Join me on my journey...

Anyone you ask will tell you that weight loss is not a destination, but a journey. It's true, and this blog is a chance to lose it along with me as I travel the road to the old me. I will be combining Weight Watchers (tm) with Alli (tm). Throughout the journey, I'll post the ups and downs, recipes and reviews of products/foods that I try. For those on Weight Watchers, I can't post the Points (tm) value of recipes, but I'll try to make sure everything you need to calculate points is there.

I have tried several products and diets over the years, with varying levels of success. I've tried Spark People (www.sparkpeople.com), a free website with a lot of great features for tracking calories, fat and other nutrients. They have a very active community, and I know people who have found very good friends from spending time on Spark.

I have also tried Weight Watchers (www.weightwatchers.com) a couple of times. I have been fairly successful with them, which is why I've gone back. One of my gripes in the past was the lack of anything male-focused. This has really improved a lot, though many of the new products are still geared towards women. Their web tools does have a men's section, though, as does the community. They are not free, but the ability to go to meetings and be accountable to someone other than myself is a plus when you have the willpower of a gnat.

South Beach (www.southbeachdiet.com) is the last major program I have tried, personally. It worked for a while, but that gnat-like willpower thing got in the way. They do have a web program, but I've never tried it, personally. It does cost money, on top of buying the book. The idea of the program is to re-train yourself to eat less carbohydrates and more protein. If Atkins interests you, but it seems to extreme, hit up the local library and check out this book.

I mentioned above that I am taking Alli (www.myalli.com). It is another tool available, and one I have chosen to use. Why? Fear. Abject terror. You don't know why? Go to your local mega-mart or discount store and read the warnings on the label. Go ahead, I'll wait...yeah, if a pill manufacturer recommends carrying a change of clothes, you'd watch what goes into your mouth, too. Remember that gnat-like willpower, it's amazing what the threat of inconvenient and embarrassing side-effects can do to bolster that!

Weight loss is a personal journey, but not one that needs to be taken alone. Whether you are on one of the plans above, Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, or something else, come along on my journey. Post your wins and your challenges. We'll all get there in our own time.