From low carb to WW - learning and losing!

[slk537]

I know low carb and I love it - it works for me. But I struggle when I have to restrict anything. So I go gangbusters for a while, drop a few sizes and then I am back to eating all the things I miss and I am back up again. I love all the low carb foods, but I miss bread and cakes and cookies and fruit. I miss the freedom of food.

But I have PCOS. If you're not familiar with this disease, in a nutshell - the way it affects my diet: my body does not burn sugars. Sugar isn't burned for food, it goes straight to fat. Lucky me, eh? So low carb is a good diet with PCOS. So my main worry with WW is that it might not work for me. I am clinging to the fact that if you don't take in enough calories for your body to function, your body burns fat.

Therefore, I decided to research WW and see if it was for me - the point concept was intriguing! But the website couldn't answer the questions I really wanted answered: 1. How many points would I be assigned in a day? and 2. How do you figure out how many points something has? The more I looked, the more frustrated I became. I had no problem paying money for diet materials, books, info, etc. I just didn't want to order something or sign up for the online and then realize that WW wasn't for me.

So I asked around. And in less than a week I had three different bags full of material - I borrowed one from the fiancee of a guy I work with, one from a friend of my dad's, and one from a coworker of my DH. I got all of these within 24 hours. I decided this was a sign.

I read through the information and determined my points. Definitely doable. And I loved the idea of being able to eat anything I wanted - just in different portions.

So I returned two bags of books, ordered my own set, and joined WW online. And I settled into my first week on the plan. And today marks Day Seven.

I've wanted to start a journal, but it's been a crazy week. I want a place to put my thoughts on the journey and my successes and slips. Mostly, I like to write and share my own thoughts "on paper". I welcome comments and shared experiences, recipe ideas, hints and tips.

Overall: I learned a LOT this week. What works, what doesn't...and most of all, that I have a lot to learn about calories, fat, and fiber. I can look at something and say "that has 3 carbs" but ask me how many points? I dunno.

There's time though.

So here's to my first mostly successful week! My first mini goal is accomplished. Now on to the next mini goal: 3 good weeks - and see if this works with my PCOS.

I look forward to many more!

 

[slk537]

The first week went well. I learned a lot:

1. I need to plan better to get all my points in. A lot of times I ended up with too many points at night and I had to eat more than I needed to get them in.

2. Points are not carbs. I was thrilled to see how many things are available in the 100 calorie range. And they all taste good! I am used to low carb baked items being expensive and mediocre.

3. Fat and protein have higher point values, but I still need to eat them. It amazes me how I can have a salad and a frozen meal and some fruit and be hungry 2 hours later because I had virtually no protein or fat. I have a high enough weight that right now I have plenty of points and I need to use them on more protein.

4. Sometimes food isn't the focal point. A few times we went out to dinner and I ordered what was low in points, not what I really wanted. Example: Olive Garden - I ordered the minestrone soup and salad with low fat dressing. I was well within my points, but I wasn't the slightest bit excited about my lunch. But I knew that if I ordered what I really wanted, I wouldn't have been able to stop eating within my points.

5. Yes, I CAN eat lots of fruit! This is an adjustment for me - I am used to counting every strawberry to stay within a carb count. Now I can snack on grapes, bananas, berries, peaches, etc with a very low point count.

6. Bread, potatoes and corn are okay in moderation.

7. Frozen meals make portion control easy.

8. Nope, cheese is NOT a diet food.

9. Planning ahead works

10. If this works and I get to know point counts better, this will be very doable...

 

[traceycooper]

Hi there & welcome to WISH
I used to do low carb too, & it worked well for me, but now i'm trying to just eat healthily & allow fruit, wholeweat pasta & rice, like you it feels very strange to eat these & i still feel guilty!!!
I work out about 4 times a week now too (didnt at all on low carb) so i figured i needed the carbs to keep my energy levels up!
I've not lost at all on the scales though, but can tell with clothes & i've toned up a lot.

I will follow with interest how you get on with WW, its something i have considered, but so far have resisted.
Plus i LOVE cheese & cant live without it

Good luck & i hope WW works well for you

 

[slk537]

Hi there & welcome to WISH
I used to do low carb too, & it worked well for me, but now i'm trying to just eat healthily & allow fruit, wholeweat pasta & rice, like you it feels very strange to eat these & i still feel guilty!!!
I work out about 4 times a week now too (didnt at all on low carb) so i figured i needed the carbs to keep my energy levels up!
I've not lost at all on the scales though, but can tell with clothes & i've toned up a lot.

I will follow with interest how you get on with WW, its something i have considered, but so far have resisted.
Plus i LOVE cheese & cant live without it

Good luck & i hope WW works well for you

Thank you! Isn't it strange to feel guilty about eating fruit??? One of my favorite new treats is 60 calorie vanilla pudding with cinnamon and a sliced banana mixed into it. On low carb I NEVER had bananas...way too much sugar! It is just such a treat!

Tomatoes are another thing - I eat them every day now. And bagels and bread...not a lot, but enough to feel guilty.

So far, 9 days and I still like doing this. It's very liveable...!

 

[slk537]

Today is going well - I am pretty excited, actually. I have a few physical changes that I have gotten before with low carb - happening with WW!!! Ny water retention is way down and I am having some vision issues (nothing serious - I have talked to my doctor and it is always a side effect of stabilized blood sugars). It has always been the sign that things are working.

I know this is early days - and I have to weigh in - but I see this as a great sign that the healthy WW lifestyle is working for me! !!

I wish I had written down everything I ate for a week before I began this. I have thought back to some of the things I have eaten, and some of the amounts I have eaten. It makes me feel better when I spend the entire day eating in order to get my point in. Yes, I'm eating constantly. BUT...I am eating fruits and vegetables and lean proteins and light breads instead of frosting and creamy soups with lots of bread and brownies and pizza and breaded deep fried chicken sandwiches and french fries and mexican food dripping with gooey cheese. Instead I am eating fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, yogurt and milk, and still lots of treats. I have learned how delicious 60 calorie vanilla pudding is when mixed with sliced banana and cinnamon.

Yesterday I thought I might dip into the 35 flex points. After all, it was a holiday. But I had enough points to eat what I wanted and we planned a fantastic dinner:

smoked pork tenderloin with BBQ sauce on a light bun
corn on the cob
cucumbers and onions in vinegar/splenda
angel food cake with blueberries, raspberries and strawberries.

On a holiday!

I had another thought today: I am not working towards an unwavering goal. The last few times I tried to lose weight, I was doing it for a vacation. And the closer I would get to the vacation, the more frustrated I would get with slips until I would be a month out and think, the heck with it! And I'd be off.

But now?

Yes, we have a vacation in November. 4 1/2 months away. But I will continue to lose weight afterwards. If I have any long term goal, it's to be down to a reasonable size by a year from now when we go to WDW as a large family. This is so cool to me!! Yes, I want to be down two sizes by Thanksgiving. And I think that's reasonable. But this is ongoing and no pressure. I like that.

So that is today. Now, I have to go read my OWN books and info that I ordered from WW that arrived today.

 

[goldcupmom]

Welcome to WISH!!! I'm a WW, too, and have been for a lONG time.

You're doing wonderful!

Have a great weekend!

 

[slk537]

Welcome to WISH!!! I'm a WW, too, and have been for a lONG time.

You're doing wonderful!

Have a great weekend!

Thank you!!

 

[slk537]

Today, thus far, has been a Good Day. I agreed to watch my niece and nephew for a while this morning so I spread a Tbsp of reduced fat chunky pb on a WW bagel and ate it on the way. I had wanted to get the kids out to take a walk with me to kill two birds with one stone, but my SIL came back before we had a chance. So I'll try to walk later.

DS and DH decided to lunch at Wendy's and then see Transformers. I really don't like eating out much now - I can have delicious things at home when I make them myself, but restaurants are harder. Huge portions with not so great ingredients. I made myself a great lunch here and am enjoying some "me" time.

Last night we went out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. It wasn't as hard as I thought, but I have some ideas for what I'd rather do next time.

I ordered:

8 oz tenderloin
steamed veggies
side caesar salad

DH ordered these cheese and chili appetizers - I had one and it was WAY too greasy for me (not the diet, they have always been this way).

Next time? Skip the appetizer

I also had one of their amazing rolls, but without the cinnamon sugar butter.

Next time? Don't know. I think this is an okay treat.

My caesar salad was okay but when I tried to figure out the points, I couldn't believe how much variation caesar dressing has! It was hard to find the right amounts, so I finally figured out how much a half caesar from Panera is (5 pts) and used that. Panera's caesar dressing is very much like Tx Roadhouse so I'm comfortable with the comparison. And Panera had the actual stats right on their website.

Next time? The garden salad with reduced fat ranch.

For dinner, I had purposed ordered the large filet, because costwise it was better and I knew I could split it right down the middle and share 4 oz with DH. It was very good - but DS ordered the kid's sirloin and it was just as good.

Next time? I'll order kabobs or sirloin to save money.

Steamed veggies: These were GREAT - broccoli, cauliflower and baby carrots. But I think they had some butter on them. Not a lot, but they weren't steamed with just water. I figured on a tsp of butter when I did my point counts.

Next time? Either request them steamed without butter, or budget for the extra point.

It was a good learning process. On low carb, I could have had all of that (no roll or croutons on salad) and not thought twice. Points do make a difference in thinking. But all in all...I told DH that next time he has a taste for TX Roadhouse, he should order it to go and get DS and me both the sirloin kid's meal - mine with steamed veggies instead of fries. The kid's meal was a great portion size, very good and ecomomical. The other alternative would be the vegetarian platter where you can pick any 4 sides. I'd get the garden salad with lf ranch, steamed veggies, chili and baked potato. I'd put half the chili on the potato and share the rest with DH.

I really REALLY prefer staying at home, but DH loves eating out at certain restaurants so I want to find places I can eat things I enjoy and stay OP at the same time. We may go to Panera tonight if he wants to go out since I am able to pick out ahead of time based on nutritional values.

I want to start a "walk to Wilderness Lodge" plan too. I suspect I'll make it there by plane at least twice before I can "walk" there on the treadmill, but it is a nice Disney spin on activity.

My discovery for the week? Sliced fresh peach cut up with smushed fresh raspberries mixed with a tsp of Splenda. YUM!!!

 

[DisneyDoll10/28]

Hey there sweetie!! So glad I found your journal! Way to go on starting one and especially with keeping track of things when you eat out. I've always found that was the hardest!!

Just a note : I absoutely LOVE the kabobs from Texas Roadhouse. They are awesome.

I had panera today too... the LF veggie soup and the strawberry salad... YUMMIE.

Keep us updated!

 

[Kelsie]

I just read your journal and had to post. I have been successful in the past on low-carb but am now on a low-calorie diet and struggling. It's funny, when on low-carb, I wanted fruits and vegetables and now I want meat and cheese!

I'm seriously thinking about switching but I've lost 10 pounds in 13 days.

I guess it's just a matter of wanting what you can't have!

Good Luck!

 

[slk537]

Hey there sweetie!! So glad I found your journal! Way to go on starting one and especially with keeping track of things when you eat out. I've always found that was the hardest!!

Just a note : I absoutely LOVE the kabobs from Texas Roadhouse. They are awesome.

I had panera today too... the LF veggie soup and the strawberry salad... YUMMIE.

Keep us updated!

Hey Danielle!!

That is EXACTLY what I wanted to try at Panera!! Instead, I found the nutritional info for our Chipotle wannabe restaurant here and was able to contruct a chicken salad with 10 points including dressing. SO good!!! I estimated high on the portion size so it may have been lower points than that, but I wanted to be sure. Next time, I'll skip the 1/4 c. cheese. It didn't really add anything to the salad and it was 110 calories and 9 gr fat!!

Afterwards, we went to Cold Stone and I got the small size of sinless nonfat sweet cream (3) with strawberries (0), bananas (.5 for half large) and coconut (2) mixins. What an outstanding treat!!! It was like a banana split. I love that we can still go to one of DS's favorite places and I can have a wonderful and low point treat!

I get so excited when I find places we like to go that have food that is delicious and still OP.

Hope you're doing great!!!

 

[slk537]

I just read your journal and had to post. I have been successful in the past on low-carb but am now on a low-calorie diet and struggling. It's funny, when on low-carb, I wanted fruits and vegetables and now I want meat and cheese!

I'm seriously thinking about switching but I've lost 10 pounds in 13 days.

I guess it's just a matter of wanting what you can't have!

Good Luck!

Hello!!!!!

I hear you - I totally miss cheese! And it amazes me that steak is no longer "free".

I am loving the fruits though - and I have invested in lots of WW desserts for treats. I am used to low carb specialty products and it is weird for me to go into a store, buy normal food with low points, pay normal prices and enjoy what I eat.

I'd love to hear how you're doing - 10 pounds is GREAT!!! Do you have a journal?? I'll have to go take a look.

 

[slk537]

Today was a good day - we had a lot of fun. It was godawful hot here (hottest day yet this year) so we decided to drive up the to Mall of America for the day.

I had planned to use my flex points to give me some extra flexibility in case we wanted to get a treat. I had some Kashi oatmeal for breakfast with a banana and some cinnamon. Yuck. It was filling and stuck with me though so I'll probably eat the rest at work for breakfast. But I still don't like oatmeal. Ew texture.

We stopped at McDonald's for a snack as we always do. Instead of a cheeseburger and fries split with DH, I got apple dippers and tossed the caramel. I did have a bite of DH's cheeseburger (yes, I recorded it as 1 pt) and that was enough for me. It felt good having fresh apples instead of something yummy but guilt inducing.

When we got to the mall, we did a ton of walking. Stopped at the Disney Store and got my WDW fix - and then split up while I shopped there and the boys went to look at video games. I had to go meet them and I walked at a brisk pace to do so. I ended up walking all over the mall trying to find them - at least 15 minutes. We finally met up and decided to go to Ruby Tuesdays for a late lunch/early dinner (4:20).

DH picked Ruby Tuesdays for the salad bar for me. I decided to use some flex points here. I had:

- salad with romaine, 1/2 c cottage cheese, cucumbers and tomatoes, black olive, onion, 1 tsp olive oil and low fat balsamic vinaigrette
- 1/3 cup potato salad (I love and miss this!!)
- 8 oz prime burger with American cheese: I ate this with half the bun and some ketchup

When I got in the car and pulled out my trusty points book I realized that even though I thought I went way over my points, I was still under.

I entered everything into the computer when I got home and added a few things I forgot - grapes from the salad bar, etc. and was still under my points.
I also entered the 15 minutes of brisk walking and put in 60 minutes of leisure walking. It was a lot more than that, but since it was so sporadic I let it go at 60.

So now I have points to eat tonight and still 35 flex points left through tomorrow.

 

[Kelsie]

Hello!!!!!

I hear you - I totally miss cheese! And it amazes me that steak is no longer "free".

I am loving the fruits though - and I have invested in lots of WW desserts for treats. I am used to low carb specialty products and it is weird for me to go into a store, buy normal food with low points, pay normal prices and enjoy what I eat.

I'd love to hear how you're doing - 10 pounds is GREAT!!! Do you have a journal?? I'll have to go take a look.

I do have a journal, but I just started it today!

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1508546

 

[traceycooper]

Hi there
Just been catching up on your journal & WOW your doing fantastic
The food sounds yummy & you have done so well to resist temptation & make healthy choices when eating out - i always go with good intentions but then get tempted
You sound so enthusiastic too, you really are inspiring me to be more healthy & i thank you for that
Keep up the great work & please keep adding your foods to your journal your giving me great ideas

 

[slk537]

Tomorrow is the end of Week Three and I am still doing well. I am frustrated about doing a weigh in tomorrow...It is getting close to TOM so I am retaining water among other things. I know if I weigh in and don't lose or gain, I will be discouraged so I am just going to wait until the water retention goes away again and do it then.

I've been intrigued by My Alli this week...checking the boards over there and on WW. It seems to be redundant thought with WW. And with WW I don't worry about any of those pesky "treatment effects". I don't think I eat enough fat in one sitting to worry, but then I have come to the conclusion that if I don't eat enough fat to worry, why would I want to block any of it? I learned on low carb that fat is not the enemy...you even need it to help digest some vitamins and nutrients. So I guess I'll keep on keeping on with WW, tempting though it is to add a helper.

Again...I have no immediate "must meet" pressing goal. I would like to be down two sizes before Thanksgiving, but there are no consequences if I don't reach that. My current goals:

1. Complete two weeks on WW. Done! Bought myself a couple bath bombs from Basin as a treat.
2. Stay successfully on WW through 4 weeks. Reward tbd!
3. Increase activity to regular moderate walking 2-3 times a week by Week Six
4. Be down two sizes by Thanksgiving/WDW

Thursday was tough this week. I had to teach a training, get things done at my desk, and back to back meetings. I had a WW bagel (love those!!) with 1 TB rf peanut butter for breakfast. I also had a plum during the training. Then I ended up with 5 minutes before a noon meeting. I mixed together two small WW yogurts and had some sugar snap peas. I brought a lean cuisine panini, but didn't have time to heat it up. After the noon meeting, I have 20 minutes before going back to do another segment of training. And I had to run to the store in that time to pick up chocolates for the afternoon training "snack" (nope, didn't have any...but then those aren't my weakness).

I grabbed a Starbucks iced coffee at the grocery store and had that when I got back. By the time I was out of there, I had about an hour before going home, and a meeting in that time. I ate a clementine, went to the meeting, and then headed for home.

The good part? I had more than enough points left to enjoy a good 6 oz tenderloin fillet and a bit of extra feta on my salad with dinner.

My major accomplishment that day? Taking a walk with my DS and DH to an ice cream/coffee shop a few blocks away and ordering a latte with ff milk and sf coconut syrup (2 pts). So I got in some activity and did not have the high fat homemade ice cream.

Yesterday went much better. I was able to fit in lunch at home so I had a Healthy Choice chicken and broccoli meal (4 pts), cottage cheese with green olives and tabasco, and the best fruit/dessert: I sliced up a peach, sprinkled it with cinnamon and splenda and microwaved for a minute. Instant peach pie filling! YUM!

Last night we went to Panera for dinner - I planned ahead of time what I would order and it was great. I had the strawberry poppyseed half salad with a half veggie sandwich. I did have her add the chicken (1-2 oz) to the salad and I made sure to account for the points.

DH and I both loved the salad - he wants to go back this weekend for lunch and order the whole one himself. I love the dressing. It has a mustard type tang to it that was really unusual and went beautifully with all the fruit in the salad.

After dinner we walked over to Coldstone and I had the ff/sf sinless sweet cream (3 points) with half banana (1 point) and cinnamon. VERY good!!!

I love that I can still have great summertime meals and treats and stay well within my points. And I still have my 35 flex points for this weekend if I need them.

Today? DH and DS want to go to the state fair. We'll see. Fair food doesn't do it for me so it shouldn't be a problem. I would like to plan a splurge this weekend with the flex points, but I won't do it until something sounds really appealing. I have found that every time I try to splurge, I have found I can modify whatever I really want to make it point friendly.

I guess it's breakfast time now - but I have some pretty fierce allergies and can't taste anything until the meds kick in, so I'll wait.

Why eat when you can't taste???

 

[slk537]

Challenges coming up soon though:

My best friend is coming back to work from maternity leave on Monday. I love her and I miss her and I am happy about it. But there goes my lovely lunches to myself.

We go out to lunch every day. She is DEFINITELY not a diet sabotage risk...she is more into dieting that I could ever be. She doesn't want to do WW because the points are too much work (her quote) but she counts her calories with a vengeance so we'll match up fine - I'll actually be eating more and better than she will.

But the problem is that we have to leave the building to eat. It's stupid, but we're both managers so we're discouraged from spending any time in the break room beyond getting coffee/water/heating up lunch. It gives the perception to the employees that we aren't working hard or some such. I understand the reasoning and I accept it. But it means it's harder to enjoy lunch with my friend without leaving the building.

I don't like going home to eat with anyone else. It's my haven and my personal space and I do like my privacy. So I need to spend some time looking around to determine point values of restaurant foods (fast food and sit down), packing things I can take on a picnic, planning things from the grocery store (which has a little cafe where you can bring your deli/grocery food to eat) etc.

I'll miss my solo lunches. I feel guilty about that, but I will.

But the good news is that I have had three weeks to get used to this new way of eating. If I had been doing this and eating at restaurants for lunch a lot I would have been discouraged. Now, I'm in the habit.

So I guess I have another goal: find good healthy low point food for lunch.

 

[slk537]

Yesterday I looked through the core info and debated whether or not to try it. I was excited to see the possibilities.

Today I will head over to my dad's where the Evil Scale lives so I can WI. The water retention has decreased so I will give it a go. From there I will decide what to do next week. If there is ANY weight loss at all, I'll keep on keeping on with Flex. If there is no weight loss or (gasp!) a gain, I'll debate with myself whether I should hang in there another week on Flex, or try Core. I am worried about how my body is handling all the extra (natural) sugars of the fruit and bread products. I feel better, I imagine my clothes fit a little better, but I don't know.

We're going to the fair today. Fortunately I have 32 flex points left and I don't have a weakness for Fair food. We're going to go to my dad's so I can WI first, then get a good lunch at Panera, then go to the fair. I am also planning to pick up a copy of YOU on a Diet today to get more understanding of how this whole process works.

Last night we ordered lasagna and cheese bread. I entered in my portion of lasagna as 3 servings, although that may have been high. I had one bite of cheesy bread and it immediately made me want more so I went back and filled up on my lasagna, knowing that once the bread cooled it wouldn't be as good. That worked.

I had enough points left for some angel food cake and berries and then I was pretty much done for the day. But later, I was dying to sit down and just eat my way through a bag of cheese Ritz chips. I mulled it over and over and finally had a peach and a 100 calorie cup of Breyers cookies and cream. I dipped into my flex points by 3, but I consider it a victory that I ate fruit and 2 point ice cream instead of 20 points worth of worthless (albeit delicious!) crackers.

So today the scale will motivate me to stay away from high fat high calorie food either because I am successful, or because if I can't lose eating this way, there is NO way I can lose eating the naughty stuff.

And truly - it is TOM, so I won't be hard on myself if I maintain.

 

[slk537]

WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I LOST FIVE POUNDS!!!!!!!!!!! FIVE!!!!!!!!!

I almost fell off the scale!

To me, losing 5 pounds in 9 days is huge. And I am thrilled with the loss. But...the biggest win for me today was learning for a FACT that WW works for me! The PCOS/low carb thing was worrying me that eating carbohydrates would stall weight loss. And I was so hoping WW would work, because it has been easy for me.

YAYYYY!!!!!!!!!!

To celebrate, I am going to buy our MVMCP tickets...

 

[traceycooper]

Congrats on the 5lb loss
I'm glad all your hard work is paying off.
Keep up the great work!