I think that people losing weight usually focus on either diet or exercise. We work on both but have a strong suite for one. Mine is obviously exercise. I do not make any excuses. I do this religiously. Everyday. I love it.
Diet is another story. I count the calories. I try to learn about new things. I eat balanced meals. I eat 5 times a day (usually). But this is hard. I find myself saying - oh, you could have that extra (fill in the blank) for another 100 calories or so. This crap adds up. That is how I got so fat.
I fall back on the same stuff because it has given me pretty consistent results. I want to branch out a bit. I want to cook more. I mostly eat grilled chicken and salad (which I still love) but I want to try cooking other things. I need more support here.
Here is the question: Should I rejoin Weight Watchers?
I was a member from last Halloween until March. I was doing okay but I wanted to lose more. When I went to straight calorie counting it went faster. I have lost at least 50 pounds since I stopped WW.
Here are the pros:
- I would have to be accountable to someone other than me for the first time in a long time.
- If I have to step on that scale in front of others, perhaps I will not eat that extra 100 calories of whatever.
- The recipes. I love the recipe sharing and the healthy finds that others bring to meetings.
- Maybe I will get another 5 pounds or so off.
- I would feel a little less alone in this journey.
Here are the cons:
- I hate waiting for meetings to start and end. I mostly like the sharing of recipes and that is all.
- I love straight calorie counting. I HATE converting things to points.
- Will they let me join and say I only want to lose 5 pounds? I may want to lose more but I only want to tell them 5.
- Paying the membership fee.
- Crowded meetings after everyone makes their New Year's resolutions.
I know many of you have tried WW at one time or another (and still maybe members). What do you all think? If you were me, would you rejoin? Have you considered this on your journey?
PLEASE LEAVE ME A COMMENT WITH YOUR THOUGHTS!! You all are the experts here. I am turning to you for advice. Please share your wisdom!! Thank you. You all mean so much to me. Please don't take too long of a break over the holiday. I will miss you too much!
17 comments:
Decisions, decisions. I personally like WW for the accountability. For some reason stepping on the scale each week there is more "official" then when I do it at home. Over the past few months I have fallen out of love with points and prefer calories as well. I can also commiserate with waiting for the meetings to start. (end; not so much, but some meetings and leaders are better than others!) I try and time it so when I get there and WI there isn't too much time before the meeting but it doesn't always work. It seems like you have done AWESOME on your own, so the decision is really up to you!
I am a happy WW member but I don't know if you'd get what you want from going to the meetings. If it's really just all about the recipes, you could check out cookbooks from the library (I do this and LOVE it) or you could just go to the recipe-related WW message boards (or other weight loss boards), which are free as far as I know.
But at the same time, if you think you'd benefit from the meetings, you could still just count calories and ignore points. You wouldn't have to 'fess up. :-) Oh...and I think you have to want to lose a minimum of 10 pounds to join, but I don't know how strict they are about that (or if you could bs your way around it since you belonged in the past).
Good luck in the decision. I really love WW for many reasons, but I know it's not perfect for everyone.
i also do calorie counting and have found that i prefer it a lot more to WW.
you could always compromise by picking up a WW cookbook. i have 2 big ones and they are packed full of amazing healthy recipes. even desserts!!
Here's my opinion which is worth exactly what you paid for it. ;-)
I don't think I would join WW just to get recipes. There are too many free sources for that.
eatbetteramerica.com is one I found recently that I like.
Since you are very close to maintenance, I wonder if you would still be lacking the comraderie you are looking for? Most people at the meetings are still losing. I found very little of the time at a WW was spent talking about maintenance issues. You might get to the meetings and still have that "alone" feeling.
Have you ever thought about starting your own group for maintainers? There is a website called meetup.com and there are all sorts of groups out there. Might be interesting to see what would happen if you started a group for people trying to maintain big weightlosses.
If you really want to join WW but don't want all those issues you mentioned, you could join online. I know some people who rave about that.
I have a girlfriend who's on Sparkpeople (www.sparkpeople.com) and loves it. She's always trying to convince me to go on there to get more traffic for my blog but my blog is not weight-related and spark is all for weight-type issues. It's pretty big and supportive and a place that's REALLY into exercising. And it appears to be free so that would make it cheaper than WW! I'm not sure because I don't do it but it's worth checking out.
Yes, yes, yes, rejoin!
I say this because these people for the most part know your struggle and I think that will help the process along, instead of just reading the blogs, youll be having conversations with people, too! Im actually thinking of joining because I want to meet other people who are facing the same obstacles as me and even better(and this is where you come in) People who have overcome their obstacles! Talk about motivation! I say just do it, and if they ask how much you want to lose, just tell them to surprise you. Haha. Does that make sense? Anyways, just do it :)
I say this....
I don't think you need to join weight watchers.
I am a calorie counter and an exerciser.
I think what you need to do is embrace your new reality.
The new, super fit, and thin you.
Become the skinny girl at the gym.
You just need more healthy recipes.
There is the eat clean cookbook by that one chick...don't know her name...
but type in eat clean and you should get hits on google.
I think You are having issues with your own self image.
You think you are a fat girl in a thin girls body...
you have to become a thin girl in a thin girls body....that is how others see you now. It just takes time.
maintenance is really just dickering around with your calories and exercise levels until you find what you want to live with the rest of your life. Stay aware of your food intake and find ten to twenty meals you really like that are healthy...allow some down days for higher calories...it's all about finding balance. Just keep trying meals until you find ones you and your family like.
You can do this skinny woman.
I am 70 pounds down with 60 to go.
When I get there, I will be doing what I just suggested you do.
Good luck on your decision.
oh by the eway I just found this box of fiber one pancake mix and sugar free blueberry syrup I am going to be trying tomorrow...with some turkey bacon.
my email is cmoursler@yahoo.com
I can send some recipes of stuff I like to eat and you can send me some of yours...hey, maybe you should start a recipe swap.
There you go.
Good luck hon.
Im no help as it is such a person thing....that said all my friends who have done WW LOVE the meetings.
even friends who "claim" :) they are notnotnot the meeting type.
come over to my neck of the net.
check out my post from this weekend about the virtual talent show.
maybe some silliness will lessen the lonlies?
thats what Im hoping for too.
MizFit
There are a lot of sites where you can find recipes if that is your priority right now. If you are interested in accountability, maybe look for a workout buddy. That would help with the loneliness too. You never know, there may be someone else in the gym that is thinking about things the same way that you are.
Honestly it sounds like you may be ready to take things to a new level. Have you explored eating intuitively? Connecting with your body to figure out exactly what it needs and what it doesn't? Just a thought.
BODA weight loss
Have you considered WW online? I am just not a fan of organized weightloss-although maybe I ought to be. You could subscribe to the magazine and go with your books. I understand wanting to branch out-I hate being in a food rut. One of my favorite blogs is Chubby Chica and she offers lots of recipes and menus.
www.chubbiechica.com
I saw that someone already mentioned this but meetup.com might have a group in your area. I am a member of a weight loss meetup group in my area. Or you could start one (then you could make it whatever you want). To join a group is free if you want to start a group there is a monthly fee. One tip if you decide to start one fill in all the information for your group and then cancel it before you fill in the payment information they will send you an email offering a cheaper rate. That's what happened to me when I started a group.
It's pretty easy if there is a group in your area just join the group and attend the meetups its a little more complicated if you start a group and being an organizer can be a headache at times. If you decide to do it and want any pointers or to bounce any ideas of me I would be happy to help.
I have never gone to WW so I can't say if you should re-join. But having already been there before, only you can answer if you think it's the peice to the puzzle you are looking for. Some of those suggestions are really good that the other people mentioned. I am a gym person so I tend to think in that direction for companions. Are there any bootcamp type classes available that you could join? Those are usually around 4 weeks at a time and you are with people that are usually looking for some advanced goals so I'm sure there might be someone there that you'd hit it off with, and if not at least you'd get a good workout with the personal trainer. Something like a running club or walking club might inspire you too and those always have people that are working on their weight issues and want to meet people with similar interests.
Years ago I considered WW but they told me I didn't qualify because you had to NEED to lose 10 pounds or more. I was not considered overweight in their charts...so phuey on them. I am overweight now though so phuey on me. :(
I would NOT join again. You have done most of this on your own and you can continue to do it. The internet has SO MANY resources. I know so many ppl are successful with WW, but personally I just did not like it.
I totally understand you feelings of being "alone" on this weight loss/being healthy journey. Blogs are such a great resource, but sometimes the live touch is nice.
I have never be a WW. I worked with a nutrionist one on one. I exercise regulary and count calories/eat recommended amounts in each food group.
Once I finished a 10 week session one on one session w/ my nutrionist, she suggested I attend a small group sessions she leads. I did and loved it...It was great to meet w. other people who want the same things..Sharing recipes/workout ideas/ strategies/successes/failures.
We convinced her to start an once a month session for those who have completed the sessions and just want some more support/guidance. Maybe you can find a similar group? If not, I can see how WW can be of benefit to you.
hmmm... Well, you actually made me think about joining Weight Watchers. Your "Pro" list was a lot more convincing than the "Con" one in my opinion. It sounds like you were getting something out of the group dynamic. You say you just liked sharing recipes, but then again, you mention the support, etc. I think it would be helpful to have that extra motivation, and I'd do it.. In fact, I might. :o)
Also, you'll probably be an inspiration to many other people there.
By the way, my understanding about WW is that you can continue to go for maintenance even after reaching your goal weight. Some of your commenters suggest otherwise, but I've heard this from a number of people. I'd look into it.
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