Any Negative Feelings about new WW Program?

[PinkyPie]

Hi Everyone, I know it's been a long while since I've posted and I'm sorry for being away. That's not to say I gave up on myself and my weight loss and health goals, on the contrary! However, there is one thing that has been nagging me for over a year now...

Since changing to the new WW program, here in NL called ProPoints (and now in the UK and other parts of Europe, and PointsPlus in the US), I haven't lost any weight. Well, officially down 1kg (2.2 lbs) in an entire year.

Before you jump in and ask me all kinds of questions let me just mention:
1) I am eating enough. Definitely.
2) I reduced and changed my amounts of "free"/ zero point fruit to make sure it was still really in the zero point range.
3) I was especially active in the summer, running a record (for me) total of 95KM in August alone, so I definitely ate my activity points
4) I have done all kinds of tweaking and adjusting and "shaking things up" to see what could possibly work.
5) My measurements are also not *that* much different, though a slight reduction
6) I hit all of my fit formulas 95% of the time
7) I drink all of my water
8) I do not eat junk 95% of the time and I don't eat out much
9) I generally only drink alcohol in the weekend, maybe 6 units (wine) in total.
10) I have seen and followed the advise of not one, but two dietictians and am now supposed to make an appt with my GP to get bloodwork done because my current dietitian is completely stumped.

I know the number on the scale is not the be all and end all and that's fine, but I still have 25 lbs + to lose to get to my goal weight (so it's not the last few pounds either).

I have no idea why it's not working. I have been a WW member and a LT member for over 10 years and this is the first program that simply hasn't worked for me at all.

Is anyone else struggling with this program? I hear and read a lot of positive stuff but I'd really like to know if there is someone out there who really is doing their best to follow the program who simply isn't losing weight?

I sure hope to hear from someone (and please do not suggest I try something else - I follow WW for the guidelines and am not a calorie counter, nor am I super excited about following someone else's meal plans; I hope that is not offensive to say so)!

[seagirl]

So you were losing on the old program? And as soon as you switched to the new one you stopped losing weight? And that was the only thing that changed in your life and exercise habits?

What are you eating that is different than the old program? Have you tried going back and eating the way you were on the old program?

[Tejas]

You might ask your MD for a hormonal analysis to see if that is possibly an issue. It just simply gets harder to lose as we get older, and, yes, a year does make a difference.

[PinkyPie]

Originally Posted by seagirl

So you were losing on the old program? And as soon as you switched to the new one you stopped losing weight? And that was the only thing that changed in your life and exercise habits?

What are you eating that is different than the old program? Have you tried going back and eating the way you were on the old program?

that's correct. I'm not eating anything different than I was before. Maybe less bread but that's about it. I can't go back to the old program because I threw everything away.

the real question is why do I not lose weight on this program or rather why does it NOT work for me? It can not be what I eat or the quantities (I'm still a weigher and measureer after all these years). I have plugged the numbers month after month into the online program (another reason I can not do the old program).

Originally Posted by Tejas

You might ask your MD for a hormonal analysis to see if that is possibly an issue. It just simply gets harder to lose as we get older, and, yes, a year does make a difference.

I'm going to get checked for several things. I am older and I thought that may be partially the reason.

[seagirl]

If you aren't eating any differently, then it's not the program. Your body doesn't know that points values changes, so if you are eating the exact same stuff and amounts, your body should continue losing.

Have you started strength training? You said you were training hard over the summer, that can stop weight loss for a while.

What do you think it might be? If you are really doing and the eating the exact same as you were on the old plan, then the fact that the plan changed can't be the problem.

It could also be that you are just at natural plateau. How long has it been?

[river]

Two ideas-
Have them check your thyroid. Ask to see the results, sometimes a border low thyroid still needs light medication.

The other is the wine. You said you don't drink through the week but you still have 6 glasses of wine, is that all at once? I know for me, I cannot drink more than 1 or 2 a day and lose. If I have any heavy drinking days it stalls my weight loss. I was only able to maintain and not lose over the holidays for that reason.

[PinkyPie]

I have done some strength training but because of my schedule I don't always have time to get to the gym (I have a 2 hour each-way commute, so if I don't make it out of work until 6, I don't get home until 8, gym closes at 10). I've done bits of yoga and other things at home but to be honest I don't really like working out at home.

As I said, it's been a year. If I've only lost 1kg in one year I'd say I'm pretty much at a plateau, right?

[seagirl]

You've been on the new plan a year?

[PinkyPie]

Originally Posted by river

Two ideas-
Have them check your thyroid. Ask to see the results, sometimes a border low thyroid still needs light medication.

The other is the wine. You said you don't drink through the week but you still have 6 glasses of wine, is that all at once? I know for me, I cannot drink more than 1 or 2 a day and lose. If I have any heavy drinking days it stalls my weight loss. I was only able to maintain and not lose over the holidays for that reason.

yes I will definitely have my thyroid checked

no, no, that 6 units over the whole weekend. Another thing I changed over the last year was to have no alcohol at all during the week. So that could be 2 on Friday, 3 Sat and maybe 1 on Sunday. But when I say 6, I mean max; there are weekends I have only 3 in total.

[PinkyPie]

Originally Posted by seagirl

You've been on the new plan a year?

Yes, I am in the netherlands and our program is called ProPoints, but it's essentially the same as what you now have in the US.

[seagirl]

Hmm, have you shown your tracker to your meeting leader to see if they see anything that could change?

Also, I know you don't want to try different stuff - but you may try adding your foods into Sparkpeople or DailyPlate for a few days just to see what your calorie counts are. They are free, and it might give you some good feedback.

[PinkyPie]

Yes, I have shown my leader my tracker a few times. She was completely stumped and told me to eat 10 extra points each day that I'm running. That was it. I have also shown both dietitians.

Using Sparkpeople or daily plate is hard because our foods are not in the database and we use the metric system instead of imperial measurements. I have done this a few times here and there, but it's time consuming to enter each individual food in the database. Besides, if I'm following the WW program, what is the added value of knowing the calorie counts? If I'm following with my 29 points per day and my 49 a week and I have activity points of nearly the same about of weekly points, it shouldn't really matter, right? That's why WW has already calculated cals/fat/protein/carbs/fibre?

[seagirl]

Hmm, I'm out of ideas.

Good luck.

[river]

Renee, have you tried eating only your AP and not your WP?

[PinkyPie]

Originally Posted by seagirl

Hmm, I'm out of ideas.

Good luck.

thanks but I'm just asking why it doesn't work and if others have the same experience. I appreciate you are trying to help, but I have been a WW member since 1999 and it has always worked until now.