I'm a WW oldie and recently started back on the Points Plus program 4 weeks ago. I lost 7 pounds week one, 4 pounds week 2, and have been bouncing up and down since with a net loss these last two weeks of ZERO.
Journaling has once again shown me the error of my ways: I eat way too many carbs and my portion sizes are too big. I've been really, really good. Lots of veggies, few carbs and I strive for only once a day, a few fruits, lean protein a couple of times a day and I'm drinking LOTS of water. I walk a few days a week,which is way more than I was doing before.
I should be eating approx 31 PP per day. I never use my weeklies or APs. I feel good about what I'm eating from a nutritional standpoint and I'm never hungry but:
1) I'm struggling to eat 25 PP a day without throwing in stuff at the end of the day when I'm not really hungry.
2) I haven't lost any weight in 2 weeks.
This is where your collective wisdom comes in. What am I doing wrong? I know 11 pounds in 4 weeks is a decent pace, but it's way too early to plateau. It's been suggested that I eat more, but that seems counterintuitive and I'm just not hungry. What's a chick to do?
Congrats on your weight loss thus far if you need to eat more points, why not add a tea spoon or 2 of olive oil to your meal. Or some almonds or peanut butter with an apple. Those kinds of things stick with you and raise your points in a healthy way without having to eat alot of food.
Are you eating your oils? Having your dairy? Add a little avocado, drink 2% or whole milk, have a serving of nuts. That will get your points where they should be and provide your body with essential nutrients as well.
Yes, seagirl. Check on the oils, check on the dairy. See what I mean? I have all the boxes checked: dairy, oils, protein, fruits & veggies, water...
pointspluspioneer, I can add plenty of points if I need to, but my concern is do I NEED to? I don't want to up my intake if it's not going to help me lose weight, especially since I'm never hungry.
That's an awesome amount to lose in 4 weeks
The only thing I can really add is that whenever I have large losses (4lbs and up) I usually "pay" for it for the next week or two, sometimes even 3, depending on how big the loss was. Maybe your body is doing something similar? I don't really have an explanation for it, but it's something I've gotten used to (as much as I can!), so now if I see I'm down a large amount, I know I'm probably going to get stuck there for another week or so.
Sure, seagirl. This is last week ( A complete week)
Sunday:
coffee 0
cheerios 5
banana 0
milk 3
chili 7
bked pot 7
baked ckn6
wax beans0
apple 0
total 29
Tuesday:
coffee w/lf milk 2
oatmeal 3
salad 0
chicken 3
LF ranch 2
steak 8
shrooms 0
carrots 0
noodles 10
berries 0
pea pods 0
total: 28
Tuesday:
coffee 2
banana 0
oatmeal 3
pita 2
pastrami 3
pea pods 0
chips 4
pasta 5
chicken 3
artichoke0
shrooms 0
pudding/coolwhip 4
total: 26
Wednesday:
coffee 2
apple 0
salad 0
chicken 3
LFranch 2
crackers 4
veggie pizza 18
salad 0
ff ital 0
pea pods 0
total 29
Thursday:
coffee 2
banana 0
pita 4
pastrami 3
gr beans 0
shrimp 6
asparagus risotto 6
veggies 0
total: 21
Friday:
coffee 2
fruit salad0
salad 0
1/2 UNO flatbread pizza 9
flank steak 8
broccoli 0
total: 19
Lunch chicken is always baked, dinner protein is normally cooked in a splash of EVOO. I'm not hungry enough to eat more so I'd rather not get back into the habit of eating when I'm not hungry - that's what brough me here...
I think it's great that you don't want to get into the habit of eating when you're not hungry. One thing I noticed right away is the LF Ranch. I'm assuming that means Low Fat. You can switch to regular or full-fat dairy, you won't be eating anymore than you normally are but it will get you higher points.
Also, what is a "splash" of EVOO? You should be getting 2 tsps of healthy oil every day, and that counts for 2 points right there.
That's an awesome amount to lose in 4 weeks
The only thing I can really add is that whenever I have large losses (4lbs and up) I usually "pay" for it for the next week or two, sometimes even 3, depending on how big the loss was.
Thanks, PinkLotus, maybe it's as simple as that. I haven't been back at it long enought to see the trends.
Thanks everyone for the comments. I CAN add points easily enough, I'm still trying to determine whether or not I NEED to.
Thanks everyone for the comments. I CAN add points easily enough, I'm still trying to determine whether or not I NEED to.
26 PP is the lowest WW will allow you to go, so you need to be eating at least 26 points a day. You also are allowed to lower your own points by 3, so if you're assigned 31, you are allowed to lower your dailies to 28. But, again, 26 is the minimum.
Also, you said you aren't eating your APs, which means you're exercising. Depending on how much you're exercising, you may need to eat more. I have found that I sometimes stall if I'm exercising a lot but don't eat more.
I ate 26 points/day for a week with no change. I ate 26 plus my APs for another week with no change. I ate 26/day without APs and used a total of 10 weeklies one week with no change.
I think my body is just stubborn. When it decides to let go, the loss had better be BIG!
I ate 26 points/day for a week with no change. I ate 26 plus my APs for another week with no change. I ate 26/day without APs and used a total of 10 weeklies one week with no change.
I think my body is just stubborn. When it decides to let go, the loss had better be BIG!
But 26 is still below what you are allowed. 26 is the overall WW minimum, when going down in weight, the lowest anyone can go is 26. When lowering your own personal points, the lowest you are allowed is three below your current. So if you are given 31 daily points, the lowest you can go right now is 28. The 26 comes in when every once in awhile if you are full and not hungry and can't reach your daily. But at this point, you should not be making that 26 your daily minimum. Where you are right now, it should be a rare thing to eat only 26. (I realize I may not have made myself clear in my previous post)
Have you ever actually had a week where you ate 31 points every day not counting weeklies or AP? I'm just curious, because maybe your problem is that you aren't getting enough food and/or nutrients. The numbers given to us as daily points aren't random. I realize you don't think you need all of those points, but chances are you do. That's why we start with a high number of points that gets lower as we lose weight.
And don't forget the Good Health Guidelines. Looking at the meals posted above, where are the 2 daily servings of dairy and the 2 daily teaspoons of healthy oil?
Last edited by Tudor Rose; 03-15-2012 at 11:41 AM.
... I can add plenty of points if I need to, but my concern is do I NEED to? I don't want to up my intake if it's not going to help me lose weight, especially since I'm never hungry.
The things is how do you know you don't need to unless you test it out?
I understand the goal is to lose weight and you want to do what you can to make sure you don't gain. But sometimes it's trial and error to see what works for you.
I noticed 2 days on your menu you only had a total of 19 and 21. Eating too little can be just as bad for us when trying to lose weight as eating too much.
I say start by making a few higher point substitutions like people have recommended to make up those extra points. so that you're eating at least your minimum number of points (28) allowed EVERY day.
Then experiment from there. That might work perfectly for you. Or you may need your whole 31 - or you may even need to use some of those weeklies.
I could be wrong, but I think we've all had to do our own little bit of experimentation to see what works for us.
Eat More!
if you need to eat more points, why not add a tea spoon or 2 of olive oil to your meal. Or some almonds or peanut butter with an apple. Those kinds of things stick with you and raise your points in a healthy way without having to eat alot of food.
