heya i recently started weight watchers four days ago , i have 20 points to use however i try to only use 18. I make sure i walk 10000+ steps a day and use my ww pedometer to count activity points. I was wondering is this actually going to work i feel demoralised all ready as i dont see how walking and point control will work ? is there any good success stories of people who just did walking and point combination ?
Also i am ill today and unable to go outside and walk should i cut down my point intake because of this ?
All info would be much appreciated i feel like im losing a never ending battle
It works! You need to use up all your points, though, and get enough protein, or you won't lose weight as easily. I only lost 0.4 pounds my first week, and the WW lady said it was because I didn't eat enough. The next week, I splurged a little (stayed within my extra points, though) and lost 2.6. Following the points makes you eat higher fibre and lower fat foods, that's how it works. Good luck! Don't cut down on your point intake, and don't worry too much about exercising, because you do it every day, and missing one won't kill you!
Like Kofarg said, you need to eat all your points. You get 20 per day PLUS 35 per week to use, and you need to at least be eating your "base" 20 points, if not all your Flex Points on top of that! Especially if you are being active, your body is going to need the extra energy in order to run at its most efficient and burn calories.
That said, yes, point control and exercise works! No question. The program has been developed in consultation with doctors over the last... 50 years? (I think, I know it was around in the 60s but not sure when it was actually started.) You have to be honest about using the program as it was designed, though, and one of the aspects of using the program as it is designed is to eat your points.
Try to get rid of the idea that this is about deprivation, that the only way you're going to lose weight is by feeling hungry and miserable. This program isn't a punishment, and you should be able to feel full all day and not deprived on the number of points you get.
Good luck with it, let us know if you have more questions!
My leader lost all her weight without even doing exercise. She didn't really like exercise, so she just stayed within her points and she lost a lot of weight. When I first started, I couldn't exercise my first week but by staying within my points (eating all of them) I lost 3.6 my first week.
I concur with what everyone else has stated here. You must eat all of your base points. I dip into my flex points, but I don't eat them all. I do, however, eat all of my activity points. If you follow the guidelines, this will work. I promise you that, but you must be honest with yourself about the choices you make.
I'll echo what everyone else is saying. I've only been on WW about a month, but I have bee using up my points and then some of the flex points. This week has been a bad one for me, as I went away overnight last weekend, which makes me retain water...didn't eat great while away...and came home straight into keeping up the gain because of TOM approaching.
BUT, the other weeks since I've been on WW have been great. When I first started, my sister (who is also on WW) was sure to mention that it was important to use up your daily points. Her sister-in-law, and mother-in-law were/are on WW. Her MiL had been only using up some of her daily points and was happy she was losing a little weight. Then her SiL emphasized how important it is to use up all your daily points. When her MiL started doing that, she more than doubled her weekly loss.
You don't have a lot of points to use, so I think it's especially important to use them!! Your body needs the right amount of fuel to keep burning calories & fat. Otherwise, you risk it thinking it's in "starvation mode," where your metabolism will actually slow down. You'll still lose weight, and actually, the more points you can use and still lose, the better. It will give you more wiggle room if you ever hit a plateau and need to drop points.
Give it a try. Two extra points can even be gained in a banana, certain types of soup, a slice of regular whole wheat bread (not the light stuff). And going over that a little won't hurt you...just stay within those extra 35 points each week.
Thanks everyone for the great advice i still feel abit odd using my full 20 points a day but i shall and see how it works , and also not feel so guilty when i can't exercise
I did the walking and WW for the first month. I lost ten pounds, but that quickly came to a halt. I started a couple workout DVDs for strength training and pilates. I have almost lost another ten more. I noticed that when I tried to stay way under my points, no matter what I did, I wasn't losing. I am pretty sure I had slowed my metabolism down. It was so defeating. I upped it to at least my points for everyday and the losing slowly picked up again. I am on the right track again.
My secret is to spread the food evenly throughout the day and then to stay away from a lot of carbs past 4:00 p.m. Maybe a salad and chicken for dinner. I don't use my flex points unless I screw up and eat out at a restaurant and am not completely sure how many points I am consuming. Flex points basically, for me, just help my feel not as guilty when I muck up. I, like you, was skeptical about needing all those base points.
You are setting yourself up for failure not eating all your points and using you APs and WPs. WW really knows how to put the plan together, so give it a real chance. When you don't eat enough for your activity, your metabolism thinks you are starving and your weight loss comes to a screeching halt.
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