WW Point Tracker question

[SueSea]

A coworker is currently on WW and having great success. She has explained the Point Tracker system to me in detail. I was a bit skeptical about the point system, and I'm not sure it is right for me. I have only been successful losing weight on diets that limited my intake of fat and calories; for my height & frame size, if I keep to a 1200 calorie diet, I lose about 1-2 pounds a week. I am skeptical about the WW point system because I see that I could easily eat over 1200 calories a week on it. My question is if anyone knows whether the Point Tracker system is designed for smaller people who have less than 15 pounds to lose? I'm 5'0" with a small frame. (I asked my friend, but apparently WW Online doesn't allow my friend to ask diet-related questions.) Thanks.

[cantwait2cruise]

Well my sister only needed to lose about 15 pounds and she has in about 10 weeks on WW. It definitely worked for her!

[Mrs_Tiki]

SueSea,

 

I had great success losing about 20 lbs. with WW over four years ago. Sadly, I have not been very diligent and have gained about 5 back. I started back on WW today in advance of 20-year high school reunion.

 

The amount of points that you are allowed each day is based on your weight. I am allowed 20 pts. a day, but DH gets 26. When sticking to the plan, I usually lose 1-2 lbs. per week after the first week.

 

I love Weight Watchers, but it only works if you stick to your point limit.

 

Good luck!

[SueSea]

Thanks for the responses, but I don't think I worded my question well. To reword, I'm trying to determine what the average number of calories the 20 point level equates to. The reason I ask is this--if the average is closer to 1500 than to 1200, there is no way I will lose weight on this diet. I'm just so short & small framed that 1500 is too close to my maintenance caloric intake to allow me to lose weight. I'm just trying to determine whether trying this diet will be an exercise in futility!

[lydiagb]

You can find a ton of great info. about WW on Dottis Weight Loss Zone http://dwlz.com/ . Basically a food with high fiber and low fat is lower in points than a food with little fiber and high fat. So 20 points would be about 1000 calories while you are trying to lose weight. The points allowance for maintenance are a little higher. I hope that is helpful.

Also, the registration fee is being waved right now through mid October at WW. I think you should try it:) .

 

Lydia

[jdecker2000]

I am considering Weight Watchers but would like to know how the points are figured - I know it is based on weight :D but can someone be SPECIFIC about the various ranges :confused: ?

 

Also, I have read you can do WW while pregnant - comments/thoughts please??

 

THANKS :) !!

[lydiagb]

Are you asking about how many points you get at a certain weight? Here is a copy and paste from Dotti's Weight Loss Zone http://dwlz.com/ . I don't know about being pregnant when you start Weight Watchers. But I find the message boards at DWLZ to be much easier to use and better than the boards on WeightWatchers.com. Dotti lost a ton of weight on WW and a lot of the people at her website are on WW.

 

http://pub121.ezboard.com/fdottisweightlosszonefrm61.showMessage?topicID=133.topic

POINTS Target

This chart is NOT for growing teens or nursing women. Growing teens, females under 16 and males under 19, should add 2 points to the target shown. Nursing woman should add 10 points to the target show. Everyone should consult a doctor before beginning or modifying any weight loss program.

 

The first column is your weight right now. The second column is your POINTS Target. Your POINTS Target is the minimum numbers of points you should each every single day.

 

000 – 149 20

150 – 174 22

175 – 199 24

200 – 224 26

225 – 249 28

250 – 274 30

275 – 299 31

300 – 324 32

325 – 349 33

350 – 999 34

The best way to figure how many points are in the food you are eating is to use your POINTSFinder. If you don’t have it handy, you can use a calculator with the following formula. POINTS = [Calories/50] – [grams of fiber*/5] + [grams of fat/12] *note that the grams of fiber are capped at 4 grams per serving.

FlexPoints

In addition to eating all of your Target Points each day and optionally eating some or all of your Activity Points each day, you’ll begin each week with 35 FlexPoints. Use them any way you please. Don’t use them at all, use some, divide them evenly over the week, or spend them all on a weekend splurge. Once the week is up, they’re gone. Keep track of them in your QuikTrak System.

[jdecker2000]

Thanks Lydia :) - that is what I was looking for - actually I went to that site but did not find this so thank you for posting it. I have dial-up so I looked around and gave up after a while but will have to check her site out some more.

 

I am not pg yet but planning to be soon so trying to decide whether to just wait until after the pg to maybe start weight watchers...

 

THANKS AGAIN for the info!!

[lydiagb]

I would recommend starting before pregnancy. I don't know if you are allowed to do it while you are pregnant but if you have already joined and have the information you can take the plan to your doctor and see what you need to adjust to make sure you are eating enough of the right foods. Plus this way you can go back to it while you are nursing and you won't have to learn all this new stuff when you will be experiencing all the new things that come along with a new baby. You will already know the program, what serving sizes are and how many points your favorite foods are.

My husband Dan and I are taking a cruise in a few weeks. Originally I was going to wait to join WW till after we got back. But instead I joined this past Monday and I'm glad I did. I will be off program for the 12 days of our cruise but able to jump right back in when we step off the ship. My stress level has gone down from not worrying about how and what I eat. It's no longer hanging over my head as something I need to do.

DWLZ has a message board for women who are pregnant or nursing and I bet they have a ton of great advice. Here is a link to that forum http://pub121.ezboard.com/fdottisweightlosszonewwsnursingplan . Good luck and let us know what you decide.

 

Lydia

 

PS-I really like etools on the WW site but their message boards leave a lot to be desired. I find Dotti's site to be much better in that regard. Also Dotti's site has much better restaurant info.

[nmlmom]

While I was pregnant, I was overweight and my doctor kept telling me to go to WW. I eventually went and you are NOT allowed to be on the program while you are pregnant. It is also in the Week 1 book. The points are higher when you are nursing, but WW will not allow you to attend meetings while you are pregnant. Hope this helps!

[jdecker2000]

Good to know what they say, nmlmom, I appreciate that.

 

I guess if you did WW online they would not know though - but you would not be losing like normal either, I would just be watching my diet to "maintain" which my Dr. has said would be fine for me.

 

Lydia I am afraid it is about too late for me to join prior, we leave Sat for our cruise and with any luck....

 

Just saw an ad also for NutriSystem Nourish, that looks interesting to me!

 

I would just have to convince my DH to cook for himself!!

 

Julie

[SueSea]

I've had success with the Nutrisystems program. I dropped 10 pounds in the first month on it. The good thing about the program is the food is portioned out for you--you can't over eat. I drop the weight, then switch to eating smaller portions of 'regular' low fat food and I don't eat a lot of sugar. Over time, though, I gradually start adding in goodies, like pizza, once a week, then more frequently. When I gain 5 or 6 pounds, I would go back on Nutrisystems to lose it. After the last time I ordered food, the price went up and they changed their recipes trying to be more Atkins-friendly. I didn't like the foods as much, especially at the higher cost. I most likely won't be doing Nutrisystems again.

[lydiagb]

Julie, have a blast on your cruise and good luck with ....;) .

You can always look into WW when you get back. You could join at a meeting and then the code for joining etools will be in your booklet. Once you sign up for etools they won't cancel it unless you stop paying, and it's cheaper than joining online. You can keep going to meetings until you are pregnant or for the first few weeks (it takes a few weeks to know for sure, right?).

Also, there is a really great book for helping you to decide which are the healthy foods to eat. It explains why the foods are so healthy and what they do. It's called SuperFoods Rx by Steven Pratt, M.D., and Kathy Matthews. ISBN 0-06-053567-9. It's an easy read and super informative.

Keep us updated!

 

Lydia