Truth in reporting!

I went to WW Friday, going to try to make the early meeting that day for my weekly weigh in.  Up 4 pounds.  Since I did not eat an average of 1076 extra calories every day I was gone (13 days x 1076 calories = 4 pound gain), some part of this is water. Also this is my TOM. I would clearly admit to 500 daily extra calories average, so perhaps up to 2# is actual gain. At least 4 days I know I was in caloric deficit, i went for 1.5 hour walks and was very tight on my intake. Back to work... I am posting my points on WW again and eating lightly every couple hours. Emphasis on lean protein, low fat. Of course, walking every day at least 50 minutes fast walk, i call it wogging.

Throw in a lap or two for me, Neece-- I am not allowed to wog again-- best I can to is shuffle, but for 24 hours I am gonna stay put. Tomorrow, though-- I am going back to the pool. I can't stand this sitting around stuff. Don't sweat the small gains. Work on the long trends, and healthiness. It's all any of us can do!

Neecee you did great.  For being away two weeks, you could have doubled that number easily.   I can't wog either.  I ripped up my heel because I wore thin socks and my sneakers while I was on the treadmill the other day, so I'm on the DL for a while.  If I can find my bathing suit, I might hit the pool on weekends until my heel heals up.  Keep up with your points and your wogging and you'll do great.  You've been so successful so far, you'll easily keep it up!!

Hi Neecee, We've had the conversation before about the "gain" of x number of pounds.  If you have to consume and absorb 3500 calories to gain a pound I would say that it is almost impossible for any of us on this board to really do that.  So yeah, it's a whole lot of water fluctuation and what not.  I realized yesterday that the 1st is only a few days away and accountability time is here!!!  I know I haven't lost a pound, I've snuck on the scale a few times and while it is staying the same, it's definitely not going down.  Add do that that it's also my TOM and it will be my TOM every weight in until December. LOL  Oh well.  At least it will be a consistent weigh in.  What frustrates me, and frankly scares me, is that I don't quite have this figured out yet.  I have been stellar with my eating plan and I have been upping my days at the gym.  I now go almost every day when before I was only going 3-4 days a week.  I do cardio on all the days I go and weight training every other day or every third day depending on the schedule.  In either case I'm eating well and upping he exercise and it's still staying the same. I am tempted to go see a nutrtionist but my insurance doesn't cover it and frankly I don't have the money for it.  I have googled sites, looked at different programs and even looked at some of those ridiculous crash diets.  I'm thinking of going to WW because it used to be good for me to go and lose 20-30 pounds before I stopped it. But I'm also nervous that it will be more food than I am used to and I will actually gain.  So frustrating. I really like your outlook, kinda like digest it and move on.  I have begun to do that a little more each week, be grateful for where I am instead of frustrated for where I'm not.

Being on vacation can wreck havoc on you as I know from experience. The posting of the WW helps me to know exactly what I eat as I some how ummmm forget that I ate something when I dont log it in. LOL Since joining WW once again after failed WLS I have continued to lose weight and I eat alot more then I did the year and a half that I had the Lap Band. Guess that is what my body needed was more food (imagine that) in order for me to lose weight. Gosh cant say I have ever had that problem to have to eat more food. LOL Keep up the good work and the lbs will come over trust me.....

Hi everybody!  Thanks for the kind words and discussion. And donna, if my attitude seemd calm, well I put on a good front.  I am trying to not let myself freak. 4 pounds scared me. I did not party down all that much, yes, some splurges, but I was really pretty careful and tried to balance days when I ate stuff like the deep di**** is a drag being older, just cannot get away with anything. WW is scary...well it was...now I can only have 22 points daily (plus the 35 extra for the week), not easy. The old program design i could have 26 points, and that is a comfy range for me.  22 is tight.  I firmly beleive that women especially are terrified to eat regularly throughout the day. I feel bad that if I had done this at Christa's age 21, i would have never had a weight problem! Ever.  WW gives me a bit of accountability, yes the food tracking, but moreover, the weigh ins give me the reality check I personally need. Donna, your feeling to go to a nutritionist is a good one, but s/he will not follow you around and slap that food outa your hand!  LOL.  If I were you, I'd go to the usda website and start there. That is the guide any nut will use. After all the bull**** diets and random wildcard studies, the food guide pyramid research is still the shizzle. As I have said many times, this is what is used to treat eating disorders...balance.  If we experience crazy food cravings, there is not enough of something in our food choices, it is that simple. I try to basically go with that too in my daily food plan...incorporate plenty of fruits & veggies, lean proteins, about 3 servings grain in my diet to lose weight. Obviously how muchof all this is the key!!!

I have to jump in about the Nuts using the Food Guide Pyramid.  I personally don't use the USDA as a source of information or to counsel clients. You are right, it's all about balance.  You are also right that the dietitian can't follow you around and slap the food out of your hand (I liked that part!) What a dietitian can do is help you find ways to make this eating-thing work for you, for the rest of your life - offer guidance, hints, and support. WW is a great program, but it is not for everyone. A dieitian can help explain some of those fluid shifts that make your scale say 4 lbs. more when you know you didn't eat 14,000 extra calories. It looks like you are on the right track though.

Cool, a registered dietician in our midst.  A long long time ago I thought I wanted to be a registered dietician when I grew up....life had other paths to follow.  LOL! You said you don't use the USDA pyramid to consult patients (clients)?  Can I ask what you use?  I try to follow the pyramid but I'm rally not a bread eater so I know I never get my recommended amount of grains.

There's actually a couple of us dietitians on the forums. Coming soon - we are going to be moderating the nutrition forum.  That area needs some extra love, seems like most of the nutrition related posts go to the main board and the nutrition area lays stagnant.  Hopefully we can change that. Back to your question about the food guide pyramid & USDA.  Without getting too political, the food pyramid spent more time promoting food subsidies than it did good eating habits.  Many dietitians railed against the pyramid, which is why they made the changes to "my pyramid" and tried to make it more individualized.  In my opinion, the program has some huge limitations.  It assumes that people know what a portion size is, requires a specific number of portions from each group, and puts too much emphasis on grains.  For my own purposes, I use it when teaching children because it helps to characterize foods by groupings - kind of like the old "Four Food Groups" (that many of us learned as children). So what do I use? I use my clients/patients to guide me.  I assess where a person's motivation is, how much they are willing to change, do they have goals, do they recognize their personal obstacles, etc. before I lay out a plan.  I rarely use pre-fab diets based on calorie levels.  I know most people think dietitians hand out diets - but how many times do those diets work? (answer, almost never)  If I start where you are now and guide you toward better habits that you can live with, we have a better chance of success. If you asked me, I would say forget about getting enough bread.  Do you like cereals or other grains?  What about fruits & vegetables instead?  The ideal situation nutritionally is that you find a source for fiber and B vitamins - it certainly doesn't have to come from grains.

Thank you!  Great to see you jump in here!!! I did mis-speak...what I should say is that the research behind the usda pyramid is still the basis most nuts use. I do hope you answer Angie...what do you use?