anyone on WW??

[uforgot]

19 points is all you get? Wow, doesn't seem like much. Maybe I need to recalculate, I'm at 24.

Congrats on making it a way of life and not a diet. That's probably what will make it a success in the end. The fact that we can't go back to our old ways, but have to learn to incorporate those "days" when there is just great food around.

[Susan Otcenas]

19 points is all you get? Wow, doesn't seem like much. Maybe I need to recalculate, I'm at 24.

Yup, 19. I started out at 21 points when I was 165. Somewhere in the high 140s I dropped to 19. NOw I'm at 144. If I'm not mistaken, the lowest is 18 points. I'd imagine I'll hit that when I'm in the 130s.

In all truthfulness, though, I rarely eat that few points. I exercise 4-6 days per week, and I always eat my activity points (on the day I earn them). It's very important to eat to fuel activity, so I never skip those. Besides, the APs earned only work out to about 1/2 the calories burned in any given activity. So you can eat all your APs and still lose weight.

In fact, you SHOULD eat your APs. If you don't eat enough, your body goes into starvation mode. Basically, your metabolism slows down because your body thinks it's in a famine (because it is). Give it enough calories and it will freely burn them. Starve it and it will try to conserve them by slowing the metabolism.

Besides eating my APs, I usually eat some (but rarely all) of my weekly 35. 10-15 is pretty typical for me.

I believe that "diets" don't work. Eating healthily and in moderation, along with a regular exercise regimen, is the only way to sustain a healthy body weight. It's one of the reasons I never eat "prepared" diet foods like Lean Cuisine or the packaged WW products. One needs to learn how to cook healthy, low fat, low calorie meals to be successful long term. JMHO, of course.

Susan

[Zen]

I joined WW about eight years ago and lost a buttload of weight, figuratively and literally.
If I keep reading this thread i may have to go back, but I'd only be eating about 19 or 20 points
I still have all the little books and calculator.

As soon as i finish these butter cookies i made.
Hey- what else was I going to do with butter?
Why do I have butter anyway? I can't remember why I bought it

[Susan Otcenas]

Mmmmmmm, butter cookies......

[ASammy1]

Ok, so I had some issues with the hunger scale today... I just think I wasn't paying attention.

So here's what happened... After lunch when I clearly wasn't hungry, I waltzed into the breakroom only to find leftover meeting food. Chicken salad, potato salad, cous cous salad, etc from the local deli. YUM! So naturally, I fixed myself a plate... Ate it... And then the guilt set in. Please keep in mind that I was still well within my point range, so technically I could eat it. I just didn't pay attention to my hunger signals...

How do you handle these types of situations?

[Possegal]

My sister's WW leader tells them that when there are things out for the having at work, to just keep telling themselves - not my food. My sisters says this usually works for her. Not sure if that would work for me, I make a point to stay away when I hear that there are donuts or something at a certain place within the office. But my sister says she just keeps repeating - not my donuts, not my donuts, and that works.

That doesn't answer the whole eating when not really hungry thing. If I had an answer to that, I wouldn't be trying to lose weight. Sorry!

But now I'm hungry for potato salad.

[Zen]

Well.
This raises the old question "what do you call cheese that is not yours?"

[Zen]

But now I'm hungry for potato salad.

NACHO TATER SALAD!

[uforgot]

Ok, so I had some issues with the hunger scale today... I just think I wasn't paying attention.

So here's what happened... After lunch when I clearly wasn't hungry, I waltzed into the breakroom only to find leftover meeting food. Chicken salad, potato salad, cous cous salad, etc from the local deli. YUM! So naturally, I fixed myself a plate... Ate it... And then the guilt set in. Please keep in mind that I was still well within my point range, so technically I could eat it. I just didn't pay attention to my hunger signals...

How do you handle these types of situations?

Sammy- that is the whole point of weight watchers. You were well within your point range, so once in a while you can indulge! It's an eating plan for life, not a diet. If you enjoyed the food, then just go on. Stop the guilt. If you start denying yourself a little pleasure every once in a while, that's when it becomes a diet and not a way of life. Now if you had scarfed down 10 pounds of potato salad and said "what the heck, I blew it, I may as well eat the rest of the day", then you would be in trouble. Sometimes ya just gotta enjoy. Note I said "sometimes".

My leader said something interesting at our last meeting. She recommended that if you are ever at a gathering with lots of good food, take a spoonful (about tablespoon) of each thing you want and count 1 point for each. Some are 0, some are 1 and some are probably 2 but it should average. That way you are enjoying, but not denying, and learning to control. Anyone ever heard this before?

[Susan Otcenas]

uforgot - I've found that to be a great way to get to taste everything, but still count my points and stay on plan. I did that very successfully at Thanksgiving and Christmas. The things I just HAD to taste, I gave myself a small dollop and called it a point.

Andrea - I agree with uforgot about the way of life comment, but I also understand what your point is - that it is difficult to be successful with a healthy way of life long term if we don't learn to both recognize our triggers AND listen to our bodies. ie. Asking myself - "why am I eating this? Am I really truly hungry?" If so, then I should eat something (even if it's not the potato salad, or whatever prompted the question in the first place). But when I'm not really hungry, I have to ask myself "well, Susie, what is it that's making you want to put food in your mouth right now??" Am I bored? Am I socially uncomfortable (This is often a big one for me. Nervous eating to have something to do with my hands, when at a party or in a group of people I don't know so well).

One of the gals here in my office also talks about "mindful eating". Being totally present when you're eating your food. Not reading a book, or cruising the internet. But rather, being engaged in your meals so that your's enjoying the food you DO eat, and are more able to recognize when you're satisfied.

I don't know if any of this helps, but believe me, you are NOT alone. I struggle with all this on a daily basis. Last night I was at a restaurant with a friend. I dutifully made a healthy meal choice, and got a to-go box delivered with my meal so that I could immediately put half of it in the box. That part was great. But the bowl of peanuts on the table in front of me were calling to me. My saving grace was that they were in the shell, so it slowed me down - I had to work at consuming those calories...

Yours in temptation,

Susan