The Cursed Thing Actually Works

I already knew this about Weight Watchers, but still, it pains me to admit it: it works. I followed the Flex plan from August to October of 2008 and lost around 15 pounds. Of course, being the person that I am, I hated (and hate) counting points and told myself I'd learned about portion control and didn't need it anymore. So I stopped. And so did my weight loss. Worse, over the past couple of months, I started gaining again.

So I started doing Weight Watchers again, and lo and behold, I've lost 9 pounds in the last 2 1/2 weeks. Suddenly, I'm willing to believe my scale is accurate again, now that it's on a downward rather than upward trend. It feels good to be losing, but counting points is still extremely tedious, so I try to find inspiration where I can.

I've been reading The Healthy Fellow, for instance. It's a lot of information to absorb, and my experience with BFF and his diet bible tells me that I'm really not a fanatical whole foods/strict dietary combinations kind of guy, but it's helpful to have daily or near-daily reminders about making healthy choices. I like him because he claims to have lost 70 or 80 pounds in recent months, a goal I can certainly relate to, and he talks about driving past fast food joints and craving milkshakes, which I can also relate to. I like having reminders about healthy living, about healthy choices, and he gives me a daily dose. It's not 100% me, with a focus on organic and whole food and all of that. I feel like I'm a long way from tweaking the details; if I can just make some major shifts, I'd be better off, and I can worry about fine-tuning the mixing-this-with-that or the the powerful effects of such-and-such spice or supplement down the road, when I've moved beyond the fat bastard stage.

So anyway, Weight Watchers. Damn thing. What really works about Weight Watchers, I think, is thinking in terms of expendable currency. One of BFF's end-of-the-world environmentalist books (or probably more than one, actually) talked about what a different world it would be if environmental costs were figured into the economic system, if a product's economic impact were included in its actual financial cost to the consumer. What a different world it would be. McDonald's wouldn't be nearly so inexpensive, just for an obvious example. I've been thinking about Weight Watchers that way. Suddenly a bowl of chips and salsa, what I would have thought of as a healthy snack before, becomes too expensive in the currency of points. 9 chips? For 3 points? No, it's not worth the cost. What other choice can I make?

And that, my friends, is why I'm suddenly in love with spaghetti squash. The end.