discouraged

[Frisky]

Here are the weight ranges with minimum target points:

Less than 150 pounds ... 20 target points
150 - 174 pounds ... 22
175 - 199 pounds ... 24
200 - 224 pounds ... 26
225 - 249 pounds ... 28
250 - 274 pounds ... 30
275 - 299 pounds ... 31
300 - 324 pounds ... 32
325 - 349 pounds ... 33
More than 350 pounds ... 34

One week of maintaining isn't unusual. The over all downward trend is the thing to look at. Think of how you feel, how your clothes fit, and go from there. You might want to start taking your measurements once a month if you're not already. Sometimes your body stays at the same weight on the scales but you'll lose inches.

Eat your Flex points, don't be afraid of using them. smile.gif

[Kathryn In Canada]

Eat those flexpoints!

I can't stress this enough. If you don't, your body thinks it is being starved so slows down your metabolism. That slows your rate of loss.

I will admit that it is easier for me because I'm in a lower target point category anyway so need extra points (and my activity points) in order to not feel hungry.

For me, the best way to eat the points is to shake things up a bit. My weigh in day is Friday so I get my 35 flex points that day. Over the weekend, I'll 10 extra points (on top of the target and APs). On Monday, I'll eat only my target and APs. Tuesday is our pizza night so I usually use another 5 - 10 flex points depending on what I had for lunch. Wednesday and Thursday I try for the 23 - 25 range (target & AP) in order to have had a low point day before weigh in.

That leaves me with about 10 uneaten flexpoints each week. I figure I need to keep those on hand in case something comes up towards the end of my week (i.e. if I was invited out to lunch on a Thursday.) or in case I get sick and can't work out at my regular high intensity.

My weight losses aren't at all spectacular this way. I'm averaging a pound a week. Remember, that's averaged. I gain 2lbs each TOM and I have had two unexplained gains as well but they always come off with a larger loss the following week. For instance last week I weighed in at 152.6, this week it was 148.2 but two weeks ago I was 151.4 so I didn't really lose 4.4 pounds in a week, I just lost the unexplained gain plus a little more.

But unspectacular losses aren't to be sneezed at. If you managed to lose at the same rate as I do, you'll weigh 145 pounds next Christmas.

If I had continued to gain at the same rate I had been gaining at, I would weigh 175 pounds next Christmas so I'm glad I called a halt to this and am enjoying my slow decent to my goal weight.

...Kathryn

P.S. I've been OP since Sept. 5 and Perfectly OP (all fruit and milk) since Nov. 2. When I dropped to 150 mid week I dropped my target points and ended up with the unexplained gain so I've upped my points back to 22. I immediately lost the gain so I seem to need those extra points in order to keep losing. As such, although my target points should be 20, I'm setting them at 21 and trying to 7 FP leftover at the end of week in order to be truly POP.

[ November 21, 2003, 07:25 AM: Message edited by: Kathryn In Canada ]

[imported_Kelly_S]

There are going to be weeks of extrememe loss, slow losses, maintains and sometimes even if you are 100% OP a gain. Your body has to adjust to what is happening to it. Even if you aren't watching what you eat to lose or gain this happens. It is a fact of life.

Most people find they lose better eating all Target, all Activity (however these are optional to eat or not) and 2/3-all Flex.

Personally I eat every point I can get and I still lose consistently 1-2 pounds a week.

Most people who say they cannot eat their Flex and lose have slowed their metabolism down over the years by low cal/fad diets and there is only 2 ways to increase that metabolism --- 1) is to eat and sometimes they don't want to because they are afraid of some small gains while their body adjusts to eating more so it doesn't think it is is starving but if they'd work through it for 1-3 weeks they'd be able to eat more and lose and 2) exercise to build muscle which burns calories even at rest.

Keep working the program as it is written and it will work for you.

[crawfish]

I weighed in tonight and maintained. I journaled, exercised, drink the water, don't understand. I am at 26 target points. I am at 200
pounds. My leader said I have use the 26 points.
I have pretty much done that, She told me to at 26 points, but be sure and use them. When I weigh in again after Thanksgiving, she would see. I don't know, should I maybe go to 24 points? I am not sure about this new flex thing. I am not using my flex points at all.

[kkaple]

Eat your flex points! If you don't want to eat all 35 one week, try just adding 2-3 on per day (have an extra milk or fruit--or make a smoothie out of both) so that you can be sure that your body is getting what it needs.

Are you eating your APs? I don't always eat all of those, but I always try to earn them. Final word--points are meant to be eaten!

The biggest loss I've had was 8 pounds in one week (not my first week, either) from exercising and eating ALL of my points.

Kristin

[dgjp8991]

It will come off eventually.. maybe your not eating enough if you stay OP the scales will REFLECT are your clothes getting loose? rings? underclothes bras. You could be the type that looses inches faster than pounds. Good Luck Gina H

[Caledon]

I am truly convinced that the "program" does not work for everyone. I believe that you reach a weight and no matter what you do your body will settle into that weight (unless you go off program, go back to old habits then you will gain) I've lost 4 pounds since April, while being 100% OP and trying to lose weight. Prior to that I lost 66 pounds and am now 15 pounds from goal. I am honest, I weigh my food, I measure my food, I constantly look up point values, I exercise, I've "shaken" things up. I've eaten my FP and AP, I've only eaten FP, only eaten AP. The one thing I have not done is to eat below my target rate, or eat at my target range for 7 days straight. Now I'm going to do it all again but extend the time frame to three weeks for each attempt.

That said, I'm still hoping that I will find the right factors to make the weight come off like it did prior to April. I keep hearing that if you stick with it you will lose it eventually. People have suggested that I must not be doing something right, but after looking at my journal, all they can say is that it is OP. So unless the food manufacturers are not labeling their products correctly, I am not cheating myself and I am on program.

To the orginal poster, this does happen, and it happens often. Don't give up or else you will return to your old habits. This is a lifestyle change. Also, I did settle into a pattern of weight loss that I didn't like either. I would drop 2-3 pounds then maintain for 3-4 weeks, all while eating the same points. It was great to see that big loss. This pattern repeated itself for about 6 months before I stopped losing. There were several other members who lost in the same manner.

Good Luck!

[Aphreal]

I Also feel you may need more food and thats why your stuck. Too many people think that if they just eat less... well less is not always better. You need fuel for your metabolism to work at its peek and if you dont give it that fuel, it wont work properly.

Tiff

[imported_Kelly_S]

Caledon,

I am truly convinced that the "program" does not work for everyone. I believe that you reach a weight and no matter what you do your body will settle into that weight (unless you go off program, go back to old habits then you will gain) Myth. Obviously the program works because you I lost 66 pounds and am now 15 pounds from goal.. Don't forget the closer you get to goal the harder your body tries to hold on to the fat. I have a friend who it took over 6 months to lose her last 5 pounds. And she like you was honest, weighed and measured, etc.

I agree with the other poster who said that sometimes it isn't less that is better. Sometimes it is just the body not wanting to give it up. I have hit 3 6+ MONTHS not weeks MONTHS plateaus where I was up and down 2-3 pounds. But I kept plugging along and eventually it broke. That is what your body is doing now...plateauing but it is still coming off even though it is slow.

[Caledon]

Kelly, let me rephrase. The program does work to a certain point for some individuals, then it stalls, even though you are doing everything OP. Others keep on going till they meet their goal. That is where I am and have been there since April, seven months.

I have eaten more. I've eaten all my flex points and my AP and nothing, and maybe even had a gain. I have not gone above the base, FP and AP. I'm actually afraid to, but at this point I'm willing to try anything. I'm so into the numbers and keeping OP I don't know if I could allow myself to do that although some days I would love to eat without counting points, and not feeling guilty.

I think that I just have to continue on experiementing and looking for the day that my body is finished adjusting. I know it will happen and I know the last stretch is the hardest but I just need to get through this frustrating period first.

[imported_Kelly_S]

Sometimes you just need to ride out the plateau!

That is the point I was trying to make. Like I said I had 3 in excess of 6 MONTHS and one was close to 8.

The program doesn't stop working sometimes it is just your body adjusting.

[Momma25]

The program doesn't stop working sometimes it is just your body adjusting. I agree Kelly and that is a BIG difference in saying the program doesn't work!

The program works. However, sometimes our bodies don't work with the program.

That's not the program, because plateaus and stalls don't happen for everyone or if they do, they don't always happen the same. It is our individual body make-up and response, and each one is different.

Sometimes we can shake things up, adjust our mix or points, or exercise or menus and sometimes we have to ride it out. It can be different at different times as well. It's us, not the program and we just need to go with the flow.

[ November 28, 2003, 09:19 AM: Message edited by: Momma25 ]

[pkllady]

I totally understand how you're feeling. I've been at the same weight +/- 3 pounds ... since June! :confused: Just as I get it rolling, it my TOM and *wham* I'm thrown back to where I was ... sometimes a bit higher. :rolleyes:

It's totally fustrating to hit a plateau and not be able to get it to budge. But like others have said ... if you follow program totally OP then maybe your body is adjusting to itself. Check other things other than the scale: rings, clothes, even your shoes. For some reason women get so hung up on the stupid numbers and forget the real thing: how you feel/look overall.

Hang in there ... this to shall pass! graemlins/bcbsalute.gif