No one said you had to. In no way shape or form was I trying to indicate that. My point was many of us think we get much more food now but in fact we may in quantity but it is also better quality. Before we started our caloric intake had to be higher than it is now even though quantity-wise it may have been less food.

[quote-Multi116]I don't eat very many diet foods. My main staples are oatmeal, home made soups, sandwiches, shrimp, and fruits and veggies, things like that. All very low point and healthy too.[/quote] That is great however many do not and this was not specifically directed at you (but I used your post to indicate what I was responding to) but more of general information.

You don't to 'waste' (for lack of a better term) on something like that nor do you have to use the option but usually beneficial FlexPoints/WeeklyPointsAllowance. As long as you hit hour bare minimum caloric intake needs (based on basal metabolic rate - TargetPoints) that is all you really need however many of us cannot survive (if you look at the points pies the bare minimum of 20 a day doesn't even include any fruit points) on that lowest for sound nutrition.

Someone asked what I use my flex points for:

Answer: it depends on the week. If I know I have a wedding or a banquet, or thanksgiving dinner, or something like that, I save those points to enjoy the special event. Other weeks, I might use 5 in a day for an extra snack, which might range from chips, cheese and crackers, fruit with pudding, peaut butter on toast, or whatever. So really, there's no particular one thing that I use them for. It's part of the realistic way of eating that I had to get used to.

I used to think that I had a slow metabolism, and thought that was just the way I was, so I have been overweight most of my adult life, in part because I didn't think I could change this. Now, with better eating and exercise, I have noticed a definite change in how my body handles food. The strength-training workouts made the biggest difference. This change has taken months, though. I also know that I will have to keep up these good habits in order to maintain the higher metabolic rate throughout my life. Now, I am one who enjoys eating, in part because I love cooking as a hobby, so adjusting my metabolism has been key in helping me do what I love without jeopardizing my health! I also know I will have to adjust what I eat once I reach goal, so that I don't lose too much weight.