[JessicaDawn]

Hello! I'm new here

Today was my first official day of unofficial weightwatchers (not actually signed up, but following their ideas etc.)
Because of my weight/height etc. I'm supposed to be eating around 38 "points" a day, and I'm really struggling.
Today I ate 31, and it was really only by chance that I managed to get it that high. (I didn't realize mixed nuts were so high in calories)
I actually ate more today than I do normally.
I'm worried that if I don't eat enough my body will think I'm starving myself and stop losing weight, but I also don't want to force feed myself.
I have at least 100lbs to lose, so I don't want to screw this up before I've even started!

Help?
Any ideas would be appreciated!

[kaplods]

I strongly believe that metabolism can be significantly lowered by severe crash dieting, but most of the evidence I've read and experienced suggests this is an effect that occurs over a very long period of undereating - not an effect that will be seen in a few weeks, but rather one that develops over months and months of undereating. I also suspect that it's repeated crash dieting - weight loss followed by regain that leads to the metabolic decline, not any specific period of low-calorie eating. It doesn't make sense to me that metabolism would be that easily influenced (there would be very little survival value in it). Just my opinion based on my reading, of course.

From what I've read, there also seems to be ways to increase metabolism (such as through exercise and some dietary changes, such as increasing the amount of leafy veggies, reducing starchy and sugary carbs or eating smaller, more frequent meals), so even if your metabolism does seem to slow down, that doesn't mean you're stuck with a sluggish metabolism.

Weight loss often is be treated almost like magic. One false step and the spell is broken. Your body is much more resilient than that. 31 points would break down into at least 1500 calories (unless you're eating a lot of fat). I'm not saying it couldn't be too low for you, but it seems pretty reasonable as a starting point to me.

If you feel fatigued, or hungry, or notice symptoms like headaches and nausea, or find yourself sleeping more - or less, I'd consider those signs that maybe you're not eating enough. If you feel great, and aren't hungry then 31 points may be just fine. I wouldn't start any lower than that.

But, if you have any concerns though, bring it up with a doctor or dietitian.

[Amanda77]

I don't know much about WW but I would think you could break it down into food groups and see where you might be lacking? When counting calories you can generally fix a 300-400 calorie deficit by adding a dairy and a protein into your day. It doesn't take much to bring the numbers up by using the right things, even if the numbers look really off at first.

I totally agree with kaplods, especially here:

Originally Posted by kaplods

If you feel fatigued, or hungry, or notice symptoms like headaches and nausea, or find yourself sleeping more - or less, I'd consider those signs that maybe you're not eating enough. If you feel great, and aren't hungry then 31 points may be just fine. I wouldn't start any lower than that.

But, if you have any concerns though, bring it up with a doctor or dietitian.

Congratulations on making it through your first day. Good luck!

[xMeaganx]

I had the same problem on WW, I couldn't eat my points! I had a lot of advice given to me and the one that really sticks out is eating peanut butter or plain nuts. Do not make the mistake of eating something unhealthy for you to gain points, because it defeats the purpose. Try to find something with higher points that is good for you. I was told repeatedly that it is good to start off with a higher number, because ultimately you will have more points to work with when you lose the weight. Good luck!

[Rosinante]

Congratulations on your first day! Here's to all the others!

You may find it gets easier to eat you calories/points as time goes on and the first flush of enthusiasm dies down. You are right, though, to keep it in mind, too many people assume that the lower you go the better it is, and that's just not so. Keep an eye but don't get too het up.

Good luck!

[JessicaDawn]

Thanks for all the comments, I think I'm going to like it here!
I added up all the calories and ended up with only about 970, so I had some mixed nuts AND peanut butter on whole wheat toast.
I think I ate too many fruits/veggies and not enough protein/carbs so I'm going to work on evening it out more tomorrow. (dairy has to be minimal, my tummy doesn't like it)
I'm a fat girl, but I really don't eat a lot, and that's probably WHY I'm still a fat girl. I've always been like this. I eat barely anything for a couple weeks, and then I have a week where I eat wayyyyyyyy too much. Time to break myself of that and get healthy!
Thanks again for all the comments, it made me feel all warm and fuzzy :P


Also, Meagan your start/goal weights are very similar to mine, so the fact that you've lost over 60lbs is incredible and inspiring to me. If you can do it, then I can too!

[HokieLoki]

Welcome, Jessica!

I am in your shoes, too. I struggle to eat enough, too. In the past, I would eat one meal a day, and it wouldn't be a big meal... but then I would go out with friends and eat and drink waaaay too much. My metabolism was SHOT.

I have been on my diet for 5 weeks tomorrow, and have been doing pretty well with eating everything, but I still have the days where I just can't fit everything in. I'm even getting days where I am still hungry now! I usually just eat some celery or green beans to satisfy myself when that happens.

Good luck, I promise with time it will get easier, when your metabolism speeds up, your body will crave more.

[Eliana]

Originally Posted by JessicaDawn

I'm a fat girl, but I really don't eat a lot, and that's probably WHY I'm still a fat girl. I've always been like this. I eat barely anything for a couple weeks, and then I have a week where I eat wayyyyyyyy too much. Time to break myself of that and get healthy!

You sound like me! I've never met anyone else who had this weird, unusual reason (if you can call it that) for being fat! The only difference is that I was eating very little, but what I was eating was high in calories. Now I'm eating pretty much the same amounts of foods, a little less, but all healthy. Because they're all healthy, I'm often under on my calories and it's a problem! I too worry about the fabled "starvation mode" but 5.5 months into this now, I think it is not a concern at a heavy weight. We have enough stored up already.

I really like eating six meals a day all with the same caloric intake in each meal. That helps tremendously during the week when I'm very scheduled and routine. It's the weekends that throw me. While everyone else is OVER eating, here I am complaining about UNDER eating.

It makes me feel strange and like people are thinking "Oh, poor baby." So post a way!! You're making me feel more normal! LOL!

And I second the nuts thing. You CAN overdo nuts, certainly, but they're an awesome addition to the diet. 1/4 cup of almonds has 200 calories so be careful. I'm particularly fond of making my own almond butter by putting it in the food processor for about 6 minutes. There's nothing more rewarding than a banana and fresh (warm) almond butter with a bit o' honey. Mmmmm...

[giselley]

I've never followed weight watchers--- I just want to encourage you by telling you, that at the very beginning, change will happen very slowly when you have 100 pounds to lose. I have been dieting on "the present diet" for about a year and 3 months, and it has been going very slowly, but I am finally beginning to "see" the difference. I feel it will take another whole year of dieting to get to where I want, and then it is the struggle to keep it off. So don't give up.