weight watchers

[Phyto]

Disclaimer: I'm not a medical professional and do not offer cures or diagnosis. If you have any medical condition or medical concerns then go and visit your GP/doctor first and foremost.

As well as BMI there is also a waist to hip ratio that is important to look at. I'd say to anyone, it's not just your weight, it's how you feel. If your body fitness is impacting on your life in a negative way then change it if it's not a medical condition, whether you're fat or thin.

You can eat lots if you burn off the energy through your exercise during the day. If you physically exert yourself then you can get away with eating more calories. If you're not doing some kind of physical activity for a minimum of 20-30 minutes each day (consecutively) then you're very sedentary. I also believe strongly that people who overeat are trying to do the right thing, almost - often they are lacking nutrients so the body's wisdom is to eat more in the hope that the nutrients will be tracked down and absorbed. It's just that a lot of our food these days is so limited in essential nutrients that we end up eating a lot of nutritionally deficient food that adds calorie intake over and above what we need, without adding in the essential nutrients. I really believe it's important to read up on what those essential nutrients are, find out what foods they are in and start adding them in to the diet instead so that we don't go eating "empty" food.

A food diary is easy - piece of paper - list from Monday to Sunday and then have breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks in the columns/rows. Write down everything you eat and drink, if you add sugar or salt and so on, for a whole week. It's a really good way to make you aware of yourself and your eating patterns. I've seen people insist they don't eat (or drink) that much but if they fill in the Food Diary on an honest basis then it really does show where the issues lie.

[serenarian]

Well, after losing all that weight... it all went back on again, and more besides.

That's it, I've had enough.

I've been researching Weight Watchers (I did it with Slimming World last time, but I need something new and unfamiliar) and I'm going to a meeting tomorrow morning locally.

Excess weight begone!

Support is much encouraged and of course I will return the favour!

[Woodfox]

Just wanted to let everyone know, at the moment, I'm not doing Weight Watchers. I've moved to Tesco Diets (UK), which offers a complete menu based on dietary requirements. It's good for someone like me who has so many things I can't eat, and the menu is organized around vitamin requirements and meant to trigger the metabolism. I have to say when I stick to it exactly it works marvelously, but when I don't, the weight comes back quite quickly. I don't think this is available to anyone outside of the UK, but I thought I'd recommend it to anyone else who has a tough time regarding dietary restrictions, including vegan, gluten free, etc.

You know I think the main hurdle in this whole weight loss issue, for me, is sticking to the diet. I can't seem to stick to any diet for more than 2 months at a time, and that's really not long enough to make long term weight changes, I don't think. Any tips on keeping with it, appreciated!

[Womble]

A food diary is easy - piece of paper - list from Monday to Sunday and then have breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks in the columns/rows. Write down everything you eat and drink, if you add sugar or salt and so on, for a whole week. It's a really good way to make you aware of yourself and your eating patterns. I've seen people insist they don't eat (or drink) that much but if they fill in the Food Diary on an honest basis then it really does show where the issues lie.

This is a very good idea. May I also suggest this website: http://caloriecount.about.com it's totally and utterly free and it will give you a good idea of the types of food you are eating too, e.g. carbs, fat, sugar, etc.

Personally, I did three months on Lighter Life and lost three stone. However, it was very difficult, particularly in the first week. I'm still being fairly careful about what I eat, although I've had a couple of lapses. I've put 3lbs back on, but I'm not too worried about that.

[MossyMermaid]

Got nothing to add to this discussion apart from my admiration. It's hard to break a lifetime of eating / exercise habits especially if you have a pre-existing medical condition.

I am proud of how you've all managed to try this new way of living and your obvious strength in keeping on, even though the results haven't been immidately obvious

[Bailey]

Great sharing.
I think the main hurdle in this whole weight loss issue, for me, is sticking to the diet.
I can't seem to stick to any diet for more than 2 months at a time, and that's really not
long enough to make long term weight changes.

[k-dawg]

I have nothing but good to say about weight watchers so best of luck to ya & stick with it! Don't forget to exercise as much as you're able to and on a regular basis. Plus you still get to be a little naughty on the diet if you're careful with the points LOL!

Good Luck!
/|\ K-dawg

[ebhadh]

The long-term diet thing is about using strategies to keep your target fresh and interesting. I have found the reading dieting magazines and books helps, in addition to whatever you do at a club or via a website, to give you new ideas. Even watching t.v. programs about diet and health can give you a boost and new ideas to try, too. There is a really good series at the moment on Channel 4, tuesday nights at 8 p.m. - if you have missed it and would like to catch-up you can see it via the web at channel4.com/thefoodhospital. There have been two programs so far in the series.

Other ideas to keep you motivated - keep a weekly chart of how much you are losing, measure yourself every 2 months and record how you have reduced. You can also try hypnotherapy cds - McKenna's ones are good, but they don't work without making a planned effort to eat less and exercise more - this the strength of Weight Watchers and Slimming World programs - they are tried and true methods developed by professionals with thousands of successful followers, the diets are sensible and scientifically tested.

I have been on diets, on and off, since I was 11 and I still have to watch my weight and go back to Slimming clubs, even though I am nearly 60. I typically lose between 2 and 4 stones and then it creeps back on again as the months pass! I have now made permanent changes, mainly following low fat strategy and with daily walking exercise, which have helped a lot to prevent regain. Just now I am with Slimming World and like their program better than Weight watchers, because its easier to calculate what you can have.

ebhadh

[Emmele]

I lost around 10lbs on weight watchers but over three months. You can expect to lose a couple pounds per week. Weightwatchers is designed to promote healthy eating over exercise.

[flic]

Hi, I'm currently using ww online, I'm liking it very much. It's giving me a greater sense of control over how much and what to eat and takes into account protein, carbs and fat so that I can get a better balance. I don't do meetings as they don't work for me...the ones i've been to tend to encourage the use of "diet" foods and low fat processed foods which I'm not a big fan of. Lost 7kg so far...have a long way to go but one step at a time. Would love to hear from others doing the same

[Anais_Starwood]

I just joined about three weeks ago, in order to drop my last 15-20 lbs and keep me on track. Doing it online.

[Woodfox]

Have been "off the wagon" as far as weight loss is concerned for a while. Last winter I was doing really well and was almost to a size 12, and weighed 14 lbs (1 stone) less than I do know, but we moved in April farther out of town and I haven't been excercising. I used to walk to and from work all the time and we used to walk into town for something to do. Now we live too far out to do that, we have to drive to work and town, but we have a garden. I find it's almost impossible to excercise now. The time just isn't there, and when it is there, I've got a kid and husband to sit on the sofa and watch me or need me to do something with them so I just don't. I had been doing so well. I have tried keeping a log of my food on SparkPeople because it's free but I don't really have time. I don't spend a lot of time online anymore. I'm not sure how to fix it. We can't move back to town.

[Aphritha]

I've got trouble with exercising too. I've got all the time in the world for it, but I get so...bored. I wouldn't mind walking, but its getting cold, and I'm such a wuss about it... My husband has to be in the right mood to walk so I can't usually get him to go with, and I get antsy by myself(I hear its a curse of a Libra moon).
I can honestly say I don't make too many bad food choices(well, I do slip on occasion but who doesn't), but it seems with my gene line if I eat more than once a day I haven't a hope of losing, no matter what it is I'm eating. (My family are all pretty large people.) Its so frustrating...

[Aoife]

The trouble with fat cells is that they fill up every time you eat... And with a metabolism like mine, eating like a small bird is the only solution. I am the product of 100 generations of starvation - every calorie is cherished by my body. So yes, you will have to resign yourself to tomatoes for most of your life. On the other hand - I always knew that I would make it through the desert on two figs, leaving all those slimmer people behind, because I CAN hunger. It has been a survival trait for all my ancestors.

Yeah, I really hat fat cells. I grew up super slim my entire life and then I moved in with a then boyfriend and moved to the state of TX where our diet was absolutely deplorable but he wouldn't give me any say in what we ate and when I broke up with him I came back home 35lbs over weight and I'm still struggling to get it off. It has made fat cells that I can never get rid of and the abusive damage will give me a struggle for the rest of my life. I can't ever enjoy food the way I used to again.

[Aphritha]

Yeah, I really hat fat cells. I grew up super slim my entire life and then I moved in with a then boyfriend and moved to the state of TX where our diet was absolutely deplorable but he wouldn't give me any say in what we ate and when I broke up with him I came back home 35lbs over weight and I'm still struggling to get it off. It has made fat cells that I can never get rid of and the abusive damage will give me a struggle for the rest of my life. I can't ever enjoy food the way I used to again.

I went through something somewhat similar. Despite my genes, I worked hard to keep myself small. Veganism, exercise, I fought it off. I calorie counted throughout my pregnancy to make sure I wasn't taking in more than what the doctor said was normal for a pregnant woman to eat. I was doing very well at controlling my weight.
Things were getting progressively worse with my son's father; he was turning more and more abusive(can't say he was ever really a champ). I quit getting dressed and ran around in oversized pajamas all the time since I was told i looked like crap anyways. Figured I might as well be comfortable. I gave up veganism(went to vegetarianism) because I was sick of hearing the complaining, figuring it would be easier on the family. Because I was always wearing such loose clothes, I didn't notice I had put on 35 pounds until I went to get dressed one day and couldn't button my pants...
I've lost 20 of those pounds since, but still struggle with those last 15. Every bite of food I eat turns into stress later!

[DJ Droood]

Late to this conversation, and excuse me if this has been mentioned, but I recommend a book called "Wheat Belly", which isn't much different from other "low carb-high protein" diets that have many different names, but focuses more tightly on wheat, and the idea that wheat is no longer food....the author's contention is that wheat has been genetically modified out of existence over the last 30 years....for good intentions, mostly...to increase yield, be more drought and pest resistant, etc...but in the process it has become something different from the type of wheat we have been consuming for the last several thousand years and plays havoc with our blood sugar. And the author gives no slack to "healthy whole wheat" or any of the other variations. I decided to cut out wheat in mid-August, and have dropped 12-15 lbs in 3 months, mostly belly fat. It is the easiest diet I have ever been on, in the sense that I don't count calories, have a strict exercise regime, or worry about things like chocolate...simply avoid the wheat. I say simply, but it is astounding how much of our diet is composed of wheat, from sandwiches to pizza dough to coatings and fillers. Flour/sugar and fat are pressed and shaped into different things and given different names, but our body reacts the same to all of it. The toughest part is at first, when you try to contemplate breakfast without toast or bagels, or lunch without pita wrapping the falafel. Greek salad has become much bigger in my life...but once I got the hang of it, I found I steadily dropped weight and belly fat at a non-alarming rate...maybe 1 or 2 pounds a week. If I was hungry, I ate, pretty much anything I wanted, any time I wanted, in portion sizes of my choosing. I feel very good, and find shopping and meal prep more interesting. I have cheated a bit..I went on vacation, and was eating wheat, but I was also walking hours a day. When I got home, I continued to sneak a muffin here and a slice of pizza there, and it was as if my old friend belly fat decided he was welcome home again and I probably gained about 4 lbs in a week. I'm no dietitian and results may vary, but it has been working for me, thus far. Holiday cookie season is approaching, though!

[Aoife]

I went through something somewhat similar. Despite my genes, I worked hard to keep myself small. Veganism, exercise, I fought it off. I calorie counted throughout my pregnancy to make sure I wasn't taking in more than what the doctor said was normal for a pregnant woman to eat. I was doing very well at controlling my weight.
Things were getting progressively worse with my son's father; he was turning more and more abusive(can't say he was ever really a champ). I quit getting dressed and ran around in oversized pajamas all the time since I was told i looked like crap anyways. Figured I might as well be comfortable. I gave up veganism(went to vegetarianism) because I was sick of hearing the complaining, figuring it would be easier on the family. Because I was always wearing such loose clothes, I didn't notice I had put on 35 pounds until I went to get dressed one day and couldn't button my pants...
I've lost 20 of those pounds since, but still struggle with those last 15. Every bite of food I eat turns into stress later!

Totally understand. I don't think I could ever go vegetarian much less vegan. I like meat too much. I suppose eating just plants would be a quick way to slim down but as soon as I returned to a "average" diet I'd start to gain weight again. This sounds sick to say but I can almost understand the mental conditions that bring on anorexia and other eating disorders. You feel like you can't eat ANYTHING. I realize the unrealistic standard of beauty for females that are pushed upon us but that doesn't stop us from thinking we should look that way.

[Aphritha]

I suppose eating just plants would be a quick way to slim down but as soon as I returned to a "average" diet I'd start to gain weight again.

That's the trouble with diets...they're not meant to last. We've gotta adopt ways of eating we can live with longterm. Easier said than done, I know. After 7 years of veganism, my body doesn't know how to process dairy anymore. Makes me fat, tired, and sluggish(not to mention toilet troubles) if I eat too much. I went back to it again, and feel better, though I'll allow myself treats now and again. Its definitely not something everyone would be able to do, though. The biggest issue I have with it is convenience. Its very hard to eat in a social setting, but I can usually work around it.

I realize the unrealistic standard of beauty for females that are pushed upon us but that doesn't stop us from thinking we should look that way.

Yup. Logically we realize our body type doesn't make us who we are...then there's the social input, which puts a bearing on our emotions on the topic. There's so many situations to remind us everyday what the ideal is...its on TV. You see a woman who's about a size 5 struggling to zip up her pants, talking about diets, or there's a commercial with a slim woman in workout clothes, eating some sort of miracle food that she doesn't need because she's already a bean pole...music videos are full of these tiny women dancing around(they're all about 100 lbs, no variation in body type at all) letting you know this is what the good life is. The song itself may be singing about a beautiful woman with physical standards most of us will never achieve. The magazines we pass on the racks in the store...even the ones you don't think of as selling body image...definitely are. You see a magazine with a big delicious cake, then notice one of the feature articles is how to drop 10 pounds fast! Well great, now I don't want the cake anymore...nor any of the groceries I was gonna buy...*sigh* I also feel the sex industries have done a number on women's self esteem. I know too many women who say their significant others are seldom interested in being intimate with them as they'd rather just watch porn, killing these women's self images.
I must acknowledge it hits the male crowd too, however. I had a very good friend that wasn't anorexic. He ate 15 miniwheats a day. He really did look like a model, and he said that looking good was the only way he could get positive attention from women, otherwise they just shrugged him by. People tend to put so much emphasis on our media and what it says should be, and until our focus on it changes, or its message changes, I think we're stuck with this problem.

This sounds sick to say but I can almost understand the mental conditions that bring on anorexia and other eating disorders.

Sadly, I think I understand too...

[AidenAiden]

According to recent research, water and green tea is the best way to lose your weight. I took 8 to 12 glasses of water gradually and 2 to 3 times cup of tea in a day. And now i feel much difference in my weight.

[Aigeann]

According to recent research, water and green tea is the best way to lose your weight. I took 8 to 12 glasses of water gradually and 2 to 3 times cup of tea in a day. And now i feel much difference in my weight.

Personally, I think everyone has to find what works for them, specifically.

Great post and welcome to the Board!

Blessings, Aigeann