Weight Loss Journey - Help needed, pleeeeease:)

carrie123

carrie123

Cathlete
Hi. I have been with Weight Watchers now for almost 2 months. I stopped going before that for 4 months. I have been with them a total of a full year. I was doing well, losing 1 to 2 lbs a week. I decided to start exercising on a regular basis again, 4-5 days a week.

But the last couple of weeks at my weight watchers meeting I've been weighing in 2 lbs HEAVIER after I started exercising. I stayed for the meeting, but didn't feel like participating because I felt like I had failed somehow. I was faithful to both my eating right/control portions/24 points, and exercising 1 to 1 1/2 hours a day. I even measure my water and salt intake.

Although they were nice and encouraging, telling me the scale was just a number I couldn't help but feel if I gain anymore wait, it is just defeating the purpose. I weigh a ridiculous 195.8 lbs at 5'10" at 32 years old. The tears of disappointment ran down my face that day and wrecked my entire weekend, because I let it get to me. I then realized I needed help. I needed a support group other than "eating anyonomous." I acutally woke up the other day wondering what happened to me that I had to go to these meetings? It's not me, it never was, but here I am.

What should I do? Also, I do love Cathe's videos and I plan on continuing with them. I have to ask though, is it true that you're supposed to give your muscles a chance to recover every other day or is it safe to do the step/aerobic/muscle toning everyday? If your body burn kcal faster by building muscle then why do I gain weight. I have alot of fatty tissue that should be burning away.

I just know this support group will be just what I need and will help me get to where I need to go, so I can be there to help others get to where they want to go as well. I just need to find out what I'm doing wrong.
 
First of all, your weight for your height is not ridiculous. Your BMI is 28. Not 25 or below, but if you have a significant amount of muscle, your BMI is going to be a bit high. I am 5-4, my BMI is 27 and I wear size 8. When my BMI is around 24-25, I am a size 6. So, look at other factors besides the scale, like how does your clothes fit.

Also, Cathe videos are intense. Make sure you are eating APs, as you might be undereating. That is a big problem with the WW plan and heavy exercise.

I like to take one to two rest days a week, not consecutive. It really depends what I am doing. I also like to change up the goals of a rotation every 4-5 weeks(which is about when I get bored with something anyway). For example, mid-January I started Cathe's January rotation. Because I added a few rest days here or there, it took me until just after the halfway point of February. Now I am lightening up just a bit, kind of following the concept of her February where she varies the lengths and intensity, but I have thrown an all yoga day in every 4th day. After Spring break, I will re-evaluate what I feel my needs are, look at her posted rotations to get ideas, and go into something different.

You don't say what you have lost, but maybe 8-10 pounds, which is a good steady weight loss for the time. I have also found that my WW friends have trouble with the 200 mark. It is a stubborn milestone and hard to get away from. Keep plugging away and your weight will go down. I feel, that those of us with weight problems really have no alternative. If you give up on the healthier lifestyle and give up on watching what you eat, where does that get you....heavier, so you HAVE to keep plugging away, and try not to get discouraged, even if you lose no more, you are eating healthier, you are exercising, and your body will thank you as you get older.
 
Hi! Not Cathe, obviously,but I have some opinions on your dilemma. I did Weight Watchers for awhile. I do think it is a good program, however, I think it makes you OBSESSED with counting foods and points, and activitiy points and all that crap!I cannot live like that, maybe the seriously anal retentives of the world can, but no me, and alot of other women I know. After I dropped that, I continued to work out with Cathe's tapes religiously with all types of various workouts ( weight, cardio, step,kicbox) and I have really seen my body change. I NEVER weigh myself. I go by how my clothes fit. I follow a LOOSE variation of the South Beach. If I feel my clothes getting snug, I just cut back on carbs. I am sure you can make your goal!
 
What are APs? Is that protein? I feel that WW was good for a while, but I probably will not be with them for long, if the numbers on the scale are their only measurement. I took my measurements today and will continue taking the measurements. My clothes do feel different, looser around the thight and mid-section. I think I will bring this up to the WW leader this Saturday. Thanks, this really helps.
 
Hi, I'm not Cathe either obviously, but I just wanted to give you some encouragement. I have not been on Weight Watchers before, but my step-mother has for several years. She has lost a lot of weight (45 pounds on a 4'11 frame is a lot!) but she hit a wall at one point about a year ago. At that point, she decided to watch her carb intake and have more balanced meals (balance of protein and carbs), and the weight started coming off again. I have personally had lots of success when I watch my processed carb intake and try to follow a 40-30-30 meal plan as much as possible (I use The Formula by Gene Daoust, which is basically the same as the Zone) eating 4 meals a day. Counting calories alone does not work for me because I get too hungry and binge. The 40-30-30 plan keeps me full throughout the day because there is protein and healthy fats in each meal. So I guess what I am trying to say is, though you may be eating the correct number of points, it is possible that you are eating processed carbs that can keep the weight on. You may also want to try eating 4-5 small meals a day instead of 3 larger ones to keep your blood sugar regulated. This is just what has worked for me and for my step-mother.

Also, it may just be taking your metabolism a little while to get fired up. Sometimes when I haven't been exercising regularly for several months and start back up again, it takes a little while for the weight to come off. But once your metabolism gets fired up, you will start shedding weight a lot faster. So just keep it up, watch your carb intake, eat 4-5 small meals a day, and keep working out regularly. Sometimes you just have to try different things until you find what works for your body.

Hope this helps,
Diane
 
APs are an important part of the WW plan. APs are points you earn that you can swap food for. For about every 100 calories burned, you get an AP to add to your daily point total. So for Cathe's step work-outs, I usually burn between 400-500 calories. That means I can add 4-5 points to my point total for that day and can have food for them.

WW is fairly low in calories and if you are not using your APs, then you are probably not eating enough to lose weight and you are slowing down your metabolism. Please ask your leader to explain this, and also keep your ears open for people in your group that are very active and still losing. So many people in WW just want to diet away the weight, but there will be some that are in training for running races and such. Those are the people to sit by, strike up a friendship and find out how they are eating.
 
Hi Carrie - I'm a lifetime member and am 5' 11". I was 182 when I joined WW. Definitely eat your Activity Points! Keep your metabolism burning. Also, change it up a little - sometimes having higher and lower point days will keep your body guessing.

When I did the points plan, I found myself choosing foods that were more about lower points (i.e. two-pt bars) than about nutrition. Are you eating in a well-rounded way? Have you tried the Core plan? It's all about eliminating sugars, bad fats, processed foods, and eating the healthy foods Cathe workouts demand! You eat when you are hungry, and you DO NOT count, weigh or measure. It also puts less focus on carbs, particularly bad carbs. You might have better luck focusing on protein.

And last, if your following the WW guidelines for water, it's not enough. Take your weight, divide it by 2, and that's how many oz. of water you need. For you, that would be 12 glasses a day. More if you are doing intense workouts.

WW is a great program - you can stick with it. This is just a little bump in the road. Best of luck to you!
 
I also agree, eat the AP's you earn! There is also an offshoot of WW called the Wendy plan (maybe wendy.com?) which does promote the varying of points through out the week. I'll have to find the website for you and post it later. You might have 21 points one day, 26 the next, 23 the next etc, but in the end, you have your designated weekly amount.

Check out this site about the version of WW called Wendy plan.

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=60078
 
I just wanted to add that I have tried WW several times and I gain weight every time I go on it. My family doc said I wasn't getting enough calories for my activity level.

I did, however, try the Wendy Plan and I lost weight. I loved staggering my points. It worked great for me. I did my hardest workouts on the higher points and used the lower points days for rest or just walking, stretching, and core work.
 
Again, obviously not Cathe and I don't have any earth-shattering advice, just encouragement. All of the above is good advice. Hang tough, the journey will become easier, but there's a lot of bumps in the road along the way. Nothing worthwhile is easy. Enough corny talk?

Honestly, keep coming here for encouragement and advice. You'll make it.
 
I printed out the Wendy plan took it with me to read while I was at school, (college, night school, blah:) It looks like just the thing for me, it makes alot of sense.

I added up all the points however, and it looks like it includes the additional 27 of the 35 points a week that I was told you're supposed to use sparingly. Is that right? Do you know if I use those points instead of the APs or do you use the APs as well.

Points Target for me is 24
Day 1 - 24 pts
Day 2 - 29 pts
Day 3 - 25 pts
Day 4 - 39 pts
Day 5 - 24 pts
Day 6 - 28 pts
Day 7 - 26 pts

I am very nervous about treading around strange waters, fear of a major backlash.

But, if I don't try it I will never find the right path. Thank you again for all the great advice.

If it works then I will bring this up to my next WW meeting.
I think I'll give it a couple of weeks first.

Everyone here is soooo terrific...It made me feel really good.


Again Thank you so very very much:) :) :)
 
Ditto what Robin said and I need to keep some of that for myself. You're not alone, that's for sure!

Michele
 
I did WW for a while and get this...I am 5'10" and currently weigh 157 lbs (I just had a baby 3.5 months ago) I started at 147. I was told at WW that I could not loose anymore past 150 lbs. I know 147 does not sound like a lot, but I am very small boned (my ring size is a 5) and 147 is not too small, I am a size 6-8 at that weight. I tried to go back on WW after I had my baby, but with the workouts I was soooo hungry and could not live on 20 points a day, not even on 25 pts a day. I too became so obsessed with what points are what etc, it drove me nutty. Having a new baby too, I did not have time. I am stuck on 157 lbs right now and am having a hard time getting the scale to move, but when I look in the mirror and put my clothes on they fit better. WW spends too much time just looking at the scale and bottom line...MUSCLE WEIGHS MORE THAN FAT!!!! They don't take that into consideration at WW.
My 2 cents....don't try to diet, try to eat foods that are better for you. We all know sugar, bad cards, and fast foods will make us gain weight, go for more good veggies, lean meats and whole grain. If you are like me and get hungry in the afternoon, protein shake with some frozen fruit like strawberries and pineapple is a great way to keep you filled up.
Don't let the WW get you down, the program is not for everyone. It does work for some people and it is a very good program, I am not knocking it at all.
Take small steps one day at a time and know that if you work hard it may take a few months to really see results, but you will.
 
Everyone here has been so great. I will definately keep everyone posted and follow the great advice. I feel so relieved and much more motivated now.

I still can't believe how wonderful everyone has been.


Thank you, thank you::) :) :)

Carrie
 
I sympathize with the lady who originally requested help. I too joined weight watchers and for the first year lost lots of weight, but once i got down to 198, everything plateau. I have read all the advices given and I such want to say thank you. I thought I was the only one going through the same thing. I enjoy Cathe's workouts and all of those who provide support. Keep it up, many of us are listening!!
 
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