Jay Gained Control

* At 6 months, participants in a clinical trial of the WW weight-loss program lost an average of 9.7 lbs (5% of body weight). And, people who track their food more often lose more weight. When actual WW members track their food at least two times a week for 6 months they lose on average 16.6 lbs. (7.9% body weight). Jay lost weight on a prior program and is continuing on WeightWatchers.

In Jay’s words:
Ever since I began my career in finance, I was able to expense as much food as I wanted during long office hours, and I totally took advantage — even though my grueling schedule left me little time to work up an appetite at the gym . Then, when my wife got pregnant with our twin daughters and craved milkshakes at midnight or pizza at 3 a.m., I’d indulge with her. It wasn’t until after the girls were born that I realized just how much I’d let myself go.

Finding control
I felt like I’d lost a lot of the freedom I had before becoming a father — I had even less time to do things for myself, like exercise. Still, I knew there was one thing I could control: what I ate.

Gaming wellness
As soon as I downloaded the WW app, I realized that WW Freestyle is for everyone. I’ve always been a competitive guy and found that using the app gamified my food choices: I’d use it throughout the day to log the foods I ate and check in at night to review how many WeightWatchers I’d eaten. If I went over my daily limit, and tapped into the extras you get each week, then I’d plan to eat a little better the next day. It felt fun.

A new way of living
I’ve never looked at WW as a diet. For me, it’s more of a lifestyle choice with a little bit of discipline — it’s eating two pieces of steak instead of three and keeping yourself honest. Now that I’ve lost 22 pounds, I can be a better dad. I feel like I can conquer anything that comes my way mentally or emotionally — like the marathon I’ve always wanted to run. One day, I know I’ll cross that finish line.