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shrinkgeek.

hi y'all, newbie here. apologies in advance to those in other WW communities where I'm x-posting.

I'm starting WW again. I have done it a number of times. I am trying to get in a WW at Work group but people keep dropping out before we can get a meeting started, so I decided I'd just get started using the materials I have from before. Unless the work meeting starts up, I won't be going to meetings.

I went to see my doctor this summer and she's really alarmed about my weight and told me how much I should be eating and stuff. Also, I go to see a specialist every month or two for something that has *nothing* to do with my weight, and my last 2 visits with him have been him lecturing me on how I really need to lose weight and how to do it. Part of me figures the only way to shut him up is to get back on WW and get started again.

I'm going to use the Points system (probably Flex although maybe Core, I have to refamiliarize myself with this stuff). I'm probably going to use the Hacker's Diet online tools to track things since I already have an account there, but I'll have to figure out points separately if I do that.

Here's where I need help. My doctor told me given my height (5'2") and weight (211) I should be eating 1500-1700 calories a day and 56g of fat (the "right kind of fat," of course). She's about my height and probably slimmer than I am but she seems to be doing some kind of plan or at least know something about it because she was talking specifically about what she does in order to get her correct amount of fat in her daily diet.

I want to do what my doctor said, but I can't reconcile that with the points system. I recall from before that points are about 50 calories per point. But I could eat 30-34 points a day but still not get anywhere near that fat intake amount. Does anyone know how to figure out how to combine "you need to eat 56g of fat a day" with the Points system?

I just thought that I'd say a quick hello.  I've been doing Weight Watchers for 18 weeks now, and so far I've had pretty good success.

Started Plan: 4/18/08
Starting Weight:  302.6
Current Weight:  274.4 (As of last week.  I'm about to go WI for this week, so hopefully less :D)
Total Lost:  28.2
Location: VA

So far, the hardest part for me has been the exercise.  Because I really like Playing MMO's, D&D and watching movies.  None of those really help with activity, but I'm getting much better. 

If anyone has any ideas for activity, I'd love to hear it.  I'm a monthly pass member, and unfortunately because of that I can't afford a gym membership.  It's either one or the other, and I chose Weight Watchers.

So this is a bit late, any tips for con-going weight watchers? I'm about to head out and pick up some veggies (I can carry those on a plane, can't I?) but am a bit worried about those half hour breaks between games when I'm tempted to just buy food at the convention center.

Info from http://www.calorieking.com/ & http://www.thedailyplate.com/

HUNT'S
Fat Free Chocolate - 2 points
No Sugar Added Chocolate - 1 point
Fat Free Tapioca - 2 points
Fat Free Vanilla - 2 points
Fat Free Vanilla (Big Cup) - 2 points
No Sugar Added Vanilla - 1 points

JELL-O
Fat Free Chocolate - 2 points
100 Cal. Choc/Vanilla Swirl - 2 points
Fat Free Vanilla & Chocolate - 2 points
Fat Free Tapioca - 2 points
Fat Free Devil's Food - 2 points
Sugar Free Chocolate - 1 point
Sugar Free Creamy Caramel - 1 point
Sugar Free Choc/Vanilla Swirl - 1 point
Sugar Free Vanilla - 1 point
Sugar Free Double Chocolate - 1 point

With minimal points, these cups are great for adding some creaminess & extra flavor to your smoothies. I've been experimenting again & I'm enjoying smoothies made w/ a pack of Swiss Miss Diet Hot Cocoa & a Jell-o Sugar Free Chocolate pudding cup. Blend with ice & a bit of water for a 2 point cup of ambrosia. :)

*HUGS*

"In case you're unfamiliar with it, here's the scoop. Eight Scripps-owned TV stations in different cities had reporters order a total of about twenty so-called "healthier" meal options at Applebee's, Macaroni Grill, Chili's, Cheesecake Factory, etc. The food was then sent to a lab to be tested, to see if the nutritional stats provided by the restaurants were accurate. The results were ASTOUNDING, to say the least."
http://hungry-girl.com/news/newsdetails.php?isid=1450

Full test results can be downloaded here:
http://www.abc2news.com/sites/wmar/images/themenutest/RestaurantComparisonChart.pdf

*HUGS*

For online points calculating, I generally use this:
http://www.webmilhouse.com/pointcalc.php
Milk = Skim Milk
Nutritional info from:
http://www.curvesfoods.com/
http://www.fiberone.com/

I find the Fiber 1 food to be better tasting & more filling than Curves, but they are comparable in points, so I have them both here.

Whole Grain Crunch (1 serving is 3/4 cup) -  2 points, w/ or w/out milk
Honey Crunch (1 serving is 1 cup) - 3 points w/out milk, 4 points w/ milk
Chocolate Peanut - 2 points
Strawberries & Cream - 1 point

Original (1 serving is 1/2 cup) - 0 points w/out milk, 1point w/ milk
Honey Clusters (1 serving is 1 cup) - 3 points, w/ w/out milk
Raisin Bran Clusters (1 serving is 1 cup) - 3 points w/out milk, 4 points w/ milk
Caramel Delight (1 serving is 1 cup) - 3 points w/out milk, 4 points w/ milk
Oats & Chocolate - 2 points
Oats & Peanut Butter - 3 points
Oats & Caramel - 2 points
Oats & Apple Streusel - 2 points
Oats & Strawberries w/ Almonds - 2 points

Fiber 1 also has a recipe section
http://www.fiberone.com/Recipes/

*HUGS*

Don't know how it happened, but I lost 3 pounds during my trip this weekend from L.A. to Portland, despite being rather sedentary on a train most of the time & a lot of snacking.  Oh well! I'm not complaining, just confused. Confused and happy! *dances*
BTW, I was there for the Too Much Coffee Man Opera. Any  WW's up in the Pacific NW make it to that? Wasn't it great? :D

*HUGS*

I'm down to 190, from 215 when I started in November. HUZZAH!

*HUGS*

If you haven't already, I highly suggest getting a Magic Bullet...the blender, not the sex toy. Or the Rocket Blender, or a decent knock off like the Elite for taking to conventions & such. (For regular home use, I'd suggest a normal blender, since apparently the lifespans of these things aren't very long.) My aunt I use hers for just smoothies; but that alone is worth it. The 1-point WW smoothie mixes are ok on their own but can be turned into some really delicious meals or desserts. Obviously points will vary depending on what you put in them, but I imagine most would still be considerably low compared to other blended yummies, or anything else sweet you might be tempted to get. I think the WW mixes come in Vanilla, Chocolate, Caramel Latte, Strawberry Banana, White Chocolate Mocha & Peaches and Cream. You can pick up a box at your local office.

Anyway, this morning I made one that was little high in points, but not too bad.
WW French Vanilla Smoothie Mix - 1 point
Oregon Original Chai Tea Latte Mix - 3 points
3-4 ice cubes (I used 3 of those big wedge shaped ones)
Filled the cup the rest of the way with skim milk - 2 points
Total = 6 points & it is SO filling.
-Use water instead of milk & knock it down to 4 points

Anyway, compare that to Jamba Juice's 16 oz. Peanut Butter Moo'd which is 11 points,
their 16 oz Orange Dream Machine which is 7 points (not too bad)
and their 16 oz Matcha Green Tea Blast, which is also 7 points.
Granted those are only the creamy ones, but I felt they were more comparable than the fruity ones.



*HUGS*

I emailed the Girl Scout cookie points list to my favorite WW instructor & got this reply back from him. It's too funny.

You know...when it comes to a pressure food choice situation and it says "Sugar Free", it's hard not to just "Tagalong". But when you "Do Si Do" back to the "Chalet" and find you were "TreFoil"ed in your well-intended efforts because it's "Allabout"  the nutrition intormation, you gotta wonder what's in a name. Well, how about "Thin Mints"? That description's gotta be worth something! In fact, I'm grateful that on the Weight Watchers program we can have a serving of any of these Girl Scout Cookies. In fact, the only thing one shouldn't have is "Samoa."
 Thanks so much for sending along the nutrition information just in time for our "Good Health Guidelines" topic. It was very enlightening and your e-mail is much  appreciated. Hope that funky schedule of yours allows me to see you again soon!

*HUGS*

I have a convention coming up (Lunacon!) next weekend. I've only been to this con once before, last year, and I remember that the hotel is unfortunately far from any grocery stores or restaurants, plus I won't have a car there. Their con suite is stocked with the usual chips and candy. Not a lot of WW-friendly options. This leads to my question:

What are people's favorite suggestions for healthy and low-point foods to bring along that will survive a weekend unrefrigerated? I know I can bring my own fruits and vegetables, but subsisting on apples, oranges, and carrots all weekend will make me sad. I'm looking for some creative ideas of actual meal-type items to bring along. Anyone have experience making couscous/rice/quinoa and it lasting a couple of days?

The internet being the awesome place it is is giving me tips on making various foods (oatmeal, couscous) inside the coffeepot, as well as 'grilling' things atop a piece of tinfoil atop a held-upside-down iron. I love the internet.

It's that time again, so I thought I'd translate their nutrition info into points.
Based on information from here: http://www.littlebrowniebakers.com/cookies/cookies_main.html

Lemon Chalet Cremes
Serving size: 1
Points: 2
(Or 2 for 4)

Trefoils (shortbread)
Serving size: 5
Points: 4

Do-Si-Dos (oatmeal cookies w/ PB creme)
Serving Size: 2
Points: 3

Samoas (chocolate/caramel/coconut)
Serving size: 2
Points: 4

All Abouts (shortbread w/ fudge)
Serving size: 3
Points: 4

Sugar Free Chocolate Chips
Serving size: 3
Points: 4

Tagalongs (Chocolate & PB)
Serving size: 2
Points: 4

Thin Mints
Serving size: 4
Points: 3

Don't be deceived by appearances. You can get more out of the Trefoils or Thin Mints than the Sugar Free or Oatmeal cookies. And the All Abouts match the Sugar Free in serving size & points...& probably taste better. (Guess who didn't do her homework before ordering!)

*HUGS*

Perhaps this is a stupid question... but I wanted to ask it anyway.

Do veggie burgers/soy things count as servings of vegetables?

For reference I'm meaning something like: http://www.seeveggiesdifferently.com/product_detail.aspx?family=365&id=5950

I need recipes involving core foods that are not pasta, rice, or potato.

Basically I want things I can make for lunch with quinoa, bulgur, and that kind of thing.

Any yummy recipes that you have would be WONDERFULLY appreciated. Vegeterian or non vegetarian are fine :)

We had our first con since joining WW last weekend.  It went...OK.

The good: picked up snacks + drinks at the grocery store (in my Kaylee costume, no less!) to avoid vend-o-land and the siren call of Jack in the Box (the nearest fast food).  This included a reasonably healthy lunch, plus the activity points of lugging a few pounds of fluid around in my bag all day (does that actually count as "hiking"? Who knows.)

The bad: can you say hotel buffet breakfast?  The fruit looked iffy, and they didn't have hot water for the instant oatmeal (?) so I opted for bacon and waffles.  Helloooo points!

The ugly: Saturday night dinner at the best gyro place in town, followed by hanging out with friends at the bar.  Um..I didn't even try to count.

The result?  A less than stellar Monday weigh-in (WHY did I pick MONDAYS?).  A total loss for the week of half a pound.

Chocolate - 1
Carrot - 2
Golden - 2
Blueberry - 1
Banana - 2
Cinnamon - 1

CinnaBites - 2
Chips Deluxe - 2
Sandies - 2
Mini Fudge Stripes - 2
Grasshoppers - 2

Baked Cheetos - 2
Cheetos Asteroids - 3
Cool Ranch Doritos - 3
Nacho Cheese Doritos - 3
Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips - 2

York - 3
Reese's - 3
Special Dark - 2
Hershey's - 3
Hershey's Pretzel bars - 2

*HUGS*

I had my first weigh in tonight. I'm down from 215 to 210 in my first week!
It wouldn't be realistic to expect future drops to be that much at a time, but I'm so proud of myself.

YAY ME!

*HUGS*

Hi! I'm so glad to find this community. I just started WW recently...I'll bring out my inner Felicia Hardy yet!
I've been vegetarian since the womb, but I've also been a butterball about as long. I'm sure it's a combination of not enough activity, a love affair with dairy (I just can't seem to break up with it) & an old habit of trying to eat as much as my meat-eating friends.

I also like to eat while gaming. If you're like me, Progresso has some zero points soups that are delicious!
I don't have to cook (though I like to) & can bring it with me back to the computer (or table) in a mug. Currently, all the zero point soups are vegetarian, but Progresso makes some other low-cal soups that have meat.
http://www.bettycrocker.com/Products/Progresso/progresso-light.htm
http://www.bettycrocker.com/products/progresso/progresso-low-calorie-soups.htm

Tomorrow night is my first weigh in since I started & I'm actually pretty excited to see how I did!

*HUGS*

Today was my official weigh-in with Weight Watchers, I am now 269.8lbs. This represents a 2.2 pound loss over last week. WOO-HOO!

The measurement of my waist this morning was 47 1/2." Down about 2 1/2" from a few weeks ago when it was around 50" - another WOO-HOO!

I am amazed I was able to lose weight this week, given the hardship of being on business, BUT, I did bring my own food this time and that made a HUGE difference! But, I think what really made a difference for me this week was following the Vegetarian Food Pyramid to make sure I was getting enough nutrients and the support I have found on the internet. It has helped me stay motivated to stay on track; it makes me accountable.

Here's my weight loss history since I began getting serious about WW (back in March):

Date:                    Weight:             Lbs. lost /gained        Total lbs. lost
04/24/07             269.8 lb             -2.2 lb                            -6.1 lb
04/16/07             272 lb                    -2 lb                            -3.9 lb
04/10/07             274 lb                 0.2 lb                             -1.9 lb
04/04/07             273.8 lb                  1 lb                            -2.1 lb
03/27/07             272.8 lb                  3 lb                            -3.1 lb
03/24/07             269.8 lb                 -3 lb                            -6.1 lb
03/17/07             272.8 lb              -3.1 lb                           -3.1 lb
03/07/07             275.9 lb                         

As you can see, I've had a slow/rough start, but I think I'm finally going to be heading down for a while now!


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