This is my first week on WW and I feel like I have been using a lot of my flex points- I feel kind of guilty. I have used about 15 points so far and I still have two more days before my new week begins.
Should I worry about it or should I just slowly try to ween myself from depending on those points?
First, everyone is different! WW gives you the flex points to use if you want or need them. Some people use them all, some don't use any. Both situations can produce great results! If you weigh in this week and are not happy with the results, you may want to try to cut back on them just a little bit, or change what you're using your points on. Good luck!
I don't use my flex. I'm to afriad to..lol. I'm scared that will be my excuse for this and that and I don't want to do that and have it as my fall-back if that makes sense.
I have used each and every point that W/W has given me (we used to have ranges like 20-25 and we could bank what we didn't use between minimum and maximum...then they took this range 5 a day x 7 days a week for 35 points and gave them up front to make the program more flexable.) or I earned (exercise). I have lost more consistently when I use them. While everyone is different and some truly cannot use them the majority of people can.
My question is why wouldn't you use all the points you were given right from the start and then adjust down from there...rather than chancing maybe feeling you need them later and having to deal with a week or two or three or four of no weight loss or gains when you try.
Here is another reason why many leaders encourage the use of eating all or most of your points:
A Tale of 2 W/W Friends (to show why eating less isn't always the best):
I have 2 close friends who started W/W back many years ago and followed 2 different views to the program.
My first friend ate only 18 point a day (keep in mind they started back with ranges with 1-2-3 Success) and only 18 points a day. She one thought it would be easier for her to follow a smaller number (even though she should have started in the 26-33 point range) and thought she couldn't eat anything above her MINIMUM a day in points. She made goal and when she tried to start adding points she could only eat a maximum of 20 points a day to maintain. Anything above that (including APs) seemed to make her gain. She eventually had to use a doctor, nutritionist, registered dietican and much help from her leader to deal with the gains while she started to add points back in. It has been over a year and she is now up to about (as of today 2/13/05) 28 points a day after many months of only 26 points a day.
My second friend ate 1 range higher than she was told to (for example when she was supposed to be 26-33 points she ate 28-35 points), she always ate all her points and any APs she earned. When she hit maintenance her MINIMUM points a day became between 35-40 plus all the 35 FPs/WPAs we have. She also at first thought she couldn't eat above her minimum for the day because she had a minor gain, maintain and then a small loss but after that she started losing.
The second friend had to adjust her metabolism and did it while she was losing and the first friend has to do the adjusting now and it is harder for both her body and her psyche.
Don't be afraid to adjust your body with your losses using your WPAs/FPs and APs by giving it a minimum of 2-3 weeks....a month is better. One thing here is that there are some who truly cannot use all their points but the majority fi they would give it a good chance to adjust their metabolism would/could/and should be able to use their points.
Wow- thanks you guys, that really does help a lot.
Kelly- That is a really good point that I should try to use them now and see if it works and if I'm not losing, just start cutting them down. It will be a lot harder to do so later and slow the weight loss down drastically... That makes sense.
Thanks for the story! How are they doing now? Is the friend who started with all of her points still down or maintaining?
I use between 1/2 - 3/4 of my WPA. Occasionally I use them all, but I ususally try to have some left over so that if I didn't count my points right, or forgot to count something, then I'm still covered. But that's just me! My SIL eats all of her WPA and AP, and still loses about the same as me! Expirement a little with it and find what works for you.
I was always worried about that whole idea of those extra points. I made a promise to myself. I could use them ONLY if they weren't being used on junk food, fast food, or anything sweet. I didn't want those points to be used as an excuse to eat crap.
I try my best not to use them because you never know when an unexpected event will occur. Like you go to a business dinner at the last minute and have no idea what the points value is of the food you ate. I save them for that, like I went to Ruby Tuesday's for lunch with my family yesterday. I got the salad bar and tried to get mostly veggies, but the salad dressing was bad (I am not a fat free salad dressing gal) So I hadn't used any of my flex points all week, so I just wrote them all down for yesterday, I am sure I didn't use that much but oh well...that is how I do it.
How many Flex Points do you normally use?
