FlexPlan for the Few to Lose crowd

[samgirl]

Hi,

Has anyone with Few To Lose done the FlexPlan for a week with success?

I'm nervous to start b/c it seems like I'll be eating more.

Old Plan - at most (w/o APs) = 23 points/day.
FlexPlan - can eat 25 points/day (if you spread out the 35 Flex points).

Thanks for any insight.

=)samgirl

[judyo53]

I reached goal on The Wendie Plan but recently gained back 3 lbs. because of stress followed by a mini-vacation. I just started FP yesterday & only used my allotted points of 20. I will plan on using all of the points if necessary, however. I'm not too afraid of that. We'll see how it works. I'm giving it 4 weeks. I figured it would be great for maintenance but now I need to lose these 3 lbs. again.

[jlrose]

I started last week. I ate all my points plus APs and lost .8# (only 7# left to PG). Don't be scared of the points. The plan works.

[smwright75]

I used 31 of my FlexPoints and ate my target of 22 points. I was ind of surprised when I lost .5 last night @ WI. I just hope that I can get out of my mins about those darn extra points, then I might do better, I'm going to give it another 3 weeks to see how I do.

Stacey

SW:173.5
CW:162.5
10% goal: 5.5 left

[peerue]

Hello! My first week I used the FLex Points (all of them!) and all of my daily points, and I'm so excited to say that I lost 4.4 lbs!!!!! It works so well!!!!

[bethsj]

Hi everyone!
I did the plan this week, ate all my points and all my FP - I lost 2.2 YEA! I am hoping this will get me off the dreaded plateau I have been on for months and months. IT WORKS! graemlins/thumbup.gif

[BEARS]

I'm hoping to have good results on Tuesday. I made Lifetime in July and have been in maintainence mode since. This last week is my first week on FP. I have used all of my 20 points, ap's, and 33 of my fp's. Hoping for good results as I really like the newfound flexibility smile.gif I'm ready to hunker down again and reach my personal goal. It will be nice to have a bit of a cushion under goal, as I seem to gain and lose the same 2 or so pounds each week!

Have a great op week buddies.

Sheryl

[judyo53]

I did terrible my first week over Labor Day weekend. Did better the next week & was so happy to have lost one of the 3 lbs. regained recently. So now I'm only 2 away from goal (again).

I still think I even went over a bit last week because of a party on Sat. I'm not sure. But if I can get back to goal at some point in my life & keep eating this way I'll be very happy!

[star]

This plan does really work. I was off of WW for two weeks. One being a vacation, and when I finally came back I had a total loss of 5.6 pounds. SO don't loose hope this new program does work. I have not lost like this in a long time.

star

[jlb31]

I have been corresponding with a couple of lifetimers, and they both say it is definately better to use the flex points than to try to eat the minimum number of points. I lost .5 pounds this weigh in, which is fine, as long as it keeps happening. Does anyone else have the experience of not having big losses if you don't have as much to lose?

SW 167
CW 159
GW 142

5'7"

[cleuder]

I do!

I lost 80 pounds about a year ago then went off program. I came back to lose the last 20 and am having very slow losses! I am used to several pounds a week and pretty much getting a 5 lb star every two week. Now, I have been on plan for a month and lost 4 pounds.

I am hoping the flex plan will increase that. I was on vacation for the last 2 weeks (since flex plan) and did not see a loss. This last week was the first for flex plan, so we'll see how it goes. I weigh in tomorrow night.

Connie

[Medb48]

I lost 2.5 the first week but gained back 1 lb this week. I guess I have to give it some time. I only have 5 lb to get back to goal and that seems to take the longest.

[frustrated]

HI: graemlins/wave.gif I am a very slow looser so I was really nevous to try the flex plan. The last two weeks that I have been on this I have ate all the target pts(20) and my flex pts and I have lost 1 lb each week. This is what I was loosing before so I'm not sure wether I will stay with the flex or go back to the old way because I seem to play alot of mind games with myself on the new program. I guess if I am still loosing I will stay doing what I am doing. Not sure if any of this is making any sense or not just thought I would add my two cents worth,

Chrysilis :D
(Janice)

[Medb48]

I WI today for a 1.4 loss. Yup!! I think this is working. I was in the lowest pt group and now my base is 2 pts higher and I'm eating the flex pts (about 17 a week) and I've lost 4 lbs in three weeks. graemlins/crazy.gif

[jlb31]

I used the flex plan last week. I ate all my flex points, and tried to eat my activity points. I usually walk 2.5 to 3 miles a day. I weighed in yesterday and found I had lost 3 pounds. But it seems to be a pattern that for two weeks of the month I lose very little weight or nothing, or even gain. The other two weeks I lose. I did get discouraged at a small 3 week plateau, but I am back on track now. I fear the hardest part is yet to come though. I'm at a weight that I have been comfortable (sort of) at for years, and now I have to bust through that. Any advice from anyone with the same experience. I'm currently 5'7' and 156. I would like to be about 142.

[ellbogen]

FP is totally working for me!!! The first week I didn't lose much b/c I wasn't eating *enough*... now that I started eating up all my APs and most of my FPs I've been losing a lot of weight. I lost 1.5 lbs last week and 2 lbs this week. I don't know why this is workin' but I'm not gonna argue with the scale.

Have a great week, y'all! graemlins/wave.gif

[cleuder]

I thought I posted my weigh in here, but I must just be going senile ;)

I had my weight in last week after following flex plan to the letter. I ate most of my activity points and all but 1/2 of my flex points. I was coming off vacation with a 1.2 pound gain, but my overall weight loss for last week was ...... 3.6 pounds. Some of that, I think was vacation weight, but I haven't seen that big of a loss since I first started!! This does seem to work, lets see how this week goes!

[pyccku]

jib, we sound like we are in a similar situation. I'm also 5'7" and my goal is 153. I was down to 155 on 9/11, but as of this morning I'm at 158.5. I think some of it is due to TOM, but still, it's depressing to not see a loss.

It doesn't really seem to matter what program I follow, I lose slowly. I was losing slowly on WP, it took me 3 months to lose 5 pounds. FP is about the same, it hasn't really jump-started anything. It's frustrating being so close to goal and not seeing the scale move - or move in the wrong direction!

I'm seriously thinking about going back to WP. I liked being able to bank points, for some reason it kept me more in line knowing that I had "earned" the points by either exercising or not eating them on the day I got them. Having 35 point in the bank is just too much temptation - I always think "oh, you can get away with a nibble here and there, you have so many points in the bank!" And then I don't journal right away, and by the end of the day I've forgotten what I ate - or I kick myself for frittering away 5 or 6 points on stupid things. With WP there was that extra incentive to NOT nibble because I knew every point I didn't eat today could be saved up for something special.

I am going to give FP another couple of weeks of 110% effort and see what happens. If I see a loss, I'll keep it up. But if there is a gain...I don't want to let it get out of hand.

[Avani]

If the Wendi planners are to be believed, the point is not to average out the 35 points to 5 per day (hey--there's an extra 14 points this way! actually there's an extra 14 points any way you look at it!) but to allow my food intake to be 10-15 points higher on some days, and at or very near target on other days (the ones closest to weigh in make the most sense). I've been doing this for four weeks and have lost 1 or 2 lbs. I certainly have not gained any back.

I believe the idea is to let the body know it is not starving, and that it can have a banquet during the week.

Good luck and good eating to all!

[rjsmaemae]

Hope someone will comment -- please! I've been on a plateau since about Sept. 1. I go up and down a pound or pound and a half. I am 5'6" and weight 137. Is this about right? I want to lose the last 7 pounds, but I swear I will have to dip below the Winning Point plan's set amount of points -- not to even mention the Flex plan. Am I just "at that right weight" or can I kick it into action with the Flex plan. I've lost 75 pounds since Oct. 21, 2002. Feeling great, looking great, not losing any more, though, and want that last few GONE! Help, you guys! Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!! graemlins/wave.gif

[latebloomer]

Dear RJSmaemae:

At your current weight, your BMI is 22.14. A healthy range is 20-25. If you lose 7 more lbs., you will still be in the healthy weight range with a BMI of 21.01. But you will be in the low end. Your body may be resisting being so low in the weight range. Your WW minimum is 124, but my leader says that weight reflects pre-pubescent girls, not women.

If you really want it off, you could try more exercise, but do NOT go below your minimum unless you've got the puking flu! (In other words, if eating is not going to stay down anyway!) You will set your body up to gain the second you go back to normal eating.

BTW, my personal goal is 130 and I'm 3 inches shorter than you!

Talk to your WW leader, but PLEASE don't starve. I am sure you look fantastic at 137 lbs. Yea You!

Latebloomer

[rjsmaemae]

Dear Latebloomer:

Thank you for your response. I promise you
I won't starve -- I really do know my way back to the land of "plenty of pounds." I need to exercise -- not just MORE, but just START it again. I know that will definitely help! Thanks for the encouragement. It means the world to me. I've had 18 points today; yesterday I had 28....yeah, buddy, I know I won't starve. lol! Glad to see you are from Texas. Me, too. Our Houston weather this week has been just unbelievably gorgeous... You hang in there. Your stats are great! I'll see you in the single digit sizes at Dillards, okay? graemlins/wave.gif

Rjsmaemae

[Zetta]

I'm a Few-To-Lose at-homer type (just 10 pounds) that struggles with staying motivated -- I feel I'd look better at my goal, but it's not really a health issue. I'm using WW to make a lifestyle change to eat better (more fiber and veggies) and exercise more (good for all kinds of reasons).

So I restarted WW a week ago on FlexPoints. Definitely don't like being on just 20 points -- mentally it feels like deprivation to me, and I didn't stay OP (I'm giving myself a graemlins/bcbkick.gif for going off). So I've adjusted my WW calc palm pilot program to give me 23 points daily and have 14 Flex points, which is just a different way of counting the same total amount of points. I'll let you know how it goes.

[samgirl]

Hi Zetta,
I'm in the same situation you are. I'm 5'1 with about 7 pds to go (depending on the week).

I like your idea. I've been trying the FP plan for a month or so and haven't seen any change on the scale - up or down. It's very disappointing.

Let me know how your tactic works.

-samgirl

[Zetta]

Samgirl,
The FewToLose board doesn't get much traffic... Glad to hear we're at the same place -- I've stayed in lurk mode for a long time because it seemed kinda trivial to be talking about 10 pounds. Best of luck to you!

zetta

[samgirl]

Hi Zetta,

I'd like to hear about what you're doing to get rid of the 10pds. I'm really struggling but I feel like I'm doing all the right things. It's so frustrating.

We can send each other messages if you change your profile to allow for incoming messages.

=)samgirl

[Tina_30]

hey there -
I'm not sure what qualifies as a few to lose, I was at goal in May and then got married and went off program for some stupid mental reason.
I'm back on, but up 15 lbs and trying the flex plan out - It seems to work good so far if I stick to it! I have trouble on weekends. During the week I can stick to my routine and work out every day but weekends when it is me and my dh it is more difficult and we eat together and snack together (he's thin and has a great metabolism so he can eat whatever he wants of course) He's very supportive of course, and I know I can get back down to my goal weight, I never should have gone astray, I know it is a lifetime deal here but I think the stress of the wedding and finally relaxing just made me feel like I could eat for some reason. Anyway, technically to reach WW goal i'm needing to lose 8 lbs, I need to lose 15 to get to personal goal and I'd like to lose 5 by Thanksgiving at least if not more *positive attitude* Just posting to vent it out - I lose slower now that I only have some to lose and its taken me forever with the same 10ish lbs over and over and over.

[kendralla]

Hi I have only 5 to go and I am hoping to lose this quick...I know it can be the hardest though..I gained this week not much but I thought I was going to lose only .8 I didnt use all my FPprevious weeks I used up my fp early in the week and those weeks lost 2.0.

Trish
graemlins/wave.gif
SW 159
CW 140.8
GW 135
PG 125
Im 5'4