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Before	Name Mary Age 29 Height 5'6" Was 162 lbs Lost   31 lbs* Weight 131 lbs As of 8/22/2012 *Results not typical.
In the year that her husband was in Afghanistan, Mary decided to do something for herself. She got to her goal weight and surprised her better half.

The backstory
I was in a pretty bad car accident when I was 14 and I was in and out of the hospital for six years. The doctors were great, but the nurses were there with me every minute of every day I was in the hospital. I knew then that I wanted to be a nurse and now I’m an RN in an emergency department.

I’ve been overweight my entire life. After the accident I got up to over 200 pounds. After I was able to do a little more activity, I lost some weight on my own. But I got stuck in the 160s.

I’ve been married for two years. My husband is currently serving in Afghanistan. When he left I decided I was going to take that year and really dedicate myself to getting healthy. I wanted to take a year that could have been really bad and make it really good. I didn’t tell him I subscribed to Weight Watchers Online and started following the PointsPlus® program at first. I didn’t want to tell him and then fail. I waited until I started seeing some success.

Before the loss
I never liked to wear tank tops or fun, trendy clothes. I was always covered up and I hated the summer because I couldn’t wear layers. When patients would come in with issues related to their lifestyle and being overweight, it was difficult for me to advise them because their problems were also my problems.

Telling the hubby
I was video chatting with my husband two months after I began following the Plan online. I’d put off creating an account for a while so that I could surprise him. I finally told him about Weight Watchers and set the computer so he could see me and he was thrilled. He said, “Oh my god, you look so great!” At that point I’d reached my 10% goal.

After he saw my success he started telling all of his soldier buddies that I was losing weight and that I was the hot wife. That really motivated me to keep going. Now I’m at goal, but he hasn’t seen me at goal yet.

Working the Plan
I never really knew how important portions were before. At the beginning it felt like such a big deal to measure portions and weigh some of my foods. I told my friends and they thought I was going over the top. But now it’s second nature. When I tried just counting calories it didn’t work for me because I never knew exactly how much I was eating. Weight Watchers Online gave me those tools. I never could have done this alone.

Why Online?
I work a lot of night shifts and my schedule isn’t always the same so committing to a meeting just wasn’t for me. The fact that I can check the website 24/7 is really helpful. With my unpredictable schedule I needed that flexibility.

I use my iPad to track, mostly. I also have the Kitchen Companion app. I find recipes all the time. There’s a slow cooker lasagna that I love. I never would have thought I’d be able to eat lasagna and still lose weight. Because I live alone, I usually cook one big meal then eat it for three or four days, then cook another big meal and eat that for three or four days, so I really like to have variety from meal to meal.

The Community section on WeightWatchers.com is also a big help. You can talk to other people who have maybe been with the Plan for a long time and get tips and recipes to help you along the way.

Making better choices
I used to eat out a lot more often, but now I know that when I cook at home I can better control the PointsPlus values I eat. When I do go out I always check the Restaurant Guide so I can make better choices. I used to eat a ton of fast food. I’d pick it up on the way to work. But now I bring my own cooked meals. I bring a little cooler to work with bottled water, fruit, granola bars and fresh veggies. I try to pick what’s in season. If I do have to hit the drive-thru, I just check the PointsPlus values on my iPhone. It’s all good.

Another thing I love is that with the PointsPlus program is all fruit has zero PointsPlus values. So I can have a cookie for 4 PointsPlus values, or I can have a banana for zero. I’ll pick the banana every time.

Getting off the couch
I used to be a huge couch potato, but now I hate sitting on the couch. In fact, I’ll probably cancel my satellite subscription because I never watch TV anymore! I run an hour a day. I get up early and play with my dog. My house is cleaner just because I hate sitting on the couch! I want to be up and about doing something.

Staying in control
The power to know the PointsPlus value of every food makes me feel in control of my diet and in control of my life. These tools give me something sustainable, something that I’ll be able to do for the rest of my life.

Now I’m more comfortable with myself. I think my marriage is going to be better, too. My relationships with other people have gotten better because I’m a more confident person.