thinking of joining WW but scared of another "diet" - your thoughts

F

futurefitnessdyanmo

Cathlete
Hi everyone!

What do people think? I HATE the whole idea of dieting, but I'm also looking for a little structure to lean on in cleaning up my diet. Am I going to end up driving myself nuts counting points? Is this really going to help, or does it just offer the illusion of structure? Feedback from those on WW, and anyone else who has an opinion is appreciated!
 
RE: thinking of joining WW but scared of another

I don't know if this will answer your question, but . . . .i've been on WW a couple times and always manage to lose weight. Their philosophy emphasizes sensible eating, moderate portions, etc. Counting points is a bit of a learning curve, but one day you go into the grocery and you know how points your usual foods are and shopping is a breeze. Like everything, 'it works if you work it'.

My own problem is that I eat compulsively, or out of stress, anger, happiness, depression . . . . .whenever I felt anything, I'd reach for something to eat. I looked into overeaters annonymous www.oa.org after seeing someone on the YaYa forum doing well with it. I didn't want another diet, but a way out of my crazy eating.

When I went to my first meeting, I was horrified to be the most overweight person there (I'm packing about 30 extra lbs). Some folks had lost lots of weight, others ate compulsively or binged and needed to get a handle on their behavior. What impresses me most about it is the 12 step approach, which is a guidepost to a sane way of living (right, A-jock;-) ?). Some folks at the meetings use WW as a plan of eating.
Hope this helps, Good luck :)
Valerie
 
RE: thinking of joining WW but scared of another

I have done WW before with good results. It is simplified calorie control...lose weight by eating less calories. Simplifies it, and offers you ideas and support to stick. I have lost about 20 lbs and kept it off, it has been about a year. They were postpartum pounds. I think WW is great, depending on your goals. I am glad I did it. I learned a LOT about the impact of food on your body.

They are experts at getting you to stick to your goal. You need to eat clean to keep from being hungry (but the group definitely has its "hey have fat free muffins and fat free pudding and fat free blah blah blah for breakfast" crowd...not a healthy diet IMHO).

With that being said, I think that WW and low calorie diets might be detrimental to packing on muscle, or avoiding losing muscle when you lose weight. I think I did lose some muscle, and now that I am at my goal weight, I find that I do not have the muscularity I seek. You can tell by looking at the pictures of WW success stories on their web site. Most folks there aren't that muscular, even when they are thin. In fact, sometimes I'd call them a skinny fat. You are not supposed to lose muscle when you lose weight slowly (no more than 2 lbs a week) though, so who knows. I only lost 2 lbs a week and WW espouses not to lose more than that after your initial week or two when you might lose more.

I just think that when you are on a low calorie diet, you can't gain any muscle while you are losing fat, and you might actually lose some muscle. Your bodyfat might not be that low. It slows your metabolism too, so you have to be careful, esp if you are working out. Cycling the calories (saving all my flex points for the weekend) can help.

Right now I have started doing "Lean Bodies" which is very very clean eating...it is a book (you can get it out of the library). Someone mentioned once it reminds them of Body for Life. The book is full of testimonials from folks who were on low cal diets and their metabolism slowed to a crawl...they kept having to cut and cut and cut back because of how slow their metabolism was.

I am at a "healthy weight" according to the scale and I am a small clothing size... but I don't have the look I want. Not enough muscle and bodyfat isn't all that low...even though the scale says the right thing. WW can't get me out of that situation.

HTH
Or maybe I just confused you more :)
Jen
 
RE: thinking of joining WW but scared of another

So far...WW is the only thing that helps me stay focused when I want to lose weight. For instance today at our faculty meeting I ate my alloted string cheese and banana and turned down brownies, ice cream, and cake...bleh! I was kind of bitter at the time(I weigh in tomorrow) but I'm so glad I stuck to my plan now! WW helps me keep my cheating in check. I don't really count points on the weekend but I follow it strictly during the week. That being said, due to my workouts I usually eat some to all of my activity points and I still lose weight. If you are working out to Cathe you will probably not be able to survive on 20 points a day(my allotment). I think you have to find the program that you can live with and that is going to help keep you accountable. I've tried everything else and I just do better following WW. I do it on line. I log EVERY morsel that I eat and that keeps me in check with the truth of the value and amount of food I am eating. When I join WW though I'm in that determined state of mind to do something about the extra weight. When I tried the other stuff I was just trying to make myself feel better and wasn't really serious about it. I lost 23 pounds with WW a couple of years ago and some of the weight has just crept back on. I want to lose and keep off 8 to 10 pounds. I will probabaly always be a member of WW on line so that I can jump right back on track after vacations/holidays and the like and not allow the 10 pounds to creep back on. That's my plan anyway! Good luck! Good grief...I didn't mean to be so long winded!:)
Angela
 
RE: thinking of joining WW but scared of another

Both my sister and my mother have done WW with excellent results. I have tried WW several times and I always end up gaining weight. It is so frustrating. As Angela said above 20 points just didn't fill me up. Plus being able to eat what I wanted just in smaller amounts wasn't working for me. In the last 2-1/2-weeks I've managed to lose 3.5 pounds by doing my own thing. The only dietary changes I have made are cutting down on popcorn to once a week, cutting down on sodas to 2-3 times per week, cutting our french fries altogether (I've had one order of fries in the last 2-1/2-weeks), and trying to eat only when I'm hungry. That is it. I have changed my exercise regimen, however, and it is actually easier. I'm doing 2 Cathe interval workouts a week for only 30 minutes each day as this is all my little heart and body can handle for now, but I'm working on it. I'm doing Push/Pull and Supersets once weekly. I'm taking a leisurely walk with my dog every evening that weather permits for only about 1/2 mile to 1 mile. And if I'm up to it I do another Cathe less intense cardio workout. This is all I've been doing in the last 2-1/2-weeks and I've managed to lose 3.5 pounds, 1/2" in my waist, 1/2" in my lower abs, 1 full inch in my hips (Yay), and about 1/4" in my thighs (booo). Overall I'm very pleased and I'm going to continue.
 
RE: thinking of joining WW but scared of another

WW saved me - literally. It's not a "diet" - it's a healthy way of eating, and if you really take all the program has to offer, they will teach you ways to eat healthy for the rest of your life. I lost 60 pounds on it, and reversed some very frightening cholesterol numbers for a woman who was not yet 50, and lowered my blood pressure just shy of having to go on meds. When the jeans start to get tight, I go back on the program for a week or two. It's second nature to me now. It was a year ago today I made my goal, and I'm STILL where I was!! Yes, working out helps of course, but I have never felt it was a "diet". It was a lifestyle change for me. I honestly never felt like I was "going nuts" counting points. After the first week or so, it became easy. I do it in my head now. I also never felt it was an illusion of structure. If you stick to it, and don't cheat yourself, and get your veggies in and your water like they teach, it will work. These are my experiences, and I realize some will not have success with this, so I hope if you give it a try it will work as well for you as it did for me! Best of luck to you!!

Carol
:)

P.S. I joined online and never went to meetings. I got all I needed from the website, but if you're more the person who wants the in-person support, you can find a meeting near you on their website as well.
 
RE: thinking of joining WW but scared of another

Just wanted to add to Carol's....I did the online version too, it is cheaper, plus I got a discount through my health insurance co.

Jen
 
RE: thinking of joining WW but scared of another

I also did WW online. Even though the diet itself didn't work me, I found the online tools wonderful. It is cheaper in the beginning, but (someone correct me if I'm wrong)once you make lifetime member with going to actual meetings, you go for free as long as you stay within your weight range.
 
RE: thinking of joining WW but scared of another

Awesome replies! I think I'm going to do it! I think if nothing else it will just give me a bit better sense of how much I'm really eating and portioning that out. I'm also really glad to hear that lots of you did it online. I want to stay leary of diets, since my self-image and sense of reason has improved so much in letting go of the diet mentality. But WW has always seemed like a rational approach to monitoring diet, so I'm willing to check it out. And I've tried the extremely low calorie thing before (20 points is only 1000 calories, right?). Doesn't work at all for me and I don't believe in going below your Basal Metabolic Rate on a consistent basis (mine is 1400). Maybe I'm setting myself up for failure, but...
 
RE: thinking of joining WW but scared of another

Each point is approximately 50 calories, but in all honesty, I averaged between 27 and 30 points a day while doing WW, and my average weight loss per week was still 1.4 pounds. Your no point foods still have some calories, so you are getting more than it appears. I ate my activity points because with doing Cathe workouts I EARNED them - LOL! And I ate most of my flex points every week. You need the fuel, and I agree 20 points is way too low - especially for someone who works out. For me it was more about learning to control portions and be conscious of what I ate, and drinking my water, that finally did the trick.

Best of luck to you and keep us posted!!

Carol
:)

P.S. If you go into this believing you might be setting yourself up for failure, you already are. Just a word of advice from someone who's been there. :) :) :)
 
RE: thinking of joining WW but scared of another

WW's also has the Core Program now, which involves very little counting, and very clean eating. I absolutely love it. I have been on it 7 weeks, and I have lost about 4 lbs., but I had a very bad week in there. It is wonderful, you might want to check it out also.
Lori
 
RE: thinking of joining WW but scared of another

I joined to core program online. Today is my first day. WW works, just like anything else if you do the program. So many times I say to myself I can do the program on my own, blah, blah, blah.

This time I am not quitting until I make Lifetime!! I have about 35-40 pounds to lose. I don't care if it takes me 2 years, I repeat,I am not quitting until I make Lifetime:)

Lori
 
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