Doing a little experiment...

Hi Barbara, I joined WW last fall for accountability.  I want to have a mandatory weekly weigh in so that I won't ever let myself (hopefully) slip into denial about what I weigh.  It also helps me make that extra push over the weekend to avoid movie popcorn etc since I weigh on Monday night. 

I don't lose an ounce when following their plan.  A few weeks ago i tried the fruit routine and had 1 orange or apple and a few berries daily for a week.  I gained weight and couldn't get it back down for 2 weeks and had to dip under 20 carbs daily to do it.  So not worth it.  I do track daily in myfitnesspal so that I can watch my calories/carbs/protein.  When I put my daily food into the WW points system I come up with between 15 and 20 on any given day.  I too have 29 points plus the weekly extra and activity but even staying at 15-20 I find it tough to shed a pound.  Please don't be fooled with their carbs and zero point fruit.  We're just not built the same as others.  It's just a fact.  If I had a healthy metabolism I probably wouldn't have ended up on the operating table so I can't compare my food to those that are years younger and obviously healthier in the metabolism department.

Lee, I know in my head WW with all the carbs, even tho low points will mess with me. I am just desperate to get back to my eating the way it was months after surgery, I know I did not eat very many carbs then, My head is just a mess making me think "you have to have those carbs" lol.

I am still on the quest for "what works for me" in this journey, I know if I would eat the 700-800 cal a day then I would drop lbs. Just stopping that carb monster!!!! Grrrrrr......

I did the same "experiment" a couple of months ago because I kind of felt bad/guilty that I'm one of those that can literally eat whatever/whenever and found maintenance to be pretty simple once I figured out what my body needed/wanted. But, I will say that because of my band experience, I feel I beat the curve with the sleeve. I had a good grasp on my foodie issues, and beat my head hunger with the band. Puking seems to deter eating just for the hell of it so I can say that the band did accomplish one thing for me. I do fear regain because I did see a bounce up on the scale over the holidays since we were in "party" mode from Halloween to NYE. I consumed more alcoholic beverages in those 3 months than I had in a year. Along with added alcohol, came the yummy goodness of holiday foods and munching over the course of a 6-7 hour long "get together". Once I went back to my normal eating, the pounds slid off. Then, my PCM told me that maybe I need to gain a couple of pounds to help with TTC. I fought him tooth and nail, but added in a regular soda (caffeine free) and more veggies/fruit to my diet. I bounced up to 127-130lb on any given day, and BAM a month later I was pregnant. Of course, I do not believe that 3-4lbs gain is what got me pregnant, but I really had to let go and stop fretting over my bounce around on the scale.

When I did log everything for 3 days straight, I found that I was right on target and was only off a few grams(20-40+-) on carb intake for those days. Mentally, I log everything, and wanted to "check" myself. I wanted to make sure I wasn't lying to myself, or selling myself short. I did you the online tracker via my iPhone so logging wasn't tedious, but I just don't have time to deal with logging anymore. The only exception now is that due to the pregnancy, I really have to be mindful of what's going into my body.

The lesson I learned from all of this was, doing what I know is different than doing what I want. I could easily sit around and eat Funyuns, beef jerky and Mountain Dew code red all day long and be perfectly content mentally. But, physically, my body would be pissed and I would feel horrible. I eat what makes me feel good physically and mentally. I had to find that balance between what some consider "good and evil". I really do live by the mentality that there is not a "good or bad" food. It's either nutrient dense or lacking, and my body lets me know what it want (especially now). This pregnancy craving thing is so foreign to me. I knew something was up when I had my husband drive 20 minutes to get me fried chicken and mashed potatoes from KFC. I hadn't eaten real fried chicken since before my band surgery.

Best wishes on your experiment and sorry for the ramble, just thought I would share my experience, and what I found to be true for me and my needs/wants.

I'm interested in your results, Fawn. I sometimes wonder what mine would look like but I am too lazy to track if I don't have to and besides, I don't want to jinx myself!  

I do kind of eyeball protein amounts more days than not.

I look forward to reading this too Fawn!  Not that I think I will be able to eat the same, but I'm curious.  As someone else said. what works for one won't work for another.  Doesn't make it right or wrong.  It just is what it is. 

That said, being able to see what others do can possibly help those of us who haven't figured out yet what our pattern will need to be for maintenance.  So those who can only maintain by eating carb free can help others who may also have to follow the low carb plan. 

I, for one, hope I get to eat like you do!  But I really doubt it because I'm ancient and my metabolism sucks. 

Just remember as you get older, you will probably have to adjust your routine.  Damn it sucks getting old. 

Count me in as another who's looking forward to seeing your results.  After a year I'm still trying to discover what works best for me.  Right now it's under 700 calories and under 20 carbs with an hour daily exercise but that's hardly sustainable in the long run.  I've had to fight for every ounce since month 2 but it's much easier fighting from this side of morbidly obese so I'll take it!  :)

Do you have your results yet?

Thanks for the reminder! I have been faithfully keepin tabs on my handy dandy iPad, lol.. I will tabulate and calculate today and make a new post tomorrow morning with results!

Looking forward to hearing your results, Fawn!

I track protein, fat, carbs, and calories. Calories are the most important to me, then protein, then the other stuff is mainly out of curiosity. I actually started tracking because I wasn't eating enough. Yeah, I don't have that problem anymore. lol

I am able to maintain my weight regardless of what macronutrient I'm eating, as long as I stay in the correct calorie range. I actually stopped counting everything for a little while and maintain, so it's not crucial. I do it for bodybuilding purposes, not really weight-management purposes.

We shall see gorgeous- I have a sneaking suspicion that I eat frighteningly more calories and carbs than most people.. And I know I eat more often.. Many people will consider it grazing. ~shrug~ it is what it is, and people will think what they will.. But it will be an accurate and honest depiction of maintenance for this wierdo, lol..