[mareneli]

Hi all. New to 3FC, not new to WW at all. I've been on WW multiple times, going back to when I was a young teen.

In college I was on WW but didn't lose a lot even though I was working out (aerobics and weight room) 5 or 6 days a week. I didn't stay with it long. Now looking back, maybe I wasn't eating enough.

Then in 2002 I lost 60 lbs. with WW. Loved the points plan, loved the 10 extra points a day I got for nursing, and loved that I lost at least a little bit every single week for 6 months. Talk about magic. But I wasn't working out, aside from carrying the baby and chasing the toddler. Got down to 196 that time.

This time I started at the end of July 2009, and as of last week had lost 36 lbs. I'm in a size 14 for the first time since I was a teenager. I'm feeling much more physically fit thanks to doing Zumba almost every single day. My husband has been doing WW with me and has lost 30, and he had less to lose than I did. We are looking good and feeling good.

BUT... my weight has been creeping up all week. I know it's just one week and it very well could be water weight. I'm a bit sore, so it could be muscles retaining water. It can't be fat. I count meticulously, and I'm honest with myself about what I'm eating. I ate all my 25 daily points and my extra 35 this week, because I'm working out every day and I figure my body needs it. I had a higher day (38) and some lower days (27, 29). And yet, I'm *two* pounds higher this week... back to where I was in mid-December.

Any ideas? I'm afraid my body thinks that when I'm working out it needs to hold on to its reserves. This may be what happened in college. I don't know how to convince it otherwise! I don't want to give up Zumba or even do it less -- I really love it.

Thanks for any insight you can offer.

Maren

[LilyG]

Sounds like you are eating your AP's which is good for the exercise you are doing.

You said you were sore so I think its your muscles retaining water.

I bet it will come off. Hang in there

[mareneli]

I'm not eating all my activity points, though. For example, the week that ended yesterday I did Zumba 8 times, and figured about 53 points earned for those workouts. I ate all 25 of my daily points each day. Over the course of the week I ate all 35 of my weekly points and one of my activity points, so I had 52 in the bank at the end of the week, all activity points earned. That seems to defeat the purpose of working out to eat those points.

[Kimmar]

I think it defeats the purpose of working out to *not* eat the points. It's a reward for doing something good for your body, and you need the calories to maintain the sustained effort. 53 points is a lot to bank.

Try eating your activity points for 2 weeks and see what happens...The worst you will do is maintain your current weight. You won't gain because you've already worked off those points. Remember too that an activity point is not the same as a food point. Your activity points are probably about 1/2 of the actual calories you burned, so you're still creating a deficit.