For those fluent in Weight Watchers

Ho-de-doh, here come my dramatic 2-week weigh-in results ...

I only lost 2 pounds this week.

WHAT?!  After my first week's six pounds, I thought FOR SURE I was going to keep on trucking and lose a lot more than that.  But then I ate a big bag of sweet heavenly cheese popcorn, then washed that down with horribly greasy spinach artichoke dip and tortilla chips.  And as if THAT wasn't enough, I ate biscuits, bacon, and GRITS all in one meal the next day.  YEAH!  WAY TO BLOW IT!

The problem?  I was totally within my points limit to do it.  In fact, I ended the week yesterday with points left over!  This is where I run into issues with Weight Watchers ... do I spend all my extra points at the end of the week? Is it BAD if I let them go?  I earned 8 activity points.  And away they all blew in the wind last night without so much as a NOD to ice cream.  That is just SAD.

My other issue is that I only nurse once a day, and honestly, I don't think it goes very far in terms of nutritional value because the girl is hollering for a bottle not 20 minutes later.  On the little questionnaire I checked that I nurse but supplement with formula and solids.  I know for a fact that it buys me 6 extra points a day.  So, do I re-take the quiz and say I don't breastfeed and try life on a mere 22 points a day with my 35 bonus points plus whatever activity points I earn?

I know, I know, I shouldn't be complaining because 8 pounds in two weeks is pretty dang good.  And, as a plus, I didn't GAIN weight.  I feel great.  People are telling me that I look like I've lost weight.  I'm more active than I have been in a long time and I'm actually making healthy choices ON PURPOSE.  But I really, really want to do this right.  According to my goal I still have another 30 pounds to go but I'd be happy with another 20-25.  Any thoughts?

Comments

[Mandy]

The WW people would not like to hear this, but instead of using those extra points that you're given each week, I would just add 2 points on each day for a night time snack. The snack usually ended up being dry cereal because you can eat enough and feel satisfied and it's sweet. Sometimes I'd use all the points, sometimes not. But rarely did I use the extra clump of points all in one day. And it seemed to work. I lost about 20 pounds over a summer.

Congrats on the 2 pounds. That's about what I lost each week when I was doing it.

I should admit, I don't count points anymore. I haven't in a long time. I do think WW taught me how to eat. It taught me how to look at a portion. While I don't count the points that is what I still worry about - portions. And I think that's really what's kept the weight off for me. Oh and, I don't drink non diet soda anymore. That helped, too.

Hang in there.

[Liz]

You haven't blown anything if you didn't gain stuff back in my humble opinion. 8 pounds in 2 weeks = you win.

[Kara]

Remember...you want to lose only 1-2 pounds a week...that is HEALTHY weight loss. The first week 6 pounds is expected, but after that, you just want to be happy that you lose something...and every once in awhile it might be more than 2...and that will be exciting.

You can do whatever you want with those extra points...that is what they are there for! I rarely use all mine each week so I get used to eating within my range...but love to use them if we go out to eat etc. When I attended WW meetings, they always said to gauge your weight loss...if you use ALL your bonus points and stop losing weight, then you may want to cut back. If you can use them all and still lose 2 pounds...then GREAT. I have also foudn that when I DO use them all after now using them, I lose more weight...crazy, I know. It's all about monitoring yourself. As for the 5 extra points for nursing...if it isn't hindering your weight loss, then you can keep them...but if you think getting rid of them will help yoru weight loss, then do that.

Hope that helps...

Kara

Oh! I've lost 17 pounds in 8 weeks!

[Rachel]

I think the reason you "only" lost 2 pounds this week is because you had such a huge loss the first week!!! That is totally normal and expected that your body would need a little time to catch up from such a big loss. It's very common to have a big loss one week, a small one the next, and so on. But 2 pounds is great any way you look at it! If I were you I would not take the nursing points but then I would probably use all or most of my 35 flex points. I've always used all 35 and have had success. As far as activity points, I don't normally use those, the 35 seems to be enough- but if I need to use them I do. You will find what works for you!

[Emily]

Looks to me like you could totally survive without the nursing points. If I were you, i'd lose them so that you're not used to having them when you DO stop nursing. Regardless, you should be VERY proud of a 2-lb weight loss!! Go you!!!

[Jessica]

Hi there! I've been doing WW forever it seems, and what works best for me is to not eat my flexies (35 weekly) for stuff at home. I tend to save those for dinners out and wine. Eat your activity points, every day. If you have four left, get some WW ice cream cones and eat two :>)

Also, I have a fantastic soup recipe that's less than one point per GIANT serving and it's hearty and just plain perfect. If you'd like me to email a copy, please let me know!

[Caroline]

Usually when you cut out things in your diet and start exercising, your first week will be a big number. But now your body is used to that particular calorie intake and the exercise that follows. So the numbers actually should not be more than 1-2 pounds per week. If you weighed a lot more, it would be different. Stick with it. Add more exercise. Calories in vs calories out is the way to go. (spoken from the wife of a personal trainer)

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[Mary]

I feel a little discouraged. Started WW 9/21. First week lost 4 pounds, next week 2 pounds, then .4 and .8 pounds. I'm only using my 22 points per day, except I do go a little crazy w/wine on one of the weekend nights. Is this kind of weight loss normal, or should I be losing more.