Ok I just started WW Sunday. So far so good. I am enjoying it actually and the scale says I am down about 3 pounds.
I have been eating my points for the day and saving my Flex points. I am the type that would rather have all those flex points at one time! I am not counting activity points.
So its the weekend now and I get to use those 35 Flex points but I realized I am afraid to. I am afraid that I will put back on every single pound.
I read on here from a lot of people that it depends on your body. Some people can eat ALL of them and still lose some can only eat a few. I'm sure weight watchers has them for a reason or they wouldn't have them. I just started the program too and I am also "afraid" to use those flex points in case I gain (or don't lose). I am also anxious to see what people have to say about this topic! I am not very experienced in using the flex points and what they will do to my weight loss as I have been avoiding using them!
Well, if you eat 35 FPs plus your base target points in one day, you WILL see a gain. It won't be permanent, but if you eat that much and hop on the scale the next day, you will absolutely for sure see your weight go up. So if you choose to eat 35 FPs in one day, promise yourself not to weigh for a couple of days so you can shake the water weight/sodium retention/extra food. Otherwise of course you'll get discouraged and think you just messed up your progress.
Why not spread them out a little? I mean, it's gotta be tough to cram 35 pts in there healthily. I don't spread mine evenly throughout the week but rather every other day or every two days I plan to have a bit larger of a dinner, or some more high-point foods.
You definitely should eat some, if not most/all, of your FPs. You want to eat as much as possible without stalling your WL so you have as many points as possible for maintenance!!
I think a lot of this, especially initially, is trial-and-error. You need to figure out what works for you as an individual. You have the tools, now figure out how to best work the program to maximize your weight loss while practicing a sustainable lifestyle. If that means you stall your WL a week while you figure things out, it's worth it -- one week in the face of the rest of your life isn't much at all. People generally feel trepidation at eating their FPs because they think that FPs are "extra" - but really, they're part of the program. Why would WW give you points if you were going to gain weight by eating a couple of them? These points are there to be consumed.
Having lost 3 lbs already is AWESOME progress. You're doing great! Good luck figuring things out, be sure to keep us posted!
I agree with Jamie, you have to see what your body will allow you to do. In my opinion I'd rather eat MORE and lose weight than be stuck eating less. Experiment over the next few weeks. I either spread mine out over the week, but the last few weeks I have used my flex points on Saturdays. I've saved them for my margaritas, and then I stay at my target point range for the rest of the week, figuring out points for those margaritas is such a PITA that I just find it easier to do it that way. I don't go all out, but it makes me feel better about enjoying a few weeks and that hindering my weight loss.
We like to eat out a couple of times a week so I like to save my FP for those times as well as for those days that I want something a little extra and I can use a few then. I don't always use all 35 pts and I don't use the activity points at all. Just me, I like to leave room for error and I hope those will cover any mistakes I might make.
"You want to eat as much as possible without stalling your WL so you have as many points as possible for maintenance"
Are you saying that if I eat less points my metabolism will make it so on maintenance I would have to eat less points. Whereas if I eat more ..on maintenance I can eat more? Does that make sense?
I think everyone's body is different, but I agree that if you eat all 35 in one day, you will see a gain if you are masochistic enough to weigh yourself over the next two days.
I save my FPs for emergencies. I really don't need to use my FPs much because I am allowed 28-33 points anyway, so I consider them insurance against any overages I might inadverently have by weighing things incorrectly, or, as yesterday, throwing that extra 2 oz. of meat on my cheeseteak!
"You want to eat as much as possible without stalling your WL so you have as many points as possible for maintenance"
Are you saying that if I eat less points my metabolism will make it so on maintenance I would have to eat less points. Whereas if I eat more ..on maintenance I can eat more? Does that make sense?
I don't think it has much to do with metabolism, so much as it has to do with "getting away with" as many points as possible.
It just means that if you can eat 18 points & lose... or eat 20 points & lose... wouldn't you rather eat the 20? (I would!)
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I actually think of my extra Flex Points as "weekend points" sometimes. (Though I don't always only use them on weekends...) I don't like to use all of them, but for Saturday I'll usually plan to use 5 of them for some tasty treats.
You may feel more comfortable just sticking with your Daily points for the first couple weeks (I did... to get used to things), and then experimenting by adding a Flex point here or there and see how your body reacts.
"You want to eat as much as possible without stalling your WL so you have as many points as possible for maintenance"
Are you saying that if I eat less points my metabolism will make it so on maintenance I would have to eat less points. Whereas if I eat more ..on maintenance I can eat more? Does that make sense?
Well, what I meant was that your body will get used to whatever level you feed it at... If you spend a month eating, say 22 pts a day when you're supposed to be eating 27, your body will be accustomed to those 22 pts. If one day you wake up and decide you want to start eating at your prescribed level (perhaps because your points level gets lower as you lose weight, and you don't like having so few), your body won't know what to do with those extra 5 every day and will pack away a bit of it to prepare for the eventuality that you return to 22 pts (being underfed). [BTW this doesn't happen overnight -- I don't want to sound sensationalist or anything. If you eat 22 one day and 27 the next that's a different story.]
Does that make sense?
But yes, also because of what Faerie said -- if you CAN lose on 27, why eat 22? (These are arbitrary numbers btw, I just picked them out of the air.) Take some time to figure out how your body responds to different points levels. It will make it easier in the long run.
Last edited by suitejudyblueeyes; 02-22-2008 at 05:10 PM.
Reason: clarity
"You want to eat as much as possible without stalling your WL so you have as many points as possible for maintenance"
Are you saying that if I eat less points my metabolism will make it so on maintenance I would have to eat less points. Whereas if I eat more ..on maintenance I can eat more? Does that make sense?
absolutely true. You want to keep your body in burning mode, you don't want to put it in storage mode. They say that if we eat too little calories/pts. your body will revert to "caveman" mode, our bodies are made to store for lean times if we don't eat enough, your body thinks "I better store some of this in case I don't get any more". If you're regularly eating enough, your body won't have that urge to store.
There was an article in Reader's Digest a few years ago about how to re-energize your metabolism after screwing it up with yo-yo dieting. The recommendation was to eat more healthy food and exercise more.
Last edited by kelijpa; 02-22-2008 at 07:12 PM.
Reason: spelling
i rarely plan out when i'm going to use my flex points. if i eat all my daily points and i'm hungry still, i use a few of them for a snack. or if i'm going out to dinner or whatever. i almost never use all 35. not because i'm scared to use them - i just don't always need them, plus i use my activities points first before i use the flex points. i would be afraid that if i saved all 35 for one day, i would just eat junk all day long and probably quit counting and go way over. good job eating healthy so far!
Last edited by countrygirl7902; 02-23-2008 at 02:26 PM.
I am Afraid....Thoughts please!
