Battle of the Plans
 

Hey all.

I've been posting on and off here for years. In that time I've tried a few different methods of weight loss. My most success is the plain old "count calories, exercise more." Weight watchers old program worked really well for me as well. But I struggle with the same 30 pounds, which I have gained and lost a few times. I just can't seem to get over that hump.

Anyway, I joined Weight Watchers at work on January 20th. My first week, I lost 4.4 lbs. And now, I've lost a total of 10. In over two months. I'm 26 years old, 100 lbs overweight, exercising at least 4 times a week (usually 5), eating heathily- and losing less than a pound a week.

At first I thought "well, I'm somewhat lax on weekends. More than i should be." I used most/all of my 49 extra weekly points. This week, I have been strict. Very strict. And I don't weight in until tomorrow, but as of this morning I have lost less than half a pound.

I know, it's moving in the right direction. This is something that's managable. But I NEED to lose 100 pounds. Not because I want to look better, but because I'm not getting any younger or healthier. I want to do this now.

Here's the thing. As an experiment, I counted my calories yesterday. I was at exactly my point allotment and consuming 2000 calories. I had no idea it was that much. I figured it was 1600 or 1700. I know that's too much for me to lose more than .5 lb a week- because 1600 was what I allowed myself when I lost weight and worked out for 45-60 minutes a day. So basically I'm eating 400 calories more than I should be, if I were using that method.

So- here are my questions-

1) What plan do YOU follow? Have you tried other plans? What has worked best for you?
2) Would you rather have your .5 pound or less loss a week or do something that you know will work in half the time? Or would you be afraid of the "better" option backfiring on you?
3) Am I just wasting my time with WW if I know it's not giving me the results? I'm afraid it's going to stop working entirely.

I'm not for or against any weight loss plan. I just can't afford to pay for WW or anyone, really, to tell me what to eat. I know what I need to eat, what I need to avoid, what works for me and what doesn't. I just need to find the will within myself to STICK TO what works for me.

If you love-love WW, stay with it, but make your choices daily to fall within your calorie range. (Is that possible, I have no idea how it works.) If you can do it with calorie counting, and it works, then stick with that.

The best plan is the one you can follow and stick with and see results.

I also have 100 pounds to lose and have tried many different plans. I've researched and read so much information about weight loss and healthy eating paired with thyroid disease. It's interesting you say that you logged your WW calories and ended up higher than you expected. I had the same thing happen - I was on Ediets Glycemic Index Diet and logged my food for a day or two just to check calories. I was carefully eating exactly what Ediets told me to eat, and came up with over 2000 calories. The plan they gave me said it would be 1500-1600. Interesting. Being successful on this journey depends on finding what works best for YOU, and what you can do the rest of your life. Anyhow, With all the trial and error over the years, I have learned the following about my own weight loss:

-I can't eat more than 2 or 3 small servings of good carbs per day. No potatoes, white flour, white rice. Usually whole grain pita, just a few low sodium Triscuits, 1/2 cup brown rice, 1/2 cup high fiber cereal.
-I have to eat protein with every meal or snack to keep my blood sugar level and keep me from starving/binging. I aim for a minimum of 80 grams of protein per day, and usually get more.
-I have to exercise. I don't kill myself in a gym, but if I don't at least walk or ride my recumbant bike 4 times a week, I won't lose that week. No matter what.
-A little bit of real sugar (maybe a small piece of dark chocolate or a sliver of real cheesecake without crust once or twice per week) does not slow down weight loss or mess up blood sugar.
-I do have to count calories to an extent to lose. I track in Fitday a day or two every other week or so, just to make sure I'm staying in my calorie range of 1600-1800. With thyroid disease, calories cannot be too low, or my body goes into starvation mode and will not let go of weight.
-I've given up artificial sweeteners except for Stevia, and usually only drink water, 1-2 cups of coffee per day, and black or green tea. I have maybe one diet soda every other week if I really want one.
-My diet consists primarly of vegetables, low GI fruits (berries, melons, grapes mostly), lean proteins, low fat dairy, eggs, nuts, and olive oil.
-I take CLA, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, CoQ10, and a good multivitamin and calcium supplement.

The Glycemic Load Diet book is an excellent resource, as is The Thyroid Diet.

If you really like ww couldn't you try reducing your points alittle.?

I'm with you.
 

Ive been on my plan for 6 months here is what I do.

The first 4 months I did NOT excerise and lost 50 pounds. I now excerise 5 times a week for 30 minutes to an hour a day even thou I have been slacking in that department. I drink 96oz of water a day and eat UNDER 1500 cals a day eating 3 snacks and 3 meals a day I am never hungry because I eat ever 2 to 3 hours I NEVER eat anything after 7pm and I also make sure I get 8 hours of sleep a night.

I haven't read all of the responses, but want to put my .02 out there.

I had great success on the old WW plan. I quit going to WW 6 weeks after they rolled out the PointsPlus program because I stayed at the same weight for 6 weeks after being perfectly on plan. They were giving me an enormous number of calories and it was too much to lose on. Even the lifetimers I've talked to say that they're having to work out 90+ minutes per day to maintain if they eat all of the points they're given.

So, I figured if I'm going to count calories anyhow that I'd stop paying WW and just do it on my own. So, I do. I use FitDay to count calories.

I've always had a cynical view of paid weight loss plans, of companies whose ongoing success depends on my failing and coming back and trying again. Other free services, like TOPS, offer all the support but without the crazy fees (there's still a nominal weekly fee) but it all depends on the group of people who are in it I suppose.

I'm a boring old calorie counter, and I didn't completely revamp every food I eat like so many virtuous people on here do, I'm inherently lazy I think LOL. I couldn't be bothered eating spaghetti squash instead of some whole what pasta, just wouldn't be a part of my life ongoing. So I ate everything I usually did (which always included lots of fruit/veg) and "spent" my calories foolishly some days, but more often than not, wisely. Some things just weren't 'worth' the price. I discovered a few new foods along the way, but I'd have to say I still eat about 90% of the foods I did before (of the food I ate at home I mean, I've eliminated McDonald's completely!!!) just not in nearly the same quantities!

I think the best plan in the world is the one that works for YOU! If you love it and can live with it, stick with it. I'd much rather lose 1/2 a week FOREVER than lose a ton really fast only to gaine i tall back.

Best of luck!

The best diet plan is one you can stick with and you have consistent weight loss. If you want to decrease the amount you lose, why don't you just start eating less points per day?

As for my plan. I suck at calorie counting (it makes me nervous and I tend to make bad choices and overeat). However, I do whole foods+intuitive eating+no sugar or friend foods well. That works for me and I can stick with it. Other people on here really need to do calorie counting to stay on plan and that's what works for them. Honestly, if you're sticking to a diet and seeing consistent weight loss, I wouldn't throw it out. Just tweak it a bit, as in cutting back a bit on your points and go from there!

Thanks for your input guys!

Actually the only reason I started doing WW was because my employer offered it at a super discounted rate. I can get that rate for one more 12-week session when this one is over, and I'm still debating whether to do that. I think it might help to just eat fewer points and tweak it until I start losing. So I've found that my each point is roughly equal to 45 calories. If I just subtract a few it should get me to my ~1600 calorie goal.

And thank you for sharing your plans and what is working from you. I always love reading how people are doing it, and you've given me some great ideas.

So i've tried the old WW, and didn't have much success. I found it hard to stick with, and frankly it just ended up being more expensive than I cared for.

I tried the new WW (online) and found it pretty darn successful as long as I followed it. It was nice to not calorie count.... but in some ways point counting was even more difficult.

Mainly in the past I've had the most success with calorie counting, and of course remaining honest with myself.

I stopped WW this time because I started Farrell's extreme bodyshaping. I decided I needed to be in better shape even more than I need to lose weight. Though I am rather hoping to do both while on the program.

So far on farrell's I feel like I'm eating a TON more than usual. BUT I had to give up fast food, most white carbs, diet soda *twitch*, and a few other things. I also have to hit a protien and carb level for each of 6 meals. I have no idea how it's going to go for weight loss yet, but I'm determined to stick with it for at least 10 weeks. I'm reallly just looking for both exercise and nutrition that I really like. Maybe this will be it, maybe just calorie counting or WW will be the the nutrition plan I stick with.

I vote if you like WW stick with it. You may want to cut out activity points earned, and possibly lower your allotted weekly points. OR you can look at what you're eating. I.e. Eat enough 0 point foods and it can still add up. Perhaps make better choices for some of those. i.e. a side salad without dressing vs a banana, or etc.

WW works wonderfully for some people and not so well for others, just like any other diet plan. I have tried many diet plans - WW, low carb, meal replacements, pills, low fat, some crazy thing with some yucky soup, eating only lean cuisines and salads, and many others. What works for me is calorie counting with the help of my body bugg combined with the principles of the IR diet and lots of water (crystal light in my world) and exercise.

I think the idea of cutting the points some is probably a good one if you like the plan otherwise. If you do that for the rest of your initial 12 weeks and are still not as successful as you'd like then you can not renew and try something else. If you are just not happy with WW then there is no reason to try to force it to be the plan for you. Even at a discount it is still money wasted if it doesn't work for you.

Here's what you need to keep in mind-- with ANYTHING that is mass produced for a group of people they are going to go for the best results for the most amount of people. That's it.

No one can account for your personal response to a plan -- even calorie counters who make up their own plans will tell you that they had to tweak it to figure out what works best for them.

I happen to love WW but I love it for reasons other than the plan. The plan is fine for me. Yes, I tweak it. WW doesn't tell me to eat more protein in the morning. It tells me the points I am allotted. That's it. However, I know from experience that if I don't get enough protein in the morning, I am a grumpy person.

Some people like the restrictions and functions of a plan and some people like the freedom to make their own plan. It depends on kind of person you are (at that moment in your journey because it may change).

It reminds me of my creative writing group. I will say, "Okay, write for 10 minutes straight." And some people moan and whine and others will start writing. If I say, "Okay, write about a woman locked in a house and she stumbles upon the key but she doesn't know if she wants out of the house." And those writers who were whining before are writing furiously. You just need to find out your motivation.

ww is just an exotic form of calorie counting. and if you aren't losing weight the obvious solution is to cut back. Ruling out any sort of medical issue of course.

the thing that makes these "payed" diet programs attractive is the support you get with them.