Visualizing yourself at goal can be a wonderfully powerful tool to keep you motivated. But what does it actually mean to be in maintenance? Get some insight straight from the experts.
Article By:WeightWatchers.com
In your meeting or in the Weight Watchers Community, you may have heard people refer to themselves as Lifetime members of Weight Watchers, or as being in maintenance. But what exactly does it mean?
Many people think of hitting maintenance as an end point; a full stop marking the end of your weight-loss journey. And yes, in some ways, it is — you are no longer in losing mode, your goal is no longer to see the number on the scale change each week.
But the challenge now is to stay within that goal weight — with a fluctuation of no more than two pounds — for six weeks, at which point meetings members can become Lifetime members.
When you hit that goal weight, your daily PointsPlus® Target will be increased, by 6 PointsPlus values per day. That’s not the free-for-all that many people may be expecting! (There’s certainly more than 6 PointsPlus values in a pint of posh ice-cream…)
So, the first piece of advice that many people who are in maintenance now recommend (if you don’t believe us, just look on the Maintenance Message Board right now), is not to skimp on using your PointsPlus now, before you’re at your goal. You get a weekly PointsPlus Allowance of 49, and we want you to use it! Also consider eating some — or all — of the activity PointsPlus values you earn. You’ll still lose weight. Sure, you may lose a little more slowly than you would if you restricted yourself, but for people who don’t eat any of these extras while they’re losing, the body’s sure going to get a surprise if you start eating these, plus your extra 6 per day, once you’re at goal.
What you will have to do, for sure, is to play around a little with the PointsPlus values you allow yourself. This is why tracking continues to be so important to your life at goal; some weeks you may well end up going up a little, but if you’ve written it all down, you can see what you’ll need to do to get back to your goal weight.
There are many benefits to achieving Lifetime status at Weight Watchers. Lifetime members may attend as many meetings as they like anywhere in the world free of charge, providing they weigh-in once a month at no more than two pounds over their goal weight. Lifetime members never have to pay a registration fee, should they return to Weight Watchers after a hiatus from meetings. Lifetime members also have the opportunity to work for Weight Watchers as receptionists or Leaders in the meeting room.
These Lifetime members, and those Weight Watchers OnlinePlus subscribers who are at their goal weight, are wonderful resources. They are living proof that the program works and that real people are achieving success with it every day. Although meeting members at Lifetime are only required to weigh in once a month, they are encouraged to attend as many meetings as they need and weigh in more often if it enhances their maintenance experience. New members may want to seek out and listen to the advice and lessons available from Lifetime members, both in the meeting rooms and in the Weight Watchers Community.
Valuable advice and tips from some of our Lifetime members.
“Keep tracking PointsPlus values even after you've reached goal. It’s too easy to increase your portion sizes and eat extra PointsPlus values if you don't.”
“Enjoy every day you are on plan. Laugh at your mistakes and celebrate your successes.”
“Create a strong catalog of meals you love to eat. Eat only what you truly love and the plan will be a joy.”
“Keep yourself busy so the focus of your life isn't food!”
“Be intentional about your healthy lifestyle. Don't leave it up to chance.”
“Lifetime membership is the greatest gift. I encourage my co-workers to please hang in there, because earning Lifetime will keep them fit for life. I have remained faithful to my goal because Weight Watchers helped me change the way I eat for life.”
“Anyone can lose weight — we've done it a million times — but the key to keeping the weight off is to embrace your new lifestyle. Tell yourself, ‘I love the new me!’”
“WeightWatchers.com is so helpful to me as a Lifetime member. The Success Stories and Message Boards remind me that the journey I began two years ago will never be over. I remain just as alert and dedicated as I was as a beginner to avoid pitfalls. Sometimes it's difficult when there is no goal weight left to aim for — that's when I hit the website for a boost.”
