[KabukiKitty]

Heya!

Well, I did my first week, and even though on New Year's Day I had pizza and a philly cheese steak sandwich, I still lost 7.6 pounds! I had trouble converting to Smart Points, and gave up last year...kept gaining. This year, I'd forgotten all my "go-to's" so it is easier to just deal... yogurt, no, cottage cheese yes. Canadian bacon triple yes! and I've added in fitbit challenges with neighbors. This bulletin board is a bit dead. Can we make a good chain to talk through? Connect is fine (on the WW app) but it's hard to get a dialogue going (or maybe I'm just too old to figure out hashtags?).

Key revelations for my first week:
1) Track everything, even (esp?) milk for my coffee. I throw in 5 points because I like a lot of milk in my coffee. I put it in a 1 cup container....and now, as I see how much I use, I'm looking at green teas to supplement ( I love Genmaicha-- a green tea with roasted rice in it...)

2) Walking my 8k steps is key for me. It helps me sort things out. To help this along, I've benefitted from my fitbit and the challenges from my neighbors...I live in Baltimore, and to try to be in the lead, I realized I had to get up earlier and walk...I feel like I'm helping the neighborhood with policing and getting fit.

3) Canadian bacon and chicken breasts are amazing additives! So cheap but so rewarding!

4) Tea over coffee

5) Having different snacks with crunch appeal - carrots...apples with a babble cheese...celery

6) Using spaghetti squash or acorn squash as the base and amping them up with gravy or cheese and/or tomato sauce....

What have you discovered?
I've also started doing yoga - I like the app yoga studio...

I'd love to hear your tips!

[Racemom]

I restarted on Friday so I am on day 3. I am hoping this chain gets going because I also am finding the connect a bit challenging. I need to have some virtual friends to help me with this journey. Last time I was on WW I used the message boards alot for encouragement and need that community feeling again.

My tip is, remember nothing is off limits, you just have to plan it into your day. This helps me not to start craving sweets. I know I can have them, but I have to decide if they are worth the points. Sometimes yes, and sometimes no depending on the circumstance that I am eating them in.

[Pang]

I observe a planned treat and planned break.
This is just my approach to menu making so goes.

I make four menus

Spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Each are 13 weeks long.
The 13th week is a planned break.
I have no restriction at all.
On even weeks I plug into the plan a planned treat.
As long as I count the calories into that weeks total.
However if do find myself with a treat in my mouth purely by accident or for some reason. I take the next planned treat off the menu.
Usually for me it's fast food rather than sweets.

Thing is since I have like 7 years worth of menus accumulated and I've kept notes on what I liked and if I lost lbs. I'm looking forward to this 2017 part of my journey. I'm really trying to make it lifestyle where I visit local farmer markets for the fresh and interesting stuff. So it's not only about restriction ,but about healthy and flavorful event on the menu to look forward to. I hope to find other friends in my home city too to go check out the newest healthy cuisine. I like dinners with friends so who knows.

Just realized I was in the WW pane. Good luck and keep posting .

[KabukiKitty]

Hi Racemom, Pang!
Pang, so are you doing another form (not WW)? Sounds interesting and your documenting is really smart! At my WW meeting someone mentioned they'd gone to a dairy farm in iceland during the holidays, so they actually had a 21 point breakfast (usu only about 5) but she noticed that she wasn't hungry all day and...you're only at a dairy farm in iceland maybe? once? so she enjoyed it.
Yes, Racemom, I hope this bulletin board takes off because so much of it is soooo old (didn't notice until I really looked) I would prefer to have discussions but I can't figure out how connect does that. I mean, you can hashtag things but ? Anyway, tonight I'm going to try a zucchini "noodle" and shrimp recipe I saw on FB. I had heard lots of good things about spiralizers but the last thing I want in my kitchen is another gizmo...so this recipe has you use the cheese grater to make the noodley bits...

I also need to make a plan for the week or at least tomorrow so that I am stocked with enough treats and foods to get through the day. I also need to go out and finish my 'steps' - i try to do 8k/day...have about 5k more...I figure if i break it into three walks, it might work? Part of me wants to say, o so what, but my body is kind of enjoying the movement and I'd like to keep it up.

[Pang]

Visibility is the key to getting a thread to take off. And new year's is good time to connect . No I'm not on WW.
I've tried many things to lose weight. I know what it takes and I can do it ,BUT the lifestyle separates me from dinners with family. I've tried everything I can think of to get around it. Either I eat alone or I overeat. Just because my family won't diet with me. I only have will power to not eat the breads. I've tried Atkins, ssouthbeach, slimfast,fasting,exercises, portion Control.
Basically I'm kite with its string cut drifting from diet to diet.
However I got onto the longevity thing. The elusive research that explains how famines are related to longer lifespans. How some diets correlate to those Conditions.
I'm not trying to get y'all doing that. I didn't read which tab I was in . But many things are similar between diets especially app related. You're right being stocked up certainly helps get back on the horse if you fall off.
As long as you keep giving the time and effort you will get to goal. So just keep on. Best wishes!

[Racemom]

Pang, I think we all need to do what works. You are doing a modified version of WW, tracking and journaling. I have learned thru trial and error, or actually gains and loses, that I have to track, track, and track! Even if it's bad I need to track it and move on.

[Pang]

Let me think off top of my head list of tips for longevity.
Walk more than an hour after last meal of the day.
Apply weight bearing exercises too.
Eat in a 5 hour window
Eat walnuts approx =7 whole or 14 halves a day
Approx 1200 a day
Include pre and probiotics regularly
Include as many anti oxidants as often as possible
Include cancer fighting foods
15 minutes of direct sunlight daily
Don't let broken teeth go untreated by dentistry
Include immune boosting foods
Eat 7 vegetables or fruits a day
Eat fish 2-3 times a week
Fast 2-3 times a week
Avoid fungus foods
Try not to be too acidic
Detox the liver, gallbladder, and colon as recommended by physician
Don't over eat protein
Keep sated on feed days
When at perfect weight maintain by only putting in same calories as out.
Low calorie nutrient dense foods
Do the doable
No living in tobacco smoke environment
Alcohol harms islet cells in liver
Know that protein requirements change with age and pregnancy.
Eat only 20 meals a month of high fat meats.

If you could pick one thing in your life that could absolutely not fail.
Affirmations can remove self doubts

I have more . Silly me had a data crash at just when I hadn't a back up.
So I'm looking up everything I can remember.
Hmm everyone is sensitive to gluten In hippocampus to some degree.

Good night.
Oh yeah observe good sleep means sleeping long enough that eyes just pop open for healing and stress reduction
Avoid chronic stress.

[KabukiKitty]

Thanks, Pang! I know this year, I must focus on getting enough sleep. Right now that means testing the limits. I already know that my usual 5 or 6 hours is not enough, but I can't bear to schedule in 8...so I'm shooting for 7. I get to sleep easily but it's just turning off the light that is hard....(so much I want to do!)

[Pang]

So please tell me about WW. How does it work , getting started, keepin on, maintaining?

How much calorie restriction is there per week?

[KabukiKitty]

Wow. This site is totally dead :-(/ WW's newish Smart Points is about measuring Calories, modified by Saturated Fats, Protein and Sugar. There's an algorithm
to determine the points value. The daily points you are allowed is based on your sex, weight, and age. Then there are weekly points (extras to pop in where/when you need them). There are also activity points but I think most people don't use them...However, this construct allows you to really choose what you value and not give up anything.