[dragonlady1978]

I've been off diet of any kind for quite awhile. I have PCOS, and with all my hormone fluctuations and the corresponding insulin resistance I have been everywhere from 220 to 140 and back again since having my youngest child 5 years ago.

I did Atkins to get to my lowest weight-and lost quickly (70 lbs in 6 months) -but it just wasn't something I could do permanently and I ended up gaining it all back over the following 2 years. I realize that this sounds a little childish and irresponsible, but I have terrible "tastes" for dieting, especially low carb. Not a big meat/protein eater. Have a sweet tooth that borders on some sort of mental illness.

I started weight watchers on Valentines Day, and I have lost 17 pounds. After seeing how the new PP plan works, I decided to use the old plan because while I get less daily target points, the points values are more compatible with my tastes and usual eating habits.

I'm really happy with my progress so far, but I have some concerns about long term results and figured I need to just air my dirty laundry and hope to get some input from others.

Even though I am losing fine, as I look through my eating journal I am still embarrassed by what is in it. Most days I am even a few points below my current daily target of 27 points, but what my used points consist of is mostly still what I consider to be junk.

Example Day:

Starbucks Espresso Shot "light" - 2 points
Reduced Calorie Wheat Toast with WW Cream Cheese - 2 points
Reduced fat PB and J on RC wheat - 6 points
Ruffles light chips, olestra - 1 point
Little Debbie Marshmallow Easter thingie- 3 points
WW Latte Bar - 1 point
2 small apples - 2 points
Sugar Free Pudding - 1 point
Lean Cuisine - 6 points
100 calorie snack size low-fat popcorn -1 point


Basically, I have just taken the things I would normally eat off plan, and found variations that have fewer calories and fat and I'm being very conscious about portions. I love and enjoy what I am eating and I'm not hungry. I am also satisfying my sweet tooth daily, so this is something I can see myself doing for the rest of my life without feeling like I am on a diet or depriving and restricting myself.

The only veggies and fruit I like are the ones that are not the best nutritional choices-corn, potatos, apples, bananas, etc. I do love a good salad, but I have a hard time justifying one if I make it taste good-if you add the yummy acoutrements then calorically (sp?) you may as well have had a burger.

So I know I'm probably in for some criticism for my habits. Heck, I criticize myself and logically I just know better. I have certainly cut a large amount of fat and calories and added lots of fiber as opposed to my usual habits, and become slightly less obese in the process. In my defense.....those changes have to count for something. I'm fortunately otherwise healthy and don't have high blood pressure or cholesterol.

I suppose my question is this-

Has anyone else had positive results and still been a naughty weight watcher? Can this be done even though I'm not living on "healthy" food.....as in the old saying that a calorie is a calorie, a point is a point?

When I read or hear what other people are eating, it seems to be more quantity but alot more quality as well. I rarely get any veggies in at all, ever.

I feel like I am getting away with something. Part of me loves that and the other part is a little ashamed, but honestly if my weight is going to be dependent on eating carrots and broccoli all the time then I know I would just throw in the towel and reach for some cookies to console my grief.

[Robin]

I really don't know a lot about nutrition so it is hard for me to give an educated opinion but I'll give one anyways lol. It looks like your diet is way lacking in protein and you're not getting anywhere near your daily servings of fruits and veggies that weight watchers pushes you to try and eat every day. You may be losing weight but in the end you won't be as healthy as someone who is eating a balanced diet. I totally understand wanting to eat and lose weight in a way that you can sustain for life but maybe think about things like heart health. There are definitely things you can change in your diet to have a healthier heart, and I think that will be important for you later in life.

[Tea Granny]

I have found that with my IR, that I actually started to feel better and not crave the sugar after a while of avoiding it like the plague. I make my choices based on WW and the glycemic index. I have to look at it as poison- I was like you about the cravings and too muchsugar/simple carbs will trigger a binge of biblical proprtions. I do like the fruit and veggies though and that really helps. The very real threat of Type 2 diabetes has been a great motivator too.

[amandie]

I totally understand! I have those "naughty" days 1-2 times a week but there might be room for concern if it's a daily thing, though because of nutrients. Start taking a multivitamin of some sort??

Idea: start small- make a green smoothie with baby spinach and shredded/diced baby carrots and whatever fruit you like along with some yogurt. I've done it with 1/2 cottage cheese (for more protein and because greek yogurt is expensive sometimes) and 1/2 vanilla yogurt a few times with no problem flavor-wise. Just be sure to blend the yogurt and cottage cheese first to have smooth consistency because of the curds.

GL!

[josey]

I agree with amandie. If this is a daily thing I would start switching stuff around a bit. Reduce the "naughty" stuff to a few points a day. And up the good stuff. I don't know if ww is still doing this but years ago they had something like 10 points a week maximum for sweets/alcohol etc. i.e. you can only use up 10 points on chocolate, cocktails and other non-healthy foods. I try to stick to that.
I love salad but it has to be an interesting one. My favorite dressing is extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, mustard, salt & pepper (you can adjust oil and honey for the points as you like). I do all kinds of "creations" but one of my favorite is arugula, pears, blue cheese (intense flavour so you don't need much!) and if I have the points I throw in some chopped walnuts). Goes well with the mentioned dressing.
If I want to save points I just add any kind of veggies. Variety is important. Otherwise I get bored. If you don't like certain veggies try chopping them really small.


I also recommend to use more whole (not processed) and less reduced fat/sugar foods. I find that the reduced fat stuff is not as tasty (satisfying) and not as filling as smaller amounts of "real" food and it's healthier too.

[dragonlady1978]

Thank you all for your input, y'all have given me alot to think about.

Diabetes is definitely a concern for me, SO many people in my family have it (obesity is also a problem). My father and aunt both died from complications before they were 60. I go to the doctor regularly and have had a recent checkup, other than the obvious weight problem I am perfectly healthy. BUT-I'm 32, and I know that putting all that trash into my body for so long will eventually take its toll.

I don't know if I can do just 10 points a week of the sweets without having a meltdown-I rarely drink any alcohol-but I think I will set a higher limit and try to work my way down to that.

I have been taking a multivitamin and several supplements already for years to try to combat my horrible diet. Protein is definitely a problem for me because I'm not a big meat eater at all. Going grocery shopping today and intend to be mindful of that. I can definitely do yogurt and cottage cheese, swapping that for my daily sugar free pudding is a start. Also going to experiment with some homemade dressing, I think that will be the easiest way to sneak in some veggies and (lean meat) protein in the same boat.

Thanks again everyone, I'm open to any and all suggestions

[josey]

One thing I learned is to be smart about my points for sweets. I stretch them as much as I can.
One thing I love to do is dip strawberries half in dark chocolate (less points). That is very tasty and lasts longer than a simple piece of chocolate. :-)

[Robin]

Speaking of strawberries...try cutting strawberries in half and dip them in Dannon's light and fit vanilla yogurt! It's delicious and would be good for a sweet tooth.

[QuilterInVA]

You aren't doing WW if that is a typical menu. You have to get in the 9 GHGs every day for one thing. That is a very unhealthy menu.

[dragonlady1978]

Well if you think this is a very unhealthy menu, you should see what I was eating to get so overweight in the first place I know this isn't a joke and I don't want to sound like I'm making excuses, but seriously-this is by FAR a lesser evil.

As for the GHG's....
I do get my fluids. Definitely getting whole grains. I take a multivitamin and fish oil, along with a cinnamon supplement to help with the IR, and magnesium daily. I don't necessarily agree with the need for daily dairy, as studies have shown that beyond the age of 3 it is not a necessary part of a healthy diet (and the part it plays in weight loss is debatable at best), but that is just my own opinion based on research and advice of my doc.....and I'm not here to buck the system. Exercise is an issue, I have 2 herniated discs in my neck so my activity is limited by pain and meds but I do what I can.

So the only 2 things I truly agree that are lacking in the GHG's are obviously fruit/veggies and protein. The protein I am working on, got some good suggestions here already to help remedy that. I do eat fruit almost daily, but apples, bananas, and berries are my only intake.
I tried a variation of josey124's dressing yesterday to get in some greens and that was a pleasant addition, but I won't lie to myself or anyone else and promise to be scarfing asparagus and cauliflower by the bale anytime soon.

I definitely agree that this part of my diet leaves something to be desired, and also that I use more points than I should on "junk". This specifically is what makes my diet less healthy than it should be, and I am well aware. Making it a point to try and change these things in ways that I can stick with for the long haul rather than just forcing some temporary behavior I can't stand.

It really doesn't matter to me whether someone agrees that I am "doing weight watchers", no offense intended, but I'm not really looking for approval here. If that's all I wanted I could just weigh in or post how much I've lost and leave it at that, and everyone could believe I was little miss perfect weight watcher because I am getting the expected result. Not claiming that I am eating perfectly, and I'm sure I'm not the only one in that boat. I'm just putting myself out there and hoping for the inspiration and ammunition to do it better. In the end I know that even when I lose ALL the weight I won't be perfect, and my tastes won't be drastically different-my hope is in getting to the place of balance.

[amandie]

Oh, yea- do you like beans/legumes? Like black beans, garbanzo/chickpeas type? You could make hummus and hit some of your GHGs at once like oils and protein for example. I personally love making black bean salsa with cucumbers, serrano peppers (you could use jalapenos or just omit altogether), tomatoes, onions, bit of salt and some cumin, lemon/lime juice and a little bit of corn.

The other day, I made sloppy lennies by using lightly mashed lentils instead of meat with homemade sloppy joe sauce- not bad!

One more thing- I've recently started mixing in my black bean salsa with 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup cottage cheese and putting it on top of my salads or cheese quesadillas. So good! Sometimes I have cottage cheese with some cracked black pepper, hot sauce and sometimes red pepper flakes as a dip with baby carrots, cucumbers and celery.