Counting Core Points May be Counter Productive
 

I know a couple have "checked" their core menus by counting the points and someone who was worried about eating too much was told to count up the points. If it was necessary to "worry" about the number of points we were eating on Core, wouldn't WW have required us to do just that? Maybe with the combinations of foods that we are allowed to eat, eating more than we were allowed on the point system is the key to success on this program. I know I was down to 18 pts. a day and still having trouble losing those last pounds to goal. And when I reached goal, I couldn't add any points for maintenance because if I did I gained. I think if we start worrying about how many points we are eating, we will start omitting some of the same foods we did on points because we think they are too many points. Does this make sense to anyone or am I just crazy after a hard day at the office?

I don't think you're crazy at all. I didn't like to "waste" points on milk and other foods that are good for me. Now I'm finding that I stay comfortably full incorporating really nutritious foods in my eating plan. I guess that we all have to find our way because this is new to all of us. I know what you mean about people "checking" their eating plans by counting up the points. It will be interesting to see if they still find that handy in a couple of weeks. Those counting flex points while eating core foods, let us know how it's working.
Judy
success to all!

I have to confess that although I didn't count the points, I did count the calories of what I was eating using fitday.com. Like you, Judy, I didn't want to "waste" points on milk either, and now I find I am getting a lot more calcium. Reading the book, I noticed that women over 50 should have three milk servings, and I was getting one (yogurt). Now I'm getting the minimum amount for a woman over 50 plus more in some cases.

Bananas was another food I avoided because it had 2 pts. instead of 1 for the apple or grapes. Bananas are one of the best all around fruits you can eat! Now I eat more of them, not several a day but two or three a week. I think that's what we are susposed to do. Eat a variety of fruits and veggies and a couple of servings of lean meats with enough Alternative points to get in some bread and nuts, etc. I love the plan.

It makes great sense to me, Janette! :)

I don't see how it would be counter productive myself. To me it would work out (and many people I have seen are about the same if not a bit higher than their TPs) about the same.

I think it's just a preference. Due to sugar problems I don't really eat refined stuff anyway (save for a treat and I think my cereal has some sugar), so I was eating core foods and counting points to begin with (after years of tweaking and struggling with my eating). Next week I will just try core without counting to see how that goes and for variety, but counting points is just comfortable, I don't mind it. I've learned on my own that an apple is much more filling than a granola bar and is much more nutritious, so I don't mind using points for fruit. My biggest confession is that I always count bananas as 1 (shhhhhhhhhh, but it hasn't broken my weight loss).

Janette you're right for some people counting points may be counterproductive. They might end the day hungry and say "but I need to stick with 22 points" and feel deprived. I don't obsess if I go over and know I am fine below a certain number of points.

Cheers!

Ali:)

The people I know who are counting points (I am one because I am not 100% Core follower but combined the foods with Flex <since about 3 weeks into my W/W Points programs back in 1998> points) just to see where they are falling and they haven't changed much of what they do at all and their points are nearly the same (like I said before) actually most of them are about TPs + 5-7 FPs a day total with Core. Many of them start with a normal serving (3 oz meat, 1 cup veggies, etc) and if they are still hungry add an additional serving but most of them are not going over the initial serving 90% of the time.

W/W no matter which program (Flex or Core) is still making sure you get a minimum amount so you don't slow down your metabolism be it by points or being satisified with your hunger level.

Kel: you're right, that's what FP and APs are for too, I just had some friends who used to stay at the bottom of their ranges every day (back in the day) and get hungry and complain.

Cheers!

Ali

I started counting up my pts at the end of the day when I first started Core a week ago just to see how it compared... but I agree that on some days it may be a bad idea because sometimes you are naturally going to go over what your TP was on flex... like one day I ended the day at 27 pts and my TP on flex was 20... so it was a little shocking but I knew it was all Core foods so my body would handle it just fine... if those extra 7 pts had been junk food I probably would have retained some water and saw a gain the next day but I didn't gain. But I really feel like the Core will give us high days and low days... some days we will feel like we ate alot and some days not too much but are satisfied, and that is how I think this plan will work for us... shakes are metabolism up because each day will be different. But I'm not counting pts anymore *unless they come out of my weekly pts* because I know I'm doing the plan right. :)

So you only ate your TPs before?

This is something I have always done based on my 1) hunger level and 2) how I was feel as well as 3) what I wanted or needed. Some days high points, some days low points with a lot of midrange points in between.

:)

Kelly, I did always eat my flex points too, but usually all in one day (it was a BIG day, lol) so the rest of the week I would only get my TPs... but I tried the wendi plan once and it varies your pts up from day to day so your body will get variety and I think core is similar in theory to that. What do you think?

To an extent I do but I think Wendy and Flex are more what W/W had in mind (althought it was not illegal to eat all FPs in 1 day). I think most of us who were on 1-2-3 Success, 10% Difference and Winning Points with the ranges realized that FPs were there to be used and most of us used them on a daily basis.

I really thing both Flex and Core are meant for high days, low days and moderate days.

I agree... keeping our core portions or flex pts varying from day to day is going to make it a success, our bodies need high and low days (especially for those who crave food during TOM) to keep working right.