Post # 1
Member
601 posts
Busy bee
What is the big thing that really helps people lose weight. I eat frozen meals that are low in points, about 3-4 pts each meal, I have the WW calculator and calculate the points but what is it really? I have to admit that I don’t work out like I should. I have the ab louge that sits in our living room but my cat uses it as a bed lol. We also have a gym membership to the YMCA but always have an excuss on why we can’t go. I would love to know how everyone else is losing the weight like they are.
Post # 3
Member
786 posts
Busy bee
Good question – it seems like there are so many things that people swear by but here are a few that I have heard:
Cutting out meat and diary products altogether – BIL lost 20 pounds
Atkins diet, cutting out carbs – My mom lost 30-40 pounds (and able to keep it off when she introduced carbs back!)
Running 2-3 miles 3x a week and eating limited processed foods, eating heavy vegetables and limiting carbs and eating mostly lean meats – Sister has lost 30 pounds and able to maintain and keep it off.
I personally suggest joining a work out class with a friend/relative and dedicate yourself every time to go (this helps me A LOT to have someone to go with), and eating whole fruits and veggies/lean meats only (with occassinal splurges – a girls gotta have fun once in awhile!)
Post # 4
Member
5263 posts
Bee Keeper
Simply put, if your calories in are less than your calories out, you will lose weight.
I have found that I lose much less weight with things like frozen meals, though, because they don’t fill me up as much and I either end up eating more than I should, or I don’t have the energy to be active that I normally would.
For me, the healthiest diet is a vegan one with whole foods that are low in sodium and with emphasis on fruits, veggies, and legumes. I know it varies greatly depending on the person, though.
Post # 5
Member
1940 posts
Buzzing bee
My mom dropped around 50 pounds by cutting down on serving size and walking every morning.
I persomally found that going to work out with my fin is the best thing. It forces us to motivate eachother. We do classes 2 days a week and weights 3 days with the weekend being our off time. Good luck.
Post # 6
Member
3295 posts
Sugar bee
i think with ww its the accountability. i know i have to go weigh in and a stranger will see if i lost or gained so that is motivation for me. also i am so much more aware of what i am putting in my mouth… i read every label and make sure the points are low. i usually stay away from frozen meals and processed foods bc they dont fill me up. also there are filling foods that ww teaches you to eat and they really make a big difference in how full i feel and stay.
Post # 7
Member
5823 posts
Bee Keeper
Since you specifically asked about WW, I will say that I think it is because WW does not limit WHAT you eat but HOW MUCH. I love my points, and I love that I can pig out on asperagus and carrots, and it doesn’t really up my points. Conversely, I love that I can eat an enchilada, no problem, I just need to account for it in the points tracker.
I don’t know how they calculate points, but I suspect that the reason it works is because what you consume much more closely resembles the 30/30/40 rule.
Post # 8
Member
601 posts
Busy bee
I hate grocery shopping. I read labels and feel I can’t eat ANYTHING because it either has too many carbs, too much fat, a large amount of calories, a lot of sodium. Seriously, what the heck can I eat?!?!?! lol It’s so much easier to grab processed foods vs foods you have to prepare. Another excuss for not working out is because I don’t live right by the gym. We also don’t live in the greatest neighborhood to go out and take a walk. What are some meals that help you lose weight and fill you up?
Post # 9
Member
3295 posts
Sugar bee
for lunch i love tuna salad (just tuna, fat free mayo, sweet and dill relish and sometimes a hardboiled egg) and carrots. its pretty low in points and filling. another good one is grilled chicken with steamed veggies and its super easy bc i just do the chicken all at once and then all i have to so it warm it up with some veggie steamers (the kind where you just throw the whole bag in the microwave and its steams the veggies). i also loveeeee salads but i am too lazy to make them at home… theres this really good deli close to where i live and i always make a huge salad with turkey, cheese, carrots, tomatoes etc and low fat honey mustard dressing and it fills me right up! i agree, i hate preparing food too but it is so much healthier. i also find that getting in 8 glasses of water and my olive oil really helps keep me regular and helps me lose weight. (ps- so far i have lost 28.8 lbs using ww. and i am on week 20)
Post # 10
Member
5263 posts
Bee Keeper
@xshellx2003: to me, the “breakthrough” moment was realizing that fat, carbs and proteins tend to balance each other out when you’re eating the right whole, unprocessed foods. Calories are a little more difficult to get right, because I think it’s easy to eat so quickly that you don’t realize you’re full until you’re two steps past. For that, I like to make sure I know my own “serving size” of any meal, that way I’m not mindlessly munching.
A breakdown of foods I commonly eat for meals –
breakfast – almost always WF brand Shredded Wheat cereal with unsweetened soy milk and a cup of coffee & glass of water. If I want to change it up, I’ll have either whole wheat toast with peanut butter and some fruit or oatmeal and fruit.
snack – usually some sort of fruit or veggie. Most commonly apples, carrots, or grapes.
lunch – something simple. Spinach salad with mushrooms and tempeh, steamed brown rice and veggies, a sweet potato with a side of beans, etc.
dinner – whole wheat spaghetti with mushroom marinara, vegan mac n’ cheese, a BLT with “fake” bacon and avocado, quinoa veggie burger with tomato and avo on top, etc.
Hope that helps a little. 🙂
Post # 11
Member
601 posts
Busy bee
Working from 6 pm to 2 am is such a hard schedule. It’s hard to get on a normal eating schedule. I can’t have anything soy, allergic =( but thank you. We’ve switched to whole wheat bread instead of white and we drink skim milk. Fiance also works nights and when we get home it’s only natural to eat dinner together but it’s at such the wrong time.
Post # 12
Member
6572 posts
Bee Keeper
@MightySapphire:
My sister just made a very yummy, low fat enchilada for me, and they’re very easy to make. All you do is bake a sweet potato (diced) for 20 minutes, saute them with garlic, black beans, and diced tomatoes, and wrap them in whole wheat tortilla. Then you put salsa on the bottom of the pan and pile them on, put salsa on top, and bake for 20 minutes. You can also use any kind of roasted veggies instead of sweet potatoes if you want.
Post # 13
Member
1251 posts
Bumble bee
I would stop eating more than one of the frozen meals per day, because they are extremely high in sodium. I also try to eat mostly “filling” foods, as they are usually the natural, unproccessed ones.
Post # 14
Member
4824 posts
Honey bee
For me it is eating as much whole foods as possible and only whole grains. When I do that and go to the gym I dont really have to think about my weight. Generally I try to avoid processed foods.
My goal is to do what is “right” 80-90% of the time and then its not a lot of work to maintain.