RB's Daily WW Chat

[RB Bonzo]

A few days ago, I started to put a daily post about some aspect of weight loss on one of the active Weight Watchers threads. It occurred to me that most of the topics were relevant to any weight loss or weight maintenance plan, not just weight watchers, so folks who weren't following WW might want to participate as well. Plus, I didn't want to hijack an ongoing thread by dominating it that way. So . . . here is RB's Daily WW Chat.

 

Most mornings, when I'm around and able, I will post a topic for discussion. Sometimes it will relate to some aspect of the WW program, but usually it will be something that anyone how is trying or thinking about losing weight or maintaining a weight loss can relate to. EVERYONE is invited to join in the discussion or to suggest a topic for another day. Hopefully, we can exchange helpful information and ideas that will help all of us in our journey.:D

[RB Bonzo]

Ok, so you've busted your butt following your program of choice. Following the recommendations of many weight loss programs, you do a weekly weigh-in to check on your progress and, HORRORS, you have not lost or even have a small gain. :eek: Time to put that in perspective.

 

Our weight naturally fluctuates throughout the course of a day, sometimes by as much as several pounds. Weigh ins are a snapshot of what you weigh at a particular moment, and it is not a particularly accurate snapshot, either. Depending upon when and how that snapshot is taken, it may or not accurately depict the change in the avg weight since the last snapshot. I could very easily show a weight loss, as measured by the average daily weight, over a week, but show a gain if the first week is measured at a low point and the second week is measured at a high point.

 

Here's an example A few weeks ago, I received my 10% award at my WW meeting. I knew it was going to be close. I did not wear a belt and removed my watch before the meeting. When I was driving to the meeting, I had a bottle of water with me. I was thirsty, and ordinarily, I would have finished that bottle before I got to the meeting. But, I knew that there was a pound of water in that bottle, and I didn't want that pound inside of me when I got on the scale.

 

I lost a half a pound that week, got my award (and a nice little ovation at the meeting), and received all of the credit for reaching a major milestone.

 

But - what if I had consumed that bottle before the weigh in? I would have gained a half a pound, would have blown a nearly three month streak of consecutive losses, and would have received no recognition. It would have been a very different week for me. So, does anybody really think that I had a better week because I deprived myself of water just before my weigh-in? In the long run, am I going to be more successful if I always keep myself well-hydrated?

 

Last week, I had only a very small loss even though I thought I had done very well. I had very intensive workout the night before the weigh-in, and I've learned that when I push myself, my body retains lots of fluids, and I'm typically up a few pounds for a day or two after a particularly strong work-out. So, does anybody really think that I had just a so-so week because I had weighed in the morning after a strong workout? In the long run, am I going to be more successful if I keep exercising?

 

In the first instance, I made a poor decision to get a short term loss. IN the second instance, I made a good decision at the sacrifice o f the short term loss. In both cases, the weigh-in was not a real good measurement of how I was doing. So, why do we put so much emphasis on a weekly weigh-in? The important thing is that we trend downward over the long haul.

 

Yet, lots of us get frustrated by a small gain, and that frustration can put us at a crossroads - we can either stay on track, or we can revert to old habits. By putting weigh-ins in perspective, it can help us make the right decision and stick with our program.

 

What do you think?

 

Onward and downward!

[sam73]

I wont have anything to drink or eat before i weigh in. Thank heavens i weigh in in the morning. It is pretty stupid but i cant help it. I wear the lightest clothing possible. I actually weigh my clothes. How mental is that?

[Sandyndean]

My weigh in is in the afternoon, So after lunch I really don't eat anything until after I weigh in and I always wear the same cloths every wed (although it is easy for me becuase I wear a uniform shirt w/black slacks to work) So no I don't think thats mental, :D I think all that counts, :o

Have a good day!!

Thanks for starting a good board that will help us all out, I was on the other board so I followed you

Sandy

[LouisV]

I love that....onward and downward!

 

I also really dread weigh-ins on Monday evenings...I try not to eat anything before the 7:00 pm meeting. By the time I get home at 8:15 I'm famished. Although I don't eat a full meal I try to eat something. I'm not sure I'm doing the smartest thing either by eating that late at night but still counting points?

 

Your thoughts?

 

Maureen

[Sandyndean]

I love that....onward and downward!

 

I also really dread weigh-ins on Monday evenings...I try not to eat anything before the 7:00 pm meeting. By the time I get home at 8:15 I'm famished. Although I don't eat a full meal I try to eat something. I'm not sure I'm doing the smartest thing either by eating that late at night but still counting points?

 

Your thoughts?

 

Maureen

 

Maureen, I know I used to work nights and so my eating schedule was completly crazy and I lost 43 lbs at that point. I have heard our leader talk about late night eating several times. She has said that although she has eaten late at night she has still lost 108lbs. Now I would think that if you eat late at night and then go stright to bed tha can't be good, because they say your body then stores it. I would have to ask advice on that also. I know if you are a late owl our leader says that it is ok to rearrange your eating schedule. Good luck hope all this chatter I have done helps somewhat. Have a good day!!

[Julia’s Journey’s]

Also followed you over from the other thread:D

Thanks for the interesting topics, I too weigh first thing in the morning as as long as it it onwards and downwards I don't really get to upset over what the scale says Monday morning ( I weigh every morning:eek: but Monday is THE WI!!!:D )

[RB Bonzo]

I love that....onward and downward!

 

I also really dread weigh-ins on Monday evenings...I try not to eat anything before the 7:00 pm meeting. By the time I get home at 8:15 I'm famished. Although I don't eat a full meal I try to eat something. I'm not sure I'm doing the smartest thing either by eating that late at night but still counting points?

 

Your thoughts?

 

Maureen

 

Maureen - that's a real good example of trading long term success by not eating properly during the course of the day for short term gain by an artificially low weigh-in.

[Julia’s Journey’s]

Maureen - that's a real good example of trading long term success by not eating properly during the course of the day for short term gain by an artificially low weigh-in.

 

We all know better but all do this, I'm sure most WW leaders do this even though they know it is a short term gain.:D :D :D How do you train your mind to do otherwise:rolleyes:

[LouisV]

We all know better but all do this, I'm sure most WW leaders do this even though they know it is a short term gain.:D :D :D How do you train your mind to do otherwise:rolleyes:

 

Despite everything we may do to trick those nasty scales....as long as we continue to make healthy choices I think we are all on the right track.

 

Remember....No one can make those healthy choices for us....we have to step up to the plate ourselves and be accountable.

 

Maureen

[RB Bonzo]

I agree w/ Maureen - the trick is not to be a slave to the numbers and to focus on the long-term trend rather than the short-term measurements.

 

It also helps to focus on things other than the scale, such as:

 

1. clothes fitting more loosely (or moving into smaller sizes!)

 

2. increased energy (e.g., able to go up stairs w/out panting)

 

For me, the strategy is to focus on the LIFESTYLE rather than any short term results. So far, so good!

[swtpnk]

Hi there everyone!!!

 

My leader told us not to worry if you eat later in the evening, as long as you get all your points in for the day. If you still have points to eat, EAT EM!! those are your points to have for the day.. but as long as you arent over your points for the day, you can have em no matter whta time of day it is.. your body doesnt know what time it is. you may be sitting on the sofa, and fall asleep, and you are doing the same thing as being in bed sleeping.. whats the difference?? My leader said we could eat late, and lots of people did.. we had good losses every week. :)

 

diane :D

[Sea Fan]

Great thread, I am returning to weight watchers after being away for 8 months. What a big mistake that was. I like the support and the accountability plus all the tips you get from the people who attend.

I wish that scale wasn't so important to me but I am learning to use it as just another tool. It won't make me or break me but gives me a guideline for how it's going in that moment of time. The scales I seem to go crazy over are the home ones. I need to put them away, it's just too tempting to weigh yourself several times a day.

As RB says they fluxuate with every drink of water.

 

 

Dianne

[swtpnk]

Welcome Dianne!! im Diane too!!!

 

I see you on the other sites, and im sure you will just love this one!! i know I DO!! and the 10% one too!!

 

RB, are you a WW leader?? you are just so knowledgable!!

 

diane

[CRUZFOOLS]

sandysagrera: Saw that you were from Abbeville---I live in Coteau (near Delcambre), just a few miles from you.

 

I have been on the weight watchers rollercoaster for years and I'm back on. I need to drop about 30 lbs so I'm really trying. Tomorrow will be my 2nd weigh in since I've returned. My biggest problem is that I's an inspector and work on the road so what do I do for lunch. I can keep things within reason at home but in restaurants it becomes difficult.

 

Myra

[LouisV]

sandysagrera: Saw that you were from Abbeville---I live in Coteau (near Delcambre), just a few miles from you.

 

I have been on the weight watchers rollercoaster for years and I'm back on. I need to drop about 30 lbs so I'm really trying. Tomorrow will be my 2nd weigh in since I've returned. My biggest problem is that I's an inspector and work on the road so what do I do for lunch. I can keep things within reason at home but in restaurants it becomes difficult.

 

Myra

 

Myra - I hear what you're saying. I was attending a Board meeting late last week and was staying at a hotel that had a fab restaurant. I find it hard counting points when you are wining and dining.

 

Maureen

[LouisV]

sandysagrera: Saw that you were from Abbeville---I live in Coteau (near Delcambre), just a few miles from you.

 

I have been on the weight watchers rollercoaster for years and I'm back on. I need to drop about 30 lbs so I'm really trying. Tomorrow will be my 2nd weigh in since I've returned. My biggest problem is that I's an inspector and work on the road so what do I do for lunch. I can keep things within reason at home but in restaurants it becomes difficult.

 

Myra

 

Myra - I hear what you're saying. I was attending a Board meeting late last week and was staying at a hotel that had a fab restaurant. I find it hard counting points when you are wining and dining.

 

Maureen

[RB Bonzo]

 

RB, are you a WW leader?? you are just so knowledgable!!

 

diane

 

:p:p:p:p:p

 

To be a WW leader, you have to reach lifetime status and stay below your goal weight. I've lost about 35 lbs, but I'm afraid that I still have about 55 lbs to go before they would consider me. I have thought about trying to become a leader somewhere down the road. I'm not sure that I would have the time, though, and I also don't know if it is feasible. WW allows you to set your goal higher than their typical range if a doctor signs off on a higher goal weight for you. I might need to go that route, because I have a very large body frame and getting down to 174 may not be a healthy weight for me. I'll make that call after I drop about 30 more.

[RB Bonzo]

Most of you probably caught yesterday's article about the link between diet soda and metabolic syndrome:

 

Study: Diet Soda Linked to Heart Risks

 

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Published: July 24, 2007

Filed at 7:09 p.m. ET

BOSTON (AP) -- People who drank one or more diet sodas each day developed the same risks for heart disease as those who downed sugary regular soda, a large but inconclusive study found. The results surprised the researchers who expected to see a difference between regular and diet soda drinkers.

It could be, they suggest, that even no-calorie sweet drinks increase the craving for more sweets, and that people who indulge in sodas probably have less healthy diets overall.

The study's senior author, Dr. Vasan Ramachandran, emphasized the findings don't show diet sodas are a cause of increased heart disease risks. But he said they show a surprising link that must be studied.

''It's intriguing and it begs an explanation by people who are qualified to do studies to understand this better,'' said Vasan, of Boston University School of Medicine.

However, a nutrition expert dismissed the study's findings on diet soda drinkers.

''There's too much contradictory evidence that shows that diet beverages are healthier for you in terms of losing weight that I would not put any credence to the result on the diet (drinks),'' said Barry Popkin, of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, who has called for cigarette-style surgeon general warnings about the negative health effects of soda.

Susan Neely, president of the American Beverage Association, said the notion that diet drinks are associated with bulging waistlines defies common sense.

''How can something with zero calories that's 99 percent water with a little flavoring in it ... cause weight gain?'' she said.

The research comes from a massive, multi-generational heart study following residents of Framingham, Mass., a town about 25 miles west of Boston. The new study of 9,000 observations of middle-aged men and women was published Monday online in the journal Circulation.

The researchers found those who drank one or more sodas a day -- diet or regular -- had an increased risk of metabolic syndrome, compared to those who drank sodas infrequently. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of symptoms that increase the risk for heart disease including large waistlines and higher levels of blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and blood fats called triglycerides.

At the start of the study, those who reported drinking one or more soft drinks a day had a 48 percent increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome compared to those who drank less soda.

Of participants who initially showed no signs of metabolic syndrome, those who drank one or more sodas a day were at 44 percent higher risk of developing it four years later, they reported.

Researchers expected the results to differ when regular soda and diet soda drinkers were compared, and were surprised when they did not, Vasan said.

But Popkin said that result isn't that surprising. He said much of the market for diet sodas are people who have unhealthy lifestyles and know they need to lose weight -- with the other portion being thin people who want to stay that way. That means many people drinking diet sodas have unhealthy habits that could lead to increased heart disease risks, whether they drink diet soda or not.

In studies in which some users were randomly given diet sodas and others were given regular soda, diet soda drinkers lost weight and regular soda drinkers gained weight, Popkin said.

In a statement, the American Heart Association said it supports dietary patterns that include low-calorie beverages.

''Diet soda can be a good option to replace caloric beverages that do not contain important vitamins and minerals,'' the association said, adding further study is needed before any association between diet soda and heart risk factors would lead to public recommendations.

Vasan also said poor overall health habits may be one reason diet soda drinkers did not show lower heart disease risks in the Framingham study, but there hasn't been enough research to say for sure.

Another possible reason is a controversial theory called ''dietary compensation,'' which holds that if someone drinks a large amount of liquids at a meal, they aren't satisfied and will tend to eat more at the next meal, Vasan said.

Other theories, Vasan said, are that people who drink a large amount of sweetened drinks are prone to develop a taste for sweeter foods, or that the substance that gives soda its caramel color promotes resistance to insulin, which is needed to process calories.

Without a more definitive explanation, Vasan offers only this advice to diet soda drinkers: ''Consume in moderation and stayed tuned for more research.''

 

 

This study does not suggest that drinking soda increases the risk of metabolic syndrome. Correlation does not prove causation. One possibility is that folks with metabolic syndrome may drink more diet soda. Maybe heavier folk just recognize that they are heavy and drink diet soda in the hope of losing weight.

 

But, others are hypothesizing possible factors that could lead to a determination that drinking diet soda may be a health risk. It is not proven, but I don't think it can be discounted. More research is needed.

 

I used to drink the stuff by the gallon, and I got heavier and heavier. Several months ago, I cut back to one or two diet sodas a week, and I've lost weight. I've also cut back on my calories and increased my exercise. I know the last two changes are significant; I don't know about the switch to water. What I do know, however, is that it is safe, tasty, and it comes out of my sink for next to nothing. That's what I'll be drinking from now on. I'll also have a very occasional diet soda - but certainly not every day.

 

What do you think?

 

Onward and downward!

[Sandyndean]

sandysagrera: Saw that you were from Abbeville---I live in Coteau (near Delcambre), just a few miles from you.

 

I have been on the weight watchers rollercoaster for years and I'm back on. I need to drop about 30 lbs so I'm really trying. Tomorrow will be my 2nd weigh in since I've returned. My biggest problem is that I's an inspector and work on the road so what do I do for lunch. I can keep things within reason at home but in restaurants it becomes difficult.

 

Myra

 

Hi Myra, yes I familar with Coteau, it's a small world!! :D I have been working this job for 19 years and have ALWAYS eaten fast food (may be the reason I am plesantly plump) anyway I have always done good when I work the program while on WW even with eating out. It does get very hard for at times when I am under a little more stress and such but if I really work it and stay I loose every week even with eating at

MAC-E-DEES, and other fav's. I use to take my books with me everywhere (it looked like a bible in that black cover) but I would have it with me and look over before I order and I know it gets hard eating chicken, chicken chicken but grilled chicken is always a easy choice and we stay pretty safe with that. I have found Wendys is my fav when eating fast food, the side salads, bake potato, small chili and you can mix up that food and try different things together and just because they don't go together doesn't mean it isn't good!! I have been eating A1 steak sauce on my bake potatos for years now!! :D Plain bake potato and A1 hardly any points.

Go to http://www.dwlz.com/ and also http://www.aimeesadventures.com/ these 2 sites have some GREAT information on fast food points. If you need more help don't hestitate to contact me thru my email. I love helping it helps me to stay OP!!

sandy_sagrera@bellsouth.net

Have A great day and chat with ya later

[sam73]

I used to drink diet soda, and i always felt bloated, so i stopped. then i went to crystal light, still felt the same. Now i just do plain water(lots of it) Once in a while I will drink the fruit2o, when i want something with flavor.

[Sea Fan]

Sandy, thanks for the links they look great.

Diet Cokes~, If I have DC in the house I will drink it fairly quickly, it's just a habit. So I'm trying to keep it out. I have used them as a treat recently, but will limit it more as there really isn't a nutritional value to them.

I really don't miss it and don't have a problem with water. It's the only thing that really quenches my thirst.

I notice I almost always order a Diet Coke when I go to a restaurant that will be a difficult habit to break.

Now coffee, I don't want to give up my coffee!

Dianne

[RB Bonzo]

Now coffee, I don't want to give up my coffee!

 

Dianne

 

 

Amen to that, sister!!

 

Something I drink a lot when I want something "more" than water is club soda or seltzer. Particularly if I am at a bar and don't want to be drinking too many calories. Sometimes, I'll mix it w/ fruit juice.

[Julia’s Journey’s]

I also use Dotti's site and find the restaurant info very helpful when eating out.

 

I have also cut back on diet soda and barely drink one a week for the last couple of years and only buy it now when the family come over.

I have been using da vinci syrups in my coffee and oatmeal to add some flavour and they are yummy.

[LouisV]

Hi Myra, yes I familar with Coteau, it's a small world!! :D I have been working this job for 19 years and have ALWAYS eaten fast food (may be the reason I am plesantly plump) anyway I have always done good when I work the program while on WW even with eating out. It does get very hard for at times when I am under a little more stress and such but if I really work it and stay I loose every week even with eating at

MAC-E-DEES, and other fav's. I use to take my books with me everywhere (it looked like a bible in that black cover) but I would have it with me and look over before I order and I know it gets hard eating chicken, chicken chicken but grilled chicken is always a easy choice and we stay pretty safe with that. I have found Wendys is my fav when eating fast food, the side salads, bake potato, small chili and you can mix up that food and try different things together and just because they don't go together doesn't mean it isn't good!! I have been eating A1 steak sauce on my bake potatos for years now!! :D Plain bake potato and A1 hardly any points.

Go to http://www.dwlz.com/ and also http://www.aimeesadventures.com/ these 2 sites have some GREAT information on fast food points. If you need more help don't hestitate to contact me thru my email. I love helping it helps me to stay OP!!

sandy_sagrera@bellsouth.net

Have A great day and chat with ya later

 

In the stack of different threads under this category, I found a place where someone has invited everyone to submit their fav websites for counting points, good nutrition and other interesting topics. It's a goldmine for people like us!~

 

Maureen