Weight Watchers newbie - tips, forum???

[busy mom]

Just starting out with WW and looking for some tips to get me started...please share any forums you have had success with, or any basic information for a WW newbie.

 

[Our 2 Princesses]

dwlz.com is a great site. It even lists points for most restaurant chains! I really like WW and it is the only program that helps me lose weight successfully. Now if I could only make myself track at least a few days a week...

 

[Soulsearching]

This really works for me.


Breakfast: Chobani Greek Yogurt and fruit

Snack: Carrots, celery, cucumbers

Lunch: Big salad with sliced chicken, feta, craisins, nuts (measure out the amount) dressing

Snack: Fruit

Dinner: Protien, lots vegtables, rice (sometimes I don't have a starch for dinner, so I can have some rice cakes later on while watching t.v.)

Dessert: fruit over jello

 

[Zhoen]

Hop on down to the W.I.S.H part of this site and you'll find WW support groups as well as frequent "biggest loser" challenges.

Weight watchers absolutely works if you follow it honestly. Good luck, take good care of yourself!

 

[bumbershoot]

Definitely join the WISH forum thread. Get ready to be overwhelmed...


Also, the WW forums are helpful. Sarcastic and cliquey, but helpful once you sift through that. (of course, belonging to the dis helps you get used to that) I've found out info there that the meetings don't even touch.


If you're going to search around online for points values, make SURE you are getting *points PLUS* values, not just Points. Different programs.

Eat all your points. Make sure you know what the Good Health Guidelines are and plan your days around those. While starting out, why not eat all of your Weekly 49 points on top of your Dailies? Seems odd to eat more, but many people are able to eat them all and *still lose*, so why not make it easier and more satisfying for yourself? After a few weeks you'll see if you aren't losing, and at that point you can cut out some Weeklies, but you won't know unless you eat them! Those are words I wish I had heard back in February, because it's SCARY to ADD points! Last week and this week I'm seeing what happens if I eat my Activity Points, too. Terrifying!


Oh, activity points! The tracker overestimates them. So if you are going to eat the APs try to make sure you're really earning THAT many APs. Most find it good to buy a heart rate monitor (the accurate kind with a chest strap), then divide the calories burned during a workout by 80 to get the APs for that workout. Old-school people divide it by 100, but most now use 80.


Read your materials! Read them again! Wait a day, go through them again! There is a wealth of info in your materials (if you are online only, your info will be online...if you are a meetings member, it's in your Meet Points Plus book and the booklets you get each week...even if you have a Monthly Pass with meetings, you don't get the plan material online), but the info hides. Read read and read them some more!


OK I think that's enough for now.

 

[Missymouse18]

I am a WW member since 2009. I find the "simply filling" really works well for me!! I lost several pounds in 2009 on the points plus and kept it off with the exception of a 10 pound weight gain after my recent marriage. I am a fairly small lady so 10 extra pounds looks like a lot on me and I wanted it off FAST. The simply filling was exactly what I needed and have lost 7 so far. I do the points every other day and do simply filling the other days. I especially love that I can have all the ff yogurt, ff cottage cheese and ff dressings that I want without having to count points on the days that I do simply filling. Good luck to you!! Let us know how you are progressing!

 

[Missymouse18]

Definitely join the WISH forum thread. Get ready to be overwhelmed...


Also, the WW forums are helpful. Sarcastic and cliquey, but helpful once you sift through that. (of course, belonging to the dis helps you get used to that) I've found out info there that the meetings don't even touch.


If you're going to search around online for points values, make SURE you are getting *points PLUS* values, not just Points. Different programs.

Eat all your points. Make sure you know what the Good Health Guidelines are and plan your days around those. While starting out, why not eat all of your Weekly 49 points on top of your Dailies? Seems odd to eat more, but many people are able to eat them all and *still lose*, so why not make it easier and more satisfying for yourself? After a few weeks you'll see if you aren't losing, and at that point you can cut out some Weeklies, but you won't know unless you eat them! Those are words I wish I had heard back in February, because it's SCARY to ADD points! Last week and this week I'm seeing what happens if I eat my Activity Points, too. Terrifying!


Oh, activity points! The tracker overestimates them. So if you are going to eat the APs try to make sure you're really earning THAT many APs. Most find it good to buy a heart rate monitor (the accurate kind with a chest strap), then divide the calories burned during a workout by 80 to get the APs for that workout. Old-school people divide it by 100, but most now use 80.


Read your materials! Read them again! Wait a day, go through them again! There is a wealth of info in your materials (if you are online only, your info will be online...if you are a meetings member, it's in your Meet Points Plus book and the booklets you get each week...even if you have a Monthly Pass with meetings, you don't get the plan material online), but the info hides. Read read and read them some more!


OK I think that's enough for now.

And I would echo every bit of this advice! I have only "cashed in" my activity points once. I have not ever considered adding the 49 to my daily points (never thought of it actually but it sounds like it could work!), but once on a simply filling day I deducted 2 from the 49 that I was saving for a weekend pig out.

 

[StephMK]

Are you doing it online or going to meetings? I find that I do best if I attend meetings and start slipping a little if I miss a week. If you are attending, try a few to find a leader that you click with. I LOVE the leader of my usual night. She's hilarious & just has such an easy way about her.

I've lost 11 so far but have hit a stall, mostly of my own doing - not tracking everything & being home too much = making wrong choices. WW has worked for me in the past and it helps me to know that nothing is off limits, it just has to be worked into the program.

 

[vicky33006]

I love WW! I have lost 45 lbs so far and am hoping to finish by losing the last 35 before we go to Disney in March. I think it's great though my weight loss has slowed down significantly. It's tough but so worth it! Good luck!

 

[Lucille1963]

I love the iPhone app for calculating and tracking points!

 

[princessnoelly]

I am a life time member of WW- most recently last 33 lbs last year. The best advice I can give is to count your points! Use your DPT (don't under eat!), ask for tips, try several different meetings if your schedule allows to find a fun leader and meeting.
WW has great programs and an easy to follow program. I love my etools and use them daily. However, I still go to at least one meeting a month (great tips!) and track my meals. WW isn't a diet it's a life style change- plus FREE FRUIT!!!!

I still hit slumps (gained a pound in the last month- had a great vacation!) but I know that if I go back to the basics and weigh and measure my food I will be successful.

Good Luck!

 

[mickey&minnie4ever]

I have done WW before and did very good. I need to start back. Can anyone tell me how to decide how many point plus I should get. I can not afford to go to WW due to not working. Thanks

 

[busy mom]

Thank you for the tips, keep them coming!!!

 

[mdsoccermom]

I have done WW before and did very good. I need to start back. Can anyone tell me how to decide how many point plus I should get. I can not afford to go to WW due to not working. Thanks

You can sign up and do it on line with etools. It's less expensive that way. When you do it online, they'll assign you the points based on your weight.

 

[ErinC]

I have done WW in the past and it worked well for me (several years ago). This time around I'm just counting calories. I've lost 38 pounds so far. I just wanted to share my favorite recipe site. She calculates calories and WW point values for everything. I love her recipes and feel like I can eat some "normal" food most days. The website is

www.skinnytaste.com

hope this helps, and good luck with your weightloss!

 

[sydneysmom]

we also LOVE www.skinnytaste.com and www.hungrygirl.com . I have found that I make more recipes from these sites than anything out of WW.

One tip.....use your fruit !! I was so excited when PP let you eat fruit for 0 points... it was AWESOME. for breakfast I have an "egg mug" w/ 1/2c of egg beaters whites mixed w/ 1/2 c egg beaters, some spinach and one wedge of Laughing cow cheese. (a staple items in our house) I'll have some pineapple and grapes, a bagel thin (dry) with one piece of sliced ham. The whole breakfast comes to 6 points plus. for all that food!!!


subscribe to Hungry Girl emails... they give you great tips for what you can get at the grocery store w/ the points plus. Her whole show/books/website is geared towards "a girl's gotta eat!"... she's funny and her stuff is fantastic.

Good luck... once you get going, you're going to find it's the EASIEST "lifestyle change" (we don't say diet) ever!!!!