Hi there- I'm new and I'm following a personally modified version of WW. I had previously lost about 45 lbs just eating good and exercising, but I thought I would integrate WW's ideas about what are "good" foods (less points) versus what is not so great, that I thought actually was. I'm not really counting them all exactly, but I use the points to make better decisions about foods I eat.
For example, when I dieted before, I figured if it had no or low fat, it was good to go in my mouth. Now I realize the cereal and milk I eat for breakfast has 6 points in it, while I could be eating toast and no cal butter spray and fruit for wayyyyy less. So.... I'm using points to make better decisions.
That said, according to my girlfriend who is also on WW (the real way) she says my allotment for weight is 31 points a day (with the 35 a week flex points). My question to you guys is do I need to eat all those points in a day? My mother used to be on WW and she said back in the day (like 15 years ago) you were supposed to eat them all to be healthy. I ask because I ate "good" yesterday and then counted up my points and I only had eaten about 18 points (a far cry from the 31 it is suggested? that I eat).
It's not like I was starving or anything- I had a big bowl of cereal and milk for bfast, a large banana for lunch, an egg-salad sandwich for dinner, then an apple, and then a nutri-grain bar. I spaced it out so it filled my whole day and I felt fine (usually when I'm HUNGRY I get lightheaded and pukey-feeling).
Anyhow- should I be TRYING to eat the full points? Also, if you don't use them, can you bank them for another day (like turning them into alternate flex points?)
Lastly- does ANYONE know of any low-points DIP that I can use for celery, carrots, and the like? THANKS!
You need to eat all of your points each day. If you eat too low, your body will go into "starvation mode" and you won't lose! According to WW, it is NOT okay to bank unused points. You can spend your 35 flexpoints however you want, all in one day or spread out, and those points ARE optional, you don't have to use them all.
Also, if you earn activity points, you have to use them the same day you earn them.
I would be eating all of my points. Chubbynurse said it best, about the starvation mode. Your body will start to shut down and then your metabolism will be screwed up. I'm a volume girl, so the better choices I make are always with low cal, high fibre breads vs regular white bread. I also noticed that some of your portions were off. I think if I remember correctly, 2 servings of milk, 3-4 servings of veggies/fruits, and I can't remember the protein portion but....it looks like you are not eating all the cateogories. Also, what about water? 8-10 Cups per day....Gotta flush the toxins out. If you excercise you can eat more given your activity points. Good luck!!
Hi jokesbyjen-
A good low-fat dip I love for veggies is a pint of low-fat, or fat-free if you prefer, sour cream with a pack of Hidden Valley Ranch dip mix. I think it's 1 point per 2 tablespoons. So I usually use 1/4 cup of dip and lots of veggies for 2 points.
You wouldn't count your daily point allowance taking in consideration the 35 points like that. You would say your daily points allowance is X and then you have 35 points for the rest of the week that you can use whenever you want. Those are NOT part of the daily point allowance and can be used or not as you wish.
You also need to get in the healthy grains, fruits and veggies. Your cereal and milk is probably healthier than the toast, spray and fruit, depending on your cereal choice - oatmeal is great and you have have a cup with a cup of skim milk for only 4 points. Low points is not necessarily the best. Follow the 8 guidelines for good health with you plan for best results.
Is it bad to use your 'extra' points by drinking alchohol? I had 6 points left last night so I had two glasses of wine because I was full and didn't want to eat anymore.
schmoopie - I don't think drinking the wine will hurt but you probably won't want to make a habit of that. Calories from alcohol are empty calories and don't give your body anything nutritionally.
If you are full don't worry about eating more. You never know, you may end up eating the extra points later on in the evening - If you do it once in a while it's okay but if undereating your points becomes a habit then your weight loss will slow down or you might gain.
I'm going to agree with Quilter on this (no the world will not come to an end) and your Cereal and Milk probably had more nutritional value than the Toast w/Spray.
You may want to review these charts (W/W used to put them out but doesn't anymore...) as they will help you breakdown your points to a satisifying plan:
Points Pies
Balanced (under 250 pounds)
Complex Carbs/Grain Based Foods – 8-9 points a day
Protein-rich Foods – 6-7 points a day
Fruits and Veggies – 0-3 points a day
Fats, added sugars – 2-3 points a day
Milk and Milk Products – 4-6 points a day
20-28 points a day
Higher Protein (under 250 pounds)
Complex Carbs/Grain Based Foods – 5-6 points a day
Protein-rich Foods – 9-11 points a day
Fruits and Veggies – 0-1 points a day
Fats, added sugars – 2-4 points a day
Milk and Milk Products – 4-6 points a day
20-28 points a day
Higher Carb (under 250 pounds)
Complex Carbs/Grain Based Foods – 9-10 points a day
Protein-rich Foods – 5-7 points a day
Fruits and Veggies – 1-3 points a day
Fats, added sugars – 1-2 points a day
Milk and Milk Products – 4-6 points a day
20-28 points a day
-----
Balanced (over 250 pounds)
Complex Carbs/Grain Based Foods – 11 points a day
Protein-rich Foods – 10 points a day
Fruits and Veggies – 3-4 points a day
Fats, added sugars – 2-3 points a day
Milk and Milk Products – 4-6 points a day
30-34 points a day
Higher Protein (over 250 pounds)
Complex Carbs/Grain Based Foods – 8 points a day
Protein-rich Foods – 12 points a day
Fruits and Veggies – 2-3 points a day
Fats, added sugars – 4-5 points a day
Milk and Milk Products – 4-6 points a day
30-34 points a day
Higher Carb (over 250 pounds)
Complex Carbs/Grain Based Foods – 13 points a day
Protein-rich Foods – 8 points a day
Fruits and Veggies – 2-4 points a day
Fats, added sugars – 3 points a day
Milk and Milk Products – 4-6 points a day
30-34 points a day
Further on Quilter's idea of the 8 Great Health Guidelines:
8 Great Health Guidlines:
For onlines here is how to get to them:
You may visit the Web site and read 8 Great Health Guidelines. After you log in, it can be found in the Select a Resource dropdown menu located in the Shortcuts toolbar on the left hand side of the page. Click on Weight Loss Topics of the Week in the My Plan section of the dropdown menu. On the next page you will see the View Topics Archive link in the box on the upper right side of the page. Click the link to be brought to the topics archive. 8 Great Health Guidelines is the first first link on the archive list.
For e-tools and meeting people it is page 34 in your Week 1 booklet.
Now like others have said the Target (aka Daily) Points are your bare minimum that your body needs to keep from thinking it is starving. Then you can add points for your exercise (ActivityPoints) on a daily basis but these are optional --- however most find they are necessary for a consistent loss. Then on top of all of those points you get the WeeklyPointsAllowance aka FlexPoints to make the program just that...flexable. You can choose to use some, all or none of these but again most find that they keep their losses more consistent when they use them.
Using up all your points
