New to WW...looking for support - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

pflughzy · 02-21-2009, 05:37 AM

Hi everyone! Just joined WW 2 week ago. I lost 5.6lbs the first week, then GAINED 0.6 the second...although I "started" the next day, so I'm hoping that the culprit is bloating. I'm having some issues with all of these points:
Is it imperative that I use all 26 points everyday? I am falling short anywhere from 5-10 points each day. It just seems like too much food???
I'm also trying the 'Walk Away the Pounds', doing the 2 mile in the mornings before work. I'm waiting patiently for this weather to improve so I can get outside!
I feel like I'm becoming obsessed with food/points. I find myself constanly tallying points and planning what I can eat, when I can eat, how much, etc. I'm making myself nuts! My 9yr old son is now asking, "How many points are you eating right now? How many points do you have left?"

Yesterday on my way home from work I was having that same old mental battle of...Is this worth it? I really want to lose this weight, but am I THAT bad? What if I fail again? grrrrr-I think I've found the sabotage artist, she was right here with me all along!
Any thoughts or suggestions on this predicament would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for letting me vent!!! Nikki

cdawnfine · 02-21-2009, 08:05 AM

Let me start out by saying Congratulations, and yes it is worth it

This is my take on the battle of the buldge......most of us are addicted to food, some more than other so when we take control of our eating we tend to replace that addiction with something else for right now yours seems to be your points and controlling them (this is also mine

Our discussion at last weeks meeting was partly what is your best and worst quality well mine is the same. I have become so good at controling what and when I eat at home I have become obsessive about going out and my family said something to me about it brining it to my attention just like your son is doing with you. This is all part of the process and you will figure it out. As far as eating all your points I no when you choose mostly from the filling foods you do not feel you need to eat as much or as often so rather than add more to your intake try switching some low cal or lowfat items for the real ones instead of no fat cheese try 2 % ect. This way you are still mindfull of what you are doing. I does get easier, and remember you MUST write everything down once we stop writing it thats when problems arise when we are writing a tasste counts when we are not we forgot about the taste. GOOD LUCK... have fun with it and lastly it is not so bad having your son ask how many points wont it be nice for him to grow up and know what healthy foods are and what a true serving size is rather than the Supersize kids are being fed now.

ladybug20 · 02-21-2009, 11:22 AM

One thing that has helped me not obsess everyday about points is planing my week. I sit down usually on Saturday and plan my whole weeks food. I leave a couple of points out eveyday for snacks or what not and then I grocery shop just for what I have on my list. I know that this might not be as easy for someone with kids, I just have myself to worry about. Also remember that you can gain weight or not lose as much if you dont eat enough. Your body needs nutrients to burn and aid in your weight loss.

Congrats on starting and remember that even tiny steps are better than no steps.

pflughzy · 02-22-2009, 09:24 AM

Thank you both for your insight!

cdawn: I'm glad to know that my control issues are not an isolated incident. It helps to know that there is someone else out there fighting the same battle!

ladybug: Planning out the entire week sounds like a great idea. Today is Sunday, and I think I'll do just that. My husband is being extremely supportive this time, so I'm sure he'll be on board with it as well.

It's really great to know that there are such kind people with suggestions on actually helping each other! Thank you so much!!!
~Nikki

Daimere · 02-22-2009, 10:07 AM

Yes, it is imperative to eat all your points. Try higher point things for a while: fruits, natural peanut butter in small doses (I know a 3 point version), nuts, full fat products, or bump to 1-2% of milk products. It does seem like a lot of food but that is why this is a GREAT program. Also, don't use your activity points if you are already having trouble getting all your points in.

The thing is before Weight Watchers part duex for me, I would OBSESS over what I'd eat next. Now, I don't. A conversation with my boyfriend used to include 15 minutes of "What's for dinner?" I don't have to worry about food any more and I'll never have that feeling of being so full I feel sick ever again and I love it. Also, planning did help me stop obsessing.

Yes, this is worth it. This is my second time. I'm here ready for a fight and I will not give up. We both should never give up. This is our health we are talking about. Our life. I used to worry that I would die of a heart attack or get diabetes every day of my life. Now, I don't.

primaballerina · 02-22-2009, 02:47 PM

Hi Nikki, Congrats on your loss so far! Don't feel discouraged by your weight fluctuating a bit, especially after such a big loss. We're fairly close in stats, and I've lost that much in a month! You're doing great. It'll come off, don't worry.

As for points, yes, you definitely should be eating all your points every day. If you don't, your body will go into starvation mode and will hold onto any extra pounds. When my loss was slowing, my leader also recommended that I eat my activity points. It definitely worked! May be worth a try for you, too, since I see you're doing a 2 mile walk every day.

And don't worry- you will soon get used to counting points and you won't obsess anymore. It'll just become second nature. It's really good that you're being so diligent about counting and tallying- and that your family is being supportive!

Keep up the great work!

BlzMaxGnrCCJkMly · 02-22-2009, 06:39 PM

i plan out a week at a time too so i dont have to worry about it every day ...eventaully it becomes a habit and its just part of life..and YES! it is SOOOO worth it!

pflughzy · 02-22-2009, 08:05 PM

Oh man! You guys are so nice, and talk about supportive...now if I could just find a bra with that much support! (hehe) Really though, I sincerely appreciate not just reading my post but actually taking the time to help me out.
I'm still working out the meal plan for the week, and even made a dash to the book store to pick up a WW cookbook for inspiration. I'll be sure to let you guys know if I find an exceptional recipe. I'm curious to see how you all spread out your points??? Do you use the majority for dinner? Or is it better to try to evenly divide them? Any thoughts???

Thanks a Bunch!
~Nikki

Daimere · 02-22-2009, 08:16 PM

Do you have the monthly pass or otherwise? I know I use the WWonline recipes so much. This week I tried a few recipes from the magazine.

It depends on the day how I divide the points. Most school days I have a 4 point breakfast, then 0-5 point snacks which then run to lunch which tends to be 3-8 points, a few more points for snacks or emerg snacks, and then whatever is leftover is for dinner. I am tend to be a grazer on the weekdays and that is why I spread it out so much. Weekends are different. It was more like 6, 6, 8 today.

Also, if you get the new WW magazine(which I recommend), try the stuffed porkchops. They were heavenly and my boyfriend loved them. I had them with roasted cauliflower and couscous but took away the sauce. Also, another great book is the F Factor book. It has tips and explanations on why fiber is go good for you. The recipes in this book are great and are very fiber friendly. Also try to go to hungry-girl.com which is WW approved. LOVE her recipes!

O2Bthin · 02-22-2009, 08:21 PM

Hi Everyone!

I just found this post. I have been doing WW for 2 months. My weight loss has been slow, but it is coming off. I have been exercising a lot so I think with gaining the muscle the pounds are coming off as far as the scale is concerned, but I can feel the difference in my clothes. YEAH!

Primaballerina - I noticed on your post that your leader encouraged you to use your activity points when weight loss was slow. My WI in is on Friday and I currently have 18 activity points. That seems like a lot of extra points to eat. I currently eat 29 points. I'm doing WW online so I don't have a leader to discuss this with. Do you think I should be eating more points. After I exercise I feel like I'm starving, but I don't want to overeat either.

Nikki - Good luck on your WW journey. Counting points will get easier and it won't be long until you'll have them down.

To everyone have a great week.

Kathy

cdawnfine · 02-22-2009, 09:24 PM

I use most of my points in one shot I want what I want and how I want it so I pick on food per week and I have the verison of it that I love be it pizza, mac and cheese , bagel and lox , carrot cake, ect there are certain that the diet or local version wont do for me. And as long as I know I can have it, it kind of keeps things in check for me. So I allow myself 2 extra points a day from my 35 points than the rest I just allow for my one special meal per week. I have this meal on weigh in day when possible. I do not use my activity points though. In the end if I find I have gone over or two I know I am covered. But I do write everything down and account for it so I know where I am at all times.

pflughzy · 02-23-2009, 07:06 PM

Hey ladies, how's everyone doing?

Daimere-I'm a member with 'coupons' through my husband's insurance. (I pay the regular for a certain # of weeks, and after I attend 80% of the meetings, the insurance reimburses me $75) I never use my activity points and have yet to use my 35 bonus points. I'm thinking you may be right about cutting the points too short. Ipicked up the WW magazine yesterday and saw the stuffed pork chop recipe-looks yummy, so I'll definately be trying it. I'm going to hit the hungry girl siteas soon as I'm through here! Thanks so much for all the advice, I really appreciate it.

O2Bthin-hello! Thanks for the well wishes and hope yours is successful as well.

cdawnfine-hi! I like your ideas as well, I'm especially writing down every little thing in my journal.

I'll probably bite the bullet and weigh in on Wednesday, so I'll be sure to keep you posted. Hope to hear more good tips and recipes!!!

~Nikki

O2Bthin · 02-23-2009, 07:31 PM

Daimere - Thank you for the information concerning activity points. It was very helpful. I will use my activity points for a night when I want to eat whatever I jolly well please. That night for me is usually Fridays since that is also my WI day.

Today was a crazy day, but I was able to stay on plan inspite of the craziness.

Have a great night!

Kathy

primaballerina · 02-24-2009, 02:22 AM

Hi Kathy- not sure if someone else already answered your question, but my experience is that everyone is different. If you have a smaller than usual loss this week, you may want to try eating some or all of your activity points. To be honest, there are days when I'm so full that I dont' eat all of them, and I don't force myself to eat if i'm not hungry. But if you're hungry after working out, you should definitely feel free to eat those activity points!
(or save them up for a treat)

Hope that helps!

pflughzy · 02-24-2009, 07:37 PM

OK,I couldn't take the suspense so I stopped on my way home from work to weigh in...I lost 2.6lbs. I got a chance to speak to one of the best leaders there, and her suggestion was to definately eat all of our points. She's lost 198lbs, and said that on average, each WW point is about 50 calories. Soooo, now it makes sense to eat all those points. If you're on a 24 point diet, that's roughly the same as a 1200 calorie.
I have no idea if I'm the last to find out the 1pt/50cal thing, but it really helped me to understand that I'm not doing myself any favors by cuting out my daily points-I was starving, and no wonder! I was only taking in about 800 or so calories on some days. DUH! Hopefully this will help someone else, too. I'm going to give it a try for the week and see what happens on weigh-in day!

~Nikki