Who does Weight Watchers?

T

thea77

Cathlete
Hey everyone,

Just curious how many of you Catheites do WW? I have been going, although my loss is going slowly. I only have about 10# to lose so I know it will take time.

If you do go to WW (or online), how do you judge your activity points for Cathe workouts? I don't feel the points slider gives them justice but maybe I am wrong. Also, do you eat all of your activity points or just some? What about your flex points? Do you do flex or core? Just curious to hear what has been working (or not working) for you! TIA!

-Thea
 
Hi Thea
I just started online so don't have any insight for you. I seem to recall someone saying they took 4 activity points for Cathe time.
HTH
Valerie
 
I know, from experience using my HRM, that the intensity of a Cathe workout earns me about 1 ap per 10 minutes. So I look at how many minutes the workout is and count aps accordingly. I do tend to eat my APs. I get very hungry if I don't. Check out the Cathe Challenge on the Fitness Challenger boards on the WW website. A group of us post there daily.
 
Hi,

I'm Pam, and this is my first post. I'm on ww, and I use my hrm to help me judge my intensity (it's always high :)). I then plug the time and intensity into the activity points calculator online (etools). I've lost 43 pounds since June so I guess it's working. Good luck!
 
Hi Thea!! I do WW online. I eat every bit of my AP and all of the 35 extra:9. I do the Flex. I been doing WW on and off for a long time. I notice I eat better when I journal. I think any of Cathe's cardio is worth 5 or 6 AP and the weights between 2 or 3. I think when you do 40 minutes of cardio it is 5 AP and 50 minutes is 6 AP. And with weights it is 2 AP with 30 minutes and 3 for 60 minutes. This is what I get from the WW online tools. And don't forget the the highest you can go with AP is only 6 per day and you have to use it for that day as it won't carry over to the next day. HTH:)
 
I do WW, and the four points is a very bogus number. According to Weight Watchers, one point is only about 50 perhaps 60 calories. Therefore, a Cathe workout only burns 200 calories. I purchased a HRR, and I did Power Max today on an 8 inch step, and it said that I burned 460 calories. Cathe workouts definitely burn much more than 4 points.

I do think that WW is a good way to lose weight, and I try to follow the guidelines.
 
Hi Thea,

I've been on WW since March of '01, coming up on my 5th anniversary and my 4th year at lifetime maintaining a 120lb loss. I truly think it's the best, most realistic and flexible program out there but the one area where I think it falls short is when it comes to APs. I think the standards for calculating/earning them are WAY too vague and far too dependent on some highly subjective criteria as to what "activity" really means. I've seen people give themselves APs for everything from sex to vacuuming to--my favorite--standing up and yelling at a college football game (which, according to the poster, was a really good ab workout). I'm certainly no authority on exercise (I only started exercising this year) or APs (I don't officially count them but I do keep a log of my calorie burn and a few other things), but once I started working out in earnest, I got myself an HRM because I knew it was the only non-subjective, accurate way to keep track. It's definitely worth the investment and there are so many models and price points that you're certain to find one that's right for you.

BTW, I'm on Flex, gave Core a try but after so many years of Flex it just seemed weird not to count points. I often use Flex points depending on the situation, but I never count or use APs. One of the reasons I finally got religion exercise-wise is because my metabolism slowed down significantly thanks to menopause and I knew I'd either have to bump up my activity level or cut back on points (noooo!). Now that I'm working out, I'm able to maintain my weight at the same target.

P.S. I'm also a journaling fanatic. Never missed a day in all my time on WW.
 
Wow, thanks for all the responses! Sounds like you have all had GREAT success with WW! This is my 4th time 'round (started up again about 6 weeks ago). I also find it to be a fabulous system/program, and most importantly, lifestyle.

I am glad to hear that you all feel Cathe workouts are worth more APs! I have asked for a new HRM for Christmas and really hope I get one! The one I currently have does not count calories :-( .

I appreciate your help, I will use your guidlines. I guess it also depends on your weight, etc. I will check out the Cathe thread at the WW Fitness Challenge boards too! Thanks!
 
I too am a WW lifetimer maintaining a 50+ loss (I'm losing a few more to get to a personal goal right now). If I remember correctly WW gives you 1 AP for every 100 calories burned. The slider thing is way too vague in my opinion. The best thing to do is to get a HRM that displays calories burned. Everyone is different, and as an example when I do a one hour high intensity Cathe video (like MIC) I average about 300 calories burned. Others doing the same workout can see see a 500 calorie burn or more. Figuring out how to count and use APs is something you will need to experiment with. When I was counting points I would eat half my APs and all my flex and be able to lose slowly. Others eat all APs and flex and still lose. Still others eat neither and lose slowly.

I still journal, but now I'm counting calories instead of points (doing BFFM at the moment). My workouts are also kept in a log. Using that data, my weekly weighin, measurements, and my body fat percentage I still play with the combination of eating/working out to get optimal results. I wish I could say it was as easy as finding that magic number. It seems like the more I know about eating and nutrition the less I know about how it all works together!
 
I have been doing WW on-line off and on for over a year and have attended some meetings. I was told that an AP is about 100 calories burned. Why when we eat a point it is 50 to 60 calories but to burn one it's 100, I'm not sure. I was also told that APs are relative to the size and weight of the person. A large person working out viogoursly for 1 hour will expend more calories than a small person working out at the same intensity. Thus the reason why people on Biggest Losers can loose so much weight in a week. For step aerobics I am allowed 1 point for each 10 minutes according to WW on line. (my weight is 130) Weight training I am allowed 1 pt for 30 min. 2 pt for 40-50 and 3 pt for 60-70 min vigorous effort. I eat my AP's only if I need them. My Flex points usually get eaten on the weekends when I'm not as diligent about what I eat.

Good luck to you. I'm trying to re-motivate myself to get back on track. I have been yo-yo for several months and need to focus on my eating so I can get back to goal and stay there.
 
Hi Thea, I used to belong online and now I just go back to it when I over-indulge and want to lose a few pounds. I used to count Cathe's workouts as 4 or 5, and I always ate my activity points. I found I didn't lose weight as easily when I did not eat them, but everyone is different. As for flex points (which is the program I was on), I didn't use them all. I averaged 25 to 27 points a day and on those I lost 1.4 pounds per week. Of course, everyone will be different. That's just what my body was comfortable with. HTH!

Carol
:)
 
Wow, congrats TK and Sparky! Fabulous losses, good for you! Good for ALL of you who posted!

Thanks again for the tips, help. I agree, figuring out how many APs you earn, and how many to eat is tricky. I would hate to eat none of them and no flex points and then have to eat that way the rest of my life! I usually eat all my flex points but mainly on the weekends. I often feel guilty for eating more than 1-2 APs though, and I usually earn 4-6 APs about 5 days a week. I need to work on that, use them for CLEAN foods!

Thanks again everyone, keep it up!

-Thea
 
I have been a lifetime member since 1994. I lost 48 pounds and have kept it off. I still attend meetings weekly and weigh at least once a month. I weigh almost daily at home though. If I didn't attend the meetings I'd probably gain it back. I need to keep it a priority in my life, like exercise.
 
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