Hi there,
As you can see, I'm new to this forum (still don't have a cool weight-tracking thingy at the bottom, need to figure that one out) and I'm already ranting. I am 40 and have been at odds with my weight about half-of my life. I started gaining as a pre-med student (lots of stress), then in medical school, I lost 83-lb and kept it off 4 years. Residency was bad for me (cheap free conference food, long hours, overnight calls, little sleep, etc), and I gained back about 30 of it. I'm now moving on to fellowship soon, and need to start getting back in shape, both for myself and to set a good role model for my patients. Don't want to be in a "pot-kettle" situation.
My previous success in med school was with South Beach diet, and I still follow most of the basics (good carbs, healthy fats, whole grains), but recently I did join the online WW program. I've been doing the online tools for almost 4 mos, but still trying to eat South Beach-type foods. I'm stuck with a weight that goes between 161.5-165, up and down, constantly. Just one big plateau despite some form of exercise (30-60 min) 6 days/week and keeping in my 26 points per day, except with 1 dinner out a week with my hubby (still not overdoing it). What gives? Am I really just chronically stressed and sleep-deprived (ie, all the non-food things I can't fix that lead to weight gain?)
On the flip side, I do feel my clothes fitting looser, although no real scale victories in almost 4 mos. I'm starting to think that even though on WW I get to eat all the zero point fruit/veggies, that's what's catching up with me? I mean, I can't magically make the calories in them vanish, and 7 servings a day does NOT really equal zero?
SO my question as a newbie on this forum is if there's anyone out there who previously used South Beach or something similar, and now is doing WW. Did you find similar success with WW? Or is it about time to switch back to the system that worked for me before? Ideally I would like to combine the South Beach principles with a simple tracking system to keep me on target during my crazy busy schedule in the hospital, and I like the ability to track since I'm on a computer, phone, or iPad all the time. What other apps have been helpful, outside of the WW franchise? I feel that the WW app is so well-designed, there isn't another good one to compare it too.
Your input is appreciated