Friday, December 09, 2005

BACK TO WEIGHT WATCHERS




Well, it wasn't working on my own. So I'm back to paying money for the privilege of accountability. I am 5 pounds over the weight at which I originally registered at Weight Watchers in Nov. 2000. Or maybe it was 1999. Anyway, I lost 22#, gained it back plus 11 more, lost 20 on my own, and have gained back 14 of that. It boils down to 25# to goal. Again. ~Sigh~

However, I had attained "lifetime" status in WW so I don't pay more that $12 for a meeting (they were $10 back in Maryland but this is Arizona.)

It strikes me as an only-in-America phenomenon that we have to pay money to lose weight. Although I know WW and other weight-loss organizations now span the globe. It seems unjust, somehow.... some people unable to scrape together the money to buy any food at all, others shelling it out to help them lose weight without, heaven forbid, feeling hungry.

Except I do feel hungry when following the WW plan. My leader and group-mates back in Maryland couldn't understand this. They had trouble "eating all that food." What "all that food?" Other than the minimum "points target" per day, the only foods with a quota are fruits/vegetables (5 a day, less than the most recent U.S. Government guidelines) and milk (2 a day under age 50, 3 over 50, and for teens and nursing moms.) Maybe they couldn't get it all in because they were a lot bigger than I was and were supposed to eat 5 - 10 points (250-500 calories) more a day than I was. My "minimum points target" is 20, which is about 1500 calories, give or take a hundred. Then I have a "Flex Account" of 35 more a week (roughly 250 calories a day) which can be used or not. I use mine. I am very hungry on only 20 points a day.

It all boils down to one more way of counting calories, except that instead of counting to 1500 you only have to count to 25 or so. Just makes it easier. But it's no different than writing down every calorie, or following a 1500 (or whatever) calorie diabetic plan (which is a very good healthy eating plan for nondiabetics also.)

Anyway..... now I have a framework to work in, and an advisor to answer to. Hopefully it will make the difference.

3 comments:

UltraMamaC said...

good for you and good luck. I was never able to lose very well on WW flex. I was *always* hungry, esp when I'd run for three hours and only get about four extra points.

I do far better on my own. Or maybe not, since I've still got ~15-18 to lose before I get to goal.

Ellie Hamilton said...

Thanks, Skatemom! It worked for me before, so hopefully it will again. Good luck to you on your plan too!

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

Does the WW plan take into account your activity level? Most days I would be hungry on 1500 calories, too. That sounds like a goal for sedentary folks, not for runners and triathletes like us.