All diets suck.

Let me say that again.  All diets suck.

Anyone, and I think I mean everyone, understands that sentiment.  Diets seem like such a great idea. Cut out what you don't need and life will get better.  But the thing is, diets don't work.  You get too caught up in rules and forget to live life.  Three months in and you loose momentum because your goal is so far away and this is just too hard. 

Along the way I've learned that diets are not sustainable (or much fun).  To make real and permanent change in your life you have to change your actions and perspective.  Not easy.  Harder than a diet even, but it lasts longer (a lifetime if you keep at it), feels better and achieves the goals you set out to set.

I learned this same lesson two years ago.  I had done my fair share of attempting to diet, hoping to loose weight.  It never worked, I lost interest months, days, weeks in and I got nowhere.   I was left feeling disheartened and angry with myself.  I quit that viscious cycle in January of 2011 when I started the Weight Watchers Points Plus programs.  Every food is worth a certain number of points.  Fruits and veggies- 0 points.  A piece of bread-2 points.  A glass of red wine-4 points.  These points add up, quickly.  Each day you get an alotment of use 'em or loose 'em points.  Your saving grace in Weight Watchers are your weekly points, bonus points that a good for one whole week.  The beauty of the weekly points (which is ultimately my point here, I swear) is that you can use them throughout the week, to add cushion to each day (one extra glass of wine) OR! you can use them all up at once (big, lavish dinner out with friends).

Well, my point is this: our diet isn't (quite) working.  We're saving money quite well, but we're not having much fun. Granted, we knew we would need to say no more and do way more with lots less.  But saying no to every happy hour, dinner or outing for fear of spending money is depressing.   While hosting dinner parties is lovely and finding free stuff around the city to do an adventurous way to rediscover DC (more on that later...) it still doesn't beat a drink with friends after a long day's work or dancing the night away at a concert.

So, we'll issuing ourselves a monthly allotment of points.  Fifty bucks each.  For whatever we want.  Yarn for a new project, a book that G just absolutely needs, drinks or even one fancy-pants dinner out, just the two of us. We still will have to say no, but we also get to say yes, in moderation. 

Diets don't work.  Life style changes do.  So here's to starting a whole new life!