How to get back on track with Weight Watchers is probably one of the most frequently asked questions on my blog, ever! I know how tough it can be to fall off and not know how to get back up, so today we’re talking about the real stuff: forgiveness, triggers, and buddying up. Please add your own tips in the comments and don’t forget to sign up for my email list to get WW recipes delivered to your inbox weekly (and ONLY weekly – I don’t spam!).
How to Get Back on Track With Weight Watchers
Forgive yourself. The first step – after admitting you fell off the wagon – is to forgive yourself no matter how far off track you’ve gotten. It doesn’t matter if you blew your points in one meal, or stopped tracking and gained 20 pounds. You have to forgive yourself. Hating yourself is going to do more harm than good so right now, at this moment, say:
I forgive myself.
Forgiveness is always a huge part of the healing process, and this is no different. Forgive yourself, and move on.
Make a plan. Y’all know I’m a huge fan of writing. Write it all out: what you’re going to buy at the grocery store, how many points each food is, how you’re going to move, etc. Use my posts and grocery lists to help. Print off the Freestyle 0 Point food list. Join my free support group. Failing to plan is planning to fail.
Identify your triggers. What causes you to go off plan? Whether it’s stress, boredom, or just life, it’s going to happen. Identify your triggers, be aware of them but don’t let them control you. Journal your thoughts, feelings, and food each day and see if it helps. Use a bullet journal to keep it simple.
If your triggers include certain foods, don’t buy them! I remember when I was a kid, my Mom would buy the “diet” snacks. But then she’d eat the whole damn box. And after you’ve eaten a whole box of diet snacks why not finish it off with a soda? I mean, you’re already so far gone, why not? It’s a vicious cycle and we can only stop it if we know – and avoid – our triggers.
Start fresh. Once you’ve forgiven yourself and made a plan, it’s time to start fresh. 100% fresh, right here right now. No more thinking about what happened last week. No more blaming yourself for the extra weight you’ve put on. You’re starting fresh with your water, your food, and your fitness.
Drink more water. Don’t roll your eyes at me, young lady! ;) I know you’re SO SICK of hearing “drink more water”, but it’s a must. A must! Here are my best tips for how to drink more water.
Move more. I know most people love Weight Watchers because they don’t require any type of physical activity. However, they do recommend it! I have a handful of exercises I love to do and I’m sure you probably have your own. In case you don’t, take a walk, stretch, do some yoga, take a swim, work in your yard, park your car further at the grocery store, etc. Move your body. Honestly, anything that keeps your body moving is a great thing.
Pick up a hobby. Knitting, cross-stitch, coloring, drawing, yoga and crossword puzzles will all keep your hands busy so it’s not as easy to pick up a bowl of chips (or whatever your unhealthy snack of choice may be). Eating when you are bored is never a good thing. Next time you decide to board-eat, do something else. Anything else. Stretch, walk, garden, read, sew, knit. You get the picture! How to know if you are eating because you are bored or actually hungry? Pick up an apple. If the apple looks good, you are probably hungry so go ahead and eat it. If it doesn’t look yummy, you are probably just bored eating so put the apple down and get busy doing something else more productive!
Find a buddy. Weight Watchers is not meant to be done solo! If you aren’t already attending in-person meetings, make sure you join my groups and find some like-minded folks to spend time with (even if it is only virtually). Having a buddy who has similar weight loss goals can help you stay on track better than anything else sometimes!
Realize it’s not “all or nothing”. The biggest trap I fall into is “I already screwed up today, so I will restart tomorrow” – then I pig out some more, which sets me back more than if I had just hopped back on track right away. It’s like the analogy I’m sure you’ve heard if you get a flat tire are you gonna fix the flat or are you gonna pop the other 3 tires while you’re at it? Obviously you’re going to fix the flat aka get back on track ASAP.
So what if you screwed up a meal (or two or ten). You have the opportunity to start fresh RIGHT NOW. If you’re not taking it, who’s fault is it going to be when the scale goes up instead of down on weigh-in day?
Remember your why. Why did you start Weight Watchers to begin with? Write it out if you need to, but take some time to reflect on your “why”. Is it to be able to go up a flight of stairs without getting out of breath? To be able to play with your kids and keep up? To get off so many meds? To look better in those jeans? My “why” can usually bring me back to center fairly quickly. Write it down. Put is somewhere you can easily see it if you need to. Focusing on this will be a good way to bring you back to center.
Commit. Do you have commitment issues? I know I sure do, in many areas of my life! Diet and exercise are no exception. But now it’s time to really, truly recommit to yourself and to your health. Recommit to your Weight Watchers lifestyle by taking a walk, going to a meeting, finding a buddy, choosing the right low point meal etc. To help you with the buddy part, join our two private Facebook groups. They are PRIVATE and FREE, which means posts do not show up on your timeline. There we talk inspiration, goals, setbacks, recipes, motivation and a whole slew of great WW information that helps me stay on track every day. I really think it will help you too so give us a try. Join Air Fryer Recipe Group & the Freestyle group on Facebook. We’d really love to have you so join and tell us who you are, where you’re at, what your struggles are, successes, etc. We are all in this together!!
Take a short break. Yes, you can take a short break from WW when you need to. It may be you have an event coming up, a vacation planned, you are sick or taking care of someone who it sick, something stressful is happening or a bounty of other things that come up. It could also just be that you need a break from WW. The WW theory is, it is “OK” to do this. Life happens and we have to allow ourselves the freedom to know what’s best for us. Just keep in mind, your break from WW is a short time gig. A few days maybe, or even a week. But then you need to get back on track. Maybe this is not your first “go-to” option, but when you need to do it, know it is available to you. You can also pause your weight loss in your online WW tracking App. Just open your app and tap your image in the top right corner, now tap the round Gear button in the top right corner, now tap “current focus” and change the selection from “weight loss and healthy habits” to “health habits.” It’s that simple
P.S. Another thing you can do is look at your “before” pictures. This can really help to motivate you enough to get back on track… I know mine sure motivate me!
CLICK here for a list of my VERY BEST recipes to help you on your journey!
Meal plans help me stay on track. Here are some of my favorites!
Instant Pot Printable Meal Plan
Freestyle One Week Meal Plan
Free Printable Meal Plan
All of these great recipes make it easier than ever for you to stick to this healthy lifestyle! Make sure to join the support group on Facebook to really make the most of your time using WW to get healthier. Not only will you find even more healthy recipes, but a unique support team of people who are following the same diet program as you. This results in a way to get the support you need to stick to the program.
Lose Weight With Your Instant Pot!
I was super intimidated by my Instant Pot at first but honestly, the Instant Pot makes life SO easy! See some of the recipes below and find more here!
Instant Pot Beef Stew
Instant Pot Cheddar Broccoli Soup
Instant Pot Chicken Taco Soup
Instant Pot Bread Pudding
Come find me and JOIN my Weight Watchers Air Fryer & Instant Pot Facebook Recipe Group. We all know how hard it is to do it alone. We are a community of people who post recipes, share tips and ideas and inspire one another every day! We can’t wait to meet you!!
Check the bottom of this page to Download my FREE WW Cookbook & Tips Guide. You will LOVE it!!
This is my ZERO Point food list. Book mark the page and refer back often. Loading your fridge and pantry with these ZERO point foods is tip #1 for weight loss success.
Meal plans help me stay on track. Here are some of my favorites!
Instant Pot Printable Meal Plan
Freestyle One Week Meal Plan
Free Printable Meal Plan
You simply MUST try my ZERO points Cheesecake Recipe
Have you made up a batch of my 2 Ingredients Dough yet? It’s AMAZING stuff!! Use it to make low point bread bowls, pretzels, bread sticks, bagels, pizza crust, cinnamon rolls & more. Check out the Recipe Guide & Individual Recipes below:
To entice you, watch this Video for the 2 Ingredients Bagel Recipe – you will LOVE it – total YUM!!
2 Ingredient Dough Recipes
Ultimate 2 Ingredient Dough Guide
2 Ingredient Dough Pizza
2 Ingredient Dough Pot Pie
2 Ingredient Dough Pop Tarts
2 Ingredient Dough Cinnamon Rolls
2 Ingredient Dough Bread Bowls
2 Ingredient Dough Empanadas
Make sure you check out and grab our printable shopping lists below to make it easy when you are in store to grab the best WW FreeStyle friendly foods and snacks!
Weight Watchers Walmart Shopping List
Weight Watchers Target Shopping List
Weight Watchers Aldi Shopping List
Weight Watchers Trader Joe’s Shopping List
Ever panic and wonder what to eat at your favorite restaurants? Well, I do too! That’s why I created and LOVE my restaurant guides. Check them out here and be sure to email me and let me know any others you’d like to see:
Cracker Barrel Weight Watchers
Chic Fil A Weight Watchers
Chipotle Weight Watchers
Olive Garden Weight Watchers
Red Robin Weight Watchers
Taco Bell Weight Watchers
P.F. Chang’s
Texas Roadhouse
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