Weight Watchers, sort of

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In my previous post, I detailed my weight journey from my youth until I was married and had my first child. Before I knew it, I weighed 263 pounds and I felt terrible. I was diagnosed with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). I was spiraling out of control. On top of all of that, I was extremely busy getting my new company off the ground as well as trying to be a father to a newborn. It was one of the most stressful times of my life, ever.

Me on my honeymoon in February 2006. I was approximately 245 pounds in this picture.
Me after just getting my Master’s Degree in 2006. I weighed approximately 263 in this picture, just before I began the pseudo Weight Watcher’s program.
Me at an in-law’s wedding in June 2006. I weighed approximately 263 pounds in this picture. This was the time I realized that I had to do something urgently.

During the summer of 2006, two interesting things happened. First, I worked for a customer who was extremely overweight and lost all of it in a short amount of time by doing his own imitation of the Weight Watchers program. Second, I decided to build a shed, from scratch. No professional help, no plans, nothing except raw materials. I clearly remember working in the sweltering heat one day trying to get the ground level and placing the concrete piers and boards for the floor frame of the shed. I was covered in sweat and thought I was going to die. I quickly regretted taking on the project, and even more quickly regretting being fat. I decided to immediately do something about it.

I did some research, and found where someone purportedly reverse engineered the Weight Watchers points formula. I was too cheap and ashamed to actually join Weight Watchers and attend a support group, so I did my own implementation of it. Being a math nerd, I favored the idea of looking at food items in the grocery store, calculating the points in my head, and knowing exactly how much I was permitted to eat in a day. As such, I would buy tons of those heavily processed prepared meals you find in the supermarket frozen foods section. They tasted decent, and I could fit everything within my points. If I wanted to cheat, whatever, I could budget points accordingly. It seemed like the perfect plan at the time.

By autumn, the shed was completed. It went way over budget I could have almost certainly bought a pre-fabricated one for the same cost or less. Regardless, I was pleased with my feeling of accomplishment. More importantly, I lost a bunch of weight! By the time my birthday arrived that October, I weighed 209 pounds, and looked and felt great. I felt I was at my target weight and appearance, so I went off Weight Watchers. Besides, I was tired of calculating points. I quickly proceeded to do what everyone does on an unsustainable diet, and I binged and gained it all back with a vengeance! I undid all of that progress over the course of that following winter. It all began on my birthday, when I ate the cake shown below. I then ate plenty of Halloween candy, and then Thanksgiving food, and then Thanksgiving leftovers, and then Christmas treats, and then New Years Eve snacks, and then I was back to my old habits before I knew it.

The over-budget shed that took all summer and helped me lose 50 pounds.
Me on my birthday in October 2006. This was the thinnest I became. I also fell off the wagon on this date, at this party, eating that cake.

A few years later, I tried (my version of) Weight Watchers again, briefly. I had less luck the second time, and believe it was attributed to the fact that I was permanently sick and tired of calculating points and tracking EVERYTHING I ate. Next, I moved on to the next fad diet, Nutrisystem, which I detailed in my next post.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this blog is based entirely upon my experiences and observations. I am not a medical professional and you must do your own research and consult your doctor before making any changes to your eating, fitness, medication, or supplements. This general information is not intended to diagnose any medical condition or to replace your healthcare professional.

WEIGHT WATCHERS Is the registered trademark of Weight Watchers International, Inc. 

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