HELLO Everybody!

I just joined weight-watchers last night. I have been chatting on the South Beach thread for a while, so I am familiar with 3FC's site; but need to look around the WW's area. If you know of any good spots I should look at (recipes, ideas, hints, etc) I would be grateful.

I weighed in last night at 155.6, I used to be 217 but have been working on my health and fitness for about 2 years and lost a lot of weight. My weight leveled out in the 150s and that is where I have been for a while, which is why I started SBD.

The reason I joined WW is for my mom. She needs to lose alot of weight and improve her health. She has had cancer twice, is anemic (Sp?), and now has to take blood pressure and sugar medicine. So, I will be going with her to support her at the WW meetings, but I figured that I would try the program with her... I mean I have nothing to lose by trying except weight

I feel very confident and excited about WW. I am going to do the points (flex?) plan. I came home and went into my kitchen to find out the point value of my food. I feel free to eat.

I will check in later... Share your knowledge and support!!

My tips are to read all your materials throughly each week if you go to meetings and explore the online site if you do it that way.

This section has some excellent recipes and most recipes in recent years have at least the calories and fat listed so even without the fiber listed it is pretty easy to figure points. Most even have the fiber.

what has really helped me, I think, is allowing myself to have some of the foods I like - I havent' eliminated chips or crackers or chocolate from my day-to-day food regime - but i have found the healthier choices, and plan the bulk of my menu a day ahead (breakfast, lunch, dinner) - and then I see what I can have with my extra points....

Another - exercise.. even just 20-30 minutes a day, really does help - I am on my 3rd week of the points plan - and I have missed 1 day a week of a exercise and I feel fantastic - and exercise isn't a 'chore' now - I actually quite look forward to it, whether its out walking with my daughter (well lol pushing her in her pram) or on the exercycle out in the garage, watching TV, it is now part of my daily routine!

.. my first week on the points plan, by sticking to the daily points, and doing my 20-30mins exercise each day, I lost 3.5lb... which I thought was amazing for me

Remember that this is not a weight loss program of denial. You can have what you want if you just stay within your points! It works and works very well and it is a program you can stay on the rest of your life and be happy with.

Instead of thinking, "I can't have ice cream anymore or no more candy for me." Buy WW ice cream treats at 2 pts each that taste as good or sometimes better than regular ice cream. Whitman's has a WW line of 1 pt candy that is delicious. I love the chocolate mints as they taste just like JR Mints. I take 3 to the movies with me and have them instead of my whole box of jr mints. Popcorn is a great source of Fiber and about 3 pts a bag. There are a bazillion 100 calorie snacks out there these days that are only 2 pts. Snacking is allowed and encouraged to ease hunger times, just count those points!!!!

Start buying lower fat cuts of meat, round steak, ground round, sirloin or even chuck is better than regular, flank steak is terrific grilled and gives you the taste of steak and less than on a 1 pt an ounce. Eat bonelss, skinless chickent breast instead of the fattier pieces. If you want dark meat, remove the skin. All these things help and don't detract from taste. My husband is a meat and potato man and hardly eats any type of veggies, but since Feb 3 has lost 13 lbs doing the program with me!

The old adage use smaller dishes is a good idea. Put dinner on smaller dishes to eat. You can play tricks with your mind that way!

Good luck!

Faye

Welcome to Weight Watchers!!!
For me, it has been a Godsend and I don't know how I could manage without the support and meetings. Having someone else weigh me each week makes me more accountable. I also find the meetings inspiring and love to share ideas.
I am a lifetime member and I am presently not at goal, I let myself go as they say. I stopped going to meetings and thought I could do it on my own and realize that I am the type of person who needs to go to meetings regularly - it's kind of a self hypnosis thing, I guess. I am back on track and working really hard to get where I need to be in order to live a healthy life. I would very much like to be a leader one day.
I am using the CORE plan after having my share of issues with the Flex plan. I think the CORE plan is easier and has broken a plateau I was on for a very long time. But, the beauty of WW is that you can choose either plan and you can do what works best for you.
I wish you success and I think going with your mom is a wonderful thing!

Hi,

gma2one, I've been putting my meals on smaller plates since I've started (Day 3 now) and I think it's a great idea. I have also bought the Weight Watcher Cakes 1 point each as a treat and Orville R's Smart Pop.

There is no doubt that this is by far the biggest challenge in my life. But I really would like to lose the roundness of my body.........

Thanks for all the wonderful tips and hints, they are all helpful.....oh and another thing......

The more time I spend here....talking, venting, sharing, supporting.....well by goodness the less time I'm in the fridge!!!!!