Can I get your opinion?

I am unable to take off weight gained over the winter...

Food Journal for yesterday

Breakfast - Granola Bar (2 pts) Coffee x2 (0 pts)

Lunch - Fage yogurt (3 pts) Trail Mix Grape Nuts (2pts)

Snack - Granola Bar (3 pts) / Peanut Butter (3 pts)

Dinner - Salmon (1/2 a salmon steak) on Salad w/ light feta, craisins, veggies (6 pts)

I've been drinking a lot of water and hitting the gym 5x a week...

The only time I dropped weight was after running 6 mi on Sunday - but it came back on Monday...

I gave up eating chocolate and after dinner for Lent.. and not 1 lb has stayed off...

To me, that sounds really light. I don't know WW that well - I'm a calorie counter myself - but eating just a granola bar for breakfast and just yogurt for lunch sounds like too little. On WW, isn't a typical day supposed to be 20 or more points? Especially if you are exercising a lot, your body may be going into starvation mode where it just stores and stores instead of burning calories.

I'd like to see a lot more fruits & vegetables up there. (An apple (1 pt), pear (1 pt) and cup of grapes (1 pt) is a lot more food than one granola bar, and is a healthier source of food.) The thing about WW is that it's not just making sure we get in our points, but making sure our points are things of good nutritional value. (Hence the 8 Healthy Guidelines.)

Also, are you using your Flex Points?

If you're at a standstill there are a couple of options. You might benefit from the "Wendy Plan" (there's a sticky on the WW area about it) where you cycle your points (like calorie cycling) to "trick" your body into burning more fuel. You might also benefit from switching to Core for a week or two. You'll be able to eat until you're satisfied, and since it's a balanced list without too many processed foods you'll benefit from being able to get what you want with good nutrition.

PS - You may want to check out the WW area, too, (under Diet Central) if you'd like other food suggestions.

Oh, my, not enough real foods in there IMHO ....

• breakfast -- a nice bowl of oatmeal and some eggwhites would be more filling...
• lunch -- large salad, romaine lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrot shredded with chicken or tuna with brown rice or whole wheat pasta or beans
• Snack -- maybe a granola bar (if you really insist) but a fruit with some cheese or whey protein shake with fruit would be so much healthier...
• dinner -- what you chose seems appropriate....

I've read that if you eat a lot of vegetables that this makes your metabolism faster because you need energy to burn all these fibrous vegetables... I've noticed that on weeks were I eat lots of veggies I do lose more weight...

Thank you everyone for your input and feedback.... I appreciate your help. I'll try your suggestions and see how I do...



because my capris are too tight!

I have to agree with eating more...it looks like you are not really eating much, and if your going to the gym and all...Id consider eating definetley more veggies and fruit throughout the day...and I noticed you ate a lot of grains...the granola bars and grape nuts...and peanut butter... I count calories and for myself...those items would be treats...where veggies and fruit are requirements for the day... I also agree with focusing on whole foods.. oh..and I also eat 6 times a day...it works for me!! Good LUck!!!

These are not necessarily healthy for you. Granola is high in fat and sugar. Some of the bars can have 250+ calories. There are also bars that come 2 to a package and list the calories for only one bar on the wrapper.

Clif bars/Powerbars etc are really high in calories as they are designed for people in extreme exercise/survival conditions.

I would, like everyone else has already said, put more "real" foods in your diet. Fruit and veggies have fibre, water, and vitamins that your body needs. You can eat a whole ton of salad to equal the cals in one granola bar.

I used to have a problem eating fruit/veggies in my car (dog hair and sand got all over them). I bought a lockable platic container with compartments, cut up my fruit and veg, and I'm good to go with healthy snacks all day!

Peeled, boiled eggs are good for protein if you're short on time. So are protein shakes for brekkie - you get dairy and fruit and protein in one go.

Dagmar

I think you should stay eating like you are. I don't know how long you have been doing this but I find a "snowball" effect that takes a while to get going.

Last year I was 180 in March and I look in my book and I see that the weight really came off a lot faster after a long uninterrupted period. But the first 5 or so weeks of being back on plan, was really slow and bouncy.

It is like you body still has a reserve but after about 4 weeks or so it has to dive in and use it up.

Mudpie - thanks for your input - I steer clear of any granola bar with more than 120-150 calories. I have started eating larger/healthier meals but find I always feel full. I know that's not necessarily a bad thing... but I'm still not dropping any lbs.

AnnRue - Thanks for your feedback - I have been staying within my 19pt range per day for about a week and a half now and the scale hasn't budged... Thanks for your insight about "your body having a reserve"... Hopefully the weight loss will kick in soon...

Marathon Mom, I see that you are 9 pounds from goal. I can tell you from experience that those last few pounds are the hardest. I thought I would never lose the last 10 pounds but I kept on even tho it got discouraging.I was literally shocked the day I looked at the scale and saw I was at goal.Keep at it and you will get to goal .I agree your breakfast and lunch are pretty skimpy.