[leela0730]

I've been on WW since August 07, and so far I've lost 15lbs. My goal is 27 lbs...for the past 6 weeks or so, I have been going up a pound, and down a pound, then up a pound again...and so on, so I've been dancing around the 15-lb mark for what seems like forever!

We have a WW group at work, and I go to every meeting, but in recent weeks our membership has dwindled to myself and two other ladies. I need more motivation and support, because I feel like I'm never going to break through this wall!!

I know I need to add more activity to my daily routine...most of the 15 lbs I've lost was due to slowly changing my eating habits. Now I need to do more walking, stretching, etc.

I'm 26 years old and I live in Maine. I work at a school teaching kids with autism...it's a good job, especially in the summer when I can run around outside with them! That's a good way to burn some calories, for sure.

WW has been hard for me sometimes because one of my personal little goals has been to avoid artificial sweeteners...for some reason, things like aspartame and Splenda upset my stomach every time I try to eat foods with them in. I've tried to eat these things so many times, and every time the same thing....upset stomach. So now I am just trying to stick to my points without relying on artificial sweeteners, which is really hard for me because it means I really have to change the way I eat. My brother manages a health food store and he has been doing a lot of health and fitness stuff for years now, so he has inspired me to try more organic foods, too. It's fun to experiment with new foods. One thing I LOVE is No Pudge brownie mixes! YUM! I make them in muffin tins, so I can make sure they are all evenly sized...I am a fanatic about cakes, cookies, and whoopie pies (a staple here in Maine), so I need to be able to allow myself some kind of cake or brownie without ruining my points for the day.

Anyway, I am on the Flex WW plan, and I am also signed up for a 4-mile Heart Walk in a month...I'm using that as motivation to jump start my exercise routine. I am excited to visit this site often and meet some friends!!

[guynna]

hi Leela, and congrats on your loss so far! Sounds like your brother is a great resource. I made those No Pudge bars once and they were really good, but I've never seen them for sale again; where do you get them?? Have you thought about eating fruits as your "sweets"? Someone on here the other day recommended frozen pineapple as a treat, which I tried and it was goooood.
Glad to "meet" you : )
anita

[jitterfish]

hi and nice to meet you. i've been on ww since the beginning of the year and it is interesting to hear that you are in that yo-yo place, so many people seem to get there (my sister has been on ww over a year and is stuck doing the same thing as you). i wish you luck and hope to see you around the site.

[meowee]

. . . so glad to have you joining us, Chicke . . .

[leela0730]

guynna--I buy the No Pudge mixes at Shaw's grocery stores here in Maine. I think you can also order them online. At their website, you can look for stores that carry them, too.

Also, I eat fruit all the time...fruit is my favorite healthy thing! I have not tried frozen pineapple, but I do love fresh pineapple so I plan to try it frozen. I eat a lot of berries, because they are low points and so high in fiber. I also eat apples at work because I can carry them around without a cooler. Fruit is usually what I turn to when I want something sweet AND I'm not feeling that Jekyll & Hyde craving nature come on. It's weird...it really feels like a Jekyll & Hyde thing---sometimes I can overcome it by making a better choice of something to eat, but other times it's like in the moment I just don't care and I head straight for the bakery. It's the carb-craving monster within me I guess, lol.

Thanks for the support...I'm going to tell the other two remaining girls at my WW group about your site. We're an "unofficial" WW group so we don't have access to a lot of the incentives and rewards of the bigger groups, and I know they're needing some motivation now too! You all are awesome!

[PinkyPie]

Hi Leela! Welcome to the group! You'll find a lot of inspiration and information here

[BlzMaxGnrCCJkMly]

[gastronome]

Hi, welcome! I'm not doing weight watchers, but I thought I should let you know about stevia...it's a natural sweetener with no calories and it's really helped me since giving up the artificial stuff. It does not cause me any side effects and I haven't read of any either. You can do a search on these boards or google to find out if it works for you. And since your brother manages a health food store (you lucky ducky!!!) maybe he can help you find some? Keep on keeping on, girlie!