I have 26 points a day. How do I use my 35 extra? I had a party at work and used some there today and am saving some for tomorrow (grad party). Do most of you use them? Should we use them? HELP!

The majority of people find they lose more consistent or better if they use them. I used all of mine.

Keep in mind everyone is different but give yourself at least 3-4 weeks before you say you can't use them when trying htem.

i know how you feel, JinxCat! i have a hard time using all of them! plus, i feel guilty about it! i know it's silly to feel that way, but i can't help it. it's probably better to strive for the points because this isn't supposed to be a "crash diet". and, as Kelly_S said, it's probably easier to figure out after a few weeks... i'm only on my second week now, and i've been under my daily number a lot too. i did have a minor "crash" yesterday, because i haven't been getting enough protein (my boyfriend is a vegetarian, so i never eat meat, and i'm not as careful about it as he is), and i ate a bunch of peanut butter cookies. i want to start focusing on using my flex points and extra daily points on protein-rich foods, but i don't think it's good to eat protein later in the day, which is when i usually find out that i haven't reached my daily number yet. it's confusing, and it seems hard to get the right balance of healthy foods while still maintaining the daily and weekly points, but i'm sure that i'll eventually find my stride. i hope you can, too!

I am a new proponent of using flex points. I never used to eat any of them thinking I would use weight faster. However, I have been using most of them over the past three weeks and I have been losing as fast, if not faster than I had when not using them. I have been trying the Wendie plan (see the sticky at the top of the Weight Watcher's General board) for the past three weeks and have been losing consistently. I felt guilty at first, because I felt like I was cheating, but it actually falls in the acceptable rules. And when I have alot of extra points, I use them to indulge in those higher point foods that are traditionally considered forbidden (example: small Dairy Queen Brownie Batter Blizzard is 14 points, a Hershey Bar with Almonds is 5 points). Would I eat like this everyday? No, but I have come to the conclusion that denying myself only causes me to quit before I get very far. Let's face it, there is more to life than fruits and vegetables and sometimes a little treat is all that is needed to calm the craving monster.

I start my week on Monday and end on Sunday. I do pretty well at work where I can control what I'm eating throughout the day, so I save up my flex points for the weekend when I never know what I'm going to encounter.

On Sunday night, I walk around the kitchen going, I have X more flex points to use. What should I eat?

It's not hard to find some chocolate or something that uses a lot of points but is completely useless nutrition-wise. Sometimes I think, "Gee, I could have had that donut on Thursday," or whatever I avoided by willpower trying to "be good."

I know I don't HAVE to use those points, but I feel like I'm leaving money on the table or something. Anyone else have this problem? (And is it really a problem? Haha)

I think it's important to use a large percentage of the flex points. My WW leader says that what they are for. You should use all of your daily points and use the flex points as you see fit. If you know you'll need extra on the weekends then use them then. But they are yours to use. I usually use a few a day and then try to leave me extra for the end of my week, so if I lost on my weigh day, I can have an extra snack/treat, like some fat free sugar free yogurt from TCBY.

I usually save them and don't think about them. Only if I'm hungry or see something loaded in points that I want or if I'm going out to dinner and have no clue what I will get into then I use them.

Most of the time, I never think about them until I really need them and that's about 3 or 4 times a month.

I know they are there for us to use...but sometimes I feel like if I don't eat it...I'll lose weight quicker. Of course, that makes no sense when I really think about it because when I started WW I was eating 24 points a day and felt like I was eating way too much...yet, I still lost the weight very consistently.

So, I just went to my second WW meeting and I tried a new one at a different time. Anyway, the leader suggested not eating your flex points to lose weight faster. I asked him, "Wait, aren't you supposed to use them?" He said, "Not if you don't want to. And you should try not using them if you want to lose faster." Then I asked around after the meeting and it seemed that almost none of the members suggested using flex points!

I just feel very confused. I'm sitting here just trying to remind myself that I will probably be happoer using flex points as it will help me feel less deprived. I'm also trying to remind myself that everyone is different. But, it's a bit scary not knowing which is the best thing and right now, at this weight, it seems too risky to try different things each week (one week eating them, one week not, one week half and so on). I just want someone to tell me what to do to use this time most efficiently. But I know that's not going to happen.

It's the journey, not the destination. Right?

Ok, I am going to put my two cents in.....I am in agreement with the leader.The reason I say this is because I have a few friends on WW and they use ALL their flex points and the are losing VERY slow.plus, look at the math, you have to burn/not eat 3,500 to lose 1 pound, SO for my weight I eat 24 pts daily, That is around 1200-1500 calories a day(estimatation)when I eat more than that I dont lose as fast....HOWEVER for some people it is good to use the flex points for little splurges cause without them they might not be able to stick with the plan(causing them to not lose weight).Its nice to know that they are there if needed. So I would think about how bad you want to lose the weight and how fast.If you want to lose it faster try not to eat your flex points or just eat a few of them, say onece a week for a treat(like an ice cream cone,candy bar , etc)

just remeber even if you eat your flex points you will lose weight just not as fast....But then again some people say they lose better with using the flex points. It all boils down to what works for you.

EDITD:Also,has you lose weight you body will need less calories to lose weight,remember that

I hope this helps you or it may have confused you more, sorry if it did!

You need to read more on Basal Metabolic Rate. The heavier you are the more you need to eat to just function.

I have rarely seen a leader who suggested you lose faster if you don't eat them. If someone is having a slow loss (less than .5 a week) then look at not eating them all. If a person is losing between .5-2 pounds a week then that is a normal healthy weight loss.

Thanks Angelica and Kelly! Kelly, I was thinking about you when he said this. Because over the past week (my first WW week) I have read SO many posts where you advise eating your flex points. And I kind of took that as "the gospel". So when he said it, I was just thrown. But, good idea on reading up on this stuff. I think that's what I came away with from this whole experience. I need to learn about health and my body and see what's right for me. Thanks!

Oh, and sorry for hijacking the thread!