Is it necessary to consume ALL the points you are allowed a day? Right now I have 43 points (yes, sigh) a day, and so far today I still have 15 points remaining, even after I've calculated for dinner and a snack that I have not eaten yet. What am I supposed to do with those 15 points??! I am at a loss here, lol

Have you looked at the Getting Started Booklet to see the suggested meal plans and meal breakdowns for the different point ranges?

Adding whole fat milk, cheese and yogurt, more oils, nut butters, and avocado are easy ways to get the extra points.

I think it's important to try to eat your daily points, since as you go down in weight you want to have points to shed. If you are already eating below your allotment and you hit a plateau or something, it will be more difficult to remove points.

I could easily eat 43 points in a day. I'm given 29 and find that I lose best if I eat about 35-38. A couple spoonfuls of almond butter for dessert would push me right up to 43.

Seagirl makes good suggestions. It is good to get close to your points totals because otherwise you aren't giving your body the number of calories it needs to be healthy. Eating more may make your weight loss a bit slower, but if you drop your points now, you will have to keep dropping them lower and lower to lose more weight because our bodies adjust to the fewer calories and become more efficient on less (meaning you'll have to keep eating less!).

I would definitely suggest nuts because they are a good source of fiber, protein and healthy fats! Walnuts are the best if you want to add some Omega 3 fats to your life, as they are one of the only foods besides fish with Omega 3s. All nuts and nut butters are good though, as long as you can measure them out and stick to smaller portions!

Avocados are also great for good/healthy fats, and they add so much texture and flavor to sandwiches and stir frys!

Also, if you have 15 left each day, I would suggest having a 'treat'--something that you would think is 'forbidden', because you obviously have the room in your calorie/points consumption, and over the long-run learning to eat 'treats' in moderation is a key to long-term success!

I wish I had more than my 31 points Good luck!