The Fat Loss TroubleshootThis is your place to troubleshoot your fat loss problems from nutrition to training. This section is led by Leigh Peele, author of "The Fat Loss Troubleshoot," the ultimate fat loss manual. If your results have slowed or stalled this is the place to come for advice for all your fat loss needs.
I have been loosing wieght (40lbs since March) and have hit a plateau. I have been using Weight Watchers, although it was just for the begining, my issue was always portion control and it really helped me out. But now I am stuck. I work three jobs so I have NO TIME for going to the gym. Does anyone have anykind of advice?
Define "stuck" - same weight for 2 weeks or same weight for 8 weeks or what?
When is the last time you took a break and ate at maintenance for a week?
How much of a daily or weekly deficit are you on with this plan?
When was the last time you recalculated your requirements based on the fact that you are 40 pounds lighter now then when you started?
If you know the weight watchers program, I started at 30 points a day and when I hit 299 it dropped me to 28. I am now at 294(ish) never hitting above 295 but never going below 292. I started at 335. I have been at 294 for the past 3 weeks(ish). Every weekend I have a cheat day, where I eat what I want. I am thinking that I need to incorporate somekind of workout into my daily routine, I just don't know what to do.
Well, you could:
1 - add in a 30 minute walk every day
2 - drop your points again, perhaps to 26 (whatever that means) - maybe 28 isn't going to work for you right now
3 - pay much more attention to what you call the "cheat day" - this "eat anything I want" may be sabotaging your entire week. Take a couple of weekends off from this and eat your normal plan on the weekends as well as the weekdays.
4 - When you add back a higher day, just eat a little more of whatever good foods you are eating during the week - e.g. 30-32 points for that 1 day and 26 points the other 6 days. Go for a two walks that day. That sort of thing.
Are you tracking your cheat day? You could easily be eating enough to cancel out any deficit you created during the week. Are you too busy on the weekends to workout? Are you even too busy for a 30 minute daily walk?
I am very familiar with WW. Are you eating your 35 weekly flex points? Do you spread them out or do you eat them all in one day? How much water are you drinking? Are you following the 8 healthy guidelines (ie healthy fat, lean protein)?
I am very familiar with WW. Are you eating your 35 weekly flex points? Do you spread them out or do you eat them all in one day? How much water are you drinking? Are you following the 8 healthy guidelines (ie healthy fat, lean protein)?
I am using my flex points over the weekends, usually on Saturday and Sunday. What is strange to me is that early on in the diet I was hungry at the end of the day, kinda like you have the munchies but don't NEED to eat. Now I am rarely hungry at the end of the day.
I will try altering my points, keeping track of my flex points better to ensure I am not over eating on those "cheat days". Maybe I should incorporate a 34 point day in the middle of the week and have a 34 point day on Sat/Sun will staying with 28 on MTThF
I don't know what you are doing now in terms of points.
What is your weekly total on what you do now?
What will it be on your new proposed plan? Does that new plan have 3 days (S,S & W) at 34 and 4 days at 28 (MTTF)? Is that more or less than what you are doing now?
Have you considered changing the cheat DAY to a cheat meal? Or even just having, say, dessert after one regular meal on one day? I can EASILY put away enough calories in one day to make up for any dieting I've done the rest of the week, if I allow it... cheat days never worked for me because of that. Try one treat or just one meal...
I agree that you should probably ditch the cheat day. If things were working out fine for you I'd say continue to do it, but they're not (although 3 weeks isn't that long of a time to be 'stuck' really).
Are you weighing and measuring everything?
Another thing to consider is that you may be one of those who can't eat all the weekly points and lose. You could try either cutting those back some, or adding in exercise and eating the same amount of weekly points.
Cheat day never worked for me, but even more, it's poor training for maintenance. I eat high calorie high carb low fat on Saturdays and Sundays now, but I count/weigh the food so I hit targets and macros. I've been doing this for a month now; it is both a fun treat at the end of 5 good diet days, and it is wonderful training for when I'm at maintenance, in sane eating. I indulge in fatty/carb (processed) foods, but only a very little bit on those high cal days.
Just found my particular carb-up day calorie macro goals: Target:
45g fat, 235g carb, 104g protein, medium range= 1760 kcal
45g fat, 282g carb, 104g protein, high cal range= 1947 kcal
I don't like the fact that something can ZERO points...It still has calories!
Honestly, I would switch to counting calories or do both...Count points and then translate the points into their caloric value.
I don't like the fact that something can ZERO points...It still has calories!
Honestly, I would switch to counting calories or do both...Count points and then translate the points into their caloric value.
For about a year I did Body for Life but counted WW pts instead of calories, and then at some point I finally went to calories... But I would average 60 calories for 1 point, when figuring a translation at the end of a day of pts, to estimate how many calories.
But I used to call vegies "free." I probably at 150-200 cal of vegies per day, on top of my 20 pts or 1200 cal, putting me at 1400 cal unknowingly.
I don't like the fact that something can ZERO points...It still has calories!
Honestly, I would switch to counting calories or do both...Count points and then translate the points into their caloric value.
The reason certain foods are given zero points is because the chances of over eating them, and therefore the change of them making a large impact on total calories eaten, is not very big. Now sometimes, depending on the person, these zero point foods are abused or misused - ie. eating bowls and bowls of sugar free jello at about 40cal a bowl can DEFINITELY add up. On the other hand, if you eat "healthy"(veggies, leaner and sometimes not so lean proteins, whole grains, fruit, healthy fats, etc) the zero point foods really dent your deficit as without these the weight watchers points put you in a fairly large deficit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Etana
For about a year I did Body for Life but counted WW pts instead of calories, and then at some point I finally went to calories... But I would average 60 calories for 1 point, when figuring a translation at the end of a day of pts, to estimate how many calories.
But I used to call vegies "free." I probably at 150-200 cal of vegies per day, on top of my 20 pts or 1200 cal, putting me at 1400 cal unknowingly.
You are correct in saying that 1pt averages out to 60 calories, however that is AFTER factoring the calories from "zero point" veggies. So after a full day of eating, if I've eaten 20pts, that's about 1200 calories for that day INCLUDING zero point veggies ( I know this as I did SEVERAL weeks worth of experimentation using points AND counting calories)
Your cheat day is your problem. Weight Watchers works if, and only if:
1) You take the points quiz honestly (i.e.- don't select "mostly walking with some standing" if you have an office job.)
2) You follow the Good Health Guidelines for dairy, fruits and veggies, whole grains, healthy oils, proteins, etc.
3) You eat within your daily, weekly, and activity points. If you have a day where you don't count points. . . it's probably because deep down you know you're over-eating.
Need Advice in Loosing Weight
Linear Mode
