two comes in handy. A couple of innocently added ounces here and there have been known to throw people off for weeks.
3. Shun the take-out food, canned goods and bottled condiments. Keep away from foods rich in sodium (really not just before weigh-in folks). This is truly no joke. According to Tammy and Lyssie Lakatos, authors of The Secret to Skinny: How Salt Makes You Fat, “Salt makes you hungrier, thirstier and it increases cravings.” According to Lakatos, salt may even cause fat cells to hold more fat. A total no-no for people striving to lose pounds and inches and especially on weigh-in day.
4. Make a pledge to live a fitter lifestyle. Deciding to make changes in your life for the better doesn’t happen every day. A goal to change one’s eating habits takes incredible focus from an individual. Embarking upon any weight loss program requires a great personal desire to do so and a 100% committment to living a healthier life. In this instance, however, a couple of prayers or two could go a long way. It couldn’t hurt.
5. When all else fails…Even if you find yourself in the unenviable position of having done all of the above and you still have worries about getting on the scale to see how well or how poorly you’ve done, just do what I do and get a haircut!
The Hungry Ma 