[lilwolfe006]

I have been on weight watchers for 13 weeks now and have lost verv very slowly.

I am active, working out 6 days a week and frequently doing routines that involve strength training and cardio, burning approximately 400-600 per work out.

I am at the 20 point range and use my activity points and flex points.

Recently I started tracking my food for calories and nutritional reasons, and have been finding out that with this plan, I am consuming 'too few calories' a day for healthy weight loss.

Has anyone else ever experienced this? Let me give you an example, this is what I ate today.

2 McDonalds breakfast burritos - 14pts
1/2 McDonalds Caesar Salad, no chicken - 1pt
1/2 packet of the light dressing -.5pt
1 McDonalds Cone - 3pt
1 cup stir fry veggies - 1pt
1 oz of steak in stir fry - 2pt
1/2 cup brown rice - 2pt
Peanut Butter Bar WW - 2pt
Fat Free Brownie - 2.5pt

Total 28 points consumed (- 4AP ) So using 4 Flex Points.

Calorie wise? Consumed 1300
Burned through exercise 450

Net daily calories (What your body uses as a daily function fuel) 850

Anything below 1200 is considered starvation mode from the research I've done. And this isn't a flukey day. The last 10 days, 8 of them have alerted me of 'too few calories' on the calorie counter.

Help!

-Renee

[Bev]

I also have been looking into this since I started back doing cardio and strength. For me I have to eat more to lose so I also count calories along with pts. I am not sure which one is the best yet.

[Alethea]

Breakfast Burrito (320 cal/20 g fat) 8.5pts Where almost 2 points are attributed to fat content. When we eat things with this much fat in them we sacrifice a lot of points. It is true that we can choose any foods doing Weight Watchers, but the whole point is to make better, healthier choices. I've done it on occassion, usually involving some barbequed meat that's high in fat. If I did it every day, I would never come close to the minimum caloric requirement. By the way, 1200 isn't the base metabolic requirement for all people. If you'd like to find yours there are plenty of calculators on the web that will calculate it for you.

You might want to choose something else for breakfast. Something that is much better for you.

Have you been tracking your fiber intake? 26g is a requirement for all people, to the best of my knowledge. For some reason, the appropriate amount of fiber encourages weight loss. Wherein a lack of fiber ******s it. When I don't get enough I lose very little; when I do, I do quite well.

This is just my opinion, hope it helps.

[lilwolfe006]

That was a -very- unusual meal example. It was the first time I had my beloved burritos in probably four months. I used that one because it was such a shock to have eaten all those points and still have consumed so few calories.

A normal day would be:
Weight Watchers Cereal with Skim (2pts)
A cup of canned fruit, lite (2pt)
Sandwich with FatFree fixin's (3-4)
Fat Free Pringles (1)
Yogurt or Smoothie FF/SF (2)
Granola Bar (2)
Homecooked dinner:
Chicken 6-7oz (6-8)
Fresh veggies (o)
Smart One Dessert (2)

Point ranges between 21-23 (above my 20 allowed - but plus an hour of exercise)

The above formula landed me with with only 1000 calories consumed and 400 burnt, for a net calorie day of 600.

As far as fiber goes. On my normal days, I always get notes on my food tracker for eating fiber rich foods in a healthy amount. So I don't know the exact gram count, but I am getting fiber yes.

[Allie Abbott]

I think that the activity points booster slide is not totally useful. It may give rough ideas, but it is really hard to figure out if your workout is light, moderate or high, or somewhere in between. My exercise bike counts calories, and if I eat a point for every 90-100 cal burned (along with TP and FP), I still lose weight at about 2 pounds per week. So if you're doing a 600 cal workout, you could probably give yourself at least 6-7 AP's for it.

Also, since you are doing strength training, you will be building muscle, which affects you in two major ways. One is that muscle weighs more than fat. The second is that for every pound of muscle you build, you need about 50 cal more per day to maintain that muscle. Make sure your extra calories are coming from healthy foods, not from fatty and sugary foods. Eat a banana instead of a cone, or eggs on whole wheat toast with FF salsa instead of a burrito.

The important thing is to find your balance, I guess. Everybody uses the same WW program, but not everybody's body is the same. What works for one person won't always work for someone else.

[lilwolfe006]

Yeah I wondered about the activity points things. For 1, as you continue to work out, you get more in shape, and the activity level could go from high to moderate couldn't it? That doesn't change how many calories you are burning while you do it - just changes how your body physically handles itself while you do.

I think next week I will ask my team leader what is up. I have not lost 2lbs since the 2nd week!

My weight loss is like: .4, .8, .2, 0, +.2, .4 It's SO FRUSTRATING. I see and hear all the other members shouting off their 2.6, 5.3, 3.7 - so much for the meetings being encouraging. >.<

And that's with working out 6 days a week!! I know muscle weighs more than fat, but I don't know how much or quickly that conversion occurs.

[Kelly_S]

If you are eating properly with lower fat and higher fiber foods your average should be as follows:

18 points = 1050 calories
20 points = 1150 calories
22 points = 1250 calories
24 points = 1350 calories
26 points = 1450 calories
28 points = 1550 calories
30 points = 1650 calories
32 points = 1750 calories
34 points = 1850 calories
35 points = 1900 calories (Weekly Points Allowance)
36 points = 2050 calories

Remember this is not always true but a good guide and DOES NOT include the 200-250 calories a day W/W built into the program for free veggies.

Typically my day is as follows:

BREAKFAST
Cereal and Milk or Smoothie (4 points)

MIDMORNING SNACK
Fruit (1 point)

LUNCH
Leftovers from dinners during the week (3-4 points)
Salad w/croutons and bacon bits and dressing (2-3 points depending on the dressing - this includes on of my healthy fats a day)
Yogurt (2 ponits)
Fruit (1 point)

MIDAFTERNOON SNACK
Fruit (1 point) or Snack size popcorn (2 points)

DINNER
3-6 oz lean proten (3-6 points)
starch <pasta, potatoes or rice> (3-4 points)
veggies and lots of them (0-2 points - this includes my other healthy fat a day)

EVENING SNACK
Depends on what was had durnig the day

Additonally you get APs to supplement that 20 TPs a day. Remember the TPs are your BARE MINIMUM to keep your body from feeling or falling into starvation mode. You also have your 35 FPs a week to supplement your TPs.

Also review your PointsPies. My leader gave this tip...utilize your TPs to get in your nutrition based on the points pies and use your APs and FPs to get in those 'treat' things (McDonalds, Skinny Cows, etc):

Points Pies

Balanced (under 250 pounds)

Complex Carbs/Grain Based Foods – 8-9 points a day
Protein-rich Foods – 6-7 points a day
Fruits and Veggies – 0-3 points a day
Fats, added sugars – 2-3 points a day
Milk and Milk Products – 4-6 points a day

20-28 points a day

Higher Protein (under 250 pounds)

Complex Carbs/Grain Based Foods – 5-6 points a day
Protein-rich Foods – 9-11 points a day
Fruits and Veggies – 0-1 points a day
Fats, added sugars – 2-4 points a day
Milk and Milk Products – 4-6 points a day

20-28 points a day

Higher Carb (under 250 pounds)

Complex Carbs/Grain Based Foods – 9-10 points a day
Protein-rich Foods – 5-7 points a day
Fruits and Veggies – 1-3 points a day
Fats, added sugars – 1-2 points a day
Milk and Milk Products – 4-6 points a day

20-28 points a day

-----

Balanced (over 250 pounds)

Complex Carbs/Grain Based Foods – 11 points a day
Protein-rich Foods – 10 points a day
Fruits and Veggies – 3-4 points a day
Fats, added sugars – 2-3 points a day
Milk and Milk Products – 4-6 points a day

30-34 points a day

Higher Protein (over 250 pounds)

Complex Carbs/Grain Based Foods – 8 points a day
Protein-rich Foods – 12 points a day
Fruits and Veggies – 2-3 points a day
Fats, added sugars – 4-5 points a day
Milk and Milk Products – 4-6 points a day

30-34 points a day

Higher Carb (over 250 pounds)

Complex Carbs/Grain Based Foods – 13 points a day
Protein-rich Foods – 8 points a day
Fruits and Veggies – 2-4 points a day
Fats, added sugars – 3 points a day
Milk and Milk Products – 4-6 points a day

30-34 points a day

Also are you following the 8 Good/Great Health Guidelines (not really guidelines success for being healthy and losing weigh):

1) eat at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day (0-3 points right there)
2) choose whole grain foods when possible
3) include 2 servings of dairy a day (3 if a teen <which you get 2 more points a day> or over 50)
4) have 2 tsp of heathy oils (canola, sunfallow, safflower, olive, or flaxseed) a day
5) get enough protein (2 servings of approximately 3 oz is recommended)
6) limit sugar and alcohol
7) 6-8 8oz glasses of water a day minimum
8) multivitamin

[fitbyforty]

Are you sure you are burning that many calories per workout?
If you are doing weight training,muscle weighs more than fat,but make sure your muscles are getting recovery time,too much and you can actually be undoing the good you have done.

[Kelly_S]

Originally Posted by Allie Abbott

I think that the activity points booster slide is not totally useful. It may give rough ideas, but it is really hard to figure out if your workout is light, moderate or high, or somewhere in between. My exercise bike counts calories, and if I eat a point for every 90-100

Actually the 90-100 calories burned for 1 activity points is way off on most things. You can easily judge intensity by utilizing what most trainers give people:

LOW - you can talk and sing
MOD - you can talk but not sing
HIGH - you need a deep breath to speak every 1-2 words when speaking

Most of us never truly achieve high and fall someplace between MOD and HIGH.

A tip my leader got from W/W International was if you are not as low as MOD but not as high as HIGH to figure both then take an average.

[Kelly_S]

Originally Posted by lilwolfe006

ITotal 28 points consumed (- 4AP ) So using 4 Flex Points.

Also what do you mean - 4APs?

[Kelly_S]

[QUOTE=lilwolfe006]Yeah I wondered about the activity points things. For 1, as you continue to work out, you get more in shape, and the activity level could go from high to moderate couldn't it? That doesn't change how many calories you are burning while you do it - just changes how your body physically handles itself while you do.[/QUTOE] Yes your body becomes used to the activty and you get more fit thus your intensity level would change and you'd get few points for that activity. This is why mixing it up and change activity is great.

Originally Posted by lilwolfe006

My weight loss is like: .4, .8, .2, 0, +.2, .4 It's SO FRUSTRATING. I see and hear all the other members shouting off their 2.6, 5.3, 3.7 - so much for the meetings being encouraging. >.<

My suggestion is to eat your APs and some if not all of your FPs and see if that doesn't boost your weight loss. Eat more foods that are not processed or junky (less McDonalds)

[

Originally Posted by lilwolfe006

And that's with working out 6 days a week!! I know muscle weighs more than fat, but I don't know how much or quickly that conversion occurs.

Muscle does not weigh more than fat. A pound is a pound is 16 ounces no matter what. Volume for volume muscle is denser so will be heavier. Think one pound of rocks (muscle - hard and firm) and one pound of feathers (fat - soft and cushy) both weigh the same but there will always be more feathers than rocks. Or think of it this way 1 cup of muscle will be 2.2 times heavier than 1 cup of fat.

[Domina]

Kelly, thanks for straightening folks out about a pound of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat! That always gets me. A pound is a pound is a pound.

Renee, looking at your sample menu (all right, you said not typical), but it didn't have much good stuff there IMHO. Load up on vegetables. When I was losing, I never took my activity points (APs). When I hit a plateau, I would do the Wendy method, i.e. high points one day and low points the next. This mixes up your metabolism. Good luck.

[lilwolfe006]

I have tried eating no activity points, and tried eating all my activity points and flex points - nothing seems to work.

-4AP means that while I ate 28 points. 4 were earned through activity thus meaning only 4 flex points were used.

As for workouts - I get the calories burned from the machine readouts, as well as checking their validity on websites that formulate approx. calories burned.

As for the sample menu, a bit lower I have a more typical day. Fruits and veggies and whole grains, with minimal fat, my two dairy servings, etc.

I had thought that going below a certain amount of calories was considered a bad idea? That when you give your body too few it goes into starvation mode. Just for kicks I tried one of those sites for your metabolic rate, and mine came up to something like 2700 calories for what I do daily - and WW tells me only to eat 1100??

[Allie Abbott]

I'm not sure where the 1100 comes from... am I missing something? WW isn't saying to only eat your TP's, but also your AP's and FP's. Each point is roughly 50-55 calories.

Example:
(For quite active person between 150-175lb)

22 TP + 5 FP + 5 AP = 32 points.

32 points x 55 calories = 1760 calories.

It seems to me that WW is reasonably suggesting that you eat more than the 1200 cal suggested by some of the crash diets I have seen in some magazines.

The point of losing weight is to eat less calories than you burn by activity and metabolism. If you were to eat 2700, and your body required 2700, then you would plateau. If you ate 2600, weight loss would be very slow. As long as you get enough good nutrition, you body will supplement the food you eat by burning away the fat that you want to get rid of.

Am I not thinking about this correctly?

[lilwolfe006]

Nope Allie, that sounds right, calorie wise. My issue is that I am not coming up with that when I track calories. I need to figure out why and how to adjust. Maybe I am not taking enough for my activity points or something. At 146, an hour of moderate only gets me 3pts. So thats what I take. But the exercise I am doing, tracks calories, and says I burn about 450 in that time. It also does comparisons and tells me it is equivalent to jogging 6 miles. That seems like an awful lot of work, for only 3pts. Yet, I know that it's not high. I can still talk, slowly... but definitely still talk when I do this stuff.

My points eaten, even with activity points and flexes, are consistently ending up on a below 1100 calories a day sort of routine. I am afraid of counting my activity as more than moderate, and thus more points, because I feel like that is inaccurate.

Also, for me to 5 AP on moderate, it'd take almost 100 minutes of exercise! Which, if I did that, the calories burnt would probably track up around 700-800. I think it's the exercise throwing this off.

My sister doesn't exercise at all and loses 3lbs a week.