The 5 Hour Rule

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  • I didn't read all of the subsequent posts, so forgive me if someone already said this... but I've always heard to "pick a method and stick with it."

    For example, if your method is to figure out the points to one serving, and double them if you have two, fine. If your method is to completely double all of the information to get the point value of a double serving, fine.

    Same with cutting in half. If you want to cut the points values in half, fine. If you want to cut all of the info in half and calculate, fine.

    The important thing is to be CONSISTENT. Either way, you'll make out half of the time and lose out half of the time, as far as points go, so as long as you aren't always switching between methods, choosing the one that will give you more food for the points, you will make out just fine, as things will even out in the end.
  • Quote: I thought the "1 serving = 2 pts; 2 servings = 5 points" thing was due to rounding of the component parts of the PointsPlus formula. I try to just go with the greater amount. After all, it's only myself that I could be cheating on :-)
    This is what I've been told too. Never heard anything about 4 hrs between servings...
  • That's what I like about eTools and the WW App on my iPhone, it calculates for me

    But before, when I was doing WW on my own, I would actually go through and recalculate the points based on the meal. If I was having a double serving or whatever of something at a single meal, I'd actually go in and recalculate because sometimes it came out, say, 4 pts or sometimes it came out 5 pts depending on the food. If I was eating a single serving at two different meals I'd just count each serving as a single serving. I guess it comes out to about 4 or 5 hours, but that was never the rule.

    I'm re-reading this and it doesn't make any sense, but I swear in my head it does!
  • I usually wait about 3 hours in order to count 2 portions of something as single servings twice, and from what I've gathered from other members, that seems to be somewhat of a common practice.