Weight Watchers VS Calorie Counting?

lenwie

Ok so after reading what everyone has written, you are all right. My biggest problem is that I find it hard to stick with it. I need to find out exactly what to cook and go buy those ingredients. And no more eating out. I need to start planning my meals everyday and sticking with it, eating all my calories too. This is such a huge learning curve for me, its tough, but with knowledgeable people on here like you guys i think i can do it

fantastic, you set your mind to it and you will do grand, but dont allow it to stop you eating out etc, just make better/cleaner choices, that way you wont feel deprived or feel like your missing out.

Wish you all the best in your journey.

jclji4

weight waters IS calorie counting! They just change it to different numbers and it probably has a little more to do with the make up of the food. So to stay within your points you must eat healthier items. I say two things: 1. a calorie is a calorie but the healthier you eat the more bang for your buck (the more food you can eat) because the healthier food is typically lower calorie. 2. do what makes sense-go try weight watchers if you need to!

I agree with this post...it IS calorie counting....It just may be easier for you....I will say this..because they have counted the calories for you, and given them points, it may be easier. But, calorie counting is free. Just do what ever works for you.

ladyhawk00

Ok so after reading what everyone has written, you are all right. My biggest problem is that I find it hard to stick with it. I need to find out exactly what to cook and go buy those ingredients. And no more eating out. I need to start planning my meals everyday and sticking with it, eating all my calories too. This is such a huge learning curve for me, its tough, but with knowledgeable people on here like you guys i think i can do it

fantastic, you set your mind to it and you will do grand, but dont allow it to stop you eating out etc, just make better/cleaner choices, that way you wont feel deprived or feel like your missing out.

Wish you all the best in your journey.

Quite true! You don't have to STOP eating out altogether (or at least not forever.) It sounds like you have some issues with on-the-spot choices. Better planning will help a lot with that. If you are going to eat out - PLAN AHEAD. Pick someplace that has at least some good options, pick what you're going to have, WRITE IT DOWN, and then stick to it. It can often help to look things up in MFP before you go/order. It will help you be aware of how much it is costing you - before you pay the price. Sometimes it's worth the price, but most of the time it's not if it's not a healthy choice. And planning daily/weekly meals can help a lot with the "I don't know what to make for dinner so I'll just eat out" problem.

There is a LOT to learn when you're trying to eat healthy. It is definitely a learning process and it takes time. Don't be intimidated. Often, your mistakes teach you more than doing it right the first time. When you make a choice you regret, figure out why you made that choice. Ordered a HUGE, fat-loaded lunch? Look at what you had for breakfast. Breakfast should include good protein and good fat - that helps decrease the cravings/hunger at lunch and that can help you make better choices. A big part of fixing our bad habits is learning what the reasons are behind them. Yes, sometimes you just wanted that damn piece of cake. But sometimes the craving for it is masking something else - lack of good carbs, lack of protein, too low cals, etc.

Eating habits are built over time - it took time to set the undesirable ones, and it will take time to reverse that. It's not always fun, sometimes you have to make the tough choices. But eating healthy doesn't have to be bland or boring - and, if you're like me, once you cut out a lot of the over-sweetened, over-salted, high fat processed junk, you find that your taste buds are more alive than ever.

And remember that losing weight does NOT require being deprived or starving. If you try to cut out ALL of something, that often backfires when you eventually give in and binge. Try to choose something that will satisfy your taste but that is a little bit healthier (dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate), and keep portions reasonable. And plan ahead so you can make room for treats. Everything in moderation.

As someone else mentioned, add some friends with good diaries. If you don't have a good grasp yet on WHAT to eat, that can be a huge help to see what others are eating regularly and give you some ideas for stuff you haven't tried. Also, look through the Recipes topic on the boards - lots of good stuff in there. And do a search for "protein" and "good fats" on the boards and you'll get lots of threads that list some great things to put on your grocery list.

I know it can seem overwhelming at first, but remember that you have taken the first steps and now you just need to educate yourself. That education holds a lot of power and control - and that's what you need - to take control and use the power to make good choices. Do that and you will be successful!

Annie5859

I have done the weight watchers program and had success. And yes it is calorie counting. In my view, approximately 50calories is 1 point. I can pretty much count points in my head knowing this. Fibre will decrease the points of a food. I personally think that if you up your calorie intake, you will start to lose weight again. Try not counting calories for fruit and vegetables. Maybe those can just be freebies. Whoever got fat eating peas and carrots?

BrittaniDeRosia

I found WWs very helpful!!! I went on it back in 2007 when I was getting married and I lost weight. I got off of it but decided to go back on the website in 2009. It helped me a great deal but then I hot a plateau. I just recently went back on it and tried it for 3 mnths. I think that it has helped me loose the majority of the weight but now I am trying to loose my LAST 10 lbs and I cannot do it. I have been on WW's 3 times and it does help manage your food intake and helps you make better choices. This is my 1st day on this website so we will see....GOOD LUCK!!!

megano_d

One more idea too, make sure you are drinking enough water. Water is required to break down fat. I personally drink about 100-120oz of water a day.

You would be well served by also figuring out what your trigger foods are (the ones that cause you to derail completely.) For me, its sugar, hands down. If I have too much I am a mess and have a hard time getting back on track. So now I eat sugar free desserts - the skinny cow ones are awesome. And anyone who needs to lose 30+ pounds could use to take restraint to heart. Those with long lasting weight loss had to alter their lives to keep it off. It takes sacrifice, period. And note I said sacrifice, not suffering! You should absolutely skip some of those things you feel you 'deserve.' The mentality that food is a treat is what got most of us here. Next time you have fast food ask yourself the next day if you are still glad you had it. Likely not. Would you still be happy a week later about lost weight? I guarantee it.

Losing weight takes something, and sometimes what it takes is recognizing that you need to cut out the crap food. And believe it or not, those of us who did cut out all the crap no longer find it as hard to resist. And believe me, if you derail and have a crap meal you'll likely not ending up having any calories left that day and will go to bed hungry. The best thing you can do is go to bed hungry. Next time you want that bad for you meal you'll remember how much it sucked to have to go to bed hungry and think twice. Maybe not the first time you do it, but soon enough.

You'll get there, keep with it!