by Susan Kristoff

Created on: November 06, 2009

The Weight Watchers weight loss system focuses on portion control, balanced eating, and making good choices. One of the tools that Weight Watchers provides to help you be successful is the Points Tracker. The Tracker is a slim booklet that is just like your checkbook, but the Tracker is used to balance your Points budget, as opposed to your money. By using the Tracker regularly, you can keep your eating on track, stick to the program, and assess your success over time.

What's in the Tracker?

Your Tracker booklet allows you to record all of your Points expenditures, whether it's a withdrawal of Points when you eat, or a deposit of Points when you're active. Each page corresponds to one day of the week. The page consists of a Points ledger, check boxes for you to record your Good Health Guideliness, and a graph to rate your hunger. On the side of the Tracker, there are boxes to check off your weekly Points allowance and your activity Points.

Using the Points Tracker

Begin your day by recording your daily Points target at the top of the ledger. Then throughout the day, record all of the food you eat and all of the activities you perform. Subtract the Points values from food from your daily Points balance, and add Points from your activities to your balance. Each Tracker provides an example on the first page to show you how exactly how to record what you eat. The Tracker can fit into your wallet, purse, planner, or pocket so it is always on hand. There's even a slot in the Weight Watchers Pocket Guide so you can keep your Tracker with your food list and calculator at all times.

Benefits of Using the Points Tracker

By using the Points Tracker, you're taking stock of what you put in your mouth each time you eat. When you see Points values in writing, sometimes you choose to make better choices by selecting lower Point alternatives. If you eat the same combination of foods often, like a common lunch combination, you can flip back to previous days to find the Points values, rather than recalculating each item. If you hit a plateau in your weight loss journey, you can go back and assess your eating habits by reviewing how you were choosing to spend your Points. Some members save their Trackers in a journal so they can go back and review their performance after a few months.

The Weight Watchers Points Tracker is one of the key tools of the Weight Watchers program, and faithfully recording your Points expenditures can give you a leg up on your weight loss progress.

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