Hi. I haven't posted here for awhile but it feels good to be back.

I need to lose about 80-85 lbs. I have tried both working with a nutrititionist/dietitian before and I have tried WW before, never together but at separate times. Both have been successful, but short lived success. I had an appt for meeting with a dieititian and I cancelled it. I am not sure if that is what I want because at times it feels so rigid and in flexible to only to be able to have the foods on the food plan created by the dietitian.

I like the idea of Weight Watchers better because there is no "Food list"- all foods have points. My thing is just that I get sick of counting points and sometimes I want to go back to eating with out the structure. I know that only lands me to weight gain, and I need to stay on track.
Granted, I am just pointing out the negative parts of the food plans but there are a lot of positives too...
I'm not sure what to do, any suggestions?

Thanks...

I feel like different plans work for everyone. I wish I could be more help. I've done WW, but fell into the same trap of not wanting to count points. Of course, now I'm trying to count calories, so I don't know how that's going to work out.

I've never worked with a Nutritionist/Dietician before, though it's been recommended to me by a physician. I can't say I know what that's like.

I think you just need to find a method that fits you and then stick to it. I wish I could be more help! But best of luck on your weight loss journey.

So who says that you have to be rigid and inflexible?

When I was in graduate school, I used the free student services to work with a dietitian. She didn't give me an "eat this," and "don't eat that" list or a strict menu plan that I was supposed to follow without flexibility. She gave me guidelines to follow and suggested some sample menus, but it was never "here's your plan, do what I say, and never break any of the rules."

Instead, we worked on the plan together. And she actually warned me against making rigid, inflexible plans. She was awesome. She told me to think in terms of what I wanted to eat more of, rather than eliminating foods. She said thinking about what you can't have will make you miserable - so nothing is off limits. She also gave me a great tip about "diluting" junk food with healthy food (craving Doritos? Crumble up a few on a nice taco salad. Craving a heath bar or a snickers bar? Chop 1/3 of a candybar into plain yogurt and use it as a dip for apple slices).

She had all sorts of great tips that I still use today.


Because I was familiar with exchange plans, that's what I asked to use. Exchange plans are as flexible as calorie counting and as flexible as WW, once you get the hand of them.

More than telling me what not to eat, the dietitian told me what to eat more of, how to identify inbalances in my diet, and helped me learn to understand the nutrition labels - it was all practical advice, not rigid rules.

She also suggested some good basic nutrition books to read (I don't remember any of them, this was nearly 20 years ago).

I think you need to decide which plan feels more sustainable in the long-term. You said you've done both options without much long-term success; at this point, it seems to make the most sense to pick the option that you really believe you can make a long-term commitment too.

I think a couple of things are important.

Whatever you decide to do, whether it's WW or a dietecian or something else, it's something that you're going to have to commit to do. There are not "thought-less" plans.

The nice thing though, about a lot of plans, is that they do train you to eat in a particular way that's healthier and long-term and with that time, you will have to think less of it. As your habits and your lifestyle changes, you will be able to do things more "naturally" with less thought.

But I'm afraid you might be looking for something that doesn't exist. Either plan works, it just requires your commitment to make it work and to have it be not just about losing the weight, but about fundamentally changing the way you eat.

I have made the decision with the help of a trusted doctor to do WW when I am feeling better physically (I've had a virus for a month). Some may disagree with this, but he was thinking more in the short-term, try WW for a bit of time, see how it goes and if I feel I have to take a break from it and then go back on it, that's okay. I just don't want to gain any weight back during that time off plan, but I will plan on follow the guidelines from the nutritionist somewhat, even though I won't be as strict with them as she planned them. I think that will be a safety net and I will be okay. I have a hard time committing to weight loss plans for the long term, and maybe that is something which can change, but I'll take it day by day. Thank you everyone. I like the idea of non-rigidity.

I think it sounds like you need a different dietician! You shouldn't end up with an infelxible "banned list" you should end up with a personalised plan that has been arrived at with detailed discussion of your needs and desires. There's no point paying out to see a professional person only to have them give you the same diet sheet they gave the last 50 people who came into the office, that's terrible.

Rose,

Let me try to clarify what the dietitian said. She said to work with this food plan that she gave me and to try to stick with the foods that were on the food plan. There was no banned list and I don't know if this was something she customized for me or gave to other people.


I had decided on WW but am not sure if that is what I want to do or not, just because it feels like a rollercoaster ride going on and off plans like WW or Jenny Craig or any short lived weight loss plan. I do need something I can stick to and I don't have a lot of "sticktoituitveness" I thought it was great when I could stick to OA, JC and WW for a few months - all at different times. I don't know what I'll do next. I need something workable and flexible to help me with my New Year's resolution of being more healthy and losing weight.

For me, what I wanted from a plan changed over time.

When I first started losing, I didn't count anything. I just cut back on portions, and brought all my snacks and lunches to work.

After about a month, I started calorie counting, but didn't worry about where the calories were coming from or nutrition

Then, slowly, I started thinking about what I was eating, learned more about nutrition, and started cooking foods lower in fat, higher in protein. Part of it came from having a calorie limit each day and wanting to get more "bang for my calorie buck". Part of it came from wanting to do better by my body.

Throughout this weight loss journey I have had different goals and priorities that affected the kinds of food I ate, exercise, etc. And then I realized that things that worked for me for a while no longer worked and I needed to change up what I was doing.

So, this is a long way of saying that for many of us, sticking to only one way of doing things doesn't work. I think as long as you remain committed to the process you can be flexible and change things up...

Good luck!