Skip to main content

Thanksgiving, Weight Watchers, and LoseIt!

I've decided to try my own little experiment.  I signed up for weight watchers about 3 weeks ago.  I lost 2 pounds the first week and have slowly gained a little back each week.  I dug into the program a little more and this is what I found:

If I eat only my daily points plus I am coming in under 1200 calories.  This is medically unhealthy.  When I mentioned this to one of the weight watchers coaches, their response was, "We track points not calories"  Well yes, this is correct, but it doesn't change the fact that you are recommending for people to eat below their medically healthy calories.  For the next week I am planning on tracking both weight watchers and Lose It!  As of now, my 500 calorie breakfast consumed nearly half of my points plus values.  It was not an unhealthy breakfast.  I had turkey bacon, 3 eggs, spinach, an English muffin, and cranberry relish.  I feel satisfied and full.  Weight watchers would recommend I have 1 egg, the muffin, and fruit.

I know that comprehensive changes are coming to weight watchers at the end of this year.  Perhaps they will start considering caloric intake for people like me.  As it stands I think that weight watchers may be good for people who 1) do not know how to make healthy choices 2) are significantly overweight (I'm talking 60+ pounds).  I believe that weight watchers has its good points.  If you do not know how to make healthy choices, they program teaches you how to.  It also provides a support network for when you need it.

I'm not writing it off just yet.  I'm curious to see what the new changes will be and how they impact my points.  I also do really enjoy the support network.  Its nice going to the meetings and having a crew to rely on.  So we shall see how it goes.  If weight watchers fails me and the changes don't correct the calorie deficit, then I may try starting a meetup group for people trying to lose weight.  You then get the support you would have with weight watchers but not the lack of food!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Fitbit Fiasco

This week was not so great.  I worked lots of extra hours, and  I sometimes feel like my primary function is to baby sit adults.  I didn't get enough sleep this week, and I have been ravenously hungry.  I have at least figured out what caused The Hungry.  I quit taking birth control about a month ago and its hormone time.  Que all the usual suspects: hunger, fatigue, irritability, and general aches.  On the bright side, my knee has been feeling better so I have been going for short walks.  While I did not stay under on calories, I did meet my exercise goals, so at least I've got that going for me.  Now, onto the Fitbit story! I'm sure everyone knows what Fitbit is and the line of fitness products they offer.  ( www.fitbit.com )  Through a health program at work, I received a free one about 6 months ago.  Unfortunately, I lost it after a short time.  Then I started having knee problems so I never purchased a new one....

What I want

I want an extraordinary life where I do extraordinary things.  In all the turmoil I have been experiencing lately, this I can say with absolute certainty.  I want an extraordinary life where I do extraordinary things.  The next part of this is figuring out what that really means for me.

Depression and Asking for Help

Depression is one of the most well known mental disorders.  If I walked out into the streets and asked someone what depression is I'm sure I would get a many varied responses.  Some of them would be accurate and some of them would not be, but everyone I asked would know the word.  According to the National Institute of Mental Health , 6.7% of adults in the US suffered from depression in 2016.  The World Health Organization (WHO) states that "globally more than 300 million people of all ages suffer from depression."  Also according to WHO, "Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide and is a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease." Despite this information many people still suffer in silence.  There are many reasons why people do not reach out when they are in need, but most are associated with shame and the stigma of the disease.  This silence needs to be broken.  Those who suffer with depression and other mental ...