Is anyone here on weight watchers in addition to calorie counting?
I have a few questions I haven't been able to find the answers to anywhere else.
Is it bad to end the day without using up all your points? some days I wind up with 1-3 left over.
Also, I know you earn extra points for exercising. I generally exercise a total of 9 hours a week, and I have not been eating any extra. Could this be hindering my weight loss?
I have been stuck at the same weight for about 3 weeks now, and I'm trying to figure out what the problem is.
The WW system, in my experience, tends to be on the light side calorie-wise. They bank on members eating lots of 'free' vegetables to make up the shortfall. So you should always get at least 3 portions of vegetables plus eat all the points every day to avoid undereating - which can lead to plateauing very easily. If you earn extra points for exercise you should also make sure you get those for the same reason. Sometimes it's recommended to carry points over to save for a special occasion or a weekend. Limit that to no more than 4 points or you can run into problems..
And if you've been stuck for 3 weeks a really good thing to do is to have a day where you get a lot more to eat than normal. Go out for dinner or something. The extra influx of food is a good way to boost a flagging metabolism.
I do WW as well as track calories (with my bodybugg, I need to...). YES YES YES. You MUST eat your daily points EVERY DAY. The AP's and Weeklie's you don't HAVE to eat, but most people (not all) find that they lose better if they at least eat some of them.
personally, I need to eat most of my weeklies/ap's in order to have a safe calorie deficit (1000 or less....).
try googling the wendy plan of WW and trying it out for awhile :) I like it. It basically just TELLS you how to use your weekly points. Quite handy if you're like me and would rather have structure instead of free reign...
I've used the WW "Points" system (not core) for the last 6 years. I have been on maintenance the last 4. I still write in my journal every day.
I never use my exercise as "deposit" points, but I think that's a personal decision. I also think that you should eat the minimum amount of points you require a day, and never eat below 20. I know lots of people that restrict, don't loose weight, eat more, and do loose weight.
If you do points and calorie count, 1 point is equal to approx. 55 cals, but that's just a guideline.
If you're on a plateau, that's normal so don't worry about. How close are you to your goal weight? It's harder as you get closer.
Original Post by dharma_bum:
If you're on a plateau, that's normal so don't worry about. How close are you to your goal weight? It's harder as you get closer.
I started at 183 lbs, I'm down to 162, and my goal is 125, So I'mstill quite a ways away.
Original Post by gi-jane:
And if you've been stuck for 3 weeks a really good thing to do is to have a day where you get a lot more to eat than normal. Go out for dinner or something. The extra influx of food is a good way to boost a flagging metabolism.
Awesome advice! I went out to eat with a friend and ate something I normally wouldn't have allowed myself to, came home and had lost 2 pounds :)
Ta-daaa!! 
(You'd be amazed how many people don't believe me when I tell them it works) If you repeat the exercise every two or three weeks you'll find it's a great way to keep the ball rolling. But do make sure you get lots of extra veggies this week, eat all those points up and use most of your exercise points. Then you're a lot less likely to plateau in the first place and the whole thing is much more pleasant and rewarding.
Weight watchers is really light on the calories. I ate all my calories and weeklies and AP included and it still wasn't enough. My friends and family were all worried about me because I looked so ill. My skin got all pale, my eyes sunk into my head, I was tired and bummed out all the time. It works for some but for me I was starving and I only lost about 2 pounds before hitting a plateau.
Make sure you are really eating enough.
