Diet Plans

[Karma007]

I've been on WW for almost a year, and have lost 20lbs. (yay!). I still have 15 to go and while ww is okay, I'm not sure it meets my needs at this point.

I used a lot of artifical foods and sweeteners, and just feel like while it was okay for a while, it's not a lifestyle for me.

Is anyone on /can anyone reccomend a plan that has the ability to encorporate more whole foods? I do a lot of home cooking, and try to avoid artifical crepe. Anyone have a plan that they find sucessfull?

[jobob]

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[divingbiker]

I've been on WW for almost a year, and have lost 20lbs. (yay!). I still have 15 to go and while ww is okay, I'm not sure it meets my needs at this point.

I used a lot of artifical foods and sweeteners, and just feel like while it was okay for a while, it's not a lifestyle for me.

Is anyone on /can anyone reccomend a plan that has the ability to encorporate more whole foods? I do a lot of home cooking, and try to avoid artifical crepe. Anyone have a plan that they find sucessfull?

I don't understand. If WW works for you, why not just eat whole foods and count the points? You're not required to eat artificial sweeteners and processed foods on WW--I've lost 40 pounds in the past year, and I eat very little artificial sweetener (occasionally in a cup of tea) and nearly all whole foods since I'm a vegan.

[Veronica]

I lost 30 pounds several years ago just by watching my portions and not eating a lot of junk. Every couple years I'll put a few (5 - 10) pounds back on and I'll lose it again by upping my output. The last six months or so I've been losing weight again, and I'm actually down 33 pounds from my high, but I've really upped my output and my muscle mass. I feel like I'm eating a lot more, but the scale stays the same or is slowly moving down. The extra muscle really does burn more calories.

I don't eat "diet food" either. Today's lunch is homemade chicken and dumplings. Last week I was eating lasagne and beef stew. Tonight's dinner will be homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Other than Red Bulls I drink very few sugared drinks and don't ever use fake sweetner. It makes my head ache.

I knew I couldn't stay on a diet plan for the rest of my life. I probably could not have stayed on one for two weeks. So I made changes that I could live with. I like to work out and I like to eat good food.

Veronica

[Karma007]

More than anything I guess I'm struggling with staying within points (I'm now down to 21 per day) and with the point values of some homemade recipes. (Now that I'm cooking everything from scratch and not relying on frozen foods, etc.)

Maybe I'm just burned out on it. I don't know.

It is 'that' time of year, and I've been quite slack in both my fitness training and my diet. Maybe I just need to find a way to shake things up a bit...I don't know.

Regardless, thanks for your help!

[Veronica]

Yep, winter is hard. I like comfort foods - lots of fats. And there are so many sweets around at the holidays. I just really focus on not getting overfull. If I'm not hungry, I don't eat. I may have eaten too much fudge, so I don't eat dinner. It's not a special plan, but it works for me.

Veronica

[Karma007]

I think the hootch is throwing my game off, too. It's cold I'm tired...It's much more appealing to come home and have a glass of wine, vs going to the gym.

I think what I'm going to do is mix up my goals a little, both fitness and dietary. Cut myself a little slack, but then misist that I meet the modified standards. And save the hootch for Saturday nights. I'm just feeling uninspired (even with the new bike. ) and am having trouble finding my motivation...

[Veronica]

Yep booze is a diet killer. I'm happy that I never found any that I really like. But if you just factor in those calories, skip dessert or eat smaller portions...

And hey, maintaining through the holidays is a victory itself.

Veronica

[Miranda]

I have The South Beach Diet book. DH was to follow it for his cholesterol. It's too much recipe cooking for me. But, the principles in it make a lot of sense. Good short read.

I used to drink alcohol, but don't now for a few reasons. Health and weight are a couple. Your liver plays a big part in your bodies ability to metabilize fat. Alcohol affects that. People may think that means you gotta be consuming enough to be on skid road for it to effect your liver. Not true. The empty calories are mind blowing if you ever measured it, or the size of drinks going out to dinner etc.

The lack of light in the winter really bums me out. I think it's called SAAD? or SADD? Even though I had a nice uplifting spin class today I'm still sitting here self-medicating my lack fo light with some chips now... dammit.

[tpb]

I've been on WW on and off for a while. The message is to change your lifestyle. So, even if you have been successful shedding pounds, if you are doing it in a way that you cannot continue long-term, then I think that means you need to think about how you can change the foods you eat while staying within your points. Do you go to meetings? Or are you following the plan on-line?

I've found the WW forums on-line to be helpful. I've never done meetings, but I've heard lots of folks say they were very valuable.

What do you eat? Our family does not eat meat, so we get lots of our protein from beans, nuts, cheese, soy products (e.g. tofu) and eggs. Rather than eating low/no fat versions of things, we try to highlight the flavors. For example: toasted nuts are much more flavorful, sharp and extra-sharp cheese has more flavor. When we use something with more flavor, we can use less.

Also, I've noticed how I use my points changes by the season. In summer, fresh fruit and veggies are plentiful, so we fill up on them. In winter, I find that I use more of my points on low-calorie protein foods. For example, I snack on hummus on whole-wheat pita or splurge on a bag of cocktail shrimp. Both are low calorie and filling.

I've also found that sometimes I just need to take a day off. Not counting points for a day helps me be in control when I go back to counting.

Good luck - keeping weight under control is a tough journey but you can do it!

-TPB

[Susan Otcenas]

I used a lot of artifical foods and sweeteners, and just feel like while it was okay for a while, it's not a lifestyle for me.

Is anyone on /can anyone reccomend a plan that has the ability to encorporate more whole foods? I do a lot of home cooking, and try to avoid artifical crepe.

This confuses me a little. Being on WW doesn't mean having to use artificial foods and sweeteners.

I do WW, and I have not purchased any WW products, nor do I use artificial foods or sweeteners. I eat lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and lean meats/fish. I do almost all of my cooking at home (I used to eat out alot, which was alot of my problem...). I prefer to eat naturally. In fact, one of the things I LIKE about WW, it that the points system seems to encourage a shift to the most natural foods. Substitute whole wheat pasta for white, and your portion size will go up while your points go down. Substitute whole grain bread for white and the same thing happens. Choose non-fat yogurts over low fat or whole, and the volume of food you can eat goes way up. Fill your plate with fresh veggies for no points at all. Pre-packaged foods and meals have too much fat, sodium and chemicals.

I think relying on the pre-packaged WW foods is the wrong way to go. It doesn't teach one the proper way to eat or cook, which I think is essential for keeping off the weight.

Susan

[Karma007]

I'm on ww online. As far as what I eat, when I started ww back in January, I used alot of the artificial stuff, and lost 20lbs. (Frozen dinners, sweetners, stuff I'm not used to eating) all in an attempt to stay on point. It worked.

After taking a couple months off due to some major life changes, (divorce, major move) I'm back watching my weight again. I'm a vegetarian who maes almost everything from scratch (I love to cook, and avoid processed food. That's why I feel my original foray into ww was such a departure from what I'm used to.)

So here I am, back on ww, and struggling with the points. They just seem awfully low and while I'm eating whole foods and reasonable portions, I can't stay where I'm supposed to. I prefer to save APs for the weekend, so I don't like to use them durring the week.

Maybe I'm just bored with the whole thing and need to try something new.

[divingbiker]

I'm on ww online. As far as what I eat, when I started ww back in January, I used alot of the artificial stuff, and lost 20lbs. (Frozen dinners, sweetners, stuff I'm not used to eating) all in an attempt to stay on point. It worked.

After taking a couple months off due to some major life changes, (divorce, major move) I'm back watching my weight again. I'm a vegetarian who maes almost everything from scratch (I love to cook, and avoid processed food. That's why I feel my original foray into ww was such a departure from what I'm used to.)

So here I am, back on ww, and struggling with the points. They just seem awfully low and while I'm eating whole foods and reasonable portions, I can't stay where I'm supposed to. I prefer to save APs for the weekend, so I don't like to use them durring the week.

Maybe I'm just bored with the whole thing and need to try something new.

Are you using your 35 weekly points? They're there for a reason! I get 21 points also and usually manage to stay within points but I use most of my weeklies and APs I earn (usually 25-35/week).

[Karma007]

I save them. Okay, so I used to use to use some of my AP daily. It worked out well, because I specifically excersized every day to have APs to use. Then I'd save my 35 + APs from my long Saturday ride to have some treats on the weekend.

With the new set up, I'm afraid to use any points, because I want them there for the weekend. I quess I don't know how many points to budget in every day, and still go a little nuts on Saturday night (I hope I'm making sense).

[indysteel]

I'm confused. What do you "go nuts on" on Saturday night?