WW for a year = only 8 lbs. lost. What's up with that?

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fredab5
fredab5 Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
HI, I am 47 years old and 30 lbs. overweight. I was on WW for a year (May 2010-May 2011) and followed it very closely. I exercised 3-4 times a week by walking 2 miles/day. I ate my extra 35 points and my earned exercise points. It was very slow going, but in 4 months I lost 8 lbs. A friend noticed my weight loss and joined up. The next 8 months I would lose 1/4 lb. one week, then gain 1/2 lb. the next week, and so on. Meanwhile, my friend lost 27 lbs. in 4 months. She's a few years older than me and didn't even exercise, yet in the same amount of time (4 months) she lost 27 lbs. while I only lost 8! GRRRR!!! While I was truly happy for her, I became so frustrated I quit and now, 7 months later, have gained those 8 lbs. back. Could someone please give me an opinion on WHY I can't seem to lose weight? I am on a low dose of Lexapro and with Dr.'s consent cut my dosage in half, but it hasn't helped. Maybe it's my age or slower metabolism? :sad:
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Replies

  • Susay2942
    Susay2942 Posts: 211 Member
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    You should definately have your Thyroid levels checked.
  • emrys1976
    emrys1976 Posts: 213 Member
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    I wish I could shed some light on the why's for you, but I can't. I can tell you that you are not alone with your frustrations. Lots of WW refugees are here.
  • blondejillie
    blondejillie Posts: 305 Member
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    This may sound wierd, but I am doing WW simultaneously with MFP and comparing the calories vs points. I generally find they run equal unless I try to tap into the weekly point bank, at which point I run too high on calories. You might want to stick to the daily point bank and ignore the weekly except for special occasions?:smile:
  • donniesgirrl
    donniesgirrl Posts: 20
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    I did WW about 10 years ago and lost 45 lb's in like 4-5 months. But I tried the recent plan a couple of times the last couple of years, and I have lost very little. I don't like the changes, so I started doing MFP instead & I follow more of a "clean eating" lifestyle (ie - Tosca Reno).
  • skyeashlee
    skyeashlee Posts: 108 Member
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    maybe the foods on the diet were better for your friends blood type ??? try the blood type diet, which is really just eating right for your type !! :O)
    For example, ham is no good for me, or avocado and beef is really good... where as for my fiance its comlete opposite !!
  • Bevkus
    Bevkus Posts: 274 Member
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    Yes, sounds like you need a complete physical. You could have a zillion things....including diabetes!!! Please go ASAP!!!
  • gracielee1
    gracielee1 Posts: 71 Member
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    Perhaps you need to change your fitness routine and try to eat more during the day when your metabolism is highest? I'd suggest resistance training and strength training too.
  • EdCamacho
    EdCamacho Posts: 1 Member
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    Are you loosing sleep for 30 lbs? Maybe your friend had more to loose, or not eating the exercise calories.
  • annabellj
    annabellj Posts: 1,337 Member
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    you ate all your exercise points and your extra 35 for the week. you may have been overestimating your calorie burn also. definitely ck the meds but when I was on ww if i ate everything back I wouldnt lose and most weeks that I lost it was because I didnt eat all of my 35 pts and I never ate back my exercise calories. on here, i eat back some but not all as i am not sure without an hrm of my total calorie burn. i love this site as if you are really truthful to yourself you will lose. after a yr and a half of maintenance i thought i had it all down and quit going to mtgs. the online support of mfp is what really is the key. and the cost is free of course!
  • firesoforion
    firesoforion Posts: 1,017 Member
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    Nope, I didn't have luck with Weight Watchers! I'm still trying to figure it out here but WW didn't work well for me in any real way. Good luck!
  • x0blacksails0x
    x0blacksails0x Posts: 4
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    Maybe WW is just not the right program for you. I've tried several programs (and mostly failed) over the years, but I will say I've had quite a bit of difference in success from one program to the next. I would definitely see a doctor to rule out any underlying conditions preventing you from weight loss.
  • Carri1
    Carri1 Posts: 82 Member
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    I did the same thing! I would lose 1/4 lb a week...that's 12 lbs a year if and only if I didn't gain anything. I believe the reason is the way the point system is now it's out of whack. For instance...it doesn't keep track of what you eat ...like MFP does...nutritional, how many carbs, protein, calcium. Ww doesn't care how you spend those points. Also free fruit? Fruit contains a lot of sugar...no matter what. So....what I did is ate less n less n less until I didn't realize it...I was only eating 600 cals a day. My metabolism CRASHED!! I gained a lot of weight hardly eating anything! When I started MFP at the end of Sept and started eating a variety of things at 1200 + exercise calories....the first week I lost 7 lbs. My 2 cents! WW is getting pricey now too! yikes
  • shellybean826
    shellybean826 Posts: 44
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    the thing i dont care for on WW and i joined 3 months ago ...online for the 3 month special and im not renewing ...( i have lost 34 lbs tho) ..is that the fruit and veggies have zero points ...so if you focus on eating your points ..and then you are eating fruits and veggies you arent counting it could really add up to alot of calories over all ....i dont eat any of my APS or WPS ....actually i dont eat all my DPS either because once i add in the 5 servings of fruits and veggies im full ...and ive noticed when i log the stuff in here ..im actually not that far from 1200 calories ..and yet ive only eaten 20 points ..on WW
  • fredab5
    fredab5 Posts: 13 Member
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    Thanks to all for the many responses already! I really do need to go to the Dr. for my own peace of mind and find out if something is up with my blood sugar, thyroid, hormones, etc. I just started working out following a popular exercise video that combines aerobics and weights, so I'm hoping that will help jump start things. And, I'm back tracking calories here on MFP, which I think is easier than the new WW points system, plus its free, AND the community here is supportive. I think what didn't work for me on WW is that as long as I stayed within my points, I felt like I could eat the WW snacks and goodies, but those reallly weren't that healthy for you. This time around, I've gotten rid of all chips, cookies, snack bars (fiber one bars was my WW go-to snack!) etc. and replaced with fruit, nuts, yogurt, etc.
  • smantha32
    smantha32 Posts: 6,990 Member
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    I lost 50 pounds on WW. But I didn't stick with it.
    And then once I gained some back I hated going in and having an entire room full of people know I gained. And then the less I went the more I gained. lol

    And I got sick of paying for it too. It's cheaper than some of the ones that sell their packaged food and stuff, but monthly it adds up.
  • muitobem
    muitobem Posts: 435 Member
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    The old WW worked for me...but I've heard back and forth on the new points system...it may just be that the new WW isn't going to work for you..I really don't believe it works for every one...the new one that is...just because I've heard back and forth....
    It seems more people lost on the old system...
  • ecw3780
    ecw3780 Posts: 608 Member
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    You have to have something to track your calories burned. I recently got a fitbit and discovered I was way over estimating what I burned during exercise. Just looking up your exercise and figuring out how long you did it is no where close to accurate. You should eat your exercise calories, but only if you figure them accurately.
  • entropy83
    entropy83 Posts: 172 Member
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    Ditto former WW here. The new plan is not as good as the previous version. I find the weekly points on the new plan are a bit like sabotage and the super slow weight loss and the gain game frustrated me so much. I feel much better being able to look at my calorie consumption along with fat consumption etc. For me I feel like I have a lot more control and understanding of what I can eat and be able to choose the portion I want of a food. I know one girl who lost a substantial amount of weight with WW and was in maintenance but actually was gaining on the new system. I just think these new formulas they have are less forgiving to different metabolisms. I have PCOS and I found the only way I could loose with the new plan was to exercise, eat those points, but not eat the weekly points. I am finding calorie counting much easier and the food database is may more extensive than WW.
  • shadee321
    shadee321 Posts: 30 Member
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    welcome, Im 48 and am also trying to lose 30lbs. This is a nice place to be, a lot of encouragement , advice , and even questions for fun answered. I did ww to, about 10yrs ago and i know the plan has changed and i just didnt want to have another bill , but knew i eeded some kind of help. If you have an ipod or iphone put this site app on it fpr FREE. Then you can check were ever you are before you eat, the cals, fat ,carbs . It nice to see all those numbers and we see where we need to make changes. Good Luck and feel free to friend me and we can work together:flowerforyou:
  • darlilama
    darlilama Posts: 794 Member
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    That's too bad. I did weight watchers many years ago and it was fine. I didn't have a lot to lose at that time and I know it's all different now. Unless you feel like you need a "program", why not just try to do the common sense things? I don't do any specific diet plan, but once I started logging in MFP… wow what a difference! And, yes, staying within calories isn't really good enough. You need to feed your body good stuff. I'm not a purist.. I eat all sorts of stuff, but I try to make sure that, oh, maybe 75%-80% of what I eat is good nutrition - lean meats, healthy fruits and vegetables. Then I have my chocolate or granola bar or whatever other snack I feel like.

    As for exercise, while it's true you don't need to exercise to lose weight, I never understand why anyone wouldn't. Just like eating healthy is good for your body, so is exercising. Unless you have a very active job/lifestyle, I think it's necessary to have a balanced routine of cardio (heart and lungs) and strength training (muscles and bones) to keep your body healthy!

    And, not to get too personal, but at your age it's possible you're also experiencing peri-menopausal symptoms. The imbalance of hormones can really mess with your ability to lose weight. Both my family doctor and my OB/GYN warned me that it might be difficult, even though they were both very honest about my needing to lose weight or my health's sake! Fortunately, with the right foods, exercise, and attitude, I'm almost to my goal!

    Best of luck to you! :flowerforyou:

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