My WW Online Registration Experience

Let me start by saying that I used to be a gym rat for three years. I went to an intense boot camp 5 days per week every week and absolutely loved it. I was about to turn 40 and was in the best shape of my life, until a back injury put a big stop to all of that. The injury was most likely not related to the gym, but after an open back surgery there was to be no boot camp for at least half a year.

While my back healed and I am pretty much back to my old self, there is still no gym. Instead I have some pounds creeping up - slowly, but surely. I don’t like diets, cleanses, juicings, or detox programs. I tried many and none of them were for me. I needed something different, something that would work with real life foods and long term. So I decided to finally give WW (old Weight Watchers) a try. I have heard of this name countless of times and was always intrigued, but it was never a good time. Last week I decided that the best time is now and pulled the plug.

Thanks to all the modern technology, we can now have our diet programs at our fingertips, literally. I signed up for WW on my laptop, but then downloaded their free app, because that way I can have my information and record my progress as I go. Sure, I can do all that on my computer, but who wants to deal with that these days?

Sign up process was absolutely no fuss and very fast. That immediately made me like this program, because I dreaded a possible 30 min process and 100 questions. WW took me 5 min at the most and I think I had to answer maybe 10 questions. I had to create an account with my name and address, enter my weight, height, and most loved food groups. Lastly, they asked what my goal is, which at the moment is not that difficult to achieve – lose 14 pounds.

After I created an account, I had to pick a plan I wanted. There were three of them. I chose Digital 360, which costs $18.30 per month after first time member discount of 30% or $30 (it’s been just a week and already don’t remember – getting older is no fun). I can always cancel or switch plans, so the initial choice is not binding. My plan is pretty comprehensive and offers all that I need, except personal visits. Here is what I get with it:

• Customized plan for weight loss and wellness based on the dangerous foods I listed in my application.
• Tracking tools, where I can enter what I ate and how much exercise I had. I can even connect devices like iWatch or any other wrist activity tracker.
• Barcode scanner for calorie and nutrient information.
• Restaurant and recipe databases and finders.
• Workout and meditation suggestions.
• Weekly check-ups and progress reports.
• Live or recorded expert created content.

I have to honest - as good as it sounds, it still takes time to start and really get into the game. I haven’t started counting my calories and collecting good points or tracking anything. I blame my work, but in reality it just takes a bit of time to get into the swing of things. I feel that holidays are coming and I am getting lazy, but I should be the opposite and start getting ready for all that overeating, create a plan and stick to it. WW will be perfect for that. And since I made the first step, I know I will find it in me to get into it for real.

To help me with the initial learning curve, I went to visit my closest WW studio in person, but my experience there will be covered in the next article.

And even if I’m a bit slow to seriously get into the plan, so far so good, WW! I feel we’ll be good friends this upcoming winter, especially if I’ll like all the snacks I ordered the day I signed up for a membership. Snacks’ tastiness remains to be seen, but I have a lot of faith in this program and I think I’m ready for a new me.