Pitfalls to Avoid with Weight Watchers for Lasting Change

Weight Watchers Freestyle is an amazing program that will help you lose weight. As someone who lost most of my 100 pound weight loss with Weight Watchers, I’m here to say this program does work! However, there are some pitfalls to avoid with Weight Watchers Freestyle program.

If you aren’t losing weight, take an honest look at your daily intake (EVERY bite or sip you put into your mouth) and see where the problem lies. The key to success with Weight Watchers is being honest with yourself and tracking everything in the app, online, or on paper.

Pitfalls to Avoid with Weight Watchers Freestyle Program

Have you fallen into one of these problem areas? Thankfully, a small change in direction will get you back on track in no time.

Avoiding the deep stuff.

One thing most of us don’t think about when we are trying to lose weight is why we are overweight in the first place.

How did you get here? If you have a large amount of weight to lose, chances are it’s been a long battle over many years. Maybe you’ve been overeating, or eating your feelings and not getting up and moving around. Perhaps you’ve made the wrong food choices and ended up in a cycle of guilt and self-hate when the scale moves up instead of down.

Start a journal to record your feelings. Every time you eat, write down how you are feeling and what you’re eating. Do you tend to reach for chocolate when you’re stressed out? If so, being mindful of that and finding alternatives will help.

Not tracking.

You’re doing great; you’ve lost 10 pounds and you’re rockin’ and rollin’. You know what 4 ounces of chicken breast looks like, and you know how to tell when you’re full.

Tracking can be annoying – especially to track…

Every.

Single.

Bite.

So you slack off a bit. Then you miss tracking a meal (or you wildly “guesstimate” the points).

And another meal. And before you know it, you haven’t tracked in 4 days and you’re up 2 pounds.

Weight Watchers works because tracking provides the accountability many of us need to be successful. Even Lifetime members fall off the wagon and gain weight back when they get comfortable and stop tracking. It is crucial to track everything you eat and drink if you want to be successful with the Weight Watchers program.

Taking a weekend off.

Along the same lines as the point above, it’s important to always track your points. Taking weekends off could mean the difference in a 3 pound loss and a 1 pound gain.

The Weight Watchers mobile app makes this nearly effortless and way easier than tracking calories or macros. You can scan almost every food in using the bar code on its packaging or you can look each item up quickly on the app or on your computer.

Taking 10 minutes to track daily is worth it to keep you on track.

“All or nothing” thinking.

When you have an off day or go over your points, or even when you fall off the wagon completely, it’s important to get right back on.

Saying “I might as well just not track the rest of the day” because you ate at a buffet and blew your lunch (and point count for the day) doesn’t make any more sense than saying “one of my tires is flat, I might as well go drive the car off a cliff”.

If you’re having an off day and you’re already almost over on your points, stick with Zero point foods or low-point alternatives like these 2-ingredient bagels that are only 3 SmartPoints. Drink lots of water and get back on track.

Start with the very next time you eat, not the next day or the next week.

Thinking too big too soon.

While it is great to set big goals (like “lose 100 pounds!”), it’s also important to take things one day at a time with Weight Watchers.

Keep in mind this helpful saying:

One day at a time but one meal at a time, one bite at a time.

Big goals are exciting but an also be overwhelming to the point that you want to give up. Set smaller goals inside your bigger goal and consider ways to reward yourself along the way for your achievements.

Soda, juice, and yes… alcohol.

If you aren’t losing weight with Weight Watchers Freestyle, there’s a piece of the puzzle that is not clicking. While it could be many things, one of the first things you want to look at (beyond how many zero point foods you’re consuming) is what you’re drinking.

Drinking water (even if it’s flavored with 0 calorie sweetener) is your best option. Juices, soda, and alcohol are all huge culprits when it comes to not losing weight.

Not having variety.

Think back to every “diet” you’ve failed at. Why did you fail? Most likely because it was too difficult to stick to or the food choices got boring.

With Weight Watchers, it’s different.

You can eat pretty much anything you want, you just have to track it and eat smaller portions if it’s an unhealthy food choice. Eating a variety of healthy, full-flavored foods is going to help you stay on track. Weight Watchers is so much better than the programs that make you cut out any food groups (hello, carbs, I need you!), and it’s not a DIET, so it’s easier to stick with.

Not having support.

Support is critical to success with Weight Watchers. If you’re doing online and not going to meetings, it’s even more important to reach out and connect with like-minded individuals that can support you on your journey. Join free Facebook groups or connect with a friend to get the support you need in order to stay accountable.

How do you avoid Weight Watchers pitfalls?