Weight Watchers Chat -- Part III

[pwdebbie]

I'd cut WW a little slack. Think about how many food items are available for purchase, and how often companies are tweaking the ingredients & recipes. Nutritional info can change from one batch to the next. (I deal with this from an allergy perspective as well, since my DH has several very severe food allergies. We have to read the ingredients every time we shop, even on our common items, because they can change at any time.)

All WW is doing is maintaining a database of information. They have to work with each company to get the info in the first place (& probably permission to list it), then keep the database up to date, including ongoing updates. I work in IT and maintaining a database isn't an easy task. Everyone wants to blame the admin but they can only do as well as the people providing the information. If companies aren't volunteering their nutritional info, then WW has to track it down. All I can say is that I'm glad it's not my job!

Good point! I appreciate your perspective. I never thought of the bigger picture.

 

[myadventurebook]

Hi everyone,

I don't know how active this thread is but I had a few questions, so I thought I might as well ask! I've been on WW for almost a month now and I've lost about 6 lbs. I've found it surprisingly easy so far... so easy that it's bothering me a little bit. For example, last week I had a heavy workload and wasn't able to exercise at all. I still lost two pounds. Usually it is extremely hard for me to lose weight so I was shocked to see that number on the scale.

I'll back up a little bit and give some more info about myself- I gained about 40 pounds over the past four years due to (surprise, surprise) emotional eating. I would go on really bad yo-yo diets where I would lose a few pounds, get tired of dieting and then gain it all back and then ten more pounds on top of what I had previously weighed. In the last three or four months before starting WW, I gained another 15 lbs and that was the last straw for me. I have never weighed even close to what I weighed when I started WW.

I should also add that I take a lot of medications that usually make it extremely hard for me to lose weight normally, so the fact that this weight seems to just be falling off is bothering me a little bit. Is this just normally how it goes for the first month of the program?

Also, has anyone done WW with little exercise and still lost weight? So far I have not been too exercise-heavy and I've still been consistently losing.

Does anyone else find that WW is "easy" to follow? Obviously, it's not been a walk in the park. Going out to eat with my family is really difficult, for example. I usually have to leave hungry because there is literally not one item on most restaurant menus that fits my points for the day. However, compared to any other "diet" I've tried it's been a really easy transition. I haven't felt like I just want to do this for a few months to lose weight- I feel like I can do this forever, which is what your dieting-mindset is supposed to be.

Anyway, this is getting long. Hopefully someone has some insight. Thanks guys.

 

[pwdebbie]

Hi everyone,

I don't know how active this thread is but I had a few questions, so I thought I might as well ask! I've been on WW for almost a month now and I've lost about 6 lbs. I've found it surprisingly easy so far... so easy that it's bothering me a little bit. For example, last week I had a heavy workload and wasn't able to exercise at all. I still lost two pounds. Usually it is extremely hard for me to lose weight so I was shocked to see that number on the scale.

I'll back up a little bit and give some more info about myself- I gained about 40 pounds over the past four years due to (surprise, surprise) emotional eating. I would go on really bad yo-yo diets where I would lose a few pounds, get tired of dieting and then gain it all back and then ten more pounds on top of what I had previously weighed. In the last three or four months before starting WW, I gained another 15 lbs and that was the last straw for me. I have never weighed even close to what I weighed when I started WW.

I should also add that I take a lot of medications that usually make it extremely hard for me to lose weight normally, so the fact that this weight seems to just be falling off is bothering me a little bit. Is this just normally how it goes for the first month of the program?

Also, has anyone done WW with little exercise and still lost weight? So far I have not been too exercise-heavy and I've still been consistently losing.

Does anyone else find that WW is "easy" to follow? Obviously, it's not been a walk in the park. Going out to eat with my family is really difficult, for example. I usually have to leave hungry because there is literally not one item on most restaurant menus that fits my points for the day. However, compared to any other "diet" I've tried it's been a really easy transition. I haven't felt like I just want to do this for a few months to lose weight- I feel like I can do this forever, which is what your dieting-mindset is supposed to be.

Anyway, this is getting long. Hopefully someone has some insight. Thanks guys.

Welcome!

It is normal to lose quickly the first month. Determine to not give up later when it slows down. Enjoy the numbers now! I am not much of an exercise person. I lost 80 lbs. in my first year and one year later have only lost 12 more. But I am determined to not give up. We eat out at least twice a week. I only eat half of my meal usually. Today we had Texas Roadhouse leftovers. I'm sure others will chime in here with more info for you.

 

[JillyBean1899]

Going out to eat with my family is really difficult, for example. I usually have to leave hungry because there is literally not one item on most restaurant menus that fits my points for the day.

It looks like you're not planning the day to budget for the dinners out. Are they sprung on you as a surprise? Or do you know that you go out to Restaurant X every Thursday night? I know that every other Friday we go to Red Lobster for lunch. I get the Sailor's platter (grilled fish, shrimp scampi, fried shrimp) and it's a 7 pointer. 2 Sides of grilled veggies and a biscuit and my meal is a 13. Not the best, but not horrible, either, especially since some of the things on that menu are 35 points

If your family likes to "surprise" you with going out to eat, you should have a talk with them about why that isn't working for you, and request they at least tell you that morning if it's going to be an eating out night, so you can prepare. Also looking at the menu choices before you go makes it a lot easier to pick out 2 or 3 "good" items so you know what you want before you get there.

And congrats on the weight loss. I've been on it for 2 months, and even with exercising I gained 5 lbs the first month, and have now lost it back, hopefully that downward trend continues.

 

[myadventurebook]

Thanks for the help and the welcome wishes! I figured the weight loss was normal for the first month, so I'll try to keep that in mind.

As for the eating out dilemmas, it's only been a problem a few times. I go out to eat with my mom every Thursday morning for breakfast, and that's never been a problem because I order the same thing every time and breakfast is a lot easier to keep small than lunch or dinner.

When it has been a problem is a few recent family birthdays when we weren't sure where we were going to eat, so I couldn't plan ahead of time. One example was when we went to Bertucci's... even the salads and appetizers had tons of points. I ended up getting a personal pizza and just eating two slices. I was starving afterwards, but at least I didn't give in! This was one of my first days of WW too, so that probably had something to do with my appetite.

 

[bumbershoot]

Hi everyone,

I don't know how active this thread is but I had a few questions, so I thought I might as well ask! I've been on WW for almost a month now and I've lost about 6 lbs. I've found it surprisingly easy so far... so easy that it's bothering me a little bit. For example, last week I had a heavy workload and wasn't able to exercise at all. I still lost two pounds. Usually it is extremely hard for me to lose weight so I was shocked to see that number on the scale.

I'll back up a little bit and give some more info about myself- I gained about 40 pounds over the past four years due to (surprise, surprise) emotional eating. I would go on really bad yo-yo diets where I would lose a few pounds, get tired of dieting and then gain it all back and then ten more pounds on top of what I had previously weighed. In the last three or four months before starting WW, I gained another 15 lbs and that was the last straw for me. I have never weighed even close to what I weighed when I started WW.

I should also add that I take a lot of medications that usually make it extremely hard for me to lose weight normally, so the fact that this weight seems to just be falling off is bothering me a little bit. Is this just normally how it goes for the first month of the program?

Also, has anyone done WW with little exercise and still lost weight? So far I have not been too exercise-heavy and I've still been consistently losing.

Does anyone else find that WW is "easy" to follow? Obviously, it's not been a walk in the park. Going out to eat with my family is really difficult, for example. I usually have to leave hungry because there is literally not one item on most restaurant menus that fits my points for the day. However, compared to any other "diet" I've tried it's been a really easy transition. I haven't felt like I just want to do this for a few months to lose weight- I feel like I can do this forever, which is what your dieting-mindset is supposed to be.

Anyway, this is getting long. Hopefully someone has some insight. Thanks guys.

There are many people who lose without any/much exercise. We actually discussed this at the meeting yesterday. Plenty of my fellow meeting members didn't exercise. I know that I, personally, gained a good 30 lbs *while* exercising. Another member said that he worked with a trainer for a year. He looked good and was in great shape, but hadn't lost a pound of the fat he was trying to lose. Finally asked the trainer, and the trainer said that weight loss was 95% in the kitchen. I've heard "I lose weight to look good in my clothes; I exercise to look good OUT of my clothes".

I lost shockingly quick/well, too. Before, I was about to go have my thyroid checked to see if that was behind my weight. (turned out that for me what I *thought* was trying to lose weight wasn't trying at all) Just enjoy it! After awhile the early losses will even out. The average will get lower and lower. (and they continue to calculate the average even once you're in maintenance which I think is unfair, LOL)

Dining out...I never have extended family members spring dinner on me, as most live far away. But my husband (who does WW but gets far more points than I do) and DS love to dine out. At the beginning I had to really protect myself from their urges!

Maybe you can slowly build your own menu of items from the places family is most likely to pick, and maybe even go early to talk to the servers/managers about any changes you might be able to make. That way you can be prepared and not leave hungry. Remember that most places are able to leave dressings on the side. That way you can use the method of dipping the fork into the dressing then getting the salad on the fork. It almost always tastes the same, and you use far less dressing. I'm not saying that you're doomed to a life of salads; it's just one example.

This was one of my first days of WW too, so that probably had something to do with my appetite.

When I think back on the first months or so of WW...shudder. I let myself be SO hungry. At that point, almost anything I ate with clear intention was going to be less than I would have eaten before. I let myself go fully into "hangry" (angry from hunger) and to tantrum-land due to lack of preparation and a refusal to give in when I just really really needed something to eat. Once I started preparing better and got less afraid of food (or myself) it got better.

Enjoy this time!


************
Chickened out at yesterday's meeting. Puffy, and had upped my weights and did my first-ever Spin class during the week. Wore street clothes so that IF I decided to get on the scale the weight could be REALLY dramatic LOL. But chickened out. Next week is my official monthly weighin for maintenance/lifetime. I kinda of let myself down by not weighing this week, but I did weigh all the other weekends this month so that's OK.

 

[keahgirl8]

My eating out tips are:

Bring your own salad dressing! I have small dressing to go containers, a balsamic vinegar sprayer, and nonfat dressing packets. I have carried each of those from time to time. If you are in a pinch and don't have it with you, get it on the side and dip your fork. You'll be surprised how little you use this way.

Order lots of veggies. Steamed, or salad with the "goodies" removed. Cheese, croutons, fatty dressings, etc. are where the extra calories/points come from most of the time.

Don't be afraid to make modifications! Dressing/sauce on the side, no butter, light oil, etc. Do what you need to do for you and don't be embarrassed about it!

Portions are usually way too large. Cut everything in half and ask for a container when the food gets there. That way you won't be tempted to pick at it later in the meal. I have even carried a food scale in my purse to weigh my meat. If you don't want to do that, there are plenty of visual tips you can find online that will help you make a good estimate.

You can certainly budget your points for a treat meal, but don't starve yourself all day. You will usually end up binging and feel much worse later.

Congrats on your new start! Keep it up and you can accomplish anything!

 

[JillyBean1899]

You can certainly budget your points for a treat meal, but don't starve yourself all day. You will usually end up binging and feel much worse later.

That's where the "freebie" foods come in. If I know I'm going to eat "bad" that night, I load up on fruit and veggies (and usually a peanut butter to go cup, so I have something to dip apple slices, carrots, and celery in that's not caramel but I can't go overboard because it's a single serve size) during the day. Oh, and Orville Reddenbacher's Smart Pop mini popcorn bags are only 3 points. Those go a long way as a filler snack, too.

Now if I could just get my granddad to stop buying all the junk food that I love .....

 

[myadventurebook]

Thanks for the advice everyone I usually don't have meals sprung on me, but I will definitely try having dressing on the side of a salad next time. That's a good idea.

There are many people who lose without any/much exercise. We actually discussed this at the meeting yesterday. Plenty of my fellow meeting members didn't exercise. I know that I, personally, gained a good 30 lbs *while* exercising. Another member said that he worked with a trainer for a year. He looked good and was in great shape, but hadn't lost a pound of the fat he was trying to lose. Finally asked the trainer, and the trainer said that weight loss was 95% in the kitchen. I've heard "I lose weight to look good in my clothes; I exercise to look good OUT of my clothes".

I lost shockingly quick/well, too. Before, I was about to go have my thyroid checked to see if that was behind my weight. (turned out that for me what I *thought* was trying to lose weight wasn't trying at all) Just enjoy it! After awhile the early losses will even out. The average will get lower and lower. (and they continue to calculate the average even once you're in maintenance which I think is unfair, LOL)

This is so funny because I actually did have my thyroid checked prior to going on WW. I had absolutely nothing wrong, even though I was showing a lot of the symptoms of low thyroid. My doctor's recommendation? WW.

Before WW, I would exercise daily, but eat mostly what I wanted. I ate what I thought was a good calorie range from when I've dieted before, but obviously that's not the way to do it. I'm so glad I started this.

 

[StayCool]

Today was weigh in day. I'm down 1.8 lbs. I was surprised but excited. I've been eating a lot and do not feel deprived at all. I'm giving the credit to the longer runs I'm doing on Sundays. That definitely motivates me to keep going!!

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

Do most of you use the 49 extra points each week? I always go over just a few but really not more than 10 a week. I'm wondering if I should try to use more. Thanks, I'm just curious what the consensus is.

 

[StayCool]

Do most of you use the 49 extra points each week? I always go over just a few but really not more than 10 a week. I'm wondering if I should try to use more. Thanks, I'm just curious what the consensus is.

This is one of those questions that you will get a lot of different answers to. Some people use every single point coming to them. Others barely dip into them. Before I started exercising I did not use all of my points. I would dip into them kind of like you are. Here and there depending on the day. If I had used them all, I probably would not have lost anything. Now I am committed to running 3 days a week and trying to do a day of cardio, I could not imagine not using them. I would be miserable. Best advice is experiment with them and see what works for you.

 

[rlbklein]

I know that every other Friday we go to Red Lobster for lunch. I get the Sailor's platter (grilled fish, shrimp scampi, fried shrimp) and it's a 7 pointer. 2 Sides of grilled veggies and a biscuit and my meal is a 13. Not the best, but not horrible, either, especially since some of the things on that menu are 35 points

Are those numbers correct? It seems extremely low to me. How are you calculating? Because if it's correct, then I'm gonna ask hubby to take me to Red Lobster!!!

 

[StayCool]

I just wanted to comment on the thyroid thing. About 6 years ago I was considering gastric bypass surgery (and was one of those people that had not tried, but anyway) and part of it was having my thyroid checked. I found out that I was hypothyroid and the surgeon refused to do anything until I was stabilized on medication. I've been on it for years now and it didn't matter as far as weight control. I am still overweight and it is all due to the food I put in my mouth. Thyroid can impact weight loss but it *usually* is more of what we eat. Just my 2 cents.

 

[myadventurebook]

I just wanted to comment on the thyroid thing. About 6 years ago I was considering gastric bypass surgery (and was one of those people that had not tried, but anyway) and part of it was having my thyroid checked. I found out that I was hypothyroid and the surgeon refused to do anything until I was stabilized on medication. I've been on it for years now and it didn't matter as far as weight control. I am still overweight and it is all due to the food I put in my mouth. Thyroid can impact weight loss but it *usually* is more of what we eat. Just my 2 cents.

I was trying to lose weight for a few months before going on WW. Looking back on it, I wasn't going about it correctly and that's why I wasn't losing. I was indulging in too many snacks and adult beverages. However, at the time it seemed like something was wrong.

My mom has low thyroid and has trouble losing weight even though she eats like a bird, so she thought that might have been the problem. That, plus my gyno suspected a problem years ago and I never had it checked out. I also have a lot of other symptoms of low thyroid, like constant fatigue, hair falling out, brittle nails, etc. I still have all of those other than the fatigue for the most part.

My mom encouraged me to get it looked at, and I'm glad I did because it was the final push that made me realize I was the problem- not some phantom health issue.

 

[StayCool]

My mom encouraged me to get it looked at, and I'm glad I did because it was the final push that made me realize I was the problem- not some phantom health issue.

I understand that feeling. When I found out I was hypothyroid my first thought was along the lines of "well I will start taking the medicine and I will just lose weight". I did not think for a second that it was my fault. In my case it was totally my fault. I was eating tons of high fat foods and drinking gas station cappuccinos like they were going out of style. It was still years after that diagnosis that I came to the conclusion that *I* had to be the one to do something about it. What can I say? I'm a slow learner. lol

 

[weswife]

Hello!

I enjoyed reading all of the posts! The before and after pics were wonderful! My friend and I joined 2 weeks ago. We could not go last week due to a snow storm... this will be our 1st weigh in but it will be for 2 weeks! We are looking forward to our weigh in. I went to WW about 13 years ago and got to my goal weight... the most wonderful feeling! I am back at it at the highest weight I have ever been. My friend has never went... she is desperately trying to conceive a baby the doctor recommended she lose weight. Even 10% increases her chances! So, we are waiting for 530 to come! I hope to lose 70 lbs. This will not make me super skinny by any means but I will feel comfortable with my body. My goal weight would be to lose 90-100 lbs. EEeeekkkk! Anyway, looking forward to the progress. My DH took my pic 2 weeks ago and I will continue with the pics

 

[myadventurebook]

I understand that feeling. When I found out I was hypothyroid my first thought was along the lines of "well I will start taking the medicine and I will just lose weight". I did not think for a second that it was my fault. In my case it was totally my fault. I was eating tons of high fat foods and drinking gas station cappuccinos like they were going out of style. It was still years after that diagnosis that I came to the conclusion that *I* had to be the one to do something about it. What can I say? I'm a slow learner. lol

Yeah, exactly the same thing here. I'm still learning. I hate exercising, and I am not big into fruits or veggies unless someone sets it down in front of me (lazy). I feel lucky that I lost any weight at all to be honest. I wish I was more motivated, but it's hard because my boyfriend eats so much junk food and is really skinny/underweight so I become the green eyed monster and just want to do what he's doing.

 

[GAGirlInVA]

I'm up 1.2 but it wasn't unexpected.

I'm having some stomach issues after my surgery 2 weeks ago. (Constipation, lack of appetite, etc)

So I'm not too terribly worried about it. I am also under a good bit of stress right now so I've tended to snack a bit more than usual.

Things should settle a bit this week, so I think I'll be good. I'm also completely cleared so I can go back to the gym.

Even with this set back I'm down 19 lbs! In 17 weeks!

 

[StayCool]

Yeah, exactly the same thing here. I'm still learning. I hate exercising, and I am not big into fruits or veggies unless someone sets it down in front of me (lazy). I feel lucky that I lost any weight at all to be honest. I wish I was more motivated, but it's hard because my boyfriend eats so much junk food and is really skinny/underweight so I become the green eyed monster and just want to do what he's doing.

I've taken to prepping foods on the weekend for the week so it is easier to grab and go. I still have my days that I do not want to prepare healthy food, but it helps. My husband is overweight but does not care to do anything about it so I can understand the jealousy of watching someone eat whatever they want. This time around I started truly exercising and it makes me feel good. That is my motivation to keep going. That and if I run 3 times a week and cross-train once a week, I can eat more of what I want to eat. It's a trade off.

I'm up 1.2 but it wasn't unexpected.

I'm having some stomach issues after my surgery 2 weeks ago. (Constipation, lack of appetite, etc)

So I'm not too terribly worried about it. I am also under a good bit of stress right now so I've tended to snack a bit more than usual.

Things should settle a bit this week, so I think I'll be good. I'm also completely cleared so I can go back to the gym.

Here's to a better recovery! Hopefully the gym will help lower your stress levels as well. I know I have to work not to eat my emotions sometimes. It's tough.