9 months on 9 months off?

[espelli]

Can I join you please?

I have been inspired by your successful weight loss using weight watchers and have joined online. It's appealing to my geek side too!

I have a lot to lose - and did have before pregnancy (so I can't blame that;-)), but reading this thread has encouraged me to make a start.

Must make the most of this weather for a long walk in the park!

[Grotty]

Right having read more on the impressive Pickle/Pebbles running success i'm determined to go for a run today.

espelli - welcome. Hope you get as much motivation from this thread as I have. Its slow but seems to work for a lot of people so definitely worth it. Good luck with the first week.

crystal7 i used to finish off the kids food too until i started WW - having to track the points of EVERYTHING i ate made me realise just how many extra calories a day i was taking in on snacking alone. Now if i do finish off the meal, having used up vital points, i'm punished with fruit/salad for dinner so don't do it again for a while! Once you have reached your goal on WW there is a maintenance stage where you eat to maintain not lose i.e. more points allowed. You could always sign up to this just so you keep track of what you're eating?

In terms of body shape i've been going through that same nightmare but sadly i think exercise is the only way to re-shape. I've been doing an amazing fat blast class on saturday mornings in ruskin park but sadly the teacher is emigrating to Berlin next month so i'm on the look out for something else.

[pebbles]

Welcome all newbies - I love this thread and it does really help keep me motivated

To all non runners out there I just wanted to let you know it's doable - basically I did my first run Easter weekend and couldn't run for 2 minutes (Pickle - how far - i'm thinking literally about 400m when i died) - anyway, tonight I just ran 6.17 miles in 1 hour 11 minutes - oh my goodness, i ran for over an hour - and although my legs are hurting now at the time i felt on top of the world but came home cos i knew my husband would start worrying!!! so.... do it. There's a great app called couch to 5 which basically takes you from a non runner to being able to do 5km. it's a jog for 1 minute, walk for 2 minutes kind of approach and everyone i know who has done it thinks it's fab

To those who struggle due to kids etc there's a great fitness video called 30 day shred by Jillian Michaels (i think that's her name - basically she's the American behind Biggest Loser) - and it's a 20 min work out that really really really works. There are 3 levels so you start on level one until you can do it easily and then move up. It's either great to do when kids sleep or I actually do it and my kids sort of play around me (or watch and attempt to copy!!!) - it's great for those who struggle for time.

[Pickle]

Pebbles, yes I think 400m at the most was what you managed that day... You have made amazing progress and it's been great for me to have a running buddy to help get me back into it.

HOWEVER... Competitive Pickle is well and truly peed off that you ran further than me today (I did 5.5 miles, although mine was up and down hills, not flat...) ;-) That's the last time I let you loose on a long run without me!

I've had a good weekend, friends yesterday had a BBQ lunch so it was easy to stay on track and I counted everything. Quietly confident that goal may be achievable on Wednesday, eek.

[buggie]

Ok, so far longer than 9mths after Bugglet's arrival I've signed up to online WW to try & shift the many excess pounds, but, am I missing something?

Signed up & downloaded iPhone/iPad apps but don't feel there's much info on how to structure my food through the day.

I can see the site advertise packs to buy with what looks like the bits I think I'm missing (recipe book/eating out advice etc) but is it a bit of a swindle/anyone willing to lend me bits till I know what I'm doing?! Or is there more info on the website rather than the apps?

[Pickle]

The recipe books are good, but not essential, but if you're just starting out you may find having one is useful. I also find the eating out guide handy. You can pop into any meeting and buy them (just say you want to use the shop, not weigh in).

There are sometimes suggested daily eating plans in the magazines, and I'm sure there will be online too, although I find the good thing about WW is that it's not prescriptive, and you can eat what/when suits you.

Good luck!

[Pickle]

I did it :-)

Lost the last pound, so in 16 weeks I've lost 26lbs in total. In that time I have been strict, I haven't cheated, and there has been just one day (hubby's birthday) where I didn't track my points. 16 weeks ago I started walking a lot with my baby, running seemed like an impossible dream, now I'm happily running 5+ miles.

Stick with it ladies, it really does work.

Now onto maintenance, so I'm still tracking religiously to find the right balance for me. In 4ish weeks my baby will be 6 months old so I'll lose some of my breastfeeding points as she moves onto solids. I'm hoping that I'll just be able to stick to 40 points a day to maintain even though I won't be feeding as much.

Hooray!

[eco79]

Well done!

And thanks to your advice about actually eating 40 points while breastfeeding, this week clocked in a 4lb loss!

[Pickle]

Oh wow, that's brilliant. Embrace the 40 points!

[pebbles]

Pickle - so so so proud of you. Well done. You thoroughly deserve it

Only 1/2 lb loss for me this week. It's still a loss but a bit gutted as tracked tracked and ran ran!!! However just measure myself and lost another inch off boobs and waist in just a week so know I'm losing :)

How's everyone else?

[nikki73]

Started today! Finding all the log keeping quite time consuming with two little ones to look after but it must get easier?! Also not quite clear on how the exercise points work but it is making me think more about what I eat which must be a good start.

[pebbles]

Well done nikki73 - i promise counting points does get easier. do u have a smart phone? i log all my points on my iPhone and it's so easy as most of the time it calculates for me and also lets me know how many i have left for the day.

again the smart phone (but also on the website) works out activity points for you - you put what you've done and for how long and it'll tell you how many points you've earnt. i try and eat into my weeklies but i don't normally touch my activity as I find i don't get hungry with all my weeklies as well

good luck and please shout with any questions - you won't regret it :)

xxx

[nikki73]

Thanks Pebbles. Yes I do have a smartphone but it's just me that's not that smart when it comes to technology! I've figured out the exercise points now. Good way of staying motivated. I think I'd struggle on the daily points alone but hoping that with the weekly points thrown in I can survive the day without starving:) Will let you know progress in a week's time. Good luck. xn

[nunheadmum]

It's annoying though that there isn't an app for Android....unless I've missed it? And the activity tracker bit on the normal website doesn't work for me via the internet on my phone.

Went for a run today and got annoyed as the distance I used to do, I can now do in less time so get fewer activity points. I'm not quite doing 'high intensity' running yet but still a significant improvement on where I started. Seems like a bit of a disincentive to me! (Also as I lose weight, I need to go for longer to get the points...which makes sense but seems unfair!!) Thankfully I enjoy running so won't stop and I never did eat my activity points. But it would be nice to feel like it's still doing me as much good.

[Grotty]

Congratulations Pickle. It must feel incredible. Also from your posts i've always assumed you were a running pro. Its very motivating to hear you started at walking 4 months ago. I love running but have no motivation. Sounds like I need to find myself a running partner!

eco79 - amazing week and what a good start. Keep at it x

Pebbles - thats interesting about the measurements reducing but weight not so much. I've been feeling the same - not actually measuring etc but clothes feeling looser despite not getting lighter!

[reren]

I wonder if you clever ww pros could help me with a couple of questions :our work canteen does a hot meal everyday which I sometimes will have - (replacing the carb - rice, potato etc - with salad) - so it might be something like a chicken breast in tomato sauce or a beef curry... How would you track that kind of thing when you aren't exactly sure of the quantity or how it's been made? Or if you eat some sainsburys tortellini but the pro points tracker only lists Asda tortellini do you just use that (as an aside does ww have some sort of deal w tescos and Asda - seems to have more of their food than sainsburys) ?

I have discovered pret a manger lists all nutritional details on their website and so have added a couple of things I eat regularly into the propoints calculator - but I'm struggling when I don't have the nutritional info.

Also why do you think it is that you need to eat all your points? Is it to do with your body going into starvation mode if you eat too little? But would that really be true from one week to the next? I could understand if you undereat for months - but does the body react that quickly?

[buggie]

The sainsburys tortelloni is on there (at least the one I had tonight!) is on there but beware the spell check that changes the spelling - an 'o' instead of the first 'i' x

[Pickle]

Grotty, sorry my post was confusing, I have been running for years (I did a marathon pre-kids), I just meant getting back into it post baby felt like an impossibility! Pebbles is new to it though.

Reren, you just have to do your best. Meals at the canteen will be guesswork, but for something like chicken in a tomato sauce I would count points for a standard chicken breast and add on a couple of points for things like oil that are in the sauce. Personally I would steer clear of curry.

Where you can, use nutritional values. The Eating Out Guide is useful for eating on the go if you're using chain type stores like Pret.

In terms of eating all your points, it's really just to ensure that you are losing weight in a sensible and healthy way. If you ate 10 points a day for a month you would lose weight, no doubt about it, but you'd be depriving your body of what it needs. I always eat my points, all 40 of them, and in the time it's taken me to get back to goal haven't had a single week where I gained.

It will get easier as you become more familiar with it.

P x

[supergolden88]

I went into Kings today to take part in a renal study about whether exercise is beneficial to patients with CKD (chronic kidney disease). I was measured on one of those machines that read your fat, muscle etc ratios. I was rather shocked that all my readings (apart from waist to hip ratio - hello, I am a woman) were in the normal range. I am so pleased. Last time I was measured on one of those machines I was about 20w pregnant and predictably all the readings were in the obese range. I think it said I needed to lose about 20 kilos.

They also measured my athletic ability on a stationary bike but not sure what those readings were. They are going to check them again in 6 months to see if there's improvement.

So despite baking non stop and eating cakes, cupcakes and my weight in butter lately (due to my daughter's birthday) I have not gained very much if any weight. Huge motivator to continue exercising and going back to sensible eating. Now fingers crossed that I am put in the 'exercise' group of the renal trial. Provided my weird spotting/period anomalies turn out to be nothing serious. I wish I could go one day without major health worrying(= my olympic sport according to my husband).

[Bellenden Belle]

First and foremost a huge congratulations to Pickle - really inspirational, particularly since you gave birth only a couple of months before me.

This thread is so useful and the tips and advice are really helping me - thank you so much.

So - first week over and I lost 5lbs. I am of course totally elated but also quite concerned at losing quite so much - particularly when I'm breastfeeding. In the end my milk supply is more important than my waist line at the moment and whilst I haven't had any problems this week, should I be worried? I used my 40 points each day but didn't touch many of the additional weekly points and made no allowances for a considerable amount of walking. Too much? Or should I relax because it's probably mostly water this week anyway?

Also just to let people know - Morrisons are doing a range of salads, ready meals, yoghurts, etc which are called Nu You and on the packaging they tell you the Weight Watcher points. Meals currently on special offer if you want to stock up. I've found if I have one of those at lunchtime, I can be a bit more relaxed about the evening meal with the other half.

[Pickle]

Bellenden Belle, that's very normal for the first week, I lost 3.5 after my first week but then settled into a pattern of 1.5ish a week. If it doesn't slow down don't be afraid to eat more. Most weeks I ate about half of my weekly points - they are there to be used so don't feel you shouldn't eat them.

Congratulations on a fantastic start!

[pebbles]

Bb - fantastic. Well done you. Ditto to what Pickle said - first week is normally a biggy and now it will ease off. Again please dont be afraid of your weeklies as my biggest loss weeks are when I've eaten those. Treat yourself - a crunchie is 5 points!! Well done you.

I've been exercising like crazy this week as I've got my brothers 40th this weekend and I know the alcohol will be flowing - I must be sensible!!!

[Pickle]

Sorry, short reply earlier (iPhone typing before I got up!). Thanks for the Morrisons tip, I never think to go there, and it does make life easy if they put points on the packaging. Tesco used to have points values on their healthy living range but I don't think they do anymore.

My first few days on maintenance haven't been altogether successful... in that I haven't gone over 40 points either day, it's ingrained for me to structure my day around 40.

Good luck over the weekend Pebbles, but at the end of the day it's not going to matter if you have a bit of a blip, your brother is only 40 once!

My weekend consists of hosting my daughter's 4th birthday party, and running the school fun run. Rock and roll!

[nikki73]

well done Bb! Couple of questions. There's a tool that allows you to enter up to three ingredients and it searches for recipes for you. Came across it the first day but can't find it again. Also this is for way later but what does the maintenance phase consist of?

[Pickle]

Maintenance consists of gradually increasing your daily points to findmthe point at which your weight stays pretty much the same. The biggest mistake many people make is to get to goal and then stop tracking and going to weigh in. I always recommend doing at least 6 weeks of tracking once goal is reached to find your ideal level of points.

After that you should be able to easily maintain without counting points (I maintained for a number of years successfully before having my first child).