Weight Watchers Chat

[Sandi]

Hi all! I just found this thread/board, after someone mentioned it over on the Community Board, that's where I spend most of my time Dis'ing, unless I'm actively planning a trip!

Anyway, I started WW eTools on Feb 8th and am down 14 lbs. as of this morning... woo hoo!!

I look forward to keeping up with this thread. I'm not a big "talker", but I love reading others' tips and stuff!

Off topic: We have a trip to Disneyland planned for the end of April... first time in Cali... so excited.. and a little nervous too!!

Welcome Teresa. I've never been to Disneyland -- we're strictly WDW due to time, etc. I'll look forward to hearing about it upon your return.

 

[Sandi]

I just found this thread via the Community Board. I didn't even know it was here, so glad it is. I have been doing WW since the first week of January and am down 18.6 pounds. I weigh in tomorrow and would love to see 1.4 pounds lost. I am looking for low point snacks. I love crunchy and salty more than sweet. I have a few things I like but would love some more ideas as I tire of the same things.

Clauson's pickles! I packed some with my other veggies for my afternoon snack and the pickle juice gave the carrots and celery a nice flavor. I've done that with cauliflower, brocolli, and cucumbers. I also love popcorn. I prefer oil popped popcorn and pop a big batch in canola oil, divide it up into reasonable amounts and have a treat for a few days. Microwave popcorn is good in a pinch -- and has fewer points, but it's just not as tasty.

You've done great at nearly 20 pounds since the beginning of January. Congratulations.

 

[ProudMomTo3Boys]

Clauson's pickles! I packed some with my other veggies for my afternoon snack and the pickle juice gave the carrots and celery a nice flavor. I've done that with cauliflower, brocolli, and cucumbers. I also love popcorn. I prefer oil popped popcorn and pop a big batch in canola oil, divide it up into reasonable amounts and have a treat for a few days. Microwave popcorn is good in a pinch -- and has fewer points, but it's just not as tasty.

You've done great at nearly 20 pounds since the beginning of January. Congratulations.

Thank you!!! This isn't my first go around but it seems to be working this time, I really think its the fruit. I do love pickles, I am going to try that for my 3pm snack. That seems to be the time when I get the munchies.

 

[brookelizabeth]

I am one who loves the crunchy/salty/savory treats too. I like baked chips or Quaker Delights cheese flavor rice cakes - they are almost like a cheeto.

This afternoon was ROUGH for me. I went over my points. I meant to make a big side of veggies for lunch, but was exhausted and not feeling 100%, so I went the easy route...ugh.

Tomorrow WILL be better.

 

[disbabyndaddy]

My 10-week pass ran out yesterday so I decided that instead of renewing it I'd try weight watchers online! It was getting me so down to be gaining/maintaining and then have to try to explain it to the leader every week (my trainer said I should expect to see up to 3 pounds gained a week while my body is adjusting to the new workout and strength exercises). Plus, now I have extra time on Mondays to exercise and not worry about having to rush off to the meeting. Crossing my fingers this was an ok choice!

That's why I chose to do online and being a meetings member never even crossed my mind as an option...meetings can probably be nice sometimes but it seems like such a hassle to rush to meetings etc!

Exactly! I attended meetings years ago and found it difficult to commit to the same day/time each week. Now, I LOVE the online membership! First, it is lost less expensive, and I can "meet" with myself and read the WW website articles whenever I want. Tracking is also super-easy online! Plus, I set my own weigh-in day and time. (Mine is Friday morning before breakfast.)

I think you'll enjoy it. Keep up the great work!

 

[disbabyndaddy]

I decided to point out my normal pre-Weight Watchers Panera lunch and came up with 27 PointsPlus . No wonder I'm fat

I've done that -- OMG! I find PP values for restaurant meals I used to enjoy (and still would) and think "OH, dear lord...what was I thinking???" I'm so committed to losing on WW this time, I can't even consider ordering them anymore.

That made me LOL. Our anniversary is next weekend and we have gift cards to Outback so we will probably go there. A blooming onion is 42 points, now that is for the whole thing but yikes! I think the steak is like 32 and the baked potato with butter and sour cream is 15? And that's not even counting salad or bread!! I need to figure out a plan but I am having some blooming onion, that is not an option to skip!

I luuuuuuurve bloomin' onions...especially the sauce. 42 POINTS??? Crazy. Agreed that they're not an option to skip! Just plan well and have a taste.

Reporting back after returning from our 2 weeks at the World.

......

So....overall...I was nervous about the scale. I knew I had walked a TON. But I was also eating stuff I normally didn't-like candy galore!

The scale was 3 pounds up the morning after we got back.

Not bad!

And two days later, 2.6 of it has already disappeared!

Congratulations! I'm positive I've gained at least five pounds during any vacation I've taken in my adult life. AND to have much of it disappear so quickly?? Cool!

I lost 1.4 pounds. I am now 2 pounds from my goal! Man, I am so glad to be past that plateau I was on for weeks.

Congrats!! That's fantastic! Be very proud of yourself.

Hi all! I just found this thread/board, after someone mentioned it over on the Community Board, that's where I spend most of my time Dis'ing, unless I'm actively planning a trip!

Anyway, I started WW eTools on Feb 8th and am down 14 lbs. as of this morning... woo hoo!!

I look forward to keeping up with this thread. I'm not a big "talker", but I love reading others' tips and stuff!

Off topic: We have a trip to Disneyland planned for the end of April... first time in Cali... so excited.. and a little nervous too!!

Welcome aboard! I enjoy hearing about everyone's successes and find this thread extremely motivating and rewarding.

My DH and I went to Disneyland last September for the first time (after three years of going to WDW) and LOVED it!!! We're WDW people, but DL park was -- overall -- our favorite Disney park of all. SO charming and the original where Walt walked. You can't beat that!

Have a great rest-of-your-week, everyone!

 

[JOANNEL]

Hi all! I just joined last friday. I have been fighting the weight battle my entire life. I am going to be 53 in June and I just can't seem to lose any on my own any more. So i figured I need to be accountable to some one else!!

I am having a hard time with as many points as they have given me. It seems like way too much food.

 

[Sandi]

Hi all! I just joined last friday. I have been fighting the weight battle my entire life. I am going to be 53 in June and I just can't seem to lose any on my own any more. So i figured I need to be accountable to some one else!!

I am having a hard time with as many points as they have given me. It seems like way too much food.

The points seem like a lot at the beginning, but you'll find that you'll be using the weekly points within a few weeks. It is a good idea to figure out how to use your points throughout the day. Don't shortchange your breakfast and make sure to figure in snacks. How many points do you have per day to start?

 

[JOANNEL]

The points seem like a lot at the beginning, but you'll find that you'll be using the weekly points within a few weeks. It is a good idea to figure out how to use your points throughout the day. Don't shortchange your breakfast and make sure to figure in snacks. How many points do you have per day to start?

I have 35 points. I had a banana and a ww muffin for breakfast. 3.

Lunch- side salad w/ grilled chicken and vinegearette.How ever you spell that.6 points,

Snack- a fiber one bar 4. pts

Lean cuisine dinner- 8 pts.

Pineapple-0

I am so used to starving on diets that it seems weird to eat more!!

 

[cepmom]

I have 35 points. I had a banana and a ww muffin for breakfast. 3.

Lunch- side salad w/ grilled chicken and vinegearette.How ever you spell that.6 points,

Snack- a fiber one bar 4. pts

Lean cuisine dinner- 8 pts.

Pineapple-0

I am so used to starving on diets that it seems weird to eat more!!

Welcome! you want to make sure to get in the good health guidelines; 2 - 3 dairy servings per day, at least 5 fruits/veg, 2 tsp healthy oil, 6+ servings of liquids, whole grains, lean proteins. Meeting these guidelines will use up more of your points.

 

[JOANNEL]

What does your meal plan for a normal day look like?

 

[sjms71]

Hi everyone!
Reporting back after returning from our 2 weeks at the World. This is the first, and only, thread I have caught up on so far! I made sure to get RIGHT back on plan, last time a trip to the World kick started the downward spiral for me from WW. My grocery cart was lookin' good on Sunday night when I re-stocked our cabinets, and I was happy to pass up all the temptations that I have let myself have while on vacation.

Eating at the World had good times, and bad. I know I was too full several times, but I often shared meals, or didn't finish them. I tried to choose wisely many times (not always though!) I also polished off an ENTIRE bag of jelly beans and sour cheery balls by myself during those two weeks. (and yes, they were the "Family Size"!)

Exercise consisted of walking (obviously!), swimming, dancing with my DS, we rented a surrey bike one day, and despite my good-intentions, only one work out in the gym. (I posted after that workout, I did a 5k! )

So....overall...I was nervous about the scale. I knew I had walked a TON. But I was also eating stuff I normally didn't-like candy galore!

The scale was 3 pounds up the morning after we got back.

Not bad!

And two days later, 2.6 of it has already disappeared!

I'm hoping that trend continues and my WI on Friday will either be the same as pre-Disney, or lower.



We are DVC members and can pick and choose our dining plans. We had one night of QSDP, one of DDP and one of DxDDP. The DxDDP night we had Chef Mickeys, Teppan Edo and Kona. The only meal I felt like I was overfull on was Kona. I think I would have felt that way even without the appetizer-I had the steak and it's HUGE! I didn't even half of it even! The DDP night we had the Play & Dine breakfast at Hollywood and Vine. I liked doing the buffets while on the DDP because I still felt like I got my money's worth, but could also control the amount of food on my plate. So, if you are doing the DDP-try for the buffets. They always have healthy options and you are more in control.

Teppan Edo seemed pretty healthy - I know they use oil, but at least there are vegetables. I echo someone else's suggestion of Sunshine Seasons. Flame Tree has some decent options too. At the Poly CS there are steamed vegetables as a side option, and they are YUMMY. If I remember anything else that stood out as a good option, I will post.

I didn't keep track of my Activity Points, but I tried to add in extra exercise whenever I could. I purposely chose myself as the FastPass runner. When we went swimming, I SWAM, not just played around with DS. I volunteered to run errands as we needed them, etc.



It was BUSY! Our last couple days were intense with teenagers. We were on the monorail and we were the only family on there! Surrounded by teens!

I hope despite all the people, you are having a fantastic time!!!

Welcome back, glad to hear you had a great time. We have a few days left. However, I feel my come back will be not as good as yours.

I had to do my WI this morning because I have business meeting lunches scheduled for the next couple of days. I went to a meeting this morning that my Wednesday noon leader leads. I love her.

I lost 1.4 pounds. I am now 2 pounds from my goal! Man, I am so glad to be past that plateau I was on for weeks.

Sandi, that is AWESOME I am so happy for you and proud of you!!

My dream is to stay at a Deluxe, but I don't see it happening anytime soon - maybe once I get me older two through college , so for now we are "Pop Century" people

I was thinking about AKL for the Princess Marathon in February since that will be a short trip. We are getting annual passes, so maybe with that discount I could do it!!!

We are POP/Moderate people too but like Sandi said with AP's this trip it was cheaper to stay at a Moderate than a value. Haven't tried any of the deluxes yet but, would love to.

Quoting my own thread ...

Down 2.6 at this morning's weigh-in, for a total of 18.8 . Slow and steady wins the race, right?

Panera was delicious - decided to go with a bowl of brocolli cheddar soup with a piece of french baguette on the side. Very filling (and delicious) and only cost me 12 points.

My next set of mini-goals are as follows:

I have 4 more weeks left until I fill my current weigh-in booklet and get a new one. I would like to hit 20 pounds (need 1.2 more) and would like to hit my 10% (need 3.2 more) before my booklet runs out.

That averages out to a little less than 1 pound per week. I tend to have a "stay the same week", followed by a " less than a pound week", followed by a "two and change week". So, we'll see. One week at a time ...

Still planning on getting that Chamilia bracelet when I hit 25 pounds .

- Laura

Good job Laura!

 

[sjms71]

WELCOME to all our newbies. Looking forward to getting to know you all.

 

[natashag76]

Wow!!! Lots of new people - how exciting

Welcome

 

[dthogue]

Morning WW Friends,

Welcome to our new friends - you will find lots of support here - we cheer together and pick each other up after a tough day - its a great group!

Today's a busy day from me - I work 7-3, then 3:30-9:30 at my DD's dance school - makes for a long day! It's rainy here today and very dark this morning, I just want to go back to bed!

Hope everyone have a good day and good luck to anyone weighing in today!

 

[Sandi]

What does your meal plan for a normal day look like?

Take a look at the first book where they break out breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for the various point values. They make some pretty decent suggestions.

There are a few people who will post what they ate in a particular day to try to give us some ideas to change things up. If you go back through the thread, those posts are there. I get 29 points and my typical day will be:

Breakfast:
Light & Fit yogurt -- 2
1/3 cup oatmeal -- 2

Snack:
Either fruit or veggies -- 0

Lunch:
A Lean Cuisine meal -- varies, but usually about 7 points
Salad with Kraft FF dressing -- 1 point

Snack:
Fruit -- 0
Sometimes yogurt -- 2-3

Dinner:
Chicken breast (3 oz) -- 3
potato or brown rice -- 5
fresh veggie (brocolli, green beans) -- 0
olive oil on veggie -- 1-2

Snack:
Multigrain Wheat Thins -- 4
Laughing Cow Cheese (low fat) -- 1
Skim Milk -- 2

That's about 32 points there and sometimes it's not enough. As cepmom said, you really need to work in dairy and oil to what you're doing and those are pretty high in points -- but necessary.

I also get activity points 5-6 days a week. I run and take a Zumba class. So I usually get about 25-30 APs a week. I frequently don't break into those points, but this past week I had to. I still lost weight.

 

[Sandi]

Joanne and others,
I just noticed that there is a good article on the WW website about using all your points. It was addressing JOANNEL's question. I've copied and pasted it here:

It’s true: Some people have told us that they’re finding it hard to meet their daily PointsPlus Target. If you can relate, read on.
It’d be all too easy to be flippant when we heard people complaining that they were finding it hard to reach their daily PointsPlus Target. Indeed, when a couple of people posed this problem on the Message Boards, some posters met the pleas with a slightly envious, “I wish I had that problem!" tone.

But when we read the Message Boards post below, we knew a few tips were in order:

"No matter how hard I try I can not get in all my PointsPlus for a day. When I do, I feel so overstuffed and uncomfortable. Should I go back to eating low-fat foods, instead of fat-free? Please help me out with a few tips that I may be overlooking."

PointsPlus values: The math
First, let’s look at the nutritional math behind your daily Target. There is a minimum number of PointsPlus values — 29 — that experts agree should be consumed in order to meet basic nutritional needs. Don’t go trying to figure out what the equivalent number of calories is; the PointsPlus formula comprises carbs, protein, fiber and fat, which all make up a calorie. Instead, we look at the amount of these macronutrients you need to make the right nutrition available for your body, and, ta-daa: There’s your 29.

So, who’s struggling? We’ve asked a few of them to tell us a bit more about themselves, and what they’re eating. We saw more than a couple of people who’d had to adjust from eating 18 POINTS® values per day under the old Plan, to 29 PointsPlus values under the new one. That’s more than a 50% increase.

Now, let’s look at why that increase might be so hard to deal with. Under the old program, a banana cost the same number of POINTS values as a 100-calorie pack of cookies: 2.

When our person — who’s used to not having a huge number of POINTS values to play with —realizes the banana has 0 PointsPlus values when it used to cost them around 2 POINTS values, then it obviously looks like a better option than the cookies, which now have 3 PointsPlus values on average. They eat the banana, their hunger is sated and they’ve got as many PointsPlus values to eat as they had before their filling snack.

This is normally a great thing, and exactly what we hoped would happen on the new program! But we have seen people who have stopped eating their favorite snacks altogether — the 100-calorie pack of cookies, granola bars, pretzels, anything with PointsPlus values — even when they have PointsPlus values to spare for these items. We’ll always encourage you to eat fruit because it’s healthy; but we emphatically discourage you from depriving yourself of other foods you like, especially when you can “afford" the PointsPlus values for them.

The Power Food "bargains"
Another potential reason people are struggling to meet their Target is by focusing entirely on the “bargains." Some foods — especially lean proteins — are the same number of PointsPlus values than they were POINTS values. Most carb-heavy foods (whether they’re “good" carbs like whole grains or “bad" ones like white bread) have gone up. And that’s exactly why we also raised the daily PointsPlus Target.

If you change the way you eat to limit yourself to the foods that are the same, then of course you’re trying to eat more food than before. So it follows that you might either be struggling to eat the 29, or even that you might be struggling to lose weight or maintain at the rate you’re used to.

Remember: Grains and starches play a vital role in overall nutritional health, and shouldn’t be avoided. You should be choosing foods that will give you a healthy, varied diet; not those that allow you to stash as many PointsPlus values away as you can.

Fat facts
The same goes for fat. Our Message Boards poster wondered if she should go back to eating low-fat rather than all fat-free foods. If you’re eating low-fat or fat-free versions of everything and still struggling to reach 29 PointsPlus values, then yes, consider making some switches. If you’re eating a cup of Greek yogurt, the fat-free version will cost 3 PointsPlus values, while the 2% version will bump it up to 4. You’re not eating anything bad for you; just a creamier version of your high-protein snack.

At the bare minimum, do ensure you’re getting the two servings of healthy oils every day, as recommended by our Good Health Guidelines. And while we don’t recommend glugging glasses of the extra virgin, an extra teaspoon of olive oil on your salad or in your pasta sauce (you are still eating pasta, right?) won’t hurt.

The big picture
Still struggling to figure out how to get to the 29? A story from the meeting room illustrates brilliantly the disconnect that can seem to occur between both halves of the brain. Let’s call her Maggie. (Not her real name, of course.) This is what she told her Leader:

“Most of the things I eat didn’t change from POINTS to PointsPlus values, or they now have zero PointsPlus values. OK, my Kashi bar has gone up, but I don’t eat those anymore. You’ve given my 29 of these PointsPlus values, and I can only make it to 20. Help!"

As her Leader tells it, she heard the “Zzzzzzccrch" record scratch when Maggie said she didn’t eat the Kashi bar anymore. Maggie had thought the program was trying to absolutely discourage her from eating it by raising the PointsPlus values.

What the program is actually trying to do is to give you room for indulgences (that’s what your extra weekly PointsPlus Allowance is for!) while helping you make healthy decisions about your day-to-day food. As Maggie’s Leader elaborates: “We’ve seen that some of the people who aren’t losing weight, or who are feeling too full to reach their Targets, are depriving themselves. They’re eating monastically. It can be hard to loosen up, but that’s what it means to have a balanced life. Come on — we want to see some wine in those glasses."

 

[vickalamode]

My aunt brought over a plate full of home-made brownies for us because my dad did her a favor...they were on the counter and I'll admit I had one last night (and counted it, too!). This morning while I was making breakfast I grabbed one...but then I thought to myself "NO" and put it back-and promptly took the whole plate of them and put them on my dad's dresser so that they wouldn't tempt me! He's skinny...I'm not, he can have the brownies lol. So that's my NSV for today!

Also, this week I was planning on using my WP for corn beef & cabbage (probably my favorite holiday meal...yep better than Thanksgiving!). My dad made it on Monday and there were plenty of leftovers for Tuesday. Didn't use many of my pp during the day on Mon/Tues so I got to stuff myself full of corn beef and cabbage both nights! Only dipped into my WP by 5 points for both days. Corn Beef sure is point spendy though...used 15pp just on that each day! (Plus some more for the sides lol)

 

[DWGal210]

Hi all - joining in here!! Just joined WW online today. I need to lose about 100lbs.

My main "complaint" with WW was using lots of prepared, pre packaged, preservative laden food. So I might eat less but I'd rather spend more points on a more natural food than "save" with fat free or low fat - some of that FF stuff is terrible for people.

I'm glad to see a WW community - I'll be lurking, maybe ppaying too!!

 

[mommykds]

Weigh in tomorrow. I have been "peeking" over the week & I am down so fingers crossed for tomorrow.

Love reading everyones posts.

Sandi,
Thanks for posting that article.