Im not there yet, but I want to know what this statement means..it has nothing really to do with the maintenance phase but the 49 weekly points allowance in general

"You get a weekly PointsPlus Allowance of 49, and we want you to use it!"

I dont use these points, just because I have no need...but should I be?

You need to do what works for you. You may find you'll need to change the amount of WPs you use as your weight loss journey progresses (either use more or less, depending on your progress).

Personally I use almost all the WPs each week so far. My weight loss this month has stalled but I have also severely increased my exercise, so I will wait to see what happens the next couple weigh ins before I think about changing the number of WPs I use.

Think of this too: Supposedly a point is comparable to about 40 calories (that is not exactly accurate for every food, but it's a good rule of thumb). I get 27 points per day, so that is 1,080 calories a day. So depending on how much "free" fruits and vegetables you eat, it's pretty low. I feel that by using the WPs throughout the week, I am eating a more realistic number of calories every day while still losing weight. And by using the WPs sporadically (some days I don't use any, some days i use 10, etc), it keeps my body guessing and helps my metabolism. At least that's how I look at it, whether or not that's really how it works.

So when you plateau could you possible use some of them one day and not the others to get out of the plateau? I have a friend who is in bodybuilding so when I do plateau I will ask her what to do...not really worried about that aspect too much.

Also if for 4 months I havent been using the extra points, wont I gain some weight back if I all of a sudden start using them occasionally?

Im actually quite frustrated, I went on a trip for about 5 days, and I just weighed myself and I only lost 1 pound ... I stuck to my schedule while I was there with the exception of having a couple of things I dont normally eat..such as 1 cup of pop, 1 cup of pasta and a little bit of spanakopita. Ugh, when I weighed myself yesterday I had lost the typical 2 pounds that I lose per week, but when I weighed myself today I had only lost 1.. :/

1lb is better than 0!

You probably really lost 2lbs but the things you ate recently may have finally digested and made you gain a lb of WATER weight, not actual weight gain.

Also, on touching your WP, you may see a slight gain but that is only temporary! Your body is accustomed to whatever you've been giving it so naturally when you eat a little more than usual, it'll hold on to that but don't freak out! Like I said, it's just temporary and will go away.

Ok thank you

When I was losing I used almost all my wps, now on maintenance I still do, and as long as I do not go crazy I have been steady.

Once you get to maintenance you really have to just play with your points and see what works for you and how you need to eat to maintain. You will also get 6 extra dps. So I would not worry about it till you get there.

I always feel guilty for using the extra points lol but they're there for a reason...if you need to use them, then do so!