Precision Is Key
Precision is key. I’m pouring the fluid into a measuring cup, my concentration absolute. Slowly the liquid reaches the 2 ounce mark…then the 4 ounce mark…then the 8 ounce mark. Perfect. I transfer the cup’s contents into a cup. Now I know that that vessel holds exactly 8 ounces.
Is the liquid medicine? Is it a highly-concentrated explosive? Nope. It’s a five dollar bottle of wine. I’m on Weight Watchers, where every thing I put into my body counts.
On the current Weight Watchers program, nourishment is given a point value based on calories, fat, and fiber. Anything I eat and drink needs to be accounted for (basically, “if I nibble, I’ve got to scribble”). I’ve been told that if I eat a certain amount of points per day, I’ll lose weight. So for me to have this eight ounce glass of wine, I’ve had to allocate four of my very precious points toward this moment. It would be the same if it was fruit or cake or a tiny piece of chocolate. All things are allowed and all things must be counted.
It is anal? Yes. Is it a royal pain? Completely. But it works.
Years ago I lost 80 pounds on Weight Watchers. 80! Granted I was much younger and that was before I had give birth to a child. Also, I’ve been on this program five times since, after losing maybe ten pounds, I just didn’t have the desire to stay on it. But this time I am. I have to. My life depends on it.
My fiftieth birthday is coming up, and I know that if I’m going to live long enough to see my youngest child grow up (she’s five), I have to lose weight. I’ve been unhealthy long enough. Doritos and cheesecake are divine, but eating them will rob me of the precious time I have left.
Weight Watchers doesn’t deny me anything. Again, it’s all about accountability and being responsible for what I put into my body. It’s about breaking the mindless eating habit. And it’s giving me power over the child in my head who wants to eat everything in sight because of stress, or boredom, or both.
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