First Time WW participant.

Broadman

Hi All,

I decided after many fads, tablets , fooling myself episodes that I needed to drop the 1 1/2 stone I've put on over the last 10 years.

I signed up to WW's Home because I know I wont go to the meetings for the weigh ins. (Being realistic here).

I started on Sunday with a points allowance of 27.

Sunday : 17 Points
Monday : 19 1/2 Points
Tuesday : 19 Points.

I know I have a balance that I could use but My question is twofold.

A.) Should I be using my full allowance daily. My thinking on this is that 27 points is a limit, not a target.

B.) At what point do you stop being hungry? My stomache is rumbling quite a lot during the day. I'm not light headed or feeling weak or anything , just rumbling stomache and a feeling of "hunger". Its been a long time since I felt it so strongly :-)

I used to eat healthily but far too much. Any thoughts or (constructive) suggestions are welcomed....

Cheerz.

litup

You are right - your point allowance is a limit not a target but you should only being going on average 2 points a day under your allowance.

You are under eating and will ultimately slow your weightloss as your body will cling to every calorie (I'm sure thats not technically how it works, some of the more learned folks on here can explain better, but thats how I think of it!)

You also shouldn't be feeling so hungry all the time - another sign you are under eating. You can lose weight and eat well without being hungry.

Try adding some snacks throughout the day to up your intake and keep hunger at bay. You should aim to get the 'best value' from your calories i.e. foods that provide you with the nutrients you need. Browse the forum for great snack tips - my favs are fruit, nuts and seeds and hard boiled eggs!

And best of luck with it all. Well done on making a start. Check back here for any support you need.

If you go over 4 points under your limit then you won't lose weight.
Even at that your only supposed to go under to eat over on another day.

seamus

As the other guys have said, aim to get close to your points limit.

Undereating puts your body into starvation mode, making it much more difficult to shift fat - your body does its best to conserve fat above all else.

It's been a while now, so I don't remember the specifics, but you can only "store" a certain number of points in any given week (I think it's ten or something). As moonbaby says, the expectation is that you will use them up the next day or later that week.

Although an empty stomach is an indicator of perhaps not eating enough, there is also a period of adjustment. If you were previously used to large portions, then it may take a number of weeks for your stomach to contract. So while you won't necessarily be hungry, you won't feel as full as you may be used to. Overcoming the urge to eat until you're stuffed is a large part of the battle. You need to keep telling yourself after a meal that there's no way you could possibly need to eat more.

If you're consistently hungry (to the point of your stomach almost feeling sore) or feeling lathargic, then you're definitely not eating enough.

Stef1979

all of the above are great points...I just wanted to add that if you are feeling hunger pangs it may be that your thirsty as this is one way your body tells you it needs fuelling....drink a glass of water and you may find the pangs go away...thats what I do and it usally works!!

Broadman

Thanks for the advice folks. All comments are appreciated. I'm drinking plenty of water, the transition on my bladder is having its own consequences lol.

I've read that your stomache does contract over time to accomodate the reduced food volume intake, im just hoping it doent go on for much longer.

Thanks again.....

littlefriend

You really, really aren't eating enough and that is why you are hungry. Don't do that to yourself - apart from the fact you are more likely to give up the 'diet' if you are hungry all the time you will also mess up your metabolism which will in turn make it more difficult for you to lose weight.

If you are meant to have 27 points per day - unless you are saving points for a meal out or something like that - then have them. Look at it this way - WW is a business like any other and its success is dependent on ppl losing weight. If ppl don't lose weight on the ww diet then the business will not do well. Therefore, it is not in their interests to tell you to eat more than you need to - if they say you will lose weight on 27 points per day then you will.

If you want to speed things up a bit get out and exercise. You will look and feel alot better that way and instead of having loose skin when the weight has dropped off your new toned body will emerge.

Seriously don't bother starving yourself - it is CRRAAAZZZYYYY

Also I'm surprised your leader didn't hammer that information into you.
I've not been to alot of meetings, and that was years ago.... but I still remember it. It was so emphasised.
I wonder if your leader is any good?

litup

Moonbaby wrote: »

Also I'm surprised your leader didn't hammer that information into you.
I've not been to alot of meetings, and that was years ago.... but I still remember it. It was so emphasised.
I wonder if your leader is any good?

I think the OP is doing WW from home, not attending meetings.

litup

litup wrote: »

I think the OP is doing WW from home, not attending meetings.

Opps missed that.
Still you think they'd explain it properly, you are paying for the service.

Broadman

In fairness to them it is probably in the documentation somewhere. There are a lot of books to read when you do the home plan. I havnt had a chance to sit down and read them all. There is a kickstart book with recipes and points counted and Core meal plans to get your plan started.

The hunger pangs have gone and I have noticed only after 4 days I feel full now having eaten less food. As someone posted earlier your stomache will grow and contract to accomodate the amount of food you consume daily. In the past I ate healthily but far too much and I have just noticed the sauces I was using are mad as regards sugar and fat content. Its funny what you notice when your attention is directed to it.

In addition I've thrown in a scone and Jam (3 points) in the mid morning and that seems to have bridged the gap.

5 days in : 3 pounds down. I wanted to wait (no pun intended) until Sunday but I just had to try out my shiney new scales.

Now I have my baseline I can track progress more accurately.

Broadman

Just a quick update for anyone who is interested.

I have now dropped the 1 1/2 stone that I set out to accomplish.

The trick now is to find the balance. I had lost 2 stone at one point but I was starting to look a bit underweight. Keeping things on an even keel is the new target.

Thank you weight watchers, the system does work if you are prepared to stick with it.

The change was achieved through mainly:

Cutting out bread and replacing it with pitta and wraps.
Cutting out potatoes.
Making my own sauces for dinner, Curry powder, veg stock, tomato based ....
Cutting down (not out) on the booze. (Important)
Training three times a week. Two hard sessions.
Replacing the biscuits with water biscuits and rice cakes.
Having breakfast before I left the house. (I never did in the past)
Replacing chicken with Turkey.(Unsure of any effect)
Cutting down on red meat. 1 steak/burger/bolognaise p/week

Generally watching the kcal and saturated fat content of everything I put in the shopping trolley for 3 months.


Good luck to all who have started the journey I undertook 3 months ago.

neuro-praxis

Fantastic! I love seeing people who have reached their goals. It inspires me. Well done!