Counting calories vs. weight watchers...which do you prefer? I have lost 55lbs with counting calories but lately I have been at a stand still. I think that I haven't been eating enough so it has slowed the process down for me. I started going to the gym and I work out for AT LEAST 45 minutes. I have been eating around 1500 calories a day and I have lost maybe .5-1 in 3 weeks. I thought about switching to WW to try and give me a boost. Anyone have other suggestions?

This is an idea of what I have been eating a day:

Breakfast: Poached egg and a whole wheat english muffin
Lunch:Black bean burger on a multi grain sandwich thin
Snack: Kashi and plain yogurt or couscous salad with veggies (1/2 cup)
Dinner: This is what has really killed me...I just haven't been cooking as much lately. I will eat either cereal or a flatout bread with chicken and taco seasoning, etc. Oh, and I normally put laughing cow cheese on it.

Work out is the following:
20 minutes on the elliptical--the resistance is set at 15 and I am not ready (physically) to increase that. Maybe in a week though.
10 minutes on the bicycle on L10 at 14mph
15 minutes on the treadmill with the incline set around 5 and the speed at 3.5.

So, that doesn't look bad to me. Am I missing something? I am trying desperately here...I haven't cheated...any "treats" I had were in my calorie range.

I think you are probably right that you need to eat more. You don't necessarily have to go to WW to do that though. You could just continue CC and increase by 100 at a time and see how it goes, that's what I did. I was eating around 12-1300 and stalling. I'm now at 1650-1700 and my weight loss is back on track. On the other hand, WW has done awesome things for many people over the years. I think it's a matter of personal preference.

When was it that you started the gym?

I think if you are eating a bit more balanced and in your calorie range it'll help too. The bread/grains jump out at me. WW and CC are pretty much the same thing . Just smaller numbers with WW.

I started the first of February. Can you give me some ideas for better balance with what I am eating?

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

Not sure how or why switching to WW would help you.. Also not sure why you would INCREASE your calories in order to get the scale moving downward. We're trying to create a calorie DEFICIT here. The more calories you take in, the smaller the deficit, the harder it is to accomplish weight loss. If anything, now that you're smaller it will be harder to create that deficit and you *may* want to consider decreasing them by 100 calories or so.

Perhaps you want to lighten up on some of those carbs and add in some veggies, veggies, veggies.

Also how many days a week to you hit the gym? HAve you begun strength training?

How's your water intake, not that that should be a major factor, but you never know?

Try eating a lot more vegetables, especially green ones. Spinach, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, asparagus, brussels sprouts, green and red peppers. Shoot for 4 to 6 servings per day, at least.

Replace grains with things that give you more nutrition (and which will also fill you up better and stabilize your blood sugar rather than whacking it out), like the veggies mentioned above, or sweet potatoes, or even blueberries, strawberries, grapefruit.

Eat more protein, especially fish and chicken.

Keep getting at least 2 servings of dairy per day.

You might check out the South Beach Diet for more information on how to eat better.

Weight Watchers has a really great layout of healthy eating as well. Everything that WarMaiden laid out is exactly what WW stands for. I love WW but do know that other programs work well.

I agree too that it doesn't sound like you are eating enough.

Good luck!

I've done both WW and counting calories. If a group meeting, accountability at weigh-in, keeping track of points instead of calories will help you then go for it!! I've found counting calories and coming here WAAAAY more beneficial to me than WW. The main reason is I can log on here any time day or night, get immediate help if I stumble and lots of support VS. a 1 x a week, 30 min group class with very little time for personal support and interaction. Plus you have to pay for WW and this is free.

I just thought maybe WW would give me a better starting point. Based off the calorie estimators that I have used I am supposed to be in the 1800 range but I am well below that and not really doing hot. I will add in more veggies/fruits. I actually make a fresh veggie salad with lemon juice that I eat often but I haven't been great about it at night.

I am going to the gym at least 5 days a week...sometimes 6. I haven't really started strength training. I do a couple of the machines for arms, legs and abs but that is it. I don't do it but maybe 2 a week though because I am not sure what I am doing or what I need to be doing.

I am drinking 80-96 oz of water a day. I probably need to increase that a bit.

Thanks for all of the suggestions everyone. I really appreciate it.

I am with Michelle. I went to one WW meeting--never became a member though. I echo her sentiments on 3FC and why I like it though. LOL--3FC even has some "leaders." LOL, I know I have mine. I will resist calling them out here though. p.s. One of them is already on this thread.

I have to speak up for WW The meetings were a great tool for me & I used both 3FC & them to find my way....I had a leader that did the core plan (aka simply filling now) and she helped me learn how to eat healthy along with learning here, in between meeting we emailed a lot until I got the hang of it. She wound up going to another center closer to home and I stopped going. I do it on my own now and have been doing it this way for a year so for me it's *free* I did CC for a few months too but the bigger number had me micro-managing and it drove me bonkers lol

Since you started out on CC and if you aren't freaking over the numbers I really don't see a need for you to switch unless you really want to

You can google to figure out how many WW points you'd get each day. You get the first 2 digits of your weight (so you'd get 23) and then you add a few additional points based on age and height, etc. As a quick estimate, you'd probably get about 30-32 pts.

Although there are some difference based on fat and fiber, 1 WW roughly equals 50 calories. So in other words, your WW points would have you eating approximately 1500-1600 calories!! (and veggies are generally free, so you can eat slightly above that and still be on plan)

However, the thing with calorie estimators, including WW points, is that they are always just a starting point. If you aren't losing, then try adding or subtracting calories (I personally don't fully buying to the "eat more to lose more" theory, but it's your body and your experience may be different so experiment!) or adding more and different activity.

I'm not knocking WW, I think it has a great track record and has been helpful for many, many people, including plenty of people posting on 3fc. But the question is whether you think you would benefit from the specific kind of support WW offers - including making a commitment to pay and attend meetings, which can be it's own form of motivation for some people. But in terms of how much you are eating, that is not likely to be different wth WW and calorie counting, they are pretty much the same thing, WW just uses a different way of counting which some people find easier.

I also think you need to increase your calories. I think keeping it at 1500 is probably too low with all the workouts. There are a ton of people on the calorie counter thread and the Bodybugg/GWF thread who were having the same issue. Once they increased their calories, they started losing again.
I currently burn around 3000 cals a day, eat around 2000cals a day and lose between 1 and 3# a week.

Good luck!

I stalled at 57 pounds lost, but what kickstarted me again was not just counting calories, but cycling carbohydrates. Now I do kind of a hybrid of calorie counting, carb cycling. It has helped tremendously!