I think i need a pep talk!

[ellidew]

Does the point system really work?

I decided to join weight watchers last week. I haven't dieted since Feb 2006 when i got pg with my son. I did la weight loss then. The great thing about la weight loss is that it taught me how to eat from all the food groups. Now on weight watchers i find myself eating an INSANE amount of food (i have 27 points per day to work with) when i stick to the same type of 2 proteins, 4 veggie, 3 fruit, 1 milk, 2 starch kind of diet i was on way back when. The measurement amounts are quite different too. Where i'd get 1/4 cup oatmeal on la weight loss i get 1/2 cup on ww. Anyway, i'm feeling skeptical because i'm eating way more food than i did on la weightloss (even though i thought i was eating a ton of food then!) and i think i need a pep talk. I'm also weighing in again tonight for the first time in a week and i feel a little nervous.

I'm seriously struggling with once a week weigh in's too. I used to weigh in 3 times a week and ww only lets you weigh in once so there are SOOO many days in between where i don't know how the heck i'm doing!

Any tips or ideas on getting over these initial anxieties?

[Hello Kitty]

Well I'd have to ask, if LAWL was such a great way to eat, why do you need to go on WW? I'm not trying to be a sassy, but a lot of the programs (and IMO, sometimes WW) make you eat too little food, which is not sustainable as a lifetime thing. So while you feel like you're eating tons of food, I'm thinking from a general dietic standpoint, it's less than you are now, but more than you would have on LAWL - which is probably a recipie for slow, sustainable weightloss. I would say to trust WW and get in your 8 GHG's (can't remember what they renamed them as) - getting in enough oils and protein can be kind of 'spendy' points wise.

[ellidew]

LAWL went out of business or 'temporarily' bankrupt. They became Pure Weight Loss then closed their doors and are in bankruptcy. So i can't go there anymore. Also, i don't have any self accountability so while i've tried several times to just keep track and weigh in at home, i fall off the horse VERY quickly. Apparently i need the approval of strangers. :rolleyes:

They averaged 2lb loss per week. What does ww expect?

[jesvet]

WW expects about the same. The main difference between WW and some of the other plans I've seen (well, there are a lot of differences) is that WW does scale your points back as you lose weight- where some of the other plans have everyone eating a more fixed calorie amount. It's a more gradual adjustment to your body and metabolism.

It works. I've tried a lot of things over the years but WW is the only sustainable sort of program, IMO. I have no accountability either :D (which is why the online stuff doesn't work for me.)

[Chimichanga]

WW averages about 1-2 pounds lost per week.

WW does ask you to eat all of the food groups (protein, veggies/fruit, milk) and encourages/requires you to eat the healthy fats (olive oil, etc). It's a good lifestyle change.

As Hello Kitty said, WW isn't a diet. it's a lifestyle. Could I eat less during the day? Absolutely! Would I stick to it? Hell no! I still am losing weight, but I'm able to live a normal life. I can go out to eat with co-workers, DH and i can go out for drinks, but I have to think about what I'm doing. Do I really want to have one-two slices greasy pizza for 10 points? Or, would I rather have a salad with chicken, a cup of soup and a breadstick for 7?

I am not ever hungry, and I use my points. I still lose weight. I play around with foods and try new things. Some are "point-y" and some are lighter in points. It's just finding things that work for me.

Bottom line, WW is designed to help you lose weight safely with your lifestyle. You don't have to change things. You could lose weight eating nothing but snack foods, but it's not realistic or healthy. Remember - it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle (gosh do I sound like a walking advertisement or what!? :D )

[jajacobsen]

WW does work because it teaches you to monitor what you eat and you can apply the points system to any food or circumstance (at home, at a restaurant, at a cookout, etc). There are no secret food combinations or forbidden groups of foods. While no foods are banned, the diet does encourage ratios of food in accordance with teh FDa's food pyramid, and also encourages heart healthy choices, which is why WW has been endorsed by the AHA.


You don't have to eat all of your points. If you are full, you can stop eating. Poinst are nto saved up from one day to the next but are forfeited. However, you do have 35 flex points which you can use on those really hungry days.

There is no magic trick about the points. They are a tool. Some people dobelieve that you have to eat all of your points but this is not official WW policy. For example, you will never see that written.

Good luck! I'm WW lifetime. I find te accountability and the information of teh meetings very motivating.

[Hello Kitty]

WW isn't a diet. it's a lifestyle.
This is so cliche (and heck they made a new marketing plan off of that!) but it's really true. I've used WW Core for over 2 years now to maintain my weight (for the most part). And it's only when I make excuses and get lazy that I go off plan. I have to say though, those times now are few and far between - I am more in tune with my habits and body and just more aware I guess. In a way, it sucks that I realized I'm going to have to give this thought for the rest of my life, but it's kind of freeing to know I won't slip too far either. :)

Some people dobelieve that you have to eat all of your points but this is not official WW policy. For example, you will never see that written.

Hmm, I actually thought that with the new points quiz you were supposed to eat the minimum amount of points given - and do as you wish with APs and Weekly Allowance points - anyone with the new materials to check? (Barring medical issues cleared by a doctor, of course) Restricting your points can actually slow your losses. If you're not getting in enough points, or having a hard time doing so, make sure you're getting your healthy oils - that's 2 pts right there.

[jajacobsen]

Well to be fair, I finished up WW a year ago and am now on maintenance an ddon't really count points as I have internalized the messages, so I could be wrong. But have you seen it printed (not from a GL) that you have to eat 100% of all points every day? I never have. I'm not talking about eating 15 points when your allowance is 25. But if you're full at 23 points and your allowance is 25, common sense says to stop at 23. That's learning to listen to your internal cues of hunger and satiety.

I actual have heard GL's say (granted this was back in 2004, 2005) that you don't have to eat all your activity points.

Clearly, if your allowance is 25, and you eat well below that every day, your metabolism will drop, and will slow your losses. That's not what I was suggesting at all.

[jesvet]

Hmm, I actually thought that with the new points quiz you were supposed to eat the minimum amount of points given - and do as you wish with APs and Weekly Allowance points - anyone with the new materials to check? (Barring medical issues cleared by a doctor, of course) Restricting your points can actually slow your losses. If you're not getting in enough points, or having a hard time doing so, make sure you're getting your healthy oils - that's 2 pts right there.

Last week during our orientation the leader told us our points were an absolute minimum and we had to eat them. Activity and flex are optional.

I do think this is a change because when I did WW online in, hm, 03 or so we were allowed to bank unused points for up to a week and it doesn't let you do that anymore.

[ellidew]

Thanks for all the advice ladies. I'll work on getting all my points in. I think i need to play with different meetings until i find one i like. I don't particularly care for the group leader at my meeting but i have plenty of other options.

The week was pretty good. I lost 2.9 pounds so not a bad way to start. Maybe if i find the right motivational meeting i wont 2nd guess it so much. I hear ya on the lifestyle change. I definitely got that from lawl too so i know reprogramming your brain about the right way to eat is important. I've been maintaining for well over a year... i've just been maintaining an extra 50 pounds ;) I need to work on cutting out the extras.

[tgal]

It sounds like you might be a better candidate for the core if you are used to eating from all the food groups. You might want to give it a shot for a week and see how that goes.

[jajacobsen]

It sounds like you might be a better candidate for the core if you are used to eating from all the food groups. You might want to give it a shot for a week and see how that goes.

I guess this comment confuses me. Flex lets you eat from ANY food group - using points to kep you in check. Core allows you to eat unlimited amounts from select foods - albeit a wide selection, of lower fat, higher fiber foods.

Or am I completely confused?

[Chimichanga]

You have it right jajacobson.

Core is the basic food groups in unlimited quantities (eat until you're satisfied). When you do foods outside of core - such as chips or something - then you use the 35 flex points you have for the week. The majority of food you're eating (fruits, veggies, protein) are "free" where you don't have to count points.

Whereas Flex you count points for everything so you have a bigger pool of points to use.