ok -- this might seem a bit strange to some people --- certainly does to me, but hopefully someone out there has experienced this.
I'm almost at the end of my first week (weigh in on Wednesday evening) and far from being starving, I'm having trouble eating all my points!
For my current weight, I'm on 24-29 points. Hopefully I'll very soon be down a level. But..... every day except saturday when I had to eat out for lunch and dinner..... I've found myself finishing up dinner, being more than satisfied and having to think "ok, now what can I eat now that puts me up to 24 points!?!?!?
I wonder if because it's new I'm really being conscious about eating really healthy meals and that it will balance out once I relax a bit.... but I was not prepared for this dilemma.
Anyone have any ideas? Honestly..... I'm not hungry after any of my meals, and I am weighing and counting properly.
I had the exact same problem when I first joined. I like Lily's suggestestion. Going through that, I learned how to meal plan properly though. If I planned in advance I could make sure I had my minimum points or could bank for special occasions. Also switching from skim milk to 2% adds a couple of points. There was a very helpful book about meal planning that was invaluable to me. I can't remember what week you get it.
The final thing to remember is that your points range will change so changing little things that are easier to change back are better than adding a chocolate bar to your day just to boost your point.
What foods are you eating? For example, if when you say you're eating vegetables, you're actually only having lettuce and other
0 pt veggies, you might want to reconsider - there's nothing wrong with having more of the veggies that cost you a few points - in fact, there's a lot to be said for hot, cooked veggies (like potatoes, corn, etc...) every now and then... woman cannot live by lettuce alone.
Also, are you getting in all your milk servings? I've heard many people say that they are more inclined to leave them out of their menu because they feel it's a waste of points - but if you're not currently getting your 2-3 servings of milk products, adding even just a glass of milk, ounce of cheese or serving of yoghurt into your day can go along way. A glass of skim milk is 2 pts (2% is 3 pts), and most low fat yoghurts are only 1-3 pts per serving depending on the brand. This would help with your problem and also get those extra nutrients into your body as well.
Also, don't always choose the lowest fat version of every food you want to eat. And don't go to extremes trying to cut out all fats, etc... There's a lot to be said for including (a little) fat in your diet - it makes you feel fuller, and believe it or not, your body actually needs it. So like Lily said, from time to time choose full fat versions of foods instead of the fat free or lower fat version.
Finally, if I had one word of advice, it's not to deprive yourself of anything you want. I know some people can, cold turkey, cut certain things out of their diet without craving them again. But I think for the most part people will crave things they deprive themselves of, and if you do that, in the end you will eventually eat more than if you had just let yourself have a small taste of the 'forbidden' food. For example, I knew when I started WW several months ago that I was the kind of person who would not be able to cut out the fast food and the snacks - so I found ways to work those things into my diet. Instead of regular burgers, I'll go to Harveys and have a Veggie Burger with a side salad and a water or Diet Coke - the entire meal is only 7 pts. Or at Wendys, I'll have the grilled chicked sandwich (no sauce) with a side salad - for only 6 pts. I still have pizza, the occassional french fry, and even chocolate... I just look for lower fat alternatives (i.e. in the US you can get Lite Milky Way bars which are only 4 pts instead of the 6-8 pts most bars are).
That's what's so great about this program - you don't have to give up things you love... you can have anything you want, provided it's in moderation. Just keep that in mind and you'll do fine. Trust me, if I can do it then anyone can! I joined at the end of April 2001 and have lost almost 50 lbs so far. I plan to keep at it until I reach my goal by following my own advice!
I agree with what the others have said, particularly about the fat. Often when we decide to lose weight, we cut back too far on fat. That leaves us hungry. It also can leave too little fat in the body to assimilate fat-soluble vitamins. It can leave you with dry skin and hair. I'd like to add something to think about, though.
There is a catch phrase that you will find on the forums. "This is a lifestyle, not a diet."
What that meant to me when I began 123 Success was that I was making choices now that I would be living with for the rest of my life. I once decided that I would not ever try to lose weight again unless I could eat all of the foods I like. And I could make my favorite recipes. So, when WW said we could eat anything we wanted, I said, "OK, I'll try this." I took them at their word and I've eaten whatever I want to eat.
But--within my point range. I use banked points when I need to. I limit how often I eat higher point foods, so I don't go over my point range. I've revised many of my recipes to make them healthier, and lower in points. In some cases, they're better tasting than the original. But others just can't be changed. So, I make them less often. Or eat really tiny portions, filling in the meal with lower point dishes and 0-point veggies. Soup is one of my favorite low-point foods.
I lost 50 pounds. I gained some back (long story). But currently, I'm 39 pounds less than when I started several years ago. I still have a long way to go. But since I know I'm making choices that please me, I know I will be able to make them long enough to get to my goal. There were a few other changes WW made that has made this a more "doable" program for me, but the subject at hand is food, so I won't go into them.
I also know I will be able to stay at goal because the choices I'm making now won't be changing when I get to maintenance. I'll be adding back some points so I don't continue to lose, but the basic things I'm doing, I will keep doing. This is a plus, psychologically, because I'm not doing one thing to lose the weight and hoping (with my fingers desperately crossed) that I'll be able to figure out what to do to keep it off, as I did when I followed a restricted diet. Now, I know what to do. Make choices now that will be the same as the choices I will make at goal. I don't think it necessarily will be easy to stay at goal, but I think it will be doable. I never had that confidence before and I'm sure that had a lot to do with why I've never really been successful before.
too much food!?!?!
