WW & Exercise...
 

Good Morning Everyone!

I started weight watchers points plus last week and lost 4.6 pounds! I did not exercise at all and only ate a few of my weekly points. I am on week two and started working out this week. I would like to work out 30-45 min 3-4 times a week. Is that too much? I dont want to stop losing weight because I'm working out too much. I also do not plan on eating all of my weekly points or activity points.

I'm on weight watchers and I work out about 3 times a week. You may not "loose" the first week due to water retention and your body wondering what the heck you're doing to it. But remember that muscle burns more calories than fat and exercise will allow you to lose more weight in the long run and also maintain. Also, after exercising I find that I am proud of myself and more likely to stay on plan.

I know it's hard to not obsess about the number on the scale, and always easier said than done but honestly exercise will only help you see victories on the scale and also off the scale!

Good luck!

I am in my second week of WW, my first week I lost 4.1 lbs and did not exercise. I wanted to do one thing at a time, get use to the WW system and then add some sort of exercise.
I go for my second weigh in Saturday, and again no exercise. Hoping to start walking on the (boring) treadmill on Saturday.

I always wondered why I wouldn't lose weight when I exercised... that was when I first tried ww... now I mainly eat right and walk.... I lost 3 lbs last week! So walking doesn't make me gain as much as something like hip hop abs would. 30 minutes 3-4 times a week doesn't sound bad to me :) As long as its low impact.

Why would exercise make you gain?

Water retention and muscles weigh more than fat.

Some people maintain, some people gain. Its only temporary though.

Originally Posted by lsrlosing:
Water retention and muscles weigh more than fat.

I think the gain would be temporary since one's body need to get used to exercising. Any change can cause it to store water/energy.

And a pound of muscle and a pound of fat weight the same. Though a pound of muscle takes up less "space" than a pound of fat so while it may seem your weight loss has plateaued in the short term, your measurements will most likely go down. (At least this has been the case for me in the past. My weight has stayed the same within a couple of pounds but my pants fit better.)

It may make sense to take your measurements before you start your exercise plan to see if this is the case for you.

Originally Posted by lsrlosing:
Water retention and muscles weigh more than fat.

1 lb of muscle and 1 lb of fat weigh exactly the same: 1 lb.

It's that muscle is denser and smaller than fat, so it's a question of volume, not weight.

Gooch, this is what I have seen in myself. I have only lost 5lbs in 3 weeks (current weight 316) but everybody has noticed a difference in me. These are people who are unaware if my lifestyle changes. On my size 5 lbs alone shouldn't be that noticeable

I've been doing WW for just over a year and like you plan, I rarely ate my weekly points or activity points and lost weight week after week. Now as I get closer to goal it has sloooooowed considerably! I work out daily and my 26 points seem like so little and now, eating some of my weeklies seems to keep me at the same weight or I see a little gain. So maybe if I'd eaten them a bit more often, I wouldn't feel so stuck.

I guess just go by how you feel- if you feel satisfied and not deprived by not eating weeklies/act points then by all means- go for it!

But, the few times when I did have that pizza or slice of birthday cake- and tracked them, staying within wp's and ap's- I did still show a loss. Just don't deprive yourself! :D It sounds like you're off to a great start!

Originally Posted by April1286:
Good Morning Everyone!

I started weight watchers points plus last week and lost 4.6 pounds! I did not exercise at all and only ate a few of my weekly points. I am on week two and started working out this week. I would like to work out 30-45 min 3-4 times a week. Is that too much? I dont want to stop losing weight because I'm working out too much. I also do not plan on eating all of my weekly points or activity points.

WW loser and maintainer here.

Weight is lost in the kitchen, keep your food on plan. Fitness is done with exercise.

I strength train 3 times a week and walk/run 2-3 times a week. The scale is always a bit up after a lifting day. Water retention due to sore muscles.

Being female, don't worry about building to much muscle and bulking up, we don't have the hormones for it. Keep your food on plan and find a fitness plan you like and will stick with for the fitness aspect.:D

Originally Posted by shcirerf:
Weight is lost in the kitchen, keep your food on plan. Fitness is done with exercise.

Yup: You lose weight in the kitchen, you get fit at the gym!

I know for the past few weeks I had some small gains (like 1/2 lb two weeks in a row), but I've also been working out a lot more (training for a 10K), so it was probably just water retention. The scale went back down again this week. If it's exercise that's causing the scale to fluctuate it will be temporary and while it might be frustrating, remember all that exercise is doing good for your body!

I lost 10 lbs my first week--its not uncommond to lose a lot at the beginning. It should taper down a bit. The exercise s key, though. It keeps you motivated, replaces fat with toned muscle and boost your energy level. I know WW focuses on not losing too fast, however moderate exercise cannot be bad in this case :)