Start Me Up
Our Weight Watchers story starts in March 2017... but really it goes way back...
Marisa and I are cousins, raised in a very close, want-to- be Italian, Irish family of 7 aunts/uncles and 18 first cousins, mostly all living in Niagara Falls, NY. This close of a family meant get togethers galore, monthly cake and ice cream filled birthday parties, and always "what are we going to eat", not "what are we going to do".
So, bring on years of pizza and wings after softball games, Dee Dee's dairy for ice cream regularly, buffets of roast beef, pasta, meatballs, and bread... lots of feel good food leading to a lifetime of using food to feel good.
Now between the two of us we have 5 kids, and lots to look forward to... our years of texting self depreciating things about needing to lose weight and lay off the Mighty Taco have evolved into a real life change when we both joined Weight Watchers in March. We've teamed up in the past, but typically our low carb, fad of the moment dieting would begin full force and peter out after 2-3 weeks, when we day "screw this" and retreat to our old ways, (semi) jokingly referring to ourselves as addicts who relapsed and are on a bender .
But after 6 months strong on the program, 35 (J) and 40 (M) pounds gone, we realize we are rocking it a little bit and want to share our tips with the world.
Believe me... if we can do this, you can do this. You won't find two people who love food more than us. We have not gone over to the dark side of steamed chicken and veggies with a side of Greek yogurt- we have made the program our own and have found many hacks to enjoy what we love.
To start you off:
1. Join Weight Watchers. Pay the money, just do it. Don't try to do it on your own. We recommend getting both the meetings and online package. The app rocks, but the face to face weigh in haunts you all week.
2. GO TO MEETINGS. We set aside Saturday mornings at 8 am. This is a time where we rarely have a conflict. Would we rather be in pajamas eating a big breakfast with coffee- YES. Do we leave the meeting refreshed, with new ideas and having faced the scale each week- YES. Is it worth it? YES!! (as basically a Weight Watchers lifer, the meetings are key. I had to get a special doctors note at age 8 to join- I have been down this road from the approved foods list, to the Points slider, to Points Plus... and now Smart Points... MEETINGS ARE KEY).
3. Find a friend to join with you. Accountability makes all the difference.
4. Purge your house of the junk- start fresh and set yourself up for success. Your family will adjust.
5. Take a picture- you'll love your before and afters (well, in progress really)- we didn't do the best job with that.
Marisa and I are cousins, raised in a very close, want-to- be Italian, Irish family of 7 aunts/uncles and 18 first cousins, mostly all living in Niagara Falls, NY. This close of a family meant get togethers galore, monthly cake and ice cream filled birthday parties, and always "what are we going to eat", not "what are we going to do".
So, bring on years of pizza and wings after softball games, Dee Dee's dairy for ice cream regularly, buffets of roast beef, pasta, meatballs, and bread... lots of feel good food leading to a lifetime of using food to feel good.Now between the two of us we have 5 kids, and lots to look forward to... our years of texting self depreciating things about needing to lose weight and lay off the Mighty Taco have evolved into a real life change when we both joined Weight Watchers in March. We've teamed up in the past, but typically our low carb, fad of the moment dieting would begin full force and peter out after 2-3 weeks, when we day "screw this" and retreat to our old ways, (semi) jokingly referring to ourselves as addicts who relapsed and are on a bender .
But after 6 months strong on the program, 35 (J) and 40 (M) pounds gone, we realize we are rocking it a little bit and want to share our tips with the world.
Believe me... if we can do this, you can do this. You won't find two people who love food more than us. We have not gone over to the dark side of steamed chicken and veggies with a side of Greek yogurt- we have made the program our own and have found many hacks to enjoy what we love.
To start you off:
1. Join Weight Watchers. Pay the money, just do it. Don't try to do it on your own. We recommend getting both the meetings and online package. The app rocks, but the face to face weigh in haunts you all week.
2. GO TO MEETINGS. We set aside Saturday mornings at 8 am. This is a time where we rarely have a conflict. Would we rather be in pajamas eating a big breakfast with coffee- YES. Do we leave the meeting refreshed, with new ideas and having faced the scale each week- YES. Is it worth it? YES!! (as basically a Weight Watchers lifer, the meetings are key. I had to get a special doctors note at age 8 to join- I have been down this road from the approved foods list, to the Points slider, to Points Plus... and now Smart Points... MEETINGS ARE KEY).
3. Find a friend to join with you. Accountability makes all the difference.
4. Purge your house of the junk- start fresh and set yourself up for success. Your family will adjust.
5. Take a picture- you'll love your before and afters (well, in progress really)- we didn't do the best job with that.
Our best before and afters, both down 30-35 in these pictures.
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| Julie |
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| Marisa |
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