I'm in a bind, and really need some imput:

I am doing weight watchers points plus, and go to meetings. At the end of 2010 I got down by about 25 lbs... I donated a kidney to my husband and regained everything post surgery: Eating, lots of food...not moving...

Surgury was at the end of January, and I'm really having trouble getting past 10 lbs. It's more difficult for me to stay on plan and I have been yo yo-ing for awhile now.

I'm curious about a low (er) carb approach. I love carbs! Adore them! I've had a disfunctional relationship with them for life- even when I was a little kid. 10 years ago I lost 80 lbs doing weight watchers on my own, but I also ate almost all carbs. But I was also 22 at the time.

My husband is a type 1 diabetic, so he has to watch his carbs. He and I had a conversation about carbs and what they are and what they do for us. Combine this with friends' success on a low carb woe. and I'm curious....

When I say 'carbs' in this sense, I'm thinking of breads, pastas, potatoes, candies, crackers, cookies...I'm not counting fruits and veg into this because well, it's not natural for me to avoid tasty fruits and vegetables.

Has anyone ever combined weight watchers with a lower carb way of eating? In a way It seems over whelming because not only am I counting points, I'm 'having' to change my eating....

For two days I've cut down, meaning that I eat half a piece of toast with breakfast ( bacon & eggs) instead of 2, and adding more things like cottage cheese, sushi, peanut butter, fruit and veg... the only thing I noticed is that when I got hungry, i got HUNGRY! No kind of I'll take lunchin half an hour hungry, but light headed, sweaty, chilled Feed me seymore- eat NOW hungriness. I'm not sure if that's normal or not.

I'm interested in everyone's experiences and/or opinions.!

THanks so very much!!

I have not tried lower carb or restricted carb while using Weight Watchers, but my impression has always been that it can't hurt to try. Almost like Calorie Counting while also staying lower carb.

Whether the two can be combined appropriately is likely very individual.

Something that pops into my head... fruits and vegetables being zero points on Points Plus, so that may pose a problem if you're eating more than 5-8 servings of them both a day. May or may not, but something to think about needing to balance.

Trial and error, as usual! Best of luck with it! I really hope it works out!

You wrote exactly what i've been trying to figure out for a month now. I go up and down and hit plateaus very fast on ww. I'm tracking everything but i think my body loves carbs so much it holds on to them for dear life! You/we should start a low carb/ww thread and try to get menu ideas. I would love to do this too! Not sure about the extreme hunger unless your body is changing to non spiking insulin levels without having as many carbs. could just be an adjustment.

P.S. What a wonderful thing to donate your kidney to your husband. My dad had a lung transplant and being on the receiving side of things, it's the BIGGEST AND BEST gift anyone could ever give someone

Interesting coincidence...I had just noticed your post Heather on the other thread and that no one had answered. I, too, am going to try to reduce carbs. I believe that the Mayo Clinic site suggest 140 grams as a minimum for women. I have found that is not too hard to do, and I'm going to try to go down to 100, then lower.

However, I lift weights and am sure that I need my carbs. It's just a matter of getting rid of the "bad" ones and eating more of the "good" ones. For me, that is going to mean more protein and more veggies.

You'll find a low carb thread on the 3FC site.

I'm interesting in cutting down my carbs, too. I feel like I eat too many carbs and processed foods and maybe that's why I'm in this ravenously hungry/overeating/binging cycle I can't seem to get out of.
I'm also thinking of checking out a new crossfit affiliate here in my town and they are very big on recommending the 'paleo' diet which is grain-free (I think) so naturally lower carb but with lots of fruits/veggies/protein.
What I'm doing now does not seem to be working.

You say your husband is diabetic. Have you tried checking your blood sugar, those are signs of hypoglycemia, that I would want to rule out first.

I have been doing a combination of WW online and a modified southbeach diet since December. I have lost 67 lbs since December. I just recently started allowing fruit and whole grains back into my diet. I find that WW points plus allows too much fruit and I have a hard time controlling my insulin if I eat too much fruit. I cannot eat bread at all without craving a LOT more. I find I can eat oatmeal and kashi golean cereal in moderation. (one serving a day, with no other grains that day).

I haven't decided if I am going to go back to a stricter south beach plan along with my WW points or if I am going to keep allowing a few grains and carbs. I do find I am hungrier now that I am allowing carbs, but its not a ravenous hunger so I am managing it within my plan.

I think the new points plus plan automatically pushes you toward low carb simply because of how the points are weighted. I try to limit my carbs to a minimum because it means I have more points for other things. For example if I have toast for breakfast, I won't have a sandwich for lunch... I'll make it a salad instead. When I go really low carb I have to up my healthy protein via nuts and cheese or I don't eat enough of my points.

But yes its doable and can't hurt to try it. I eat a lot healthier when I do it simply because I fill up on vegetables and healthy proteins and fats... and can have more of them.

I'm kind of doing the same thing as authentic. I'm rolling with a SBD Phase 2 while I'm on WW, and it seems to have pushed me out of my plateau. I've limited my grains consumption to one meal per day, but I do allow myself to eat fruit. However, I try to put some protein with the fruit too. (PB w/ apple, cheese with melon, etc.)

One of the 9GHGs is whole grains. White is to be avoided but you do need some for good nutrition. I limit myself to 1-2 slices of whole grain (not the fluffy diet stuff) a day. I do eat sweet potatoes. Anything with sugar I avoid. It is not good to eliminate whole food groups from your lifestyle.

Optical Goddess, I am doing a lower carb WW, more or less in the vien of what you describe. I usually do oatmeal and some fruit for breakfast, and chicken or fish (tuna, crab delights, salmon) with a big side of raw veggies and a couple T of hummus for lunch. I might have yogurt or hard boiled eggs as a snack, and some more fruit/veg if I feel hungry during the day; maybe an apple with nut butter. For dinner, I try to have lean protein and vegetables every other night, and let my husband (a SAHD ) make whatever he wants the other nights. And sometimes, that is pizza or spaghetti, which I just make sure to measure out carefully (I shudder to think how many servings of pasta I was actually eating at dinners before I started counting points).

I have been doing this more or less for the whole time I've been on WW. I started on June 1 at 205, and today I weighed in at 191. I also jog nearly every day, about 2 miles, and walk an additional mile, plus I end up following a crawling baby around for at least an hour (sometimes we dance, too, with me carrying him), so I am getting some good exercise as well.

My diet of choice is low carb, I lost 50lbs on it 7 years ago and kept 25lbs of it off. I am wheat intolerant so it is easy for me to maintain, but my body can't handle the strain of low fiber anymore so I too am doing a lower carb diet. When I found out I am wheat intolerant I lost 15 lbs the first month I cut out wheat products.I think it is a misguided notion that we need grains at all, plenty of vegetables offer the fiber and nutrients that grain offers and I have found I don't miss it that much.

I'm going to try and do the same thing, I eat WAY to many carbs during the day. However, I do run so on those particular days I tend to eat more carbs than usual.

I have been transitioning to lower carbs since Points Plus came out.

A couple of weeks ago I started a 2 week modified Atkins induction/South Beach Phase I.

What I like about Atkins is counting carbs and systematically adding them back in to find out what carb level is right for you. On the other hand I didn't really think I personally needed to start with 20 net carbs. I liked that South Beach has a wider variety of foods available in the Phase I and II but I really didn't like that there was no counting and I don't really think that you have to have low fat cheese.

So I started with the Atkins induction Phase (look at the Atkins web site) and I bumped the 20 net carbs to up to 40. I also added nuts to the induction phase. I did follow it very closely (including no fruit) for the 2 weeks typically ending up with around 25 to 30 net carbs a day.

I'm now in my second phase and I'm allowing myself up to about 50 net carbs a day and have added in legumes and one grain a day. I haven't added in fruit since I don't like it that much (veggies are fine for me).

I have found that eating out is way easier, frankly. I order chicken or fish and then non-starchy veggies and I'm done. I was in two situations out to eat where I had not control over location and was able to manage with those restrictions allowing one grain product a day. I do strive for those where available to be whole grain but in those restaurant situations I didn't have that option.

So far it is going well. I am eating more total WW Points since lower carb eating is higher fat. However, that has not hurt my weight loss so I'm fine with it (I'm still well within my weekly points).

I disagree with any contention that WW requires whole grains. Guideline 4 says to Aim to eat whole grains whenever possible instead of refined, white grains. I agree with that Guideline but unlike other guidelines it requires no whole grains at all. It just says to aim to eat them instead of refined grains. Contrast this with the guidelines for Fruits and Veggies and for Lean protein, dairy, and healthy oils which give specific amounts to aim to eat. It is only whole grains that has no specific number of servings suggested.

That said - I don't personally have a problem with eating some whole grains for most people. The thing that annoys me is that most -- virtually all -- WW frozen dinners and snacks do not use whole grains. Even Lean Cuisine has a line of dinners with whole grains. WW does not.