Weight Watchers Chat -- Part III

[TenThousandVolts]

I need some advice. I am great at my tracking during the day, but once I get home at night it is a free for all. I forget to track and even when I do I just eat everything in sight and then don't track the extra food. I need some help!

Tracking is a great learning tool. Even if you are going way over your points and going crazy with snacking- TRACK. Tracking bad choices or crazy days is very important because we learn from it. Tracking lets us see how quickly little bits of this and that add up. You will look back and say I can't believe I wasted X points on that. And you will be less likely to repeat that mistake.

example: I once used almost all my weeklies in one day- beer, buffalo wings and more beer. It was pretty good but getting through the next four days with no extra points was really hard- I haven't done that again- and I doubt I will.

Make sure you are eating your fruits and veggies and good fats through the day- that should help you stay away from being starved at night. I totally get where you are coming from.



PS: I lost 2 lbs at weigh-in

 

[TenThousandVolts]

welcome wishndisney! I have found this group to be a great support! I hope you do too.

 

[bumbershoot]

...We went last June on our first family trip, had a great time, but my feet were crying by the last night from all of the weight I'm carrying around.
....

Also, I turn 50 in one year...I sure would like to run a 5K before I turn 50.
....

Anyway, I'm just looking for some motivation, support, etc. It's hard when you don't necessarily have a buddy doing it with you.

Thanks.

Hi!

I had all sorts of excuses for why my feet were dying so bad during our trips. Until February 2012 when the excuses just faded. I knew the problem. I was killing my joints. I felt like someone was hammering my feet the whole trip. Even lying in bed it felt like someone had taken a hammer to my heels. Just awful. I was 41 and felt 91. Since we live next door to an amazing man who actually is older than 91 and is light on his feet and ON his feet every day (he's an artist) I was feeling really really really horrid.

Got home, saw an ad with Jennifer Hudson, went to a meeting the next day.

Since that time, 84.2 lbs gone! And it's AMAZING the difference it makes. Even 10% was amazing. We went to Disneyland in July and October 2012 and it was already amazing how different I felt. Then WDW this February and it was even better. You have such great times to look forward to!!!

I used a free Couch to 5K program from coolrunnings.com to work myself up to a 5K. I'm still mainly using the Galloway jog/walk method, though I *can* run for longer periods of time. I took the C25K program slowly, repeating weeks as I needed. I'd been off the fitness track for a long time, the weight had brought its buddy asthma with it, and I just needed heart, lungs, blood vessels, and muscles to catch up. So it took a bit of time, and then I did it again. And now it's getting really good.

So you can do it!!!


This thread is really good for support.

But just so you know, having a spouse doing WW at the same time isn't always as fabulous as it seems. After all, men tend to get more points than women do. When we started, I got 32 points and DH got 71. By the time I lost 40+ I was at 26 points. Now, he's a much slower loser than I am (a few reasons) and I think he's at 66 points now, and it's still such a big difference it hardly feels like we're doing the program together. (on the other hand, the reality is that I eat all Weekly and Activity points, so I'm not eating only 26 points per day at all)

It's great to have someone in the household who is doing it too, or at least not complaining, but on the other hand sometimes it's nicer to have people a bit closer to your points-plus daily value on the journey with you.

I need some advice. I am great at my tracking during the day, but once I get home at night it is a free for all. I forget to track and even when I do I just eat everything in sight and then don't track the extra food. I need some help!

Can you pre-track your food for the evening? Would that help? Especially if you included some sort of good that you generally crave?

Last night's weigh in brought a welcome surprise for me!! 2.6lbs gone!! 2.6!! I was so excited - and surprised! I even asked to get off the scale and get back on to be sure. LOL That's a total of 15.2 gone and that's amazing to me. Today I'm even wearing jeans to work that were too tight a month ago.

Woo!

Thank you for the supportive words! I think I will bring up sabotage this week!!!!

I hope it goes well for you.

PS: I lost 2 lbs at weigh-in

Woo!

 

[Aburns8]

I am going to first start tracking every bite that I eat. I think that I struggle doing that. Once I am honest with myself by seeing what I am eating I hope it is the wake up call to make some changes!

 

[dreamlinda]

Down another 1.4, and happy with that number!!

 

[TenThousandVolts]

I used a free Couch to 5K program from coolrunnings.com to work myself up to a 5K. I'm still mainly using the Galloway jog/walk method, though I *can* run for longer periods of time.

This is how I became a runner- the Galloway walk/run intervals. I could not run at all when I started. About 8 months after I began with the walk/run method I ran my first half marathon- and I never stopped to walked the whole time.

Dreamlinda: Congrats on the loss!!!

 

[Aburns8]

Down 1.4 this week. It was a surprise with all of the extra night eating I was doing. Going to track everything this week!

 

[pwdebbie]

Hi all. My name is Lynne. I've done WW off and on over the years...have been fairly successful but have never gotten to goal. Somewhere along the line, I just seem to get tired of it all.

So, I just took the plunge and signed up for WW Online this a.m. I am planning a Disney trip for next June. We went last June on our first family trip, had a great time, but my feet were crying by the last night from all of the weight I'm carrying around.

I could really use some motivational support along this journey. The agreement I made with my husband was that if I signed up, I had to go to the gym with him in the morning. Okay, I can do that. So, he's supportive, but he's got some really weird food habits. He won't eat dinner with the family at night, and consequently, the kids are getting into some bad habits as well. I would like to turn that around for all of us.

Also, I turn 50 in one year...I sure would like to run a 5K before I turn 50.

To get to my ideal weight, I would really need to lose 100 lbs. But, I'm not even going to look at that number. Too overwhelming, and I would be happy right now with a 5 lb. loss in a month. So, I'm just taking baby steps...

Anyway, I'm just looking for some motivation, support, etc. It's hard when you don't necessarily have a buddy doing it with you.

Thanks.

Having a goal of eating things at Disney instead of in the months leading up to my trip really helped me stay on track. It was very motivating to me to say: Why have that cinnamon roll now when I can have THE cinnamon roll at Disney? That's the way I thought about so many different foods for months. I kept promising myself that I would eat all those goodies at Disney. (But I have to tell you -- I ate them at Disney and they weren't nearly as good as my mind was telling me they were going to be!)

Another way the upcoming trip to Disney motivated me was knowing that what I was doing in the months before were going to make the trip better for me in terms of stamina. (Unfortunately, my dh was having health issues and we saw more of our room than the parks, so I never really got to test my stamina the way I wanted.)

Of course clothes are a great motivator. New clothes for vacation -- now who DOESN'T want that?

Another idea for motivation -- every time you don't buy something that you really want to eat but know would not be a smart choice, put that money into a Disney fund and use that money to treat yourself (not your family) to one special souvenir that you want.

 

[TenThousandVolts]

today in my nutrition class I have to begin a project called diet analysis. So I have to double track everything- I still am tracking in etools but also in a nutrition calculator on the website for my text book. I think at the end of the project it will make recommendations on how I can improve my diet.
Should be interesting.

 

[WishnDisney]

Okay, so I'm not really sooo happy it's Monday. I just typed a big long post and it disappeared! Hope this one stays cause I need to get to work!

I want to thank everyone for their kind welcomes and words of encouragement. Also some great motivating ideas - I love the delayed gratification - don't eat it now cause you can eat it in Disney, and I think I've already processed the, don't spend the money on it now cause I can use it for Disney. I tend to buy breakfast every morning - so that money is now going into the Disney fund.

So - I'm WW Online with Monday WI. I was down 4 lbs. I'll take it, although I also know there are some other factors that contribute to that - I did my WI at the gym this morning so it was earlier in the day and a different scale. Yes, you heard that right...at the gym! I actually dragged my bottom out of bed this a.m. for the first time in a year to go to the gym with DH. I walked on the treadmill for 1 hr. After this week, I intend to add in strength training, although that will cut into my 1 hr. on the treadmill. I also ordered Active Link, so we'll see if that will help motivate me as well.

I did C25K about 5 years ago and got through the program. Then I started having some issues with my ankle and threw in the towel. I felt great though while I was doing it. I've been so inactive for a while, that I figure it will probably be 1-2 months before I could even consider something like that.

Aburns8 - Great job on the loss. And I think you've got the right idea about tracking even when you go off program. I do the same thing...I think it's denial and refusal on my part to acknowledge what I am actually doing. So I'll make a deal with you...one day at a time...you and I will both track every bite today.

TenThousandVolts - 2 lbs. down - yay! Your nutrition class sounds interesting. Are you actually taking this somewhere or doing it online?

dreamlinda - Another great loss! Woo!

Well, I better get to work.

Lynne

 

[Aburns8]

Great job Lynn (WishnDisney) on the loss and going to the gym!

Hope this week is a good one for you. I am tracking away today. My goal is to keep myself busier at night and not just sit on the couch and want to eat. This weekend there will be no weigh in for me because we are going on a little vacation this weekend. But I WILL track!

 

[bumbershoot]

So - I'm WW Online with Monday WI. I was down 4 lbs. I'll take it, although I also know there are some other factors that contribute to that - I did my WI at the gym this morning so it was earlier in the day and a different scale. Yes, you heard that right...at the gym! I actually dragged my bottom out of bed this a.m. for the first time in a year to go to the gym with DH. I walked on the treadmill for 1 hr. After this week, I intend to add in strength training, although that will cut into my 1 hr. on the treadmill.

Very nice! I like that you're starting with activity instead of adding it in later (as I did). I'm sure you know this, but when muscles are healing up from new/heavier activity, they draw water in to help with that process. So you CAN see a temporary increase in scale numbers while you're healing, and that's why weight can fluctuate a bit as you start, or start a new, activity.

If I lift heavier than normal (the "ier" is important there, as I'm not STRONG yet, and still lifting pretty light!) on a Friday afternoon, I will NOT see a loss, and sometimes will see a gain, at my Sat morning weigh in. Now sometimes if I run that evening but have been careful with my hydration all day before the run, I'll still see a loss if I'm due one, but not always.

I find it to be important to know ahead of time, that new activity can cause that temporary increase in scale numbers*.



*and I like saying it that way instead of "gain weight". It's not what we think of as weight, it's just water not being released quite yet.

*****************


Woo, ran a 10K (my first!) yesterday and I am HUNGRY. Fighting fighting fighting the urge to decimate my Weeklies right now. Should go have some avocado, that's what I should do....

 

[WishnDisney]

Woo, ran a 10K (my first!) yesterday and I am HUNGRY. Fighting fighting fighting the urge to decimate my Weeklies right now. Should go have some avocado, that's what I should do....

That's fantastic! I am sooooo impressed. Not only by the race, but the results you have seen on the scale.

Thanks for the advice on the scale as well. I've gone down this road soooo many times. One of these times, it's got to stick. The one thing I am going to do this time around...do the right things, don't obsess about the scale, or if I do slip up, don't throw in the towel. It's funny, too, cause this time around goals aren't so much focused on a number on a scale, but activities I will be able to do as I get fit.

Is the TOT next month?

Aburns8 - how was your day yesterday? Yesterday was a good day for me all around. I tracked every bite and was able to check off all of my healthy checks - love the smilie I get when I do that.

I slept in a bit this morning, but managed to still get to gym and walk on the treadmill for about 35 minutes. Now, it's off to journal and get to work!

Have a good day everyone!

Lynne

 

[rlbklein]

Woo, ran a 10K (my first!) yesterday and I am HUNGRY. Fighting fighting fighting the urge to decimate my Weeklies right now. Should go have some avocado, that's what I should do....

If you're hungry, then EAT something! At a minimum, keep 0 point fruits & veg around to snack on. Feeling truly hungry is your body saying it needs fuel. Not eating will just backfire every time by making you ravenous so your willpower goes out the window.

I snack & eat all the time but I keep enough 0 point stuff that I'm not sabotaging myself.

I also find that if I avoid (though not completely eliminate) carbs, and stick to fruits, veg, dairy, and lean proteins, I have a much easier time staying satisfied while losing faster or maintaining more easily. YMMV!

 

[Aburns8]

Aburns8 - how was your day yesterday? Yesterday was a good day for me all around. I tracked every bite and was able to check off all of my healthy checks - love the smilie I get when I do that.

It was okay. I am still having a hard time tracking in the evening. But I didn't do any extra eating since my DS (1) wouldn't go to bed.

 

[bumbershoot]

That's fantastic! I am sooooo impressed. Not only by the race, but the results you have seen on the scale.

Thanks for the advice on the scale as well. I've gone down this road soooo many times. One of these times, it's got to stick. The one thing I am going to do this time around...do the right things, don't obsess about the scale, or if I do slip up, don't throw in the towel. It's funny, too, cause this time around goals aren't so much focused on a number on a scale, but activities I will be able to do as I get fit.

Is the TOT next month?

It is indeed next month! About 18 days from now. Whimper.

Good for you for going into this wanting to do it "right". Of course, right means different things for everyone, but I'm right there with you in how you describe it this time!

If you're hungry, then EAT something! At a minimum, keep 0 point fruits & veg around to snack on. Feeling truly hungry is your body saying it needs fuel. Not eating will just backfire every time by making you ravenous so your willpower goes out the window.

OH I wasn't not eating entirely. I was simply keeping myself from eating the entire package of Newman's O's, or DS's chocolate bar in the fridge, or his ancient chocolate frog in the freezer (ha ha at "or"...if I'd gotten up at that moment I was typing it would have been an "AND" situation). I was trying to work through the "eat eat eat eat eat EVERYTHING" urges to get my mind to work out a much better meal that would actually be fuel and not just crud.

AKA 6 points worth of weighed-out avocado on the second best sandwich of my life. (sandwiches are rare in my world anymore, as they tend to be 16 point wonders, LOL)

The running and hungry after-effects are the biggest reason I'm calling it goal this Saturday. Don't particularly care what the scale says; I'm in my BMI range and I need to stop the purposeful losing for right now.

Over time as my skin continues to tighten up with the weight training (it's AMAZING how much less loose skin I have now...weight-training since May, I've lost about 12 pounds since then, and I don't shriek when I watch myself doing lateral raises with dumbells anymore) and continued fitness, I'm sure more pounds will be lost, but right now I gotta eat a bit more.

Thank you so much for the concern! Always good to hear from outside one's own head as well.





Speaking of avocado....always WEIGH it. Don't go by the generic "1/4 of an avocado" default tracker entry. Most avocados are not as big as the default one. For those that love avocado, weigh the part of it that you'll eat, use grams, and you'll be happy.

 

[WishnDisney]

2nd day in a row that I wrote a long post and it disappeared. Blech!

Had a good day yesterday. Stayed within my points, tracked everything I ate, earned 3 APs, and hit all of my healthy checks. Overslept this a.m. unfortunately and completely missed the gym. So I packed my lunch this a.m. and my sneakers into my Disney backpack, and plan on walking to my parents to eat lunch today. It's about a 15 minute walk each way. Not a lot of exercise, but it's something. (I was planning on walking to work this a.m., but getting the kids out the door plus myself was a bit of a challenge this a.m.)

Last night was a zoo. I work full-time as a CPA and from the minute I got home I was running. DS 11 had soccer practice, DS 13 was at an away cross country meet. We didn't get dinner started until 7:00 and while I was doing dinner I was also trying to get kids through homework. This morning DS 11 announces that he still has more homework to do. DH wasn't particularly helpful last night. Sigh! I need to work a bit harder on organization.

Speaking of dinner last night, I made one of my favorite chicken dishes. It's also easy. You brown chicken in olive oil, then throw some chopped onion and garlic in the middle of the skillet. Once that's cooked, throw in some diced tomatos (either fresh or from a can) and a splash of basalmic vinegar, put a lid on and cook it on low until the chicken is cooked through. You can eat the tomatos and onions on top of the chicken, or sometimes I put it on top of brown rice or a potato. A lot of times, I will just make the tomatoes and skip the chicken.

I got my Active Link yesterday so I got that set up last night and am starting my first week phase where it monitors your activity. Can't wait to see how this whole thing works.

I also scheduled 11/4/13 as the date on my calendar that I start C25K training. My goal is to be able to run a few 5Ks with people in my office (I'm always jealous when they do that), as well as a 5-mile run on Memorial Day.

 

[WishnDisney]

(Maybe my messages are too long and that's my problem?)

rkblein - some real nuggets in your post to bumbershoot. When I did Core years ago, I had better results. I also had fewer headaches. This morning I woke up with a headache, headed quickly south toward migraine. I think it might be related to my recent reduction in carbs.

Aburns8 - Pat yourself on the back that you didn't eat all night. It's the little things that add up to hitting goal. I also found that when my kids were little that it was really hard. I was so stressed by the evening, I wanted to eat everything in sight. And you have a vacation coming up...cool!

Bumbershoot - Tell me more about this 2nd best sandwich ever. What else is there besides avocado? I'm also intrigued by the loose skin. If I can drag myself out of bed in the mornings, I plan on starting strength training next week.

Okay, gotta run!

Lynne

 

[bumbershoot]

I was a bit loopy when I wrote that lol. And my taste in sandwiches is a bit on the hippie side since the best ones tend to include avocado, cheese, and sprouts. And as they say, hunger is the best sauce. Though I might tweak that (so as to not sound like I'm encouraging eating disorders) to say that really paying attention to your food and not having guilt makes food taste better.

I wish I'd taken pictures of my arms! I keep regretting the no picture thing as well as not measuring often enough. Skin still droops but nowhere near as much. So it gives me hope for the loose skin on the side/back of my thighs. Oh and my lower belly has tightened up SO much. That's been in the last 5 lbs or so where it just all flattened. Not 100% flat but very close. And I don't do sit-ups in my routine, just twist things with a weighted bar on my shoulders. It's slowly tightening up what's under the belly skin which helps with the process.

It has taken time, that's for sure.

 

[zoo2tycoon]

I joined WW last week...went to WI today and down 4 pounds!
Know not normal and mostly water but it is encouraging. Know the rate will slow down but feels good that there are results when you follow and track. I planned ahead and made good choices. Had stressful day so far---in the past when I'd grab junk food I grabbed the 1 cup of grapes in the refrig that I have bagged.