Weight Watcher's points

[makbike]

Okay I admit I've fallen off the band wagon and am now about 10 pounds over my goal weight. I was very successful with WW several years ago and dropped about 25 pounds. I have been able to maintain my weight at around 127 pounds since then (minus the two years I went undiagnosed with hypothyroidism). Since this weight gain (my thyroid levels are normal - just had them checked at my last check up with my endo doc) I've pulled out my books and pocket points calculator. According to my books someone under 150 pounds gets 18-23 points. I also have the activities point calculator but if memory serves me correctly you don't get to add those extra points in until you have hit your goal weight, is that correct? The bottom line is even if I eat 23 points worth of food on the days I ride for 1 - 3 hours (avg speed 15-16 mph) I'm still very hungry. I really don't have the money right now to go back to the weekly meetings so can any of y'all who are knowledgable about WW help me out on this one. Do I get extra point with my cycling? Is there something I can do to reduce or make my hunger subside (I'm drinking 2 -3 liters of water each day as well).

Thanks,
Marcie

[Jones]

I never and still have not reached my goal weight but, last year when I was on WW and did lose 27 lbs and I did add the activity points in from the first meeting. There is no way I could ride on 24 points a day. Some days my activity points were higher than my regular points. Hope this helps. Jones

[Brecca]

I did WW a couple of years ago. I only had 15 pounds to loose and was way under 150 pounds. I joined as support for a friend who was considerably overweight and I can tell you from experience that I had problems from the word go with balancing points with activity. They only allowed me something like 10 points per day and I wasn't only hungry when I cycled or did any other exercise but I was also bottoming out my blood sugar. They advised me to eat cheese sticks. I did, it didn't help. I finally went off the program per my doctors instructions and just started eating a healthy low fat diet. The problem was that the carbohydrates were so restricted that with exercise I was just bottoming out. I don't know if there is a solution. My friend balanced out the same problem by sucking on tootsie roll pops which are only 1 point apiece, but she too had to quit when her activity level over rode her points and she began having the same problems.

[Tri Girl]

I was a lifetime member for 2 years recently when I lost 40 lbs (then quit going and gained 10 back ).

Everyone, regardless of weight, under 150 lbs gets 20 points a day (they used to have varying points like the 18-23 you mentioned). You then get activity points for any exercise. Basically, the activity points you earn = 1 point for every 100 calories you burn. If you worked out and burned 400 cal, you would get 4 points. They really have a sliding scale that has you look at your current weight, intensity of the exercise, and time involved. Then you earn a certain number of points. I just go by cal. burned b/c it's easier to figure out (and a little more accurate). The activity points you earn must be eaten the day they're earned or you lose them. The new program also has 35 "flex" points a week (basically 35 extra points) that you can use at your discretion. You can use them all in one day (if you want to pig out), use a little each day, or save them until you need them that week. At the end of the week the extra 35 points (or what's left of them) disappear and you start over.

I stopped doing WW when I started my current ironman training program. I burn somewhere between 900-2000 calories per day in exercise, and I can't seem to eat enough. I suppose I shouldn't be dieting while training, but you'd think the weight would come off itself (I wish).

Anyway, go to www.weightwatchers.com and you'll find many valuable resources. If you register (free) then you can join the chatrooms where people post questions/recipes/stories etc... and others answer their posts. I found it very helpful when on the program.
Best of luck!

[makbike]

Thanks, ladies I really appreciate your help. So if I understand it I get a 20 base points/day. I can utilize my 35 flex points anytime through the week which for me will probably work out to 5 points/day to keep it simple. Finally, for every hour I spend on the bike each day I earn an additional 2 points/hour which brings my daily points up to at least 27 points/day. I am hoping these additional points will chase the hunger pangs away for good.

Thanks again!

[Tri Girl]

makbike,
You've got it right! However, don't forget that your intensity on the bike may change the number of points you earn to eat. If your hour is an all-out hammer fest, then you may earn 4-6 pts. On average I burn about 400-500 calories per hour on the bike, so that would be 4-5 points extra (I weigh 140 lbs- obviously if you weigh more you'll burn more and if you weigh less you'll burn less). Don't cheat yourself by not allowing yourself enough points for exercise. You burn those calories, and your body needs to replace them with good quality food. If your intensity is light, I would give yourself 2 pts per hour, but if it's harder I would allow more. The way the WW system works is 1 food pt = 50-75 calories, but activity points are 100 cal. burned= 1 pt earned. Therefore, even if you overestimate a little, you should still be ok. (sorry if that was very confusing )
Have fun!

[Tri Girl]

Also, I don't mean to sound like a know-it-all. I tend to come across that way sometimes, I think. I just became VERY familiar with the program (my best friend was a leader) and I knew waaaayyy to much about it (although I gained weight back, so I may not have retained too much ).