{Disclaimer: This post isn't sponsored. It's just me sharing my journey of what is working.}

We are officially done having babies, so I needed to do something. I wasn't terribly over weight, but I knew I needed to make some changes to feel better about myself, be more healthy, and look a little better.

I had a couple friends who had been successful on Weight Watchers, so I decided on a whim to give it a try. I enrolled in the online only plan which is just about $20 a month on March 11. Why did a choose Weight Watchers? Well, mostly because I had seen others' success and the points tracking seemed really easy. I know there are free apps and programs you can use, but the price point was actually good for me because I needed to have that commitment of paying for something so that I would actually do it as opposed to blowing off something that was free. I also do not enjoy working out and knew that I really needed to focus on my food because having a consistent work out routine just doesn't work for me.

With Weigh Watchers, I get 30 Smart Points a day + 35 weekly overage Smart Points. The points will vary depending on your weight, I think. I knew I couldn't starve myself, so I really looked at what I was eating and tried to find some substitutions that had fewer Smart Points, yet didn't leave me feeling deprived.

Let's start with breakfast. Before starting Weight Watchers, a typical breakfast for me might be a large cup of carton iced coffee and a pack of breakfast crackers or a Greek yogurt. Breakfast alone was a HUGE reality check. The breakfast biscuits I was eating were 8 Smart Points, the yogurt was 8 Smart Points, and the iced coffee was 5 Smart Points for 8 oz, and I'm sure I drank way more than 8 oz in a sitting.

So, this is where I made the first big change. I switched to a different yogurt. I was eating the Chobani Flips, and I switched to the Chobani Simply 100 yogurts. Then, I decided to instead try a weight control oatmeal from our grocery store's generic line that was just 4 Smart Points. I also ditched the carton iced coffee with this cold brew recipe. Eventually I have been able to ditch the oatmeal and just do the protein cold brew in the mornings and I'm good to go. So, I went from 13+ points for breakfast two just two.

The next change I made was lunch. I used to do another Flip Greek yogurt for lunch that was 8 Smart Points, a full on sandwich with cheese, meat, and bread, and chips. I subbed out the yogurt for a lower point option (I currently love the Oikos Triple Zero ones), cut the cheese from my sandwich completely, swapped bread for a wrap that is just 1 Smart Point, and just made sure to measure out the chips I was taking with me. My lunches went from 20ish Smart Points to just nine. I added in some fruit which is zero Smart Points to help fill me up.

I haven't made a ton of changes to what I was eating for dinner except I really focus on portion control. We have a kitchen scale and I will weigh things out or measure them out with a measuring cup so I really know what I'm eating. 

I've also tried to really be smart about my snacking. I measure out a snack or purchase things in individual bags. I really like Skinny Pop popcorn in the individual serving bags, caramel mini rice cakes, and even Goldfish crackers. All of those can be three points or less for a snack!  I also have been purchasing Halo Top Ice Cream which is a great low calorie ice cream option so I can have a little treat in the evenings! Usually a serving of that is three Smart Points as opposed to seven or more for other ice cream.

Something else, besides eating, that has helped is having a few friends and cheerleaders along the way. I have a couple people in my life who are doing or have done Weight Watchers, so I can get eating ideas from them! One great piece of advice I got from my friend Stephanie is to have one cheat meal a week where you just throw the points out the window. During the school year it usually ended up being on the weekend, but in the summer, it can really depend. 

All in all, I'm really happy with the success I have had. I feel like what I am doing is sustainable. I know it's not all about the numbers on the scale, but my first goal was 15 lbs down from where I started in March, and I met that! I'm currently working toward my final goal which is 30 lbs total. I'm currently at about 25 lbs, so I have a little more to go, but I'm totally getting there. I honestly wasn't sure I would ever be successful with losing weight, but Weight Watchers has worked for me!

I knew the weight was coming off and I knew clothes were getting loser, but this photo comparison really shows my success. The picture on the left was last August and the photo on the right was a few Sundays ago. I guess we can say it's working, and I feel so much better. 

So, that's what's working for me! Has it all been easy? No. Have I really had to work on some self-control? Yes! But is it worth it? Totally!

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