Having a bit of a problem with WW
 

My daughter (freshman in college) and I started last week. I lost 3.8 lbs the first week ans she lost 0. She was so disappointed since she really sticks to it and counts every little point and makes sure she has all her extra things like water, dairy, protein. She's getting discouraged already!

We can't figure out what to eat. What I mean is she is always on the run. She packs a good lunch to eat on campus during her breaks then comes home to run off to work.

What kind of meals can she make that she can eat quick. She has always been a picky eater and won't eat frozen food, beef, fish or pork. So any ideas I would love?

I know when I'm on the go I'll make a wrap with light Flat Out bread (1pt), FF mayo, ww cheese, thin sliced chicken breast, turkey breast or smoked ham (both 6 slices for 1 pt), then load it up with tomatoes, baby spinach, etc & roll it up then run out the door!

When you are on it longer meal ideas do get a bit easier....oh yeah and the cookbooks are awesome! The new Momentum one has great ideas for quick lunches :)

Tell her hang in there! If she sticks to it, the weight loss will happen :)

Thanks!!!

I guess being a returning WW memeber I am not aware of the new foods that are out. I didn't realize that Flatout bread was so low.

I think I will have to invest in a cookbook so we can eat some decent meals.

Thanks again!!

Do you have the e-tools or do WW online? If so there is a section on the online points tracker that is called recipe builder...if you have some favorite recipes you can plug it in there to the get the points value and if it's too high there is an option to make it healthier. :) Plus lots of recipes on there (I think they there are 1500 of them)

Sandwiches are always good. I use Arnolds brand wheat sandwich thins. You can find them in the bread isle. They are one point and taste great. Things I typically eat: fruits, veggies, hardboiled eggs, hummus, yogurt, cottage cheese, string cheese, 100 calorie pudding, sugar free jello, weight watchers crackers that I buy at the meetings, special K protein bars.
Hope that helps!

If she's that picky she may do better with just straight calorie, fat, and fibre counting instead of points.

I loved to take some very low cal pita wraps, a little fresh sliced turkey, cottage cheese, and a bunch of green bell peppers and sliced cucumbers. As far as on the road, there are some nutrition bars like Lune that are ony about 3 points that are mighty tasty. I have a big iced coffee during the day to keep my hunger a bay for most of the afternoon. It also helps propel me to workout. After my workout, I have a big steaming pile of greens and tomatoes, maybe a little chicken.

Ummm that is what counting points is ;)

She just got home from work and I made her two pizzas. One light Thomas's English muffin, Pizza sauce, WW mozzarella cheese and 4 slices of pepperoni. I figure at the most it was 4 points.

I ran up to the store for a few things and while there I looked for the Flatout bread. They didn't have it but i know another grocery that does have it. I'll try that one.

As far as Yogurt, is there a Yogurt that is really low in points that does not have Aspartame? (we won't use it )

I will get the crackers at the next meeting.

We are meeting people but I was thinking of joining etools. To be budget conscious we were trying to maybe do every other week meetings. Her go one week and I go the next week.

I really appreciate your help here. This board is so helpful!!! opposed to the WW community board.

That kind of a schedule is rough. I remember once when I was teaching AND had an afternoon/evening job, I had to leave home at 6 in the morning carrying three meals with me (or planning a take out lunch). I took hard boiled eggs, rolled ham, melba toast, sandwiches, fruit, carrot sticks. And I bought yogurt and diet sodas at take out places. Planning has always been key for me.

For yogurt what I do is the fat free plain yogurt, mix in fresh fruit and add splenda to sweeten...run it through a blender and tada! Low point yogurt that tastes awesome (plus it's simply filling/core)! I do larger batches so I can have a few days worth ready for me to grab.

I totally forgot about the recipes on these WW boards too :) Those should help give you ideas.

I hear ya about the WW boards on their site...ugh They give off a bad vibe! Totally not how it should be.

Yes, I realise that thank you. HOWEVER:

WW builds in extra calories for veggies and other 0 point foods that this girl IS NOT EATING. She may be eating SO LITTLE that she's shutting down her metabolism (aka starvation mode) which is entirely possible. 19 points is just under 1100 calories, which we all know is not healthy. If she's not eating these 0 point foods and is meticulously sticking to her points allowance she may be under eating.

So it may be better for her to just try eating a diet that is 1200 calories and making sure it's high in fibre, low in fat as opposed to using points.

Why not help her try and eat all of her points in a healthy manner instead of telling her to do something else? She's just started. Besides you do not know how many points she is eating in a day? It could be she is going into a "starvation mode" but then again we don't know the specifics of what she is or isn't eating, activity (other than going to school), etc

She *IS* eating all of her points. And apparently doing well with that. But what it seems like is that she's not eating enough if she's so picky. WW is no good if you're a really picky eater honestly.

If you miss a week you still have to pay for it so there isn't any savings in you going one week and her the next. The best value is Monthly Pass, if it is available in your area. All your meetings and free etools for $39.95 a month which works out to about $9.95 a meeting.

Reporting back in. :)

She is eating all her points and I have been preparing very nutricios meals for her. She is learning to eat salads.

Yesterday she was panicked. She was at school from 8AM till 10 PM. She was late running out the door and didn't eat breakfast so during one of her breaks she called and asked what to eat. Since her commuter lounge is filled with fries, pizza, hamburgers and junk I told her to go to Subway. She had a 6" sub with a piece of cheese and turkey, BUT when it came time to check out her eye spotted those cookies!! :) She only went over one or two points for the day. She has to miss weigh in tomorrow so I hope next week will she will do well. She is eating a lot of Kellogg bars and fruit.

Thanks ladies!!!!

You should turn her onto a natural bar or the FiberOne bars, the Kelloggs ones are just chocked with sugar.

Reporting back in. We have been on WW for 6 weeks now. I have lost 6 lbs only and she has lost 1.6!

Last week we asked why she is not losing. She tracks religiously, and now added exercise. They wanted to know if she was drinking all her liquid and the answer was yes. They asked if she was eating her activity point or bonus points and the answer was no. They told they didn't think she was eating enough and to eat her 5 activity points each day.

She started doing that and the scale is still not budging!! She is not a happy camper since it costs her $12.00 a week and only works 1 day a week.

Angel, what worked for me is to eat high points one day, low points the next, high points the next and it makes the human body wonder what's up. Have her try that.

Angel there is a subforum on the wendie plan. That is basically Domina's way of things, but a little bit more structured. Also, check our the subforum on the Plateau busting ideas. There may be things in there for her.
Also, how much does she weigh?
And it does take some time for the body to adjust. Some bodies adjust differently than others. And also, is she using any flex points?

Does she like beans? Teamed up with rice (brown or otherwise) end up being the same protein and amino acids as eating a slab of beef. With way less fat. Add in some tasty spices, maybe some salsa, make extra and that is a good on the go meal also.

DH and I are always on the go. He drives for a living and I'm generally with him. I grab baby carrots, celery, grape tomatos, tuna fish, egg salad, apples. Things that can go right away or things that with a little bit of planning can make life much easier!

Another thing to think about is fat. Is she eating her healthy fats? I know that when I cut back on fat too much, I stop losing. I know it's higher in fat, but your body needs some. Olive oil, avocado, etc.

It's only that low if you get the light original whole wheat kind, the others are higher.

Oh a pizza idea that I do which is 5pts:
whole wheat pita (doesn't need to be ww, it's 2pts), spaghetti sauce (0pts), reduced fat cheese (usually 2pts/serving), reduced fat pepperoni (1pt- because only half a serving fits on the pita)
I pop it in the oven at 350, for about 15-20mins, or else you can micro it. You can always leave of the pepperoni and use some veggies and such for toppings and things like that.

Thanks for all these great suggestions!!!

She is only 137 lbs. Tonight we went to weigh in and she lost .4 which was a real downer for her. Our leader is not helpful at all. I told her that she only lost .4 and she never said a word just went on to the next "customer"

How tall is she and what is her goal weight? When I got to about 20 pounds above my goal weight, my weight loss each week dropped. I was losing between 1/2 - 1 pound a week, but mostly about 1/2 pound. If she wants to lose around 10-15 pounds, this may be why her losses are smaller. They are STILL losses, and she should still be proud of everything she is doing!

She is 5'3". I don't know what her goal weight is. No one there has told us either of our goal weights. She would like to be around 120.

At 5'3" and 137, her BMI is in the normal range. This may be why she is seeing smaller losses. She may be close to a weight that her body considers comfortable, and since her BMI is normal and she is looking at losing 17 pounds, she may not see 1-2 pouind losses a week. I would keep encouraging her to keep up what she is doing and slowly, those .4 losses will add up.

You should be careful about how much she does want to lose. As unhealthy as is to be overweight, at times it can be just as unhealthy to be underweight (in different ways of course!)...
Underweight: You get sick easier, periods aren't regular, not as strong.. especially because of her age. (18-20 yes?)
I'd almost say talk to her doctor to see what he/she thinks a good weight for her is. I know everyone's body is different, but it could be unhealthy.
I'm her height and my normal BMI is between 125-140. Try for a goal between there, but she's already there. Maybe 130?

WW has her goal at 7-10 lbs. When we went to her Pediatrician for her check up the doctor was very surprised that she had gained 20 lbs in two years. She even ran thyroid tests on her and they came back fine. When you look at her the 20 lbs settled in her butt and thighs, definitely not what she want to look like on the beach this summer. :)

When I was in middle school, I gained a lot of weight in one year. Honestly, it was because I was having a terrible time at school with the other kids. I would get home and eat and hide it from my parents - thus started my emotional eating. Of course, I realize she is older than I was but if she checks out medically, there may be another reason for her recent weight gain. I don't think at her age that kids teasing her would be the issue, but maybe stress? She could be hiding her true eating pattern from you as well.