Im obviously doing something wrong. someone please help me. becuase latley it seems that if i eat my 22 pts that im supposed to in a day, i gain weight. my metabolism is soooo slow that i can only get by with about 15, or i gain enormous amounts of weight. right now im 5'9 and 156 i think?
Breakfast
1 c WW vanilla puffed cereal- 1 pt
1 c some sorta fruit- 1 pt
1 pt pudding or yogurt

Lunch
no pudge bar - 2 pt
6c air popped popcorn- 2pt
seasoning and parmesean for popcorn-1 pt

Snack
healthsmart bar - 1 pt

Dinner
large salad full of veggies
5 calorie dressing
salsa
parmesean

During the day i drink alot of calorie free sodium free fat free water. I also drink some crystal lite, and cofee which is all low calorie. I use splenda on alot of things, but its calorie free, and so is Torani sugar free syrups.

this diet is pretty low point, and i dont understand why my weight loss is at a standstill, and sometimes a gain. can anyone help?

Have you had your thyroid checked? I've asked this before in different posts just because I discovered I was hypothyroid when I couldn't lose weight after I had my first child. It wouldn't hurt to check that out.

Also, is there any chance that you are eating more than you think? Are you measuring your portions? Are you writing everything down? Otherwise, it's easy to underestimate what you are eating.

From what you wrote, it seems you are eating very little and definitely less than you should be, in my opinion. Sometimes eating too little can slow or stall weight loss, but I've never heard of anyone gaining because of eating too little. That's why I suggest getting a check up.

I hope this helps some. Good luck and keep us posted.

Personally I don't think you are eating enough fruit, vegetables and protein. Plus you are not eating well balanced meals...pudding for breakfast? pudge bars and popcorn for lunch? This could contribute to your not losing and then gaining when you eat more.

Have you talked to your leader about what changes you might make in your routine? Have you spoken to your doctor about what a healthy weight is for you to be able to maintain. At 5'9 and 156lbs you seem to be doing pretty good.

I am also on 22 points and this is a typical day for me:

Breakfast:
3/4 bran flakes
1 small banana
1/2 cup 2% milk
1 coffee

Snack:
1 serving fat free, sugar free yogurt
1 cup herbal tea

Lunch:
2 cups romaine lettuce with tomato, broccoli , cucumber, radish,
1 oz chopped up lean ham or turkey, 1 oz chopped or shredded cheese
2 tbsps low fat, low sugar dressing
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 tangerine

Snack:
1/2 cup baby carrots with 1/4 hummous dip

Dinner:
4oz baked chicken
2 cups mixed vegetables

Snack:
1 cup decaf tea
2 squares of dark chocolate

1) where are your fats? 2 healthy fats a day
2) are you eating enough. I know you said if you eat 22 you gain but maybe you just aren't eating enough...try eating more
3) increase your metabolism with strength/weigth training.

Also look at and answer honestly the following questions:

1) Where in your points range (range meaning utilizing your TPs, APs, and FPs) are you eating? Most people find they lose better when eating most if not all of their points for the week. Especially if you are exercising you need to eat toward a high point total and not the lower end. The reason is because your body thinks it is starving and slows down your metabolism and holds on to the calories you intake.

2) What are you spending your points on? Review the POINTSPIES (Also make sure you get in some REAL fat (butter, margarine, mayo, real salad dressing, etc) however your fats really should for health concerns come from non-saturated sources. I had subconsciously removed almost all fat from my diet and had plateaued for SIX (count them 6) months. Make sure you get in some fat. Again W/W and nutritionists recommend for health healthy fats such as olive, canola oils etc but the important thing is to not eliminate the fat and get in at least 2 points in real fats (this is from nutritional courses).

3) Are you drinking your water?

4) Are you eating a lot of processed foods (canned, frozen, etc.) which contain a lot of sodium, which causes water retention. What about diet sodas? They can cause bloating and water retention.

5) Are you exercising? Have you taken your measurements to see if you are building muscle while losing? Remember muscle weighs 2.2 times more than fat volume for volume (this means for a 3”x3” piece of muscle and a 3”x3” piece of fat the muscle will be 2.2 times heavier). If you are exercising remember to eat high in your point range.

6) Are you journaling? This includes every BLT (bite, lick and taste). Those BLTs can add up in 'hidden' points. My leader suggested for each BLT or freebie to put a tick mark in your journal and for each 4-5 add 1 point to your day.

7) Are you calculating points correctly? Ninety percent of new members don't count points correctly. I have a favorite muffin and I realized my 3-point muffin is really 6 points because it is 2 servings. Make sure you use the nutritional information rather than the 'generic' list W/W puts out. You'll find a lot of differences.

Once you have analyzed these things then you need to start playing with the program to adapt it to you and your body. Like reducing the carbs and increasing the protein and stuff like that.

And review the Points Pies

Balanced (under 250 pounds)

Complex Carbs/Grain Based Foods – 8-9 points a day
Protein-rich Foods – 6-7 points a day
Fruits and Veggies – 0-3 points a day
Fats, added sugars – 2-3 points a day
Milk and Milk Products – 4-6 points a day

20-28 points a day

Higher Protein (under 250 pounds)

Complex Carbs/Grain Based Foods – 5-6 points a day
Protein-rich Foods – 9-11 points a day
Fruits and Veggies – 0-1 points a day
Fats, added sugars – 2-4 points a day
Milk and Milk Products – 4-6 points a day

20-28 points a day

Higher Carb (under 250 pounds)

Complex Carbs/Grain Based Foods – 9-10 points a day
Protein-rich Foods – 5-7 points a day
Fruits and Veggies – 1-3 points a day
Fats, added sugars – 1-2 points a day
Milk and Milk Products – 4-6 points a day

20-28 points a day

-----

Balanced (over 250 pounds)

Complex Carbs/Grain Based Foods – 11 points a day
Protein-rich Foods – 10 points a day
Fruits and Veggies – 3-4 points a day
Fats, added sugars – 2-3 points a day
Milk and Milk Products – 4-6 points a day

30-34 points a day

Higher Protein (over 250 pounds)

Complex Carbs/Grain Based Foods – 8 points a day
Protein-rich Foods – 12 points a day
Fruits and Veggies – 2-3 points a day
Fats, added sugars – 4-5 points a day
Milk and Milk Products – 4-6 points a day

30-34 points a day

Higher Carb (over 250 pounds)

Complex Carbs/Grain Based Foods – 13 points a day
Protein-rich Foods – 8 points a day
Fruits and Veggies – 2-4 points a day
Fats, added sugars – 3 points a day
Milk and Milk Products – 4-6 points a day

30-34 points a day

Also if you have been eating so little your may need to do a full 3-4 weeks of eating all your points even with little gains or lots of matains to adjust your metabolism. If after the 3-4 weeks you still continue to gain (the 5th week) you probably need to try cutting back a few of the FPs and keep doing this until you start to see losses.

I dont have anything to add that these fabulous people havent said already... I just wanted you all to know that I got alot from what you posted. you all rock!!!

Hi Lipbalmer!
It is good you ASK for help......I am sure your Leader would help you too if you ask her ( or him)!

I will make it short and sweet.

You NEED to eat more & follow the sugestions WW makes in the Gettng Started Book.specifically pages 34-41...Read the healthy steps to weight loss and you will see you need to make some changes.

Do not be afraid to eat some of or all of the 35 weekly points allowed also!

I am POSITIVE you will lose and get the results you desire!

Very unhealthy.

Thank you everyone so much for responding back to my questions
I am actively involved in tennis, so yes i excercise every single day, and sometimes twice on the weekends. I drink tons and tons of water, and i really like those no calorie, no sugar, no fat, no sodium fizzy waters you can buy at your local grocery store for like 2/1.00$. Its a good idea to look into all of your suggestions, but i have tried different variations of this diet and they all seem to fail? is it possible that i may just have an extremely low metabolism?
You all really made me think about what im eating. Thank you so much for your advice and i hope you keep in touch. When im eating my protien and healthy foods that you recommend ill think of all your support. Thank you again

Lipbalmer
Just needed to respond back to you....I am a WW Leader with a lot of experience with this..............not meaning to sound like a "Know It All"..I have 16 years "under my belt"...............

With Weight Watchers you have to eat ENOUGH to lose weight..with your exercise you are actually going under the points needed daily. Please add some protein..fruit veggies & milk and get in ALL the points.............PLUS some Weekly Points....................I promise you will start losing! Do you have the Getting Started Booklet? It has a lot of helpful info in it!

Good Luck..........dont give up on it.it really works!

Dear everyone. you inspired me beyond belief. Today i decided to totally rededicate myself to counting every single little thing i eat, and be totally honest with myself. I decided to try a new counting plan that contains not such an intense crazy plan, but NO sneaking around. hows this one?

Break fast parfay
1 c fruit - 1 pt
1 c cereal- 1 pt WW cereal
1pt yogurt
if im still hungry ill some oatmeal, today i had 1 packet for 2 pts
1 c cofee

snack
1 c munchies- 3 pts

lunch
1/4 c FF cheese- 1 pt
2 slices WW break - 1 pt
4 slices tomato- 0 pt put together for a cheesy and tomato-ish grilled cheese

30 light chips - 2pts
1 apple- 1 pt

Snack- 30 chips- 2 pts

Dinner smart ones marinara noodles - 4 pts

dessert no pudge cone- 2 pts

better?

What exactly does this mean? Do you mean Core? Don't forget to check to make sure your cereals and oatmeal are actual Core Foods. I see many things that aren't so don't forget you only get 35 WPA on Core.

After looking at your I don't see your 2 healthy fats a day nor a lot of protein related foods....

What About Fat?

Fat in your diet provides energy and certain vitamins. Too much fat, especially saturated fat, can be bad for your heart and blood vessels and can lead to heart disease. Saturated fats often come from animal sources. They tend to be solid at room temperature, rather than liquid. Also, fat is high in calories. It should make up no more than 30 percent of your total calories—53 grams of fat if you are trying to eat 1600 calories a day. Some examples of fat content are:

a 3-ounce broiled, extra-lean hamburger patty has about 14 grams,


a hard-boiled egg has 5 grams, and


a teaspoon of butter or margarine has 4 grams.
To lower the fat in your diet:

Choose lean cuts of meat, fish, or poultry (with the skin removed).


Trim off any extra fat before cooking.


Use low-fat dairy products and salad dressings.


Use non-stick pots and pans, and cook without added fat.


If you do use fat, use either an unsaturated vegetable oil or a nonfat cooking spray.


Broil, roast, bake, stir-fry, steam, microwave, or boil foods. Avoid frying them.


Season your foods with lemon juice, herbs, or spices, instead of butter.

I keep reading about 'good fats' and 'bad fats', but I have no idea what they are or how to tell the difference between them. Can you help?

Of course. Your body creates some important substances out of fats and uses fat to transport vitamins. So think of fats as building bricks. The better the bricks, the stronger the building. If there are only broken or damaged bricks available, the contractor will use them, but the house won't be as strong and eventually there will be problems.
Good fats are the naturally-occurring, traditional fats that haven't been damaged by high heat, refining, processing or other man-made tampering such as 'partial hydrogenation'. The best of these kinds of fats are found in fish, nuts, avocados, seeds and, believe it or not, fresh creamery butter.

Animal fats have a bad reputation, but many professionals believe it is not animal fat, but the combination of animal foods, fats and low-fibre vegetables that is the problem. Also, because of horrible factory farming methods, antibiotics and steroid use, fats from non-organically raised, non-free-range animals should probably be used with prudence. Among the worst of the 'bad' fats are margarine and the fats found in anything fried. And if you see 'partially hydrogenated' on any food label, avoid it like the plague. Refined vegetable oils are also on the 'bad' fats list. These oils oxidise easily and have been processed with high heat, which removes all the healthy nutrients, like Vitamin E. Extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil, however, is a 'good' fat.

Certain essential fats such as omega-3s (found in oily fish) and the occasional omega-6 (found in evening primrose oil) have been used to treat everything from bipolar depression to skin problems. Some can even benefit us in weight-loss programs. The terms 'omega-3' and 'omega-6' are technical terms having to do with the last occurrence of a carbon double bond in the fatty acid chain ('omega' means 'last'). In general, when you see things like 'omega-3' on the label, it's a good sign.

WebMD Medical Reference Protein can help you shed those unwanted pounds and keep your belly full. But it's important to eat the right amount and the right kind of protein to get the health benefits.
Fish & Seafood
Seafood is one of the best sources of protein because it's usually low in fat. Fish such as salmon is a little higher in fat but it is the heart-healthy kind: omega-3 fatty acids.
White-Meat Poultry
Stick to the white meat of poultry for excellent, lean protein. Dark meat is higher in fat. The skin is loaded with saturated fat, so remove skin before cooking.
Milk, Cheese Yogurt
Not only are dairy foods excellent sources of protein but they also contain valuable calcium. Choose skim or low fat dairy to keep bones and teeth strong, prevent osteoporosis and enhance weight loss.
Eggs
Eggs are one of the least expensive forms of protein. The American Heart Association says normal healthy adults can safely enjoy an egg a day.
Beans
One-half cup of beans contains as much protein as 3 ounces of broiled steak. Plus, these nutritious nuggets are loaded with fiber to keep you feeling full for hours.
Pork Tenderloin
This great and versatile white meat is 31% leaner than 20 years ago.
Soy
Twenty five grams of soy protein daily can help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. Combine soy protein foods like tofu with a healthy low fat diet.
Lean Beef
Lean beef has only one more gram of saturated fat than a skinless chicken breast. Lean beef is also an excellent source of zinc, iron and vitamin B12.
Protein on the Go
Grab a meal replacement drink, cereal bar or energy bar. Check the label to be sure the product contains at least 6 grams of protein, and is low in sugar and fat.

Phew! Thanks for the info Kelly - I will print these out and put them in my WW folder