I am new here - formr Weight Watchers user

AMS44067

Ok, here I am. Started yesterday. I am 5;6", 59 years old and currently 158 pounds, not really that much over what I should weigh, but I would like to lose 10 pounds, maybe a little more.
I used to go to Weight Watchers, everyone knows they go by points, and you can pretty much eat fruits and vegetables without limits, fiber is a must and can turn negative points into positive. 8 oz of milk is a must and so on, and so on.
Here I am now, trying to stay in my 1200 calorie limit, not exercising right now until my sciatic nerve calms down.
Just by having my 8 oz of skim milk and some fruit I am going over my sugar, I am below my recommended carbs and way below recommended fiber.
I almost think Weight Watchers did better for me. Any suggestions?
I am not cooking a lot, my breakfast is a smoothie with 8 oz skim milk, SlimFast powder and some fruit, my lunch is usually a Stouffers or Lean Cusine meal, in the afternoon I have a Fiber One snack and coffee, in the evening usually a smoothie made of pink grapefruit, apple, orange and pineapple.
With that I reach my 1200 calories easily and even a little over. I can't eat less than that., right?

MiTime2016

Your BMR is 1370; you shouldn't be eating less that that.
Why aren't you cooking? It doesn't look like you're eating any real food.
If Weight Watchers was working for you continue on it and just track your calories here. Eat like you would normally eat on WW for a week and see what the calories come out to. Then manually set your calories in MFP.

AMS44067

I don't like to cook only for myself, and I have nobody to cook for. Who likes to eat alone? I might put a chicken breast or steak on my George Foreman, but that's pretty much it.
No, I don't eat any real food, I've never really looked at it that way. Stouffers and Lean Cuisine are very convenient. Maybe that's why Im stuck with my weight? I thought about my metabolism being in hibernation.

How do I calculate my BMR? MFP came up with the 1200 calories for me.

MiTime2016

iifym.com has a bmr and tdee calculator. Most people set their calories at TDEE - 20% to start.
Just remember TDEE includes your exercise so once you begin exercising you'll need to recalculate your activity level, changing your TDEE.

AMS44067

thanks, I checked my TDEE, looks like 1750, so if I take 20% off I would have to eat close to 1400 calories. Sounds better than 1200, and today I really feel my stomach grumbling. I might allow myself a snack before I go to bed.

parallax693

What does TDEE stand for?

rccola1979

Stop using slimfast and start using something with more protien and less sugar than Slimfast. My shakes have 23 grams of protien and only 2 grams of sugar for only 135 calories. From the research I've done, you're getting a max of 15 grams of protien from slimfast for 200 calories and anywhere from 10-20 grams of sugar depending on flavor. The higher the sugar content, the hungrier you'll end up later when your sugar levels drop back down.

I found that when I was following weight watchers, I was getting way to many calories. I didn't lose any weight on weight watchers. Free fruit and vegetables end up being a lot of calories when you add them all up. I never went over my points but when I put my food into this website it was way over the calories I should have

lisabinco

Geez, I would starve on 1200 calories a day. Forget that!
I am a 57 yr old WW Lifetime Member who lost 25 of my 48 lb loss via WW earlier this year. Personally, I think WW is a more balanced way to go rather than just using numbers on MFP. The food diary doesn't care if you're not eating a balanced diet or a nutritious diet. It just gives basic accepted minimum requirements. WW does teach you relatively good balanced eating habits. MFP does not. And there's a lot of misinformation and misguided diet trends out there, as well. WW taught me to get my minimum fruits and vegetables into a daily habit and it taught me better cooking habits with their excellent cookbook.

However, these days I follow the Eat To Live eating plan (addt'l 23 lbs lost already) that is a step above WW, based much more on science and fact. It's easier and a whole lot less fuss. I use MFP as a tracking tool, and I don't worry about TDEE or BMR or all that stuff. Eating right is much simpler than all those statistics and counting calories. I just make sure I get a very large helping of green vegetables, raw and lots of cooked vegetables, and plenty of fruit, every day. I make sure I eat some beans, nuts, seeds and whole grains. I limit dairy (I don't eat meat) to less than 10% of my daily caloric intake, and I keep my sodium below 1000mg every day (you get a lot of sodium in prepared packaged food). Much simpler, cheaper and easier. I normally eat over the calorie limit for MFP, but again, I don't care because I'm losing weight steadily anyway. I also track my sodium intake and fiber, but I don't really care about the others.

One caveat: I don't eat any pre-made, processed, packaged, refined stuff and no white sugar/flour and very little bread of any kind. Just whole foods and unrefined foods. No meat. Fish once or twice a month. Other than that, as much veggies and fruit as I'd like.

Best wishes on your weight loss journey.

biolicious

I'm a 32 year old WW Lifetime member, and I agree with a lot of what lisabinco wrote. I'd like to add that your own frozen meals are better than any you can buy. I cook 4 servings of, say, brown rice & beans (with lots of vegetables added): eat 2 servings over the next two days, freeze the other 2. Tastes better and keeps me fuller longer than the pre-made varieties.

I've been over on my fiber by 2-17 grams every day since I started. I've been hungry here and there, but mostly doing alright. Best of luck to you

AMS44067

the way I understand it it is the amount of calories your body needs to just stay alive.

AMS44067

Interesting point regarding WW. When I went there I lost steady, but that was at times when I cooked on the regular basis. I still have my calculator and the books and everything about the Points Plus program. I could easily do it myself again.

And regarding SlimFast: I do that because I like to have a shake in the morning and I have a sweet tooth. I tried Protein powders, they taste horrible. I tried many different kinds, none of them are sweet.

I don't like to make a lot of fuss about preparing food, I am preparing food only for me, nobody else around, I don't eat fast food or at restaurants, once in a great while maybe some chinese food or Boston Market, but I haven't done that for over 6 months.

I love meat and fish, what I don't like is all this whole grain stuff. I tried whole grain pasta, tasted like cardboard to me.
I really have to think about going back to WW again.

biolicious

See, this is such an interesting idea to me: not fussing because it's only for you. I prep 4-6 servings of something and I'll eat one serving a day until it's gone or I can freeze it. I always have a pot of leftover soup (broth-based, not creamy) or homemade hummus and pre-chopped veggies ready in the fridge, or something like that. I'm not wary of leftovers.

elf618

you don't need shakes but i found that the unjury chocolate splendour flavor mixed with unsweetened almond milk does wonders for my sweet tooth with and comes in at 140 cal, 6 carbs, 21g protein. Not chalky at all if you are looking for a different shake powder.

MiTime2016

What does TDEE stand for?

Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It's the approximate number of calories you use in a 24 hour period including sleeping, going to work, exercising, etc.
BMR is just the number for your organs to function, to keep breathing.

I live alone as well. On weekends I make 2 healthy meals and that's what I take for lunch every day to work. There's usually enough for a few suppers during the week as well. I put everything in containers so it's easy to pack my work food. I do the same thing with breakfast more often than not; a crockpot of oatmeal or a fritatta.
Have you tried Barilla Plus pasta? That has 17 grams of protein and extra fiber.

AMS44067

what's wrong with saying "it's only me"?
We live in a world where we can pretty much buy any kind of food prepared or ready to eat. It is not that I don't think I am worth the effort to myself and doing good for me, I just like to do other things instead of standing in the kitchen cutting veggies and cooking.

I used to cook and prepare food every day for many years, now that I am alone I can spend my time with other things. And I am certain there are ways to eat healthy without cooking and preparing.

erinsueburns

what's wrong with saying "it's only me"?
We live in a world where we can pretty much buy any kind of food prepared or ready to eat. It is not that I don't think I am worth the effort to myself and doing good for me, I just like to do other things instead of standing in the kitchen cutting veggies and cooking.

I used to cook and prepare food every day for many years, now that I am alone I can spend my time with other things. And I am certain there are ways to eat healthy without cooking and preparing.

It is just a perspective of thinking. For me, I have to think of it as a form of exercise, lol, to cook for myself. But, and I can't speak for everyone. Many people around here seem to consider prepackaged foods as nutritionally dead and "wasted" calories...just from what I have seen. They tend to be full of sodium and sugars and simple starches. As for the "healthier" shakes, I used to add home made applesauce to them, lots of people add banana to them (I don't because I am allergic),

Also, what is your pounds per week set at? Because being relatively speaking close to your goal, it should be a smaller number.

MiTime2016

what's wrong with saying "it's only me"?
We live in a world where we can pretty much buy any kind of food prepared or ready to eat. It is not that I don't think I am worth the effort to myself and doing good for me, I just like to do other things instead of standing in the kitchen cutting veggies and cooking.

I used to cook and prepare food every day for many years, now that I am alone I can spend my time with other things. And I am certain there are ways to eat healthy without cooking and preparing.

Honestly cooking/prepping is just my preference, I enjoy doing it now that I don't HAVE to do it for my kids any more. I know a lot of people scream about Lean Cuisine and WW meals but several years ago I LIVED on WW meals because it was easier and portion controlled. I'd just add some veggies to them. And the nutritional info is already on the package; you don't have to figure anything out like you do when prepping your own meals. I do think it's better to eat "real" food but as I said, that's just my preference.
BTW, I'm a WW lifetime member and still under my WW goal weight of 150. I don't go to meetings now but I did drop almost 100 pounds between WW and exercise (a lot of exercise; I still exercise a lot). My eating hasn't been that great lately and I would like to drop the 15 pounds that have slowly creept up on me in the last few years so I joined MFP to track my food.

AMS44067

my weight loss is set to 2 pounds per week, which I believe is very reasonable. I used to lose 1 pound per day, but that was when I was younger and still working.
I don't have a lot to lose, and actually I don't HAVE to lose, I WANT to lose 10 pounds, maybe a little more.

I eat a lot of these Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, Stouffers etc.
Today I actually grilled a beef patty and had a bag of steamed asparagus for lunch. Also bought some fresh salmon for tomorrow and more frozen veggies.
I know that prepared frozen meals aren't the best choice (sugar, sodium etc.), but they are convenient and quick.

I actually lost 1 pound, and I try to drink more water, which is usually my downfalls, because I don't drink enough!