It's ass-kicking time

I'm at a fork in the road.  Something has got to change.  I'm getting really anxious seeing my scale creep up and actually having pants in my closet that I can't wear because they're too tight (it's been a long time since that has happened, something I've been pretty proud of).  I see my options as this: recommit to the program I've been doing, or find something new. 

For the last 2 1/2 years I've been following Weight Watchers Online.  Many of you know this, many don't.  I'm kind of strangely guarded about coming out of the WW closet, but I feel like now's as good a time as any.  Part of the blogging thing is increasing my accountability and opening myself up to shedding some light on my journey.  It's been a good run with Weight Watchers.  I started the program 40lb down from my highest weight ever, and was able to lose another 23lb through the program - 7lb away from my goal weight.  Fabulous, right? 

The problem seemed to come when they switched methods.  The program I started on was called Momentum, and assigns a points value to each food based on a formula calculating calories, fat, and fiber.  The new plan is called Points+ and takes calories out of the equation, relying on carbs, fiber, fat, and protein to calculate points+ values.  I love the theory of the new program as it focuses on eating less processed foods and more fruits & veggies, things I value anyway.  The problem?  My slow but steady weight gain of 11lb.  Beginning?  When they switched over the program.  Oof.  I don't know why it took me 6 months to figure this out, but hey, at least I'm here now :)

I'm not quite ready to give up on WW yet though.  It's been a good run and I've learned a lot of good things from the plan.  So I'm recommittng to giving it another good shot and if it still doesn't work for me after trying my best then I'll move on to something else.  Here's what I'm thinking...

Things I do well:
-Exercise (been in a really good routine the last month or so)
-Drinking enough water
-Tracking what I eat (tracked every day for the last month, yay!)

Things I need to work on:
-Hitting my healthy checks each day (WW recommends: 64oz fluids, 5 fruit/veg servings, 2 tsp healthy oil, and 2 servings dairy as well as exercise & taking a multivitamin)
-Planning meals ahead of time (I'm so-so good at this, what I think will help is tracking the full day ahead of time)
-Moderation.  Specifically when it comes to sweets.  I've been eating way too much chocolate and other tasty dessert things lately.  A few times a week is ok but I'm finding that doing it every day isn't helping anything
-Staying within my points.  I kind of fail at this. 

A saying I've heard from other WW members is "if you kind of work the plan, it kind of works."  I'm totally guilty of this.  "If you really work the plan, it will really work for you."  Gotta do it.

So, there you have it.  My plan.  I'll give it a few solid weeks and then re-evaluate.  I've done this before, and I know I can get back to confidence about my weight loss journey. 

Time to kick some ass :)