When I first joined Weight Watchers I had my doubts on whether or not I could go through following my 34 point daily system and the first thing I did was change my menu of things I eat so I could stay in the 34 point system and with the paper journal(of which I don't use, I use the big ones), came a coupon for Weight Watcher Dinners and desserts valued at 4 or 6 points. At the orientation meeting first week I learned all about Zero Point Value Foods and some of my favorite Zero Point Value Meals are Vegatable Soup and Cucumbers and Brussel Sprouts and fresh zucchini squash and my first week of my diet I had cucumbers and vegatable soup many meals plus I also learned that most fruits are worth 1 point a piece like apples and pears and melons and also same with many vegatable like peas but the canned zucchini is worth 2 points and so is the Minestrone Soup but I always keep in my point range or with my extra banked points. Bananas are slightly fattening so they are worth 2 points a piece instead of one and because corn is a starchy vegatable its worth 2 points a plate.  I can have one cup of noodles with my side dish because its worth 3 points and pizza is worth 5 points a slice or 4 or 3 depending on the size and a french bread lean cousine is 6 points. When I go to meetings many leaders and members are surprised that after Five meetings I have the value of many of the Points memorised. At first I looked in the manual and got the value there or for some foods which come in packages like Frozen Lean Cousine Meals or Celeste Pizza I look at the calories on the box and convert calories to points. I was shown how to use the calorie point converter at the first meeting. One thing that puzzled me was two grilled cheese sandwiches with white bread was worth 10 points but however since Homepride Bread had less fat and with the calorie converter I use that type or I use Light Rye suggested by one of the meeting leaders and that makes the Grilled Cheese Sandwiches only worth 6 points for two but however hotdogs are worth 6 points a piece and soda is a favorite drink of mine and mostly I do have the Diet Coke or Soda because thats worth Zero points and the Regular Soda is worth 3 points. Overall my keeping track of point values is helping me lose weight alot.

One of my favorite things I enjoy about the point system is banking points. I had mentioned at one of the meetings that I would like to feast at times like having a pizza with a rented movie, have special restaurant meals and be able to go off the diet mostly like most people do on special occasions. I have restaurant I go to like the Pasta Fair and its hard to only use 34 points there a day so I learned from the first meeting and the manuals I recieved about banking points similar to banking money and it became successful to me. There are two ways of banking points that I do. One way is going under 34 but a meeting leader said its not very healthy to go way under but there is a better way I do it and then I get tons of banked points and thats by going to a gym 3 times a weeks and there I have banked points like 16 or 18 or 20 or 22 and one time 24 and even on days I don't go to the gym and since walking is also exercise I bank points about 2 from regular walking and 4 from alot of walking and 6 from lifting something heavy and walking and I also have banked 3 points one evening from alot of fast dancing and 2 more for using the vacuum cleaner cleaning my apartment. So in order to eat my meal I like at Pasta Fair or Boston Market or Pizza Places or any type of special occasion I go to the gym and use cardiovascular and and weight machines and I bank up tons of points so I can still have my favorite things. One time when coming back from a Sturbridge Village Activity we were sitting in traffic for 3 hours on Interstate 84 and we stopped at a convenient store. I had 31 points in my bank and during lunch I had 2 hotdogs and they came to 12 points plus I had one small regular chocolate pudding and another one later on because I got tired of the walking at Sturbridge Village and that day was 4 activity walking points. When we stopped at the convenient store I had an M & M ice cream cone worth 8 points and also I had candy dots and a regular coke which came to a 19 point time but I had some in the bank and that day all together including my dinner 62 points were used and I was down to only 7 in the bank but the next two days I went to the gym and the bank went back up to 47 then 54 the next day after for 6 activity points of more than enough walking. I must have walked more than 2 miles that day but however I did still lose 5 pounds that week and banking points gives me the feeling of still enjoying Pizza and Chocolate Pudding and Ravioli and other favorite foods and even pasta some of the time because two cups with sauce and grated cheese is 10 or 11 points depending on low fat or regular grated parmesan cheese. So over all banking points is one of my favorite things with the Weight Watchers Program. Here are Photos of me enjoying treats from having banked points: