Don't deny yourself something you really want. Plan for it, and enjoy eating it. Deprivation is the enemy of long term success. Since you will be doing this for the rest of your life, you can't expect to swear off your favorite foods forever. Do look for low-points substitutes, and understand that you may have to give up a "red-light food" for a while. Buy the Supermarket Guide and Dining Out Guide. Go through them with a highlighter and highlight every low-points food you like. Work these foods into your diet. I eat pretty much all day, and I like what I eat. Make another list, of things you would like to do that your weight prevents you from doing. It can range from climbing a mountain to being able to fasten the seat belt in the car. You won't recognize some of these "little successes" until they happen (I thought I didn't miss being able to cross my legs!), but they will start to happen soon after you start losing weight, and they will keep you going Understand that you CAN stay on program - and have fun - when you go to restaurants, picnics, weddings, parties, business meetings, vacations, etc. etc.
Life is full of these occasions, and the sooner you learn to deal with them the fewer excuses you will have for breaking your commitment to yourself. There is absolutely nothing to compare to the feeling you get the first time you return from vacation, step on the scale at your WW meeting, and hear "you lost." The fact that it's possible doesn't mean you are allowed to beat yourself up if you don't stay OP at one of these occasions - it does mean you should try again next time! Focus on small goals. I have never set a personal goal more than 15 pounds below what I weighed at the time I set the goal. I don't throw a party each time I reach one of these goals, but I do feel a glow of satisfaction, as though I am hauling myself up another big step on my climb up the mountain. Advice for Newbies by Mary BB Part 2 Don't forget to enjoy the journey. For most of us who post here, losing weight has not been just, or even primarily, about the long range goal of looking slim, although we may have thought that was it when we started. For me, it has been a process of self-discovery that I would not have missed, in retrospect, even if my fairy godmother could have waved a wand and made me permanently thin the day after I joined WW. That's a curious concept, but I go forward from this point a much better companion to myself and my family and friends because of who I am becoming. It's due in no small part to the wonderful people I have found right here on this forum (W W 100+ board), and to the support and advice they have given me.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Here are some basic steps to follow to begin:
* Step 1:
Determine how many points you should eat per day by using the chart
on my website at: http://web.archive.org/web/19991002034017/http://www.miami.org/weight/at_home.htm
* Step 2:
Figure out how many points are in the foods you commonly eat by using the cardboard points finder or portable points calculator available from Weight Watchers (see above), or by using the formula, calories/50 - fiber grams/5 + fat grams/12 or by using one of the growing number of computerized solutions available over the Internet.
this may be a little more difficult for you to do with packaged foods, if foods in your country do not have nutritional information on the label as they do in the USA. CYBERDIET is one good online source of fat/fiber/calories, click on their foods database link. You might also try: HomeHearts Nutrition Calculator or: Mike's Calorie And Fat Gram Chart , although neither of them gives fiber (so you will have to assume it is zero). Also: Dotti's Weight Loss Zone has a lot of points info, particularly for restaruants. Another site: TONY G. also has lots of fast food and sit down restaurant points.
* Step 3:
Figure out ways for you to eat big low point or no point meals when you are hungry
vegetable soups, or stacks of cooked veggies are a favorite of many
* Step 4:
KEEP A DAILY LOG OF:
1. What food is in each meal
2. How many points are in each meal
3. How many 8 oz glasses of water you drink
4. How many servings of vegetables or fruit you eat
5. How many glasses of milk you consume
6. Record how many minutes of exercise you do
* Step 5:
At the end of the day add up the points for the day. You should eat less than your maximum but more than your minimum. You should have had at least 6 8 oz glasses of water and 2 servings of milk, and 5 servings of fruits/vegetables. If you eat less than your maximum points for the day, you can save the points and use them later in the week. You should do 20 minutes of exercise per day. You can add a point to your daily points maximum for every 20 minutes of exercise over that.
* Step 6:
At the end of the week you go to a meeting to be weighed. If you are at home you will have to do this yourself, although it is not as effective psychologically. Perhaps you can find someone else (a friend) to weigh with once a week.
* Step 7:
After the weigh-in you will clear your log and start again!
* Step 1:
Determine how many points you should eat per day by using the chart
on my website at: http://web.archive.org/web/19991002034017/http://www.miami.org/weight/at_home.htm
* Step 2:
Figure out how many points are in the foods you commonly eat by using the cardboard points finder or portable points calculator available from Weight Watchers (see above), or by using the formula, calories/50 - fiber grams/5 + fat grams/12 or by using one of the growing number of computerized solutions available over the Internet.
this may be a little more difficult for you to do with packaged foods, if foods in your country do not have nutritional information on the label as they do in the USA. CYBERDIET is one good online source of fat/fiber/calories, click on their foods database link. You might also try: HomeHearts Nutrition Calculator or: Mike's Calorie And Fat Gram Chart , although neither of them gives fiber (so you will have to assume it is zero). Also: Dotti's Weight Loss Zone has a lot of points info, particularly for restaruants. Another site: TONY G. also has lots of fast food and sit down restaurant points.
* Step 3:
Figure out ways for you to eat big low point or no point meals when you are hungry
vegetable soups, or stacks of cooked veggies are a favorite of many
* Step 4:
KEEP A DAILY LOG OF:
1. What food is in each meal
2. How many points are in each meal
3. How many 8 oz glasses of water you drink
4. How many servings of vegetables or fruit you eat
5. How many glasses of milk you consume
6. Record how many minutes of exercise you do
* Step 5:
At the end of the day add up the points for the day. You should eat less than your maximum but more than your minimum. You should have had at least 6 8 oz glasses of water and 2 servings of milk, and 5 servings of fruits/vegetables. If you eat less than your maximum points for the day, you can save the points and use them later in the week. You should do 20 minutes of exercise per day. You can add a point to your daily points maximum for every 20 minutes of exercise over that.
* Step 6:
At the end of the week you go to a meeting to be weighed. If you are at home you will have to do this yourself, although it is not as effective psychologically. Perhaps you can find someone else (a friend) to weigh with once a week.
* Step 7:
After the weigh-in you will clear your log and start again!
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