Not required to eat all your PointsPlus
 

We've had some discussion here and I've seen debate on the WW official forums on whether you must eat all your daily PointsPlus. Some say, yes while others say no. Some say you don't have to but must eat a minimum of 29 which is the minimum daily pointsplus.

Today I went to my meeting (had a perfect week, counted everything, ate just under 1200 calories a day and .....neither gained nor lost). Anyway, in the weekly brochure they give you on page 8 it says:

"Whether your daily PointsPlus Target is 29 or 71....Aim to meet your daily PointsPlus Target. It's okay to have a few PointsPlus values left over (don't overeat) if you feel satisfied."

It is also indicated not to eat so many 0 point fruits and veggies that you have no room for anything else and not to deprive your self.

Thanks for sharing that!

I think the key there is the advice to aim to meet your daily target. I think that there are many people out there who have higher targets who are convinced that it's too much and they're regularly and intentionally eating well below their daily target. Budget your points out for the whole day in advance (so many for each meal and snack planned for in advance) and try to hit the daily target each and every day.

I truly believe that the new Points Plus program has made it significantly easier to eat whole foods and natural foods (as opposed to all low-cal, low-fat, artificial alternatives). My DH and I have found it much easier to eat our daily points since we've switched many things over to more whole food items. People who are struggling to fill their daily points may find it useful to look at incorporation more whole foods and doing away with many of the processed diet foods.

I've been doing much better on the new plan. Last week I met my daily points exactly on several days (I didn't use any weekly points) and had a few days that was under. I wasn't trying to be under (I get 29 points) but I am really trying not to eat if I'm not hungry.

I've realized in the last few weeks that my weight gain was really attributable to two things (and those two things were not eating too many fruits and veggies). One was eating out often. It is possible to eat out and still stay within points but it is much, much more difficult especially if you do it frequently.

THe other thing is that when I was home I tended to sit at the computer and have a snack always at hand. I would have said I wasn't eating really unhealthy snacks and I wasn't but I had no real portion control. I got into a habit of just constantly snacking when at the computer.

I haven't given up the snacking entirely but I am very mindful of what I eat now. I will eat a little bit and then really think about whether I am hungry and want to eat more. If I am then I do looking at points left first. If I end up using a weekly point or two that is fine (today I did eat out and I probably will eat a few weekly points) but it is also fine if I end up a little under 29 points.

I do find I am eating healthier foods and fewer processed foods. Part of that is that I track calories on livestrong and see the amount of sodium in foods and I've been working to cut that down (real reason I think I didn't lose today...yesterday was a higher sodium day). And cutting sodium largely means cutting out a lot of processed foods.

When I did the old Points system, I used to cycle. I think my allowance was 26 points per day, but some day I had 20, other days I had 35.

I actually found the plan somewhere on these boards - I think it was called "the Wendie Plan" and it broke down how you could cycle your points.

The only downside of this was that you didn't really have WP because you used them in your designated higher points days. It really worked for me, but I haven't found the need to do that just yet on the PointsPlus system.

If you are responding to me, actually this morning I was down a pound and a half and I ate out yesterday and ate high sodium (I did eat one WP).

I have kept records of weight loss and WW for years including when I got to goal and became lifetime.

For me, if I eat all my WP my weight lost slows to between .25 and .5 pounds a week. I was getting very frustrated as I was following the program eating most of my WP (and sometimes all of them and a few of my AP) and I was losing .2 of a pound one week, .1 the next, then .5 (woohoo!) and then .3. It was very frustrating. I was averaging about .4 pounds a week.

I went back and looked and my old records. For me, I had the most success when I didn't eat most of my WP. Since I've gone back to that my weight loss has averaged 1.5 pounds a week -- this past week the only time I had no loss. And, as I said, this morning -- the day after weigh in -- I'm down 1.5 pounds.

If I was struggling to not eat WP and felt deprived it would be one thing. But I'm eating when hungry. Yesterday I did eat one WP and felt fine about doing that. For me, if I don't eat out I do fine with eating only daily points. Of course on activity days I do eat more and have it set to use up AP before WP.

With the new P+ I rarely eat my WP or AP. I usually eat all my DP. I have a few one and two pt go-to add-ons to finish the DPs. When I didn't eat all my DPs, my losses slowed. When I run my menu through a calorie counter and it runs just over 1500k. I am losing at a rate of 1# per week. I earn about 50-60 APs a week and I think they are overgenerous when calculating them for me.

Frustrated
 

I am nowhere near my DP. I can't get over 34 and I have 51 DP. How can someone be allowed to eat 4 Big Macs a day (just example) and still lose weight?

Big Mac=13 pts

13x4=52.:?:

Post up an example of what you are eating on a daily basis and we can offer some advice :)

While you could eat 4 big macs and call it a day, that's not the only solution to this issue! Like JennyT said, if you'd like to post a sample day for yourself we can help you figure out a healthy and nutritious way to get more points consumed in a day. :)

It also says, a little farther along, that 29 is the least anyone can eat in a day. Let's give it all, not just a little piece.

WW isn't just about Points. It's about the good health guidelines, power foods, fruits and veggies and changing behavior.

Easy ways to up your points - have nuts and nut butters as snacks, switch to full fat dairy/cheese/yogurt. Add more oils. Eat avocado. Eat whole eggs, not egg whites or egg beaters.

This was brought up in our meeting this week too. I've always had trouble eating all my points but this go round it's not so hard. Our leader said it's ok if you're a few points below your daily points but you should never go below 29 points. She also stated if you're way below your points chances are you're not eating well balanced nutrious meals.

Actually the particular materials I quoted from WW said that it is OK not to meet your points target every day whether your points are 29 or 71. This was also discussed in the meeting. It is true that the minimum points target is 29 but it is fine to eat to satisfaction and meet your GHG and eat 28 points for example.

Cheryl, if somebody eats 4 Big Macs a day, they probably won't lose weight, because they didn't follow the healthy guidelines. (And edited to add - are you reading the new system or the old? Old system is 13 points for a Big Mac - new system is 14 points. Not a big difference, but the point values totally changed, so make sure you are reading the correct points because you have to use the higher points value in order to have the new set of Daily Points. The daily allowance went up considerably with the new program but so did the point values for many foods) I know that the Big Mac was just an example - but here's the explanation for that and similar scenarios. It's more than just the points on this plan. You can get your points up by eating all the required foods. Remember, your body needs the proper fuel to burn calories and function as well. If you put kool-aid in your car, it's not going to run very well. Same goes for your body. :)

In your Pocket Guide, on page 102, the guidelines are listed.

5-9 servings of fruits and veggies a day.

1-2 servings of lean protein a day (For example - Big Macs aren't lean, and 4 of them would be overshooting this goal).

2-3 servings of low fat or non fat dairy. (not found in a Big Mac or most unhealthy food)

Whole grains over refined grains, whenever possible. Also not found in junk food. Whole grains like barley, oatmeal, quinoa, and brown rice have a pretty good amount of points. Smother them with some vegetables and a bit of olive oil, and you've got power food that will stick to your ribs and keep your body from feeling deprived. :hun:

2 teaspoons a day of healthy oil. You can go over this if you have the points available. Cooking veggies or lean meats in olive oil, or adding avocado to your meals can bump up your calories, plus get heart-healthy oils in your system. Big Macs are saturated fat and will clog your heart in the long run, but olive oil and nut oils will help keep everything running smooth and clean.


Plus, you should be exercising 10-30 minutes a day, most days of the week, which will also make you a bit hungrier, helping you reach your points. I know it can be frustrating trying to figure out what to eat, but if you follow the Good Health Guidelines, it's a lot easier. Do you have any of the WW cookbooks? There's a 5 ingredient cookbook that's quick and easy. It's a limited edition cookbook, so once they're gone at your local place, they won't be back. It's a really good one, full of ideas.

This was one thing we talked about week before last. Following the plan in it's entirety will almost guarantee success on this plan.

My meeting leader addressed this a couple of weeks ago.

She said that studies show if you cut down your caloric intake while trying to lose weight too much...what happens is...you're more likely to have days of overeating because you try to make up for the deficit (She explained it much better...that'st he cliffs notes version)


With Weight Watchers...they cut down your caloric intake gradually...so say you're 300lbs and your typically consuming say...I dunno...2500 calories a day (bear with me...I'm making up numbers but I don't really know). And then all of the sudden...you drop down to 1200 per day...you wont last. BUT...if you go from 2500 down to 2100...and then down from there slowly as you lose weight...your more likely to NOT over eat as your goals and decreases are more attainable.


My point...if you have 51 points...or 44...or 37 or 29. Eat them. Eat them all. Find ways to get them in. I started eating more whole foods...occasionally I have some "junk" food (in the form of low fat ice cream...etc) to treat myself because I can't not...because then I'll be more likely to binge. But I get my 44 points in. I tend to use my weeklies...I know some people dont. In the WP and AP...do what works best for you. But eat your daily allowance. If it happens once in a while...no biggie I don't think...but don't make it a daily habit.

I get 31 points right now and I usually have a handful of points left over--1-4 or so. Some days it is spot on. So far, I have not eaten any WP, or even any AP, but I have only been doing the program for a short time. I've found so far that I eat about 4 points for breakfast, 11-12 points at lunch and have 15-16 or so left for dinner, which has been plenty for me so far to have a dinner and small dessert.

Sometimes I will fill the small gap with a glass of skim milk w/my dessert which is 2 points right there.

Another thought - if you aren't getting in enough points, double check that everything has a points plus value, and not a Points value. My lunch says 3 Points on the box (frozen dinner) but I counted it and it's 5 Points Plus. So far, every soup and frozen dinner that I have has a higher points + than it did points.

Also, make sure that starchy vegetables aren't counted as free.

Starchy veggies have been a great thing for me. A cup of peas or corn adds 2-4 pts (off memory), which can help boost my dinner number. Potatoes are another good veggie to eat, and you can even "splurge" and have some cheese or sour cream on it (if you have the points to spend). I know that makes it much easier for me to hit target.

This last week I averaged 48.4 pts a day of my 49, I used 16 WP, 0 AP (had 36). I lost 1.8. Not bad. I really focused on eating my points this week. The previous weeks I had not been hitting that many. Also I love Light ice cream. :)

Why are you eating so little? The minimum daily points allowance on WW is 29 points and I'm not sure of any source that recommends a daily caloric allowance of 1000.

THIS. I could never survive on that few calories. Well, I probably could survive but I'm quite sure I'd be losing lean muscle mass and unable to exercise.

I don't overanalyze things too much. I get 34 points, I eat 34 points (sometimes a bit more). I don't usually eat my APs. I'm not losing a ton of weight every week but this is sustainable to me (even *easy*, definitely something I can do long term).

Hi all! I just went down from 34 to 33 PP. At our meeting this week, the leader said that the really important thing is to meet all of the good health guidelines and to focus on choosing power foods (whole grains, etc.), and that doing this makes it less likely that you'll eat the multiple Big Macs instead of healthy items.

I know that for me, having to put down four points for dairy and 2 or 3 points for healthy fats (usually some butter on cooked veggies) ensures that I can't get TOO crazy with the fast food.

I'm constantly in motion (I'm a chaplain and a youth pastor, and I serve at four different facilities -- the farthest two are 50 miles apart). My goodness, do I eat at Taco Bell and Wendy's! Probably 4 or 5 times per week. After the first few days, I found myself looking at certain foods as "points bargains". I began to feel mildly insulted that they'd suggest that I should eat a fourteen-pound double cheeseburger when I could get a junior burger, salad, and chili for only ten points combined. From there, things moved into having three meals plus a snack or two -- a more balanced consumption through the day without stuffing myself at any single meal.

I also allow myself some small pleasures EVERY day. Lately, it's been a cup of frozen Tampico fruit juice drink (3 points) and either a chocolate cherry or a truffle (2 points). My daily goal is to tick the good health guideline boxes on my tracker, to tick at least six to eight servings of "power foods", and to not exceed my daily points; only occasionally do I use a point or two from the weekly allowance, which I view as "emergency cash" to be used if I'm caught away from home and can't find any good food choices, e.g., I'm in a hospital emergency room with a parishioner at 3 a.m. and need to eat a snack from a vending machine because I'm about to fall over.

Having so many points to use allows me to eat real food. I can't stand skim milk, for instance, and whole milk is worth the points for me. Ditto with bread; I can handle diet bread most of the time, but I need some nice Amish stuff occasionally.

I'm constantly amazed at how flexible the Points Plus plan is. It can fit a carnivorous homebody (i.e., the DH) and a peripatetic chaplain with a carb addiction equally well.

Has a physician set your diet for you? Or does your physician know how many calories you're taking in each day? That seems quite low, even for someone who is unable to exercise.

I have heard many a vegetarian WW'er swear by avocado as a good way to bump up the point values and get in healthy fats.

Emaline, it's really easy for your daughter to bump up her points and get a balanced meal. Is she eating all of her grains and dairy that are in the good health guidelines? I'm assuming that UK and US are the same requirements.

One egg, a cup of oatmeal and a glass of milk is 9 points A cup of brown rice is 5 points. Add some stir fry vegetables and 2 ounces of tofu in 2 teaspoons of oil and add 4 more points. A salad can be pumped up with garbanzo beans or other dried beans for about 5-6 points a cup. Potatoes, avocados, nuts, yogurt etc are all very healthy foods that add in a lot of points. If she's getting in plenty of grains, dairy and oils as outlined, she'll have to be careful to not go over instead of struggle to meet the lower limit. :)

Just a blurb on why it is important to get the DP in. We tend to think of food mostly for it's energy value (calories) when in weight loss, and we kind of figure, "Why put food energy in if I'm trying to lose the stored fat energy?" Two reasons:
1. Fat has a high "activation energy"...chemistry-talk which means, you have to raise your body energy to a certain level before you can start burning the fat. To get to that level, to have to create a demand for that energy, and you also need food energy. The more body you have, the more food you need to supply the energy to get there. This is why if you don't eat your DP, you can actually stall your fat loss. (I say "fat" loss instead of "weight" loss, because you want to lose fat weight, and not muscle weight).
2. Body fat, though full of energy, has no other nutritional value. You must get the protein, vitamins, and minerals needed for regular maintenance and upkeep of your body from your food. So, if you want to build muscle (which burns more energy per pound than other tissues), you have to supply your body with enough protein to build and maintain those muscles. The more body you have, the more nutrients you need to ensure that you can maintain things like your bones, your heart, your brain, etc.

So, although it might not be easy in practice, hopefully this is incentive to make sure you are eating enough!

I'm a vegetarian and I have no problem getting in my points...

Bad doctor!

But I think that you need to do what you need to do for you. Obviously it's been working so I say stick with what's been giving you results. You can always change things if you feel you need to. Good luck!

Emaline29- The reason why you put ON weight if you eat over 1000 calories is because that is what your body is used to. If you figure out how many calories your body needs at your height, age, weight and activity level, you'll find it's much higher than 1000 calories- you may need to start "refeeding" your body/metabolism for a month or so. Yes you will gain some weight in the first month but you'll be able to eat much more and you can lower your calories little by little. Please think about it because as you lose weight, you'll need to lower your calories.... 1000 is already low enough.