weight watchers

dr.mel_PT

dr.mel_PT

Cathlete
i am beginning to think that maybe ww isnt for someone who works out regularly? i dont know...i went to fix a can of tuna for lunch the other day and while it's only 170 calories, because it doesn't have fiber, it knocks the point count up to 4. i'm only allowed 20 pts/day and while i know you get flex points and activity points, it just seems that if you're regularly working out, this program is kind of off and you dont eat enough. do you think it would be better to count calories over points? i feel like im always hungry and miserable on ww.
 
I've done both WW (2 years) and calorie counting (6 months) and I got a lot better sense of what I could and couldn't eat, and should and shouldn't eat, with calorie counting--when incorporated with clean eating principles--than I ever did with WW. WW doesn't take protein into account, and it penalizes you for eating fat (although some fat per day is required and "free"). It encourages eating a lot of processed "low fat" foods. WW is a good beginning for someone who is just learning to improve his or her diet, but it doesn't go far enough, and even encourages people in the wrong direction, for true healthy eating.

I really liked My Fitness Pal, and there are Catheites and clean eaters there, too. After a while, I got a pretty good sense of how much and what kinds of things I should be eating--for the first time in my life--so I don't feel like I need to count anymore.

That said, I got my calorie requirements from the Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle program, NOT from My Fitness Pal's suggestions. My Fitness Pal told me to eat 1200 calories per day, when I really need 1500-1900 or more when I'm doing strength training and cardio regularly. We really need to overcome the idea in this country that a person needs to go hungry in order to lose weight. Yes, you need to restrict calories in order to lose fat, but if you want to gain muscle at the same time, you have to "feed the muscle" with lots of good nutrition and whole foods. WW doesn't do the best job of teaching you how to do that.

Cheryl

meliffy18 said:
i am beginning to think that maybe ww isnt for someone who works out regularly? i dont know...i went to fix a can of tuna for lunch the other day and while it's only 170 calories, because it doesn't have fiber, it knocks the point count up to 4. i'm only allowed 20 pts/day and while i know you get flex points and activity points, it just seems that if you're regularly working out, this program is kind of off and you dont eat enough. do you think it would be better to count calories over points? i feel like im always hungry and miserable on ww.
Click to expand...
 
I'm a lifetime WW member and have been at goal for over two years. I agree that WW is geared more towards people who do not exercise any where near as much as your average Cathe forum member. Here's my two cents for what it's worth. First the daily point allowance is calculated with the assumption that you have done nothing to prevent muscle loss as you age. Since I've been doing some kind of weight training for many years now I give myself one extra point per day. Second, flex points are in no way cheat points. Use them. I generally use some every day unless I know I have a big special occasion meal that week. Third, give yourself some points for working out. When I want to loose I try to eat only half of my activity points if I'm maintaining I eat more. It takes a little experimenting to figure out how many extra points to add if you're doing Cathe type workouts. Unfortunately you probably won't get much help from WW leaders 'cause most of them have no idea how intense these workouts are. I pretty much ignore everything WW says about exercise because it seems like the most they expect anyone to do is walk a little more.
 
i also have the same point range. i have found that increasing my protein intake reduced hunger, i try to get between 80-100 grams a day. also, i never eat carbs without taking protein and i drink alot of water and/or weight loss tea. i've had some binge days (over 40 pts) and overall they really haven't affected weight loss by much, so i don't worry too much about it.
 
You might want to try the Simply Filling plan (formerly Core). Core was WW's answer to South Beach Diet. It's pretty clean and you can have that can of tuna (as long as it's water packed) without counting.

When I was losing, I ate roughly 1600-1800 calories a day. But I ate all my points. I ate my dailies, my weeklies and my activity points. On maintenance, I eat slightly more between 1900 and 2500 depending on the day.
 
I did WW after second son was born when I was 40. It was hard to lose the weight. WW taught me portion control more than anything else. I was surprised that a piece of pizza was 11 points!!!!

That opened my eyes and I cut back portions and lost the weight. I exercised also of course but I wasn't getting anywhere because I was eating too much food!

Eat less, move more. That was what helped me

ellie
 
I definitely think WW is a good plan to teach portion control and to initially lose weight, esp for inactive people. I lost 95 lbs of post pregnancies weight and gradually added in exercise throughout that year. I continued to follow mainly the Point Counting plan and maintained within 7 lbs of my initial loss for the following 6 years.

I do think if you use your AP's and WPA like a previous poster mentioned, you can use this plan with more intense exercising.

Recently, I've started logging my food in at Sparkpeople to find out my cal/pro/fat/carb ratios. I was in a "rut" with WW'ers (had been following Core) and actually found out that I was taking in MORE calories with WW"ers than I should have.

I do think with either way , you just have to tweek it to make it work for you.
 
Hi Melissa!

I totally agree with everyone's responses here and have had similar results/issues with WW's and my exercise level.

I haven't been on WW's for close to 3 years now. I only used the Points plan, but I'll tell you, those points values REALLY stick with you. I still will look at a food that I know isn't my best choice and when I realize how many points it is, it almost immediately doesn't look so appetizing. It has really helped me out. Every time I even think about having a bagel and cream cheese from Dunkin Donuts, the number 12 pops into my head and I move on...;)

That being said, I have moved on to SparkPeople to track my calories and have been able to maintain my weight if not lose a few more lbs by doing so. And I find it much easier to tweak as I go along.

At this point, I think that even if you move on to another weight loss tool, what you've learned at WW is invaluable.

Good luck!!!
 
Thanks for your tips :)

I think I'm going to check out sparkpeople too. I am so desperate! Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, calorie-counting, you name it. Just desperate......

I'm 45 and need something to keep my eating in check. :confused:

Thanks for posting, ladies...

Jennifer
 
question about spark people...where does it ask for your activity level? it approximated my calories and said i should have between 1200 - 1500 a day which sounds WAY too small for my height/exercise level.
 
I like MyFitnessPal. I wish that it counted fiber, but I can figure that out on my own. Also, I'm rather knowledgeable about nutrition, I just need something to keep me on track. I think the benefit of WW is the meetings and support, rather than the methods. I have a friend who lost over 100 lbs with WW, but now she has hit a plateau so she is going with regular nutrition and calorie counting.

I think that WW is an awesome first step.
 
GMonkey said:
I like MyFitnessPal. I wish that it counted fiber, but I can figure that out on my own. Also, I'm rather knowledgeable about nutrition, I just need something to keep me on track. I think the benefit of WW is the meetings and support, rather than the methods. I have a friend who lost over 100 lbs with WW, but now she has hit a plateau so she is going with regular nutrition and calorie counting.

I think that WW is an awesome first step.
Click to expand...

Myfitnesspal does count fiber. On the home page click on settings then click on diary settings. your can choose track up to 5 (out of 16 choices of nutrients) nutrients in addition to calories which is automatic.
 
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Clean eating diet

Hi Jen -

Have you read Tosca Reno's book on clean eating? My husband and I started 4 weeks ago, and even though you change your diet, the food is really good and I feel so much better then I have on any diet and I have done them all! it's really easy to work within as well and I never feel hungry. I am eating more times throughout the day, but much healthier items and portions.

I bought the book on Amazon really cheap and the cookbook as well. The food is a little pricey, but I think that since you stop buying all the junk food (which also adds up) you come out about even.

I have tried every workout and every diet on the market and Cathe and clean eating are the first things that I have stuck with!
 
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