WW

[dancerjodi]

Brian and I took the plunge last night and signed up for Weight Watcher's online. Though there are things I know I'd get out of the meetings, Brian's not what you'd call the most outwardly social of people, and we'll be kicking each other's asses with this whole thing, so its all good.

Its funny, because WW says I'm at the high end of normal range for me, weird. Joining though is based on getting to the low end of the range, and its quite a large range, so I was able to join. I need to get no less than 20 points a day. Its weird that I'm at the lowest points range too - its not going to change (like say, Brian's may as he loses weight).

I'm 5' 6" and the range for me weightwise according to WW is 128-148. Last night I was at 147, and I'd like to get down to the low 30s (I plugged in 132, since it was the 10% suggested). At a normal 'eating poorly sometimes, dancing a couple of times a week' weight I was 138 for many, many years. If I start weight training again which I'd like to do I'd anticipate being in the mid 30's ultimately and realistically, but you've got to have something concrete to reach for, you know?

Reading up on the food, points, etc (for those that don't know, the points are just a result of a calculation involving calories, fat and fiber and then you can get activity point 'credit' each day), I've been eating fairly healthy all along. The reason weight isn't coming off is because my food = my activity. The reason I gained about 10 lbs in 2002-2003 was due to no change in eating habits, but a severe decrease in physical activity (I was in grad school while working full time and it was tough to get serious workouts in). The late 20's slowing metabolism monster also bit. Nowadays, if I splurge a bit it is offset by the dancing. Thus, I'll need to be VERY strict about my eating or exercise more if I want to see results. I knew this at a basic level, but seeing the formula gave me a kind of AH HA! moment last night.

Such neat recipes! Brian and I are looking forward to cooking a lot of the things we found on the website last night. Wednesday night will be our weigh day, which is good, because its also the day we hit the supermarket and do our meal planning for the week.

Comments

[ex-rydia423.livejournal.com]

WW kicks ass. If you need help or have questions about points and stuff let me know.

I'm at 20/day as well.

Good luck with it.

*hugs*

[tisana.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I'm at the high end of their range, too, and that's 10-15lbs lighter than the weight I'd crept up to over a couple years.
Same reason--lack of activity.

I might like getting down another 10lbs, and I have thought of WW, but frankly, anytime I mention it I get scoffed at by someone larger than me who thinks I'm being insensitive and implying they should do something about their weight (because sometimes people are a bit dim and try to be "subtle" like that). I know Xani got similar crap at a WW meeting for being on the slender side--but hey, it worked for him, and several other people I know, which is why it's tempting in the first place.

Good luck with the habit changing. :)

But just for the record, you'll be breaking a certain Latin Lothario's heart if you lose too much curve.

[deadwinter.livejournal.com]

I might like getting down another 10lbs, and I have thought of WW, but frankly, anytime I mention it I get scoffed at by someone larger than me who thinks I'm being insensitive and implying they should do something about their weight (because sometimes people are a bit dim and try to be "subtle" like that)

You know, that has to stop. No one has a right to hit you over the head with the chips they carry on their shoulders.

ww

[dancer.livejournal.com]

"anytime I mention it I get scoffed at by someone larger than me who thinks I'm being insensitive and implying they should do something about their weight"

And they do that because they are selfish. :) Its your body, and if you want to be healthy about it, that's your perogative (and not a general value statement about what anyone else is doing).

"But just for the record, you'll be breaking a certain Latin Lothario's heart if you lose too much curve."

It would be impossible for me to lose the curve - my hip bones aren't going to be getting smaller anytime soon :)

[andrewfeland.livejournal.com]

According to WW, I'm a solid 20lbs overweight. I'm even ten pounds over the recommended maximum for my height.

Ouch.

They classed me as a group-fitness-type person, though--not so sure about that one.

I think I'm going to go for a walk now...

[developer.livejournal.com]

You've inspired me to look at the online thing agian and I've actually lost weight since I last logged in. Hard to believe!

Maybe I will try to get on the band wagon -- now how many points is a donut and iced coffee? :)

[dawntreader]

i think it's one of those, "if you have to ask, it's too many" principles. *g*

[developer.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know -- although it wasn't as bad as I thought in a sense. Sure, I could've eaten 9 salads, or an infinite number of no point soups, but this morning I needed the food -- I spent last night in a sleep lab!

[tk7602.livejournal.com]

well, roughly 6 for the donut, and then the coffee depends on the cream and sugar ;)

[dawntreader]

good luck to you both!!!!

[deadwinter.livejournal.com]

I consider WW idea of healthy weight nothing short of retarded, their use of the BMI as backward as a crank telephone. With your height and build at 128 you'd be one unattractive skeleton (on the other hand, you would be Jack Skellington's ideal).

On the other hand, from reading Brian's journal they are clearly on to something with the points system, particularly when it comes to minimums. Xany is right when referencing the starvation response. It is non-intuitive as all hell, but damn it's true.

ww

[dancer.livejournal.com]

"With your height and build at 128 you'd be one unattractive skeleton"

Which is why I think, there is a 20 lb difference from high to low for a woman my height - 20lbs may come on easy, but if you look at say 20 lbs of fat, that's a lot of fat! My sister for instance is a similar height to me but much smaller build, and my weight would look really fat on her. I think she's in the mid 20s or something . . .

I tend to lay in the 138 range when "normal", hence why I'm aiming for a few pounds or so less than that. Muscle *does* weigh more than fat, and I know my fat % is higher than it should be for me. I'm confident that losing the fat and converting to muscle will ultimately put me at that mid 130 range (which still will require some weight loss, hence this whole program). Right now I'm at that 'pinching more than an inch' stage which bugs me (not from an appearance standpoint, but from a fitness/health standpoint).

Mostly I'm doing this to learn more about food, get some good recipe tips, and to help Brian out. Living together and eating together, it just will make sense for us both to be eating (sort of) the same things. He's got more to lose and since the WW program is a gradual one, he's got more points to use up. When he's closer to goal I'm sure we'll both be eating similar stuff. I'll just have to make sure to get exercise in if I want to share that frozen yogurt after dinner with him (and having more motivation to spend time with the iron isn't a bad thing) :)

[tk7602.livejournal.com]

yeah, they told me my ideal is between 130 - 150. i've been there. that's not ideal ;)

so i ignored that and set my goal to 170.

i'm finding the points system neat because it gives me a relative guage to compare foods that is easy for me to wrap my brain around. i like sort of having an absolute ranking of 1,2,3 vs calories/fat/etc...

for example, a meal bar is around 3 points, and a smoothie with a cup of mixed berries, a banana, 1/2 cup of yogurt and vanilla seltzer was also 3 points. the latter being much more filling, and tastier.

[miss-manners.livejournal.com]

That's a fundamental problem with BMI and the recent reduction of recommended BMI has only made it worse.

If I calculate my BMI the day I left boot I was overweight (179#, BMI of 26.4) but my clothes hung very losely on me. To reach the top of "ideal weight" by BMI I'd need to be over 10# lighter than I was the day I got out. It would also mean I'd have to weigh a mere 4 pounds more than when I was on the wrestling team in junior high (and I was about 3" shorter than) and about what I weighed the year I was on the swim team (and about my current height). And that's the top of the range.

That's crazy. Those times are easily the best shape I was ever in...arguably the best I realistically can be and I'm either barely at a good weight or over weight.

[roaming.livejournal.com]

On the one hand, it seems weird to me that people worry about 10 or 20 extra pounds. OTOH, if I had worried more about the extra 10-20, maybe I wouldn't have packed on the extra 70!

If you think the "late 20's metabolism slow down" is a bitch, you'll love menopause. Not. I've noticed that women in their late 50's/early 60's seem to rapidly "blow up" and get all puffy, in the face, neck, hands, especially hip/ass/tummy fat (cortisol?). . . and then rapidly shrink when they hit the 70's, which accounts for a lot of that wrinkled bag effect.

(Yikes, I think I've been hanging around too many older people in the family lately! 'Scuse me while I go cruise my nephew's high school gym class for some perspective.)