Last week we discussed eating out, this week we discussed eating in, staying in on a Saturday night is common this time of year with the likes of The X Factor back on and the bad weather approaching, and of course saving for Christmas. A night in can be fun but we need to stay in control. My friend had a few of us over for some wine and X Factor last Saturday so I thought ‘I have 49 ProPoints, I only need to use 20 for my wine. Instead of having a takeaway, I brought carrots sticks and hummus. This week I’m down another 2 pounds and that is due to taking control of my weekends and tracking again. It’s nine more weighs till Christmas, and if I lose two pounds each week that’s a loss of 18 pounds, over a stone. The key factors are tracking, exercise and preparation. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail! Height: 5:5 Starting weight: 15 ½ stone Planned weight loss: 2 stone Weight loss to date: 10 lbs     Warren Barry This week’s class was quite informative and a real eye opener. The topic of this week’s class tied in very well with last week’s class. Last week we dealt with eating out and the dangers of blowing a week’s work tracking because of underestimating the values of food. This week Gwen gave a talk on eating in. The time of year is upon us where winter pounds can appear quite easily as a result of sitting in front of a TV on a Saturday night watching the X Factor eating pizza. Gwen went through the values of a number of common foods people may snack on while they stay in during the winter. I suppose the main point I took from this week’s class was that you need to know what you’re eating! I find tracking massively helps to keep on track and meet your goals; it also allows you some freedom to eat foods you love while staying on track! Knowing the values of everything you’re eating allows for some freedom to eat some foods you don’t eat during the week but also keep on track and make gains. I dropped a further 3 1/2 lbs this week, I was quite happy about that. That takes my total weight loss now to 11lbs in 8 weeks. I have also dropped my BMI by 5%, which was one of my goals when I started off. Height: 5'9 Starting weight: 15 stone 3 Planned weight loss: 1 stone Weight loss to date: 11 lbs     Laura Kavanagh I'm pointing in my head subconsciously during the week. I know by looking at something how many points are in there and without using the numbers I'm just making better choices. We all know tracking is the one thing all successful members remark on but sometimes it may go astray when the weekend begins! At weekends we are more inclined to indulge as we are more relaxed and have time on our hands. One very important point made in class was that if we don’t learn to control the nights in as the same manner as nights out the weekends will control us! I don’t want a disappointing weigh-in next week so I’m going to improve my control over the weekend by making smarter decisions. Instead of getting a takeaway I’m going to quickly throw a meal together and know exactly the ProPoints I’m using. This will allow me to stay in control of what I’m eating. Instead of making the bad decision of getting a Dominos pizza (4 slices - 24 ProPoints) I’m going to hack together my favourite chicken carbonara meal. I’m just going to use the Dolmio express carbonara sauce, which is 5pps per sachet. I’ll add 120g of lean cooked chicken breast (4pps) and have 60 g whole-wheat pasta (6pps) to make a delicious dish for 15pps. I can also bulk it up with zero ProPoints veg! As you can see, surviving the weekend Weight Watchers style does not mean you have to eliminate your favourite dishes – just plan! By doing this, you are more likely to stick to a healthier option. Height: 5:3 Starting weight: 11 ½ stone Planned weight loss: 1 stone Weight loss to date: 6 lbs   Sarah Moore Last week we spoke about the importance of planning for eating out. This week we’re all about eating in. Saturday night rolls around and you think, ah sure, I have my 49 ProPoints - I can spend them how I like. But you don’t have to! Just because they’re there, it doesn’t mean they have to be used. Extra ProPoints are gained from exercise, which is great but I have been trying not to use these extra ProPoints during the day because my main thoughts are ‘oh I went to the gym this morning, of course I can have you, you lovely little chocolate bar’. My weight remained the same this week, which I’m not surprised at. I continued to eat the same as before – fruit and veg for snacks when I was in work and then eating well enough at meal times. What differed this week was the amount of exercise I did decreased and I also had a night out on Friday which I think throws your body off-kilter for a couple of days. I have begun to realise that alcohol makes a big difference, whether it’s the amount you drink on a night or the way it make you feel the next day and as a result, what you eat. I’m thinking of taking a little sabbatical from drinking for a while. Some of the things Gwen showed us were a little shocking – a bag of peanuts (large) was worth 80 ProPoints! Now I’m a fan of peanuts but I’d have no problem subbing something else in their place. It’s really learning about what you can have in their place so that you aren’t feeling like you have to give everything up. A suggestion made by Gwen was to have some of the Sharwoods Poppadums (1 ProPoint each), heat them up and crack them into a bowl so that it feels like you’ve a bowl of crisps to pick at. Again, and it’s something I think I’ve been saying for the past few weeks, it’s all about the choices you make. You have to WANT to have self-control, if not, you won’t. It’s as simple as that; the hard part is realising and doing it. Height: 5'7 Starting weight: 13.5 stone Planned weight loss: 1.5 stone Weight loss to date: 6.5 lb   Check back on these pages weekly for regular updates from the foursome, and if you want to find out more about Weight Watchers classes in your area, you can do so here.