Learn How Weight Watchers Personal Coaching Really Works

This post was created as part of a relationship in which I was sponsored by Weight Watchers and given a free three month subscription to try their new Personal Coaching product and write about my experience. Though I was compensated for my time and commitment, all views, positive and negative, are my own. #WeightWatchers #WWsponsored

Recently I told you guys a little about my weight – and showed off some not-so-flattering pictures of how it’s fluctuated a ton over the past ten years. I also mentioned that to really get on track with a healthier lifestyle in this new year, I would be partnering with a personal coach from Weight Watchers. I was really excited to get started… But I’ll admit, just a little nervous too. I filled out my online assessment, so that my coach would know a little more about me before our first call, then got ready to set up my very first coaching appointment. I was super impressed with how easy the process was, and how fun the call was!

A photo posted by Meagan Paullin (@sunandsipcups) on Dec 12, 2014 at 2:28pm PST

Is it bad that right before scheduling my coaching call, I ate this big ol’ piece of chocolate goodness? I savored every last little bite, and told myself it was the last big indulgence for awhile. It was good… But as I ate it, I realized that I was ok with giving up sweets like this, if it meant getting healthier and having more energy to keep up with my crazy-busy lifestyle. But the good news is, after talking to my coach, I realized I don’t have to totally deprive myself of treats – this plan isn’t a “diet,” it’s super flexible, and your coach is there to guide you along the way.

How Personal Coaching Works:

As I mentioned, you first fill out an online assessment, so that you’re coach can learn more about what specific needs you have, since we’re all unique people with different lifestyles and goals.

Next, you get the option to choose your own coach. I LOVED that. There are men and women, all different ages, from different parts of the country. I picked a coach who lives here in the Pacific Northwest, who is also a mom running a home business. I figured she’s understand my challenges pretty well. Also – don’t feel any pressure. You can change your coach at any time if you don’t feel like you “click.”

Then – and this is another favorite part – you get to schedule your own coaching call. You can see at a glance what your coaches schedule is like, and choose the date and time that fit into your busy life. So helpful for me! And if something comes up, you can reschedule up to 24 hours ahead of time too.

Before my first call, I browsed over the website a bit, to learn a little more about how the tracking system works, checked out the recipe section to get some ideas, and tried using some of the tools available on my dashboard. That way, if anything didn’t make sense, I’d be able to ask questions right away. Luckily, everything is so intuitive and easy to understand I had no problems using it. I even downloaded the Weight Watchers app to my iPad, so that I could access it on the go. I love this feature shown in the photo above – you can search tons of restaurants, to help you make healthy choices when dining out. Since I travel a lot, this is really helpful.

My coach was SO much fun to chat with – like talking to an old friend. She was so positive and encouraging! She asked a lot of questions to help discover what my main challenges were…. I realized that like so many other moms, I skip breakfast a lot, because I’m so busy. In fact, I skip a lot of meals due to being super busy. So as we put together an action plan for me this week, making sure to start my day with something healthy is number one on the list. But – it’s so much easier than I thought it would be! I whipped up a bunch of healthy breakfast burritos for the freezer, so I can just heat one up quickly. And I’m in LOVE with the new Farmstyle Greek Yogurt from Tillamook! It’s got tons of protein, low calories, and topped with frozen strawberries and a sprinkle of granola, it’s only 4 points. It’s delicious!

A few other things on my action plan:

I admitted that I’m not very active, so I’m committing to adding just 10 minutes of activity every day to my schedule. Which is totally doable. My coach emphasised that I should be focused on getting started – don’t worry so much about the end goal right now. When you think about making a ton of changes at once, it can be overwhelming. So instead, we’re just focusing on small steps.

I’ll commit to not only eating breakfast daily, but to stop skipping mid-day meals as well. But with all of the seriously delicious recipes available on the site, this shouldn’t be too hard either. I’m going to whip up a few batches of healthy soups, and measure out individual portions for myself for lunches. All of their recipes look really easy too – which is good, since I’m somewhat kitchen challenged :)

I will actually sit down at the table for dinner, instead of eating at my desk. One thing I was worried about when it came to dinner was that I’d have to make separate meals for me, and for the Mister. But she helped me figure out a lot of ways to make it work – there are some awesome pasta recipes on their site… I can make half of it with meat, half without, and just have a smaller portion than he does. She was full of helpful ideas!

In addition to helping me figure out what my biggest challenges are – my coach also congratulated me on the things that I’m doing right. Which helps me feel more encouraged and motivated. I eat pretty healthy foods most of the time – not much fast food, very little meat, lots of fruits, and I drink TONS of water. I keep this big carafe on my desk, so I can refill my cup all afternoon while I work. I always add some type of fruit to jazz it up a bit – usually lemons, but sometimes oranges, limes, or even strawberries. So while I have some things to work on, I’m doing some things right too :)

Your coach has been in your shoes before – they know that weight loss itself isn’t complicated, life is. We all know that eating better foods, in smaller portion sizes, and getting more activity in our day will lead to healthy weight loss … But people, and our lives, are what’s complicated. Which is why personal coaching is so awesome – you get a real person to help you figure out a plan that will truly work for YOU. I already had some “real-life” tools to help me out – comfy running shoes, a new fitness tracker, a new bunch of healthy foods in the house. And now I have access to support any time I need it, with my own personal Weight Watchers coach! I’m feeling really excited about this new year – I totally think I’ll have some awesome success!

Learn more about other real women and their experience with the Weight Watchers Personal Coaching plan by following #WeightWatchers #WWsponsored on social media. Visit them online today to learn more about getting started. And be sure to check out my new Weight Watchers Lifestyle board on Pinterest too!