[sarahyu]

I'm on the monthly pass and have e-tools. I've only lost ~10 pounds since Oct. It's my own fault, I've had a couple injuries and have to do PT to get over that, and got really sick once. It's such a hassle to overcome those things.

I'm stumbling into menapouse and don't lose as well as I used to. And I've been reading the OA literature and think it's bad for me because now I tend to think "hey, it's an addiction and it says in the first step that I am powerless over food" yes, I know there is much more to it and I'm not really powerless over food but I think my subconscious is grabbing hold of it and I can't seem to get rid of it.

I keep thinking about how my 10 pound loss has cost me $32 a pound.

I need to get the weight off because of my high blood pressure, back spasms and arthritis in my knees and joints that is worse when I'm at a higher weight.

The only thing keeping me from dropping is the fact that the weekly meetings tend to make me think and restart my weight loss conviction each week, it only lasts a couple days---maybe I should start going to more meetings each week. Maybe that will help my motivation.

Maybe I should go to more meetings. Maybe that will convince me to get off my butt and really take this way of eating seriously instead of just coasting along. I'm not tracking diligently, I'm not getting the exercise in the way I know I need to (back to that injury thing-PT and all doesn't really count as exercise as much as I want it)

[pointspluspioneer]

Every Time I've decided to stop going to WW and think i can do it on my own it has always equaled weight gain. I need the accountability of going to the meetings and stepping on that scale. Those are the weeks i almost always lose My weight loss (slow) has cost a fortune but to me it's worth the money! Nothing tastes better than thin Good luck with your journey whatever you may decide!

Also, sometimes health insurances offer a weight loss discount. I receive $150 yearly through my insurance so it makes the cost a bit easier

[sarahyu]

That's my fear, that I'll stop all together. The weekly weigh in with another person writing it down is my accountabilty also. No fudging, it's in black and white.

It's so easy to just give up completely. Like I said, at the weekly meetings I get my motivation back for a little bit, there are other people who understand how exactly I feel and going through the exact same thing.

I'm just whining, I guess I just need to get in gear so it won't cost $1376 to get to my goal. -thats 43 pounds at $32 per pound. Maybe it I think like that I can stay motivated. "Stop wasting money" whenever I'm tempted to overeat.

[pointspluspioneer]

Oh i hear you! I have to still lose 60 but i try to look at it as $40/mo is less clothing or one night less going out for drinks! Your right, someone else writing down my weight is definitely my motivation to keep dropping. I started back end of Feb and only down 12 lbs.

Last week my boyfriend said he wanted to stop paying and do on his own. I knew that very sentance was the kiss of death for him. He needs the structure of going to the weekly meeting and getting on that scale. He's lost 12 lbs. in 3 weeks (brat). I hope he sticks with it!

Believe me, i've been where you are, this is my 10th attempt at WW

[kaplods]

Originally Posted by sarahyu

The only thing keeping me from dropping is the fact that the weekly meetings tend to make me think and restart my weight loss conviction each week, it only lasts a couple days---maybe I should start going to more meetings each week. Maybe that will help my motivation.

Maybe I should go to more meetings.

I think this makes a lot of sense. I also need regular support. And meetings are vital. My husband and I couldn't afford for both of us to go to Weight Watchers, so we joined TOPS instead (where you can follow any plan you wish).

TOPS is about 1/10 the price of Weight Watchers (and even cheaper if you're losing weight because you win cash and small prizes for weight loss), but the down side is that you really can only attend one meeting per week (unless you find another chapter willing to let you sit in).

With both TOPS and WW, you can only weigh in once a week (and that may be sensible for most people), but I feel I might benefit from two weigh-ins a week.

I don't let the scale stress me, so I don't think I'm in danger of being "discouraged" by the second weigh-in, especially since I weigh at least twice a day at home (and need to. If I don't, I tend to slack off).

A couple of the ladies in my TOPS chapter belong to both WW and TOPS and they agree that the two weigh ins a week keep them focused, and reduce their temptation to have a "cheat day." Their results seem to be bearing out what they're saying.

The only things keeping me from joining WW are 1. I prefer using my reduced-carb exchange plan and 2. The cost (especially if I wasn't going to be following the WW food plan).

If you need more meetings per week, or if you need another weigh-in day in front of an objective observer (or if you need anything else) to stay on track, do what you have to do, to get that need met.

Even $32 a pound is a bargain, if you keep the weight off. Giving up usually means gaining back. So if you want to switch to TOPS or if you want to add TOPS TO WW, or if you want to try anything else at all, go for it - but don't give up because that ends up with money spent to gain weight ('cause you always seem to gain more than you lose weight).

And the onlything worse than spending $32 (or more) per pound lost, is spending money to end up gaining.

[sarahyu]

I'll look into TOPs. Maybe a combination of meetings will help me stay motivated. My mom was a member years ago. I remember her coming home in tears after a meeting because she got the pig magnent. Most every week she had the pig. The good thing about having the monthly pass I can attend as many meetings as I want.

[kaplods]

Originally Posted by sarahyu

I'll look into TOPs. Maybe a combination of meetings will help me stay motivated. My mom was a member years ago. I remember her coming home in tears after a meeting because she got the pig magnent. Most every week she had the pig. The good thing about having the monthly pass I can attend as many meetings as I want.

Every TOPS group is self-governing (they have to follow some national guidelines or risk losing their charter, but for the most part members vote on the rules and policies), which means every group is run differently - sometimes very differently.

That being said, I don't know of any current groups who give punishments or disincentives for lack of wieght loss. I've been a member of about half a dozen groups since the late 1980's though I've heard stories about the "bad old days" and disincentives like the pigs (allegedly some groups would make gainers wear pig masks or hats during the meetings).

I haven't seen anything like that in TOPS in the last 25 years - and to be fair, I understand that similar things were done in WW. In "those days" people believed that shaming a person into weight loss could work.


The closest I've seen in modern TOPS groups, is some groups will have some kind of token that people who are struggling can take home IF THEY WANT if they think it will help them stay motivated. In our meeting it was a wooden token that the leader had received in recognition of weight loss (it had an inspirational "don't give up" message printed on it. If a person had gained, they could take the token home and would keep it until they had a loss, or no longer wanted to carry it, and then they'd pass it on to someone else.

Our token ended up being lost (when someone who took it home didn't come back to the meetings) and we didn't really start it up again, because no one felt it had helped enough to keep going with it.

If you have more than one group in your area, you might consider visiting them all. You might hate one, but love another. There are four chapters in my area and I've visited three of them. All three are run extremely differently. One is virtually a weigh-in only club (meetings last less than 15 minutes and most people don't attend them). My current chapter has the most members, meets the longest (about an hour, though most people come early so it ends up being about 90 minutes) and our chapter runs the most contests (though most are low-pressure).

[LauraK]

Wow. Giving someone a pig magnet when they have a gain?! I'd think that would drive most of us to overeat from the bad feelings. That's terrible and I'm glad to hear it's (hopefully) in the past.

Good advice here and some of it from you- I think you're on the right track. Best of luck- you can do it!

[Goanna]

This is a timely thread because I have been considering rejoining WW since I am struggling to reach my goal. I only have a small way to go after a 39kg (85pound) loss and feel unhappy that I have not completed what I set out to do yet. I think I suffer lack of motivation having no weigh in to make me accountable. Generally I am managing the life style changes well but need that extra spur now winter is here to push me over the finish line.
I don't think that WW online is sufficient for me. Joining other WW members at the scales is motivating.

[sarahyu]

Originally Posted by LauraK

Wow. Giving someone a pig magnet when they have a gain?! I'd think that would drive most of us to overeat from the bad feelings. That's terrible and I'm glad to hear it's (hopefully) in the past

That was probably 40+ years ago. It was at the local church. and you are right, it didn't motivate her to lose weight, she came home and ate. Now that I'm struggling with the same problems-emotional eating and too much weight, I don't understand why she kept going back to be insulted that way. I guess it was the way people thought back then. Aren't we lucky to be in such an enlightened age?

[LauraK]

Originally Posted by sarahyu

That was probably 40+ years ago. It was at the local church. and you are right, it didn't motivate her to lose weight, she came home and ate. Now that I'm struggling with the same problems-emotional eating and too much weight, I don't understand why she kept going back to be insulted that way. I guess it was the way people thought back then. Aren't we lucky to be in such an enlightened age?

Most definitely! For me the meetings are as important as tracking and working out. I feel re-charged and re-motivated every Wednesday. I'm only on week 21 so maybe I'll relax more one day and not feel the need for weekly meetings but I just can't see that happening any time soon.

I know there are plenty of others who do great on their own and in using e-tools. I like that there are different options. We all have to do what works best for us.