I’ve lost 9kg – There’s an app for that. New myWW+ launches from Weight Watchers

That “COVID body” terminology doesn’t refer to a good look in most cases. Like many of us, COVID was just a great excuse to use the worries of the world as a reason to snack and just not care. COVID be gone! And the same for those extra KGs, well – at least my plan, and thanks to the new myWW+ app from WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers) I’m well on my way.

I know I’m fat – I’ve got to sit here and edit the videos I make, I see myself more than I’d frankly like to. And I also know my weight gain and loss cycles pretty bloody well after 44 years dealing with them.

A good number for me is mid to low 90’s. I don’t plan to be skinny, that’s just not me. But, I need to be better. Getting to 103/104 is normal, that’s always been my peak – I can plateau there quite well.

But it turns out, there’s a bigger peak behind that. By the end of September I was cracking the 109 – 109.7 at most. And I’ve got smart connected scales, so it remembers every time I step on them. There’s a database record of that – a Graph – with almost a decade of data in it:

My Best is 98.1 back in 2010. Had a good run at weight loss in 2017 too, got down to 99. But this time, I’m targeting 95 or a touch less.

Food is always the trouble. Everyone likes to tell you what you should be doing and what you shouldn’t be doing. “Drop the carbs” they say, “you need to go to a gym” they say. Nope. Neither of those things work for me.

Nor do programmed eating plans, because I am the world’s pickiest eater.

But at the Start of October I started eating Lite ‘n Easy dinners. There’s about 10 of them I like, and that’s a winner.

After dropping the easiest of the KG’s doing that, I got an email from WW (one last reminder, yes, that’s Weight Watchers – I think I prefer the full name than the abbreviation – less like an addiction meeting to me – but anyway).

They were launching a new update to their app – did I want to try it?

What? Are you stalking me? Did you know I’ve stopped eating chocolate an drinking coke? Ok, sure, I’ll give it a try.

I am familiar with the basic program principals having known people who’ve done it before. So they signed me up on the $39.50 per month plan.

WW concept (in really simple terms) is to let you eat what you want within a window of “points”. You get a daily allocation of points, as well as a bit of a weekly buffer to help with those nights out.

Every single food can be found or entered into the system to find the number of points it is. There’s even a barcode scanner for you to look anything up just using the packet.

Before you get into it though, there’s a new Personal Assessment. You answer some questions about your life and weight loss journey to help them tailer the program to suit you.

Then there’s the What’s in your Fridge? section which allows you to say look, I’ve got some pasta, some eggs, some chicken, some lettuce, some carrots and some tomato – what can you suggest, and a meal will be created for you to make!

Gary Foster, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at WW says “With our expertise in behaviour change, we go beyond the basics of education and guidance and offer a personalised, action-oriented approach for our members,”

“What’s particularly compelling about myWW+ is that we have been able to scale behaviour change like never before by taking science-based principles and translating them into digital tools to make the weight and wellness journey easier for all of our members.”

The whole experience is really quite intuitive, taking it day by day, tracking the foods you eat against your goal for the day, and avoiding snacking on the bad stuff by grabbing some things you’re encouraged to eat (like Bananas have become my go-to).

As a nerd with a range of technology at my fingertips, the integration with my gadgets was perfection. My WiThings Scales sync my weight right into the app. My WiThings sleep Analyser logs my sleep into the app, and my Apple Watch is tracking my steps and activity.

All these things pair together to give you a wholistic approach to where you are at today.

The myWW app also features a kind of WW Social Network too, where you can post things like food, or progress photos to get some inspiration and support from the community.

But in reality, the core of the app is what goes in is counted, and how you’re going is measured, allowing the myWW+ app to really keep you focussed on the journey

I’m sure someone who has been on the program longer would notice better the fundamental new changes, but for me, the overall experience week to week has been a simple one, a low pressure one, and one that doesn’t rack me with guilt when I do want a chocolate.

And that’s the thing, I can have those carbs, and the chocolate, as long as I appreciate their impact on my day’s consumption as a whole.

9kg down, seven of those since joining the myWW+ program and I’m on track to keep it up, and work it off, no rush, and sustainable because I’m learning the value of everything I eat and drink.

Web: WW Australia