Earlier this month we put out a call for an adventurous couple who wanted to make a healthy lifestyle change together.

Karen and Mark answered that call and, over the next twelve weeks, they’ll be giving us an honest, in-depth account about what life is like when you’re on the Weight Watchers plan. They’ll also be helping and supporting each other along the way.

This week Karen and Mark are talking about adjusting to the Weight Watchers plan, tracking their ProPoints and finding the motivation for some all-important exercise.

Mark and Karen have taken up the Weight Watchers challenge!

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Name: Mark

Starting Weight: 14st 5lbs

Current Weight: 13st 11lbs

Was back in Weight Watchers on Tuesday for my weigh-in. Had another good week and posted similiar figures to last week. This brings my total weight loss up to 8lbs over the two weeks I have been on the Weight Watchers plan.

I’m happy with this figure but I know from doing previous diets that you normally lose quite a lot at the beginning and then everything slows down, so I don’t expect to post as high for next week but I won’t complain if I do.

So far I’ve managed not use any of my 49 weekly allowance ProPoints. I prefer to use the ProPoints that I have gained through exercise. I run 3-4 times a week now to give myself some extra ProPoints for treats or nights out.

Using the ProPoints system, I’m noticing that you do tend to count the ProPoints of nearly everything that goes into your shopping basket. My one vice is pizza but the difference in ProPoints between the different types of store bought pizzas can be astronomical. For example, Milano’s cheese and tomato pizza is 14 ProPoints. I know that pepperoni and other meats on the pizza will obviously affect its ProPoints value, but when I checked Tesco’s American Hot stonebaked pizza it had a whopping 27 ProPoints!

I’ve noticed a lot of benefits from keeping the weekly tracker. When I’m nearing the end of my ProPoints for the day, I find it much easier to resist having that Kit Kat or Curly Wurly with my tea in the evenings.

I don’t plan on keeping a food diary after this 12 week period because I don’t have the self discipline to keep it up but I hope that the skill of refusing to indulge if I feel I’ve been eating enough during the day stays with me. If this was the only benefit I got out of the Weight Watchers programme then I would definitely consider it a successful journey.

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Name: Karen

Starting Weight: 12st 8.5lbs

Current Weight: 12st 6lbs

This was a tough week for me. Now that I have found so many low ProPoint treats I find myself trying to make sure I have some ProPoints left at night so I can snack before I go to bed – probably not the best of ideas.

It’s a good thing that I love fruit and yoghurt as they have saved me on those days when I’m not prepared for lunches or dinners on the go. This is where I find I fall down a lot – convenience foods. I made sure when I went shopping this week that I had plenty of fruit, yoghurt and even a couple of Weight Watchers ready meals so I don’t crack and grab a chocolate bar or a bag of chips as a ‘quick filler.’

My personal goal this week was to try and lose two pounds. I hope that a few sessions in the gym flailing around a dance class like a lunatic would hopefully counteract the sneaky night time chocolate which I still felt guilty about (even though it was within my ProPoints for the day!).

I also had a bad craving for a takeaway so I promised myself that if I reached my goal I could have one. I lost 2.5lbs this week so I thoroughly enjoyed a takeaway last night. I have no idea how many ProPoints were in it, but I left out the rice to try and make myself feel better.

Our class this week was about the ‘Filling and Healthy’ option on the Weight Watchers plan which you can choose instead of counting ProPoints. This is a more relaxed option where you don’t track ProPoints, instead you just eat until you feel comfortably full. You can eat as much as you want, as long as the food you are eating is on the ‘Filling and Healthy’ list. This list includes fruit, most vegetables, fat-free yoghurt, wholegrain cereal etc. I think the ProPoints system is working for me at the moment but I think this may benefit me for weekends where tracking becomes difficult – like weekends away for example.

Overall I had another good week – next week I’m aiming to lose that half pound so I can get my Silver Seven!

Do you want to join Karen and Mark? Find your nearest Weight Watchers classes here.