Calories ? Help !

[patcar]

How many calories would you say we eat on ww, I'm on the 22 target points of course plus flex points, and I'm trying to figure out how many calories I consume per day so I know how much I need to work out to keep losing weight. (3500 calories equals 1 lb of fat ) I've been finding very small losses recently and actually had a 1.5 gain last week (even though I exercised 5 days a week for 45 min a day at a mod-intense level), So now I feel I need to concentrate on how many calories I burn on my workout. Any guidance will be greatly appreciated. It is very upsetting to see my two sisters keep dropping and dropping without ever even thinking of a workout and here I am, kicking butt at the gym and gaining ? OMG

[maxbenefit]

Have you given consideration to your weight gain being a gain in muscle mass. If you have been working our diligently, that could be part of the reason for the gain. I experienced a gain when I started to go to the gym every day. then I leveled out and started to loose again. Just a thought ! smile.gif

[imported_Kelly_S]

Originally posted by patcar:
How many calories would you say we eat on ww, I'm on the 22 target points of course plus flex points, and I'm trying to figure out how many calories I consume per day so I know how much I need to work out to keep losing weight.In general 1 point can be from 25 calories to 75 calories depending on fat and fiber in the item. The patent formula is based on calories / 50.

If you are eat 22 points should be around 1250 calories but remember too that this does not include the 200-250 calories a day W/W allows for free veggies and freebies (that 1 serving of Cool Whip Free or 1 serving of sugar free Jell-O, etc.)


Originally posted by patcar:
I've been finding very small losses recently and actually had a 1.5 gain last week (even though I exercised 5 days a week for 45 min a day at a mod-intense level), So now I feel I need to concentrate on how many calories I burn on my workout.. What happens when you change an activity (increase or decrease the intensity, change to a new activity or change the time you do as well as starting activity) your muscles tend to hold onto water to help repair themselves. This is natural and as they become used to the new or changed activity they will release it. If you are active as you say you are then you probably should increase the food intake (i.e., increase the points you eat during the day) by eating your activity points and some of your flex points. Your body needs the energy so it doesn't think you are starving it.

[girlinmotion]

patcar,
I agree with the last post. The WW program ensures you are getting the right number of calories to lose weight. That means that for the average person, eating your target plus all your flex points and APs would still leave enough of a calorie deficit to lose weight. Now it is just a matter of fine-tuning the program to fit your metabolism since it sounds like you have hit a bit of a plateau.

First things first. You didn't say how slow your losses have been. Just to make sure you are being realistic with yourself, and not beating yourself up unnecessarily :D , remember that WW is designed for a steady weight loss of 0.5 to 2 pounds per week. This rate is safe and healthy, and has been proven to be optimum for weight maintenance. Losing faster can make it harder to keep the weight off, and may stress the body too much. That said, it is expected that people may lose a bit more quickly in their first few weeks on program (releasing retained water), and sometimes people who are very overweight lose faster than those who are only slightly overweight. So if you are losing 0.5 pounds per week, you are doing fine. Relax, and accept that "slow and steady" wins the race. Here are a few things you can try if want to make sure you are getting the best results possible:

For some people with slow metabolic rates, eating all the APs and flexpoints might mean slow losses. If you are eating all your APs and flex points, consider cutting back a bit on one or the other to see if that speeds up your weight loss. But don't cut back a lot, because on the other side of the coin, WW is a very low calorie diet. If all you ever eat is your target 22 points, and you exercise a lot, you may not be getting enough food. This can cause your body to hang on to every calorie you give it, a natural response which allows us to avoid starvation during a famine. To stay out of this low metabolism state, you want to make sure you are eating enough. So if you have been eating the minimum, try adding in your APs and a few flex points. I can't tell you how many BCBers have broken a plateau or sped up their weightloss by realizing they needed to be eating MORE, myself included.

Another good plateau buster is to remember that old saying "variety is the spice of life". Don't eat the exact same number of points each day, have high point days and lower point days. And don't eat the same menu every day either. Try new foods, vary your choices. You're body will be healthier and you'll probably enjoy your food more so you'll feel more satisfied.

[ October 14, 2003, 12:15 PM: Message edited by: girlinmotion ]

[MissyBrat]

Hi, Patcar!

As we all know, the scale can be so "stubborn" sometimes even when we are POP. One thing that helps me when I'm irritated that the scale isn't moving the way that I want is to gauge my success in ways other than the number on the scale.

Have you noticed that your clothes are fitting better or are looser?

Have you had your body fat % measured? I try to get mine done at least once every other month. I had a 6 week period during the early summer where I had actually gained 1.5 lbs, but went from a 27% body fat to a 23% body fat. Seeing my body fat % go down helped to get some of my focus off the scale. I have my body fat % measured at my gym and it is relatively inexpensive ($15). If you have it done, make sure to use someone who has been trained to do it and is experienced. Having an inexperienced person do it can yield in inaccurate results.

Slow losses and gains made me think of the following:

Are you eating enough? Though this will vary from person to person, I find that if I don't eat enough points then I either don't lose or lose at a very slow rate. For me that means that I have to eat my APs. Flex points are still pretty new to me so I'm still playing around with how many flex points per week I need to eat to make my weight loss most effective. When I was doing Winning Points, I found that I averaged 24-26 points per day (my range without APs was 18-23) and lost on average 1 1/2 pounds a week. What I learned is that a body needs "fuel" to burn "fuel."

What kinds of food are you eating? Again I'm sure this varies a lot from person to person, but I find that if I eat a lot of "white carbs" (i.e., pasta, white bread, etc.) that I don't lose as well. Salt can also be a problem. I swear I retain water just by looking at a salt shaker. ;) I definitely avoid high salt foods the day before my WI for just that reason. Lastly, water can be a factor. If I don't drink enough, my weight loss slows down.

Are you journaling every BLT? Everytime I have had a setback it is because I got lazy with journaling.

Have you remeasured portions recently? I find that every few weeks I have to remeasure foods because my "eyeballing" tends to grow.

Most importantly, congratulations on working hard and staying OP during a frustrating time! graemlins/bcbsalute.gif That is a major success!!! I'm in a slow spot myself and catch myself feeling kind of down about it. But now I've "met" you and will keep your determination in mind when I feel my frustration start to set in.

Thank you for your post. I sincerely hope that I've been able to help.

Best wishes,

Missy

[rouenmom]

Patcar: I don't think anyone asked how close you were to your next period, what you ate before your weigh in (salty?) and are you constipated? All of these are obvious and temporary causes for weight gain.

Physical activity, while eventually resulting in increased muscle mass, takes many many months of weight lifting to occur in women.

Good luck on your journey and congrats on your loss so far.

[patcar]

I thank you all so much for all of your input and very useful information. I answered all of your questions in my mind and actually found a couple of things that could be affecting my weight loss. I weighed myself one week before my period (in the last 6 months I've never experienced a gain even while on my period). And until yesterday I didn't realize that the ham and turkey I've been consuming is packed with sodium (770 mg for 3 slices OMG !!)

[patcar]

so while very point friendly 3 slices= 1 point, I'm thinking the sodium is not helping at all. Am I right ? But just so you can see what I mean by slow losses, I've only lost a total of 4.2 lbs in the last 8 weeks, I found I slowed down since I started flexing but don't quite understand why. I really am trying to concentrate more on other things to measure my success than the scale, but as I said before it is dicouraging to see both my sisters on ww losing at a great rate and never stepping one foot at the gym. The good thing though is that I'm in this for the long run so I have the rest of my life to achieve my goals, and I know that eventually all of my hard work will pay off. Thank you very much again , all of you. Keep up the good work. graemlins/wave.gif

[JennyTN]

I have often found that I do better with less cardio than more. The more you do cardio, the better your fitness level gets and the less calories you burn per workout. Also, as you get lighter, the overall calories that your body burns is less.
Vary low intensity cardio for longer time periods with shorter cario workouts at higher intensity. Don't overdo it or you will burn out. Keep your body guessing! Also, be sure you are weight training! That is really what takes the fat off and keeps it off!