Weight watchers with non-diet food

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

I've now lost more than 120 pounds on WW. I'm not "rabid" about my points and I do not eat a lot of processed/packaged/diet foods.

I don't buy diet soda -- did that before and after reading, decided it was awful for me and that if I HAD to have a soda, I'd drink coke made with sugar (or Pepsi throwback). I have soda once in a blue moon now, not daily. Mostly when I go to the movies.

Cheeses -- I don't buy much in the way of processed (or soft) cheeses. I tend to buy whole and brick which is much better for you.

Bread -- I don't eat much of it. What I do eat, I buy from a local baker and it is high fiber, whole grain without preservatives. I eat maybe 4 slices per week (2 as toast and 2 as a sandwich. Instead of using bread, I often use lettuce to make lettuce wraps.

I do the points method, becuase that's what I started out with. I have 30 pounds to go to get to my goal and while my weight loss is slower now, I feel great.

Good luck to you. It's hard to lose weight and keep it off. What I've tried to do are sustainable changes that make sense (including getting a single scoop of ice cream every week -- my weakness!)

KC

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

Ok, I have a question and I really am wanting to know. I hear people, not a lot but some, talk about how they have trouble eating their points for the day. I do find it very hard to believe that if you can't eat anymore than those points without being full, you wouldn't be over weight to begin with, unless maybe you have a really, really, really slow metabolism.

I don't do WW anymore, but I have, and I drop weight like crazy eating only my points. I starve, but the weight falls off. So I guess I just don't see how people say that they can't eat them all. Maybe my metabolism is just very high. I really am curious and I am not trying to be mean about it, I just don't get it, I really don't.

In my case weight watchers changed how I ate. Before I very rarely ate fruits and vegetables and ate breads and pasta all the time. Chocolate (or some other form of sugar) was eaten with every meal.

Now I eat fruits and vegetables all the time (with every meal and snack) and most of them have 0 points value so I fill up with them. Sugar is now a once a day treat and bread and pasta is one serving per meal.

I could easily eat my points each day if I went back to my old eating habits but WW (I do the meetings) has given me the ability to pick foods that will fill me up without filling me out.

 

[MeeskaMomma]

I used weight watchers to lose the baby weight. I am not a fan of diet and processed foods and never bought a single ww food even though they push them pretty hard. I was able to work the program successfully. I think I had lost sight of good portion control and ww helped with this.

I will be honest, I also started taking long walks after I had my son and this may have contributed as much if not more to my weight loss than ww.

I would definitely give it a try, just don't feel pressure to change what you eat if you are already eating healthy foods.

 

[ski_mom]

Why don't you just count calories instead of doing some program? Join a site like My Fitness Pal and just count your calories and keep track of your macros. However, I do suggest you find "In Place of a Road Map" on My Fitness Pal instead of using the automatic settings. Often the automatic settings will set your calories below your BMR which is unhealthy in the long run.

The reason I prefer MFP is because it doesn't push any sort of eating. It is very easy to do and makes you look at things besides calories. You are not made to feel "bad" about your food choices. I would NEVER eat just egg whites because all the healthy fat, most of the micros, and almost half the protein is in the yolk. I just account for it in my calories! No hassle!

If you do decide to do MFP then message me and I can help you set it up.

I have used My Fitness Pal on and off and I'm trying to get back on right now!

What is the "In place of a road map" that you are talking about. I searched for it on their website and don't see anything about that.

I need all the help I can get though and I know tracking is what works for me, so I need to get back on it!

 

[LilyWDW]

I have used My Fitness Pal on and off and I'm trying to get back on right now!

What is the "In place of a road map" that you are talking about. I searched for it on their website and don't see anything about that.

I need all the help I can get though and I know tracking is what works for me, so I need to get back on it!

It is actually a post on their forums that explains your BMR, TDEE, and how to figure out a healthy amount of calories for weight loss. The biggest issue with MFP and many sites like it is that when it gives you a calorie amount, it often has you eating under your BMR which is the amount of calories you burn even if you never got out of bed. It is the base amount that your body needs to function. As such, eating under it for an extended period of time can be unhealthy and lead to a lack of weight loss.

That is one thing many people trying to lose weight do not understand. Eating too FEW calories is as unhealthy as eating too many. 99% of people do NOT and should not eat only 1200 calories a day.

I will send you a PM with the link.

 

[lsyorke]

I would like to try it as would my husband, but I want to remain eating "real" food rather than things that have been modified. Has anyone done this? Thanks!

Yes, it's very possible. I lost 44 pounds on weight watchers in 7 months, and I don't "do" diet foods. Real food, realistic portions makes it very easy. Portion control is key!

 

[shortbun]

OP, I'm with you!!! We rarely eat processed food, never eat fake sweeteners. Food should be fresh, whole and free of hidden chemicals, insecticided and so forth. Portion control, exersize and water are your friends. I like to eat local and seasonal as much as possible although I admit to buying organic foods from elsewhere if I have to. Squash, apples, potatoes and meat would get boring all winter here in Ohio. Thank goodness I learned to can and freeze when I was a young girl. Good luck on your mission to lose weight. Go for a walk.

 

[LuvinLucifer]

Weight watchers offers a ton of recipes for those who don't want to eat their pre-packaged food. This cookbook is one of my favorites. It includes a lot of meat, whole grain, and vegetable dishes:

http://www.amazon.com/Weight-Watchers-All-Time-Favorites-Best-Ever/dp/0470169990/ref=cm_lmf_tit_9

 

[BlovesC]

The entire reason why WW radically changed their entire program into the "Points Plus" program is because people were cheating the system with diet foods. The formula to calculate points used to be something most could do in their head, and many made junk food lower in points by dumping fiber additives into it.

You used to be able to eat a slew of "100 calorie" packs of chips and cookies, hit your point target for the day, and lose weight quickly. But it wasn't healthy, and it wasn't sustainable. With the new program, junk food, sugary items, and items with lots of carbs cost FAR more points than they used to, while vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins cost much less (or nothing). There is a very strong emphasis on "REAL" food now. Do they still sell a ton of crappy, processed food under the WW brand? Of course, because we don't live in a world where people will choose health over convenience 100% of the time. But those items are not meant to be the basis of our diet.

As for obsessing over points...well, yes, that's kind of normal. When you're committed to changing how you eat and losing weight, whether you're counting calories, fat, carbs, or points, you're going to be constantly tallying and calculating.

 

[LuvinLucifer]

The entire reason why WW radically changed their entire program into the "Points Plus" program is because people were cheating the system with diet foods. The formula to calculate points used to be something most could do in their head, and many made junk food lower in points by dumping fiber additives into it.

Yes! The entire low-carb revolution radically changed the way the field of nutrition and diet industry looked at food. We now know it's not as simple as calories in vs. calories out. Weight watchers has started catching up to this. The program is more complete than it was in the '90s.

 

[GusGus77]

Weight watchers offers a ton of recipes for those who don't want to eat their pre-packaged food. This cookbook is one of my favorites. It includes a lot of meat, whole grain, and vegetable dishes:

http://www.amazon.com/Weight-Watchers-All-Time-Favorites-Best-Ever/dp/0470169990/ref=cm_lmf_tit_9

But aren't the way the points are calculated in this book different than how they are now so the points would be different?

 

[tcufrog]

It's easy to calculate points using their website or mobile app.

 

[GusGus77]

Part of my concern is I do not have a smart phone, so I can't do anything on a phone for calculating things.

 

[Freesia123]

What I love about ww is that you can eat any way you want but it tells you when to STOP. I need someone to hit me over the head with a brick to make me stop. Journaling and meetings focus me into respecting concrete limits.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

Part of my concern is I do not have a smart phone, so I can't do anything on a phone for calculating things.

You do not need the phone to track points. You can access it all online plus they give you a book when you join that has the majority of everyday foods and their point values so you don't even need to track electronically if you don't want to.