I can eat what??!

My good friends Tobi and Shawna invited me to join Weight Watchers with them. I'll admit that Andrew really took a toll on me body wise and I swear the ghost of my pregnancy weight gain still haunts me. I don't do scales, what good is it to look at a number and obsess over it over and over again and give it some magical control over your life. I prefer the clothes method of weight control. If the clothes start getting tight then it's time to do something about it. Well the jeans have been getting a little tighter and I've got some really big events in the next few months so I decided that maybe losing a few pounds wouldn't be such a bad thing. I also know that my eating habits as of late haven't been helping matters very much. I really need to remember that breakfast is not a double chocolate muffin or filled donut and potato chips are not considered vegetables (even Funyons). That being said I approached the loving husband and asked if he would mind if I did Weight Watchers. He of course thought it would be a great idea. Not that he thinks I'm fat or anything..I have been complaining about my flab lately and he knows that my willpower level is about the same as toddler's attention span. The meeting they wanted me to attend was on Saturday morning at 9:30. Tobi told me to come early to get signed up and expect to stay after the meeting to get specific details. The weather Saturday morning was usual January--Icky. The temps had warmed up but the wind was really blowing the snow around and you couldn't tell if you were driving on pavement or black ice. I made it almost on time and got signed up. The meeting itself wasn't too bad. There were all ages and body types so I didn't feel too out of place. Afterwards those of us were were attending their first meeting were asked to stay so we could be given more complete instructions. I was the only one of the 15 or so who had never done Weight Watchers before. I got my books and "tools" and off I went. Tobi stayed behind to let me know that there had been a very bad accident and I-90 was closed so take another route home. I had planned on meeting the loving husband and kids at the Wellness Center instead. We usually do the cardio kickbox class and I was missing it to do the meeting so I told Jim that I'd stop by when I was done. Unfortunately, the meeting in Brandon is at a time I can not make so I need to go to the Sioux Falls meetings. I might try going at an earlier time so I can do the class with Jim. We met up and practiced our Tae Kwan Do stuff for a while and went over to Royal Fork for lunch. I was still quite confused with all the information I had gotten at my meeting so I decided to officially start the next day. I did eat a lot more considerately than I usually do and skipped the Coke with my meal. Hubby had a few errands to do so he took Matthew and Carolyn with him and I took Andrew home with me. When I got home Shawna had left me a message saying that the accident on I-90 involved a blue minivan and she was hoping I had made it home alright. I called her back so she wouldn't worry. I spent much of the rest of the day trying to figure out what it was that I had signed up for. For those who don't know, Weight Watchers uses a point system to track weight loss. You are weighed at every meeting and this determines the amount of points you can use during the week. Every food has a point value depending on what it is and how healthy it is for you. Points that are high in fiber and low in calories have the least point value and those that are high in fat, calories, and sugar have greater values. You are taught how to figure out a food's value at the meeting and given a slide chart to help out. If I want to, they sell a point calculator that does this for you. Tobi swears by hers. They also sell books with lists of foods and how much point value they carry. I paid for those. Every day I start out with my full point value which for me is 22 so my goal is to eat 22 points worth of food without going over. Sounds easy...right? They also give you an extra 35 points a week in case you go over or want to eat something that would put you over on points. Of course if you use all of these points you don't lose weight as fast but they have determined that by giving members this option more people lost the weight and stayed on the plan. If that wasn't confusing enough then you earn activity points throughout the day that counter your food points. There is a sliding scale for that too. So I start the day with my magic number and write down all that I eat or drink and subtract the points as I use them. This is where it gets tricky. If you want to eat a pancake you look it up and determine what kind it is, is it homemade or box--homemade is more points. I ate two so that's two points. 1 egg is 2 points so that is a total of 4 points used on breakfast. Of course I ate my pancakes without butter or syrup (don't worry I actually like plain pancakes) but if I wanted that I'd have to add those points in too. So you get the picture. If I want to eat it, then I need to know how much it will "cost" me and decide if it is worth it. My beloved cream filled donuts are 8 points apiece so I don't think I'll be eating them to much. I was paging though my one book Saturday night looking at all the different foods they have. Some meats are obvious like pork, beef, or chicken. Some of the other meat selections are a little more regional or offbeat. I expected duck, goose, pheasant, deer, and even bear but armadillo??? I did not find porcupine (Carolyn wanted me to find it) but I did find beaver, opossum, raccoon, and squirrel. I'll let you all know how I'm doing as I try to figure out this crazy new lifestyle that I decided to embark on. Oh, 8oz Coke is worth 2 points so I'm going to go get a 6-pack of cans tomorrow when I go shopping. Some things are worth the extra points.