Re: OT no workouts but made a decision..............

[Guest guest]

Congrats on re-committing yourself to WW, Judy!  Most people I know who stick with that program are successful and personally I think the live meetings are critical, to have a live body to be accountable to though I have a friend who did it online and was successful that way too.  For me I'd need the human interaction but I could see where the meetings might be too much of the same thing week after week, kind of like AA? The same stories over and over again?  Noel is like this for me, he asks me how the diet is going though he doesn't make me weigh in or anything. 

I like the point system because it's a very real tool you can take with you, one that is proven to work.  Keeping a food journal has helped me, and I'm fascinated by what food contains.  Even if I go over my 20-30g fat and 150 carb allotments as deemed by Noel I at least have something to shoot for and know where I'm going of the plan and at what time of day.

While it's true that WW (and Noel) can be expensive, it's so worth it!  To fit into smaller clothes, have more energy, not feel like the chubby girl - I realize I'm not all powerful and need HELP with this.  Don't buy any new workout videos for awhile to help offset this expense? 

Keep us posted!  You are lucky in that you got the exercise thing down just fine   The hard thing for me is that my friends and family don't share a clean, healthy eating lifestyle and  while they understand  they also at some level get irritated with my fickleness regarding food.  Do I just go out and make new friends that value health and fitness?  Not as simple as that, obviously.  Most of America, sadly, DOES eat crappy food! 

On Mon, Jun 14, 2010 at 3:44 PM, Judy S <k9sports4gsps@...> wrote:

 

I have had a crazy week with work and events == just all around busy..... So this AM I decided I need to go back on WW AND I need to start off at meetings.  I do very well on WW and it was getting expensive but I was struggling with sparkpeople  not that it is bad site or anything just because I think more in the WW point world.....

My one issue with WW is meeting times etc.  That is why I went to online version and really liked it.  There is a meeting center near work I am going to try tomorrow.  I like the idea of the community (which isn't as easy online) and info from meetings.  But sometimes when I have gone to meetings in past it gets into just talking about food finds and I admit to leaving them hungry   At least this is a WW Center so I

can just go and weigh int.My idea is to do it for a month (get month pass for online and meetings) if going well stay with meetings but if I can't make or they drive me nuts just switch to online..any advice nancy ???

judy in DC

[Guest guest]

Hi Judy!

I have a couple of thoughts... one is that you can't avoid meetings that talk about food finds. I don't like a meeting to be only about that and I've heard other people say the exact same thing, that if all we talk about is what the latest thing is to buy (especially low fat treats) or what to eat instead of (insert food here) they leave hungry (and frustrated). However, sometimes it actually is really appropriate or important. So, if you were to attend a meeting that happened to be like that, I'd suggest trying it at least one or two more times to be sure that's not what the leader or group usually talk about. For example, I much prefer to steer the discussions towards habits, attitudes and behaviors but every once so often we get caught up talking food finds. I'd hate for you to try one of my meetings, happen in on one of those and then immediately dismiss mine as not worth your time, especially since most of the time that is not at all what we talk about.

Since you find you do better with meetings (and most people do, even people that say they prefer online, most actually do better with face-to-face meetings for the accountability at the scale and the conversations in the meetings) then I'd make every possible effort to find a meeting (or meetings, you can switch between several if necessary) that work for your schedule and your needs. I know your schedule makes it difficult for you to be choosy so that might mean putting up with some things that drive you nuts but I'd also suggest looking for someone or something about the meeting you can connect with to help you want to stay there. It might be the leader, another member, one of the receptionists or something else. You can also ask questions or make comments that might help you get your needs met too if the group seems to talk about food finds more than you'd like. Most leaders are glad to have someone asking deeper questions or making similar comments and steer conversations away from food finds, even people brand new to their meetings. The big thing is though, if you are really committed then you might have to be a little more forgiving of that kind of talk and be sure you're not using it as an excuse to give up. If the meeting truly seems too shallow for you after several tries then do everything you can to find another one. If you find a leader you think you like too, be sure to ask her or him what other meetings they do so that maybe you can try those (likewise you could ask and then avoid a leader you don't like). Sometimes the group dynamics are very different from one time slot or location to another even with the same leader.

The monthly pass deal is fantastic, by the way, because you get e-tools (the online companion to the meetings) free with it. WW research shows that people who weigh in and stay for meetings lose 3 times more weight than people who weigh in and leave without attending meetings. It also has found that people who weigh in, stay for the meetings and use e-tools lose 50% more weight than other people.

I hope that helps, let me know if you have other concerns or questions!

OT no workouts but made a decision..............

I have had a crazy week with work and events == just all around busy..... So this AM I decided I need to go back on WW AND I need to start off at meetings. I do very well on WW and it was getting expensive but I was struggling with sparkpeople not that it is bad site or anything just because I think more in the WW point world.....My one issue with WW is meeting times etc. That is why I went to online version and really liked it. There is a meeting center near work I am going to try tomorrow. I like the idea of the community (which isn't as easy online) and info from meetings. But sometimes when I have gone to meetings in past it gets into just talking about food finds and I admit to leaving them hungry At least this is a WW Center so I can just go and weigh int.My idea is to do it for a month (get month pass for online and meetings) if going well stay with meetings but if I can't make or they drive me nuts just switch to online..any advice nancy ???judy in DC

[Guest guest]

You are so awesome.  What a nice, thoughtful reply!   I'd almost sign up just to meet with you face to face, ! 

[Guest guest]

Hi !I share your experience w/ friends/family who don't live the same lifestyle. I'm certainly not perfect when it comes to nutrition/exercise, but very few of my friends/family members even attempt it!

Donna

I have had a crazy week with work and events == just all around busy..... So this AM I decided I need to go back on WW AND I need to start off at meetings. I do very well on WW and it was getting expensive but I was struggling with sparkpeople not that it is bad site or anything just because I think more in the WW point world.....My one issue with WW is meeting times etc. That is why I went to online version and really liked it. There is a meeting center near work I am going to try tomorrow. I like the idea of the community (which isn't as easy online) and info from meetings. But sometimes when I have gone to meetings in past it gets into just talking about food finds and I admit to leaving them hungry At least this is a WW Center so I can just go and weigh int.My idea is to do it for a month (get month pass for online and meetings) if going well stay with meetings but if I can't make or

they drive me nuts just switch to online..any advice nancy ???judy in DC

[Guest guest]

i think ww is great--meetings must be a wonderful way to keep on track. the

online ww worked for me until i got a little lazy or busy--i'm sure if i had a

weekly meeting it would have helped with motivation and support. in fact if i

can't get these last 8 pounds off this summer i will be going to meetings--with

real people:)

real food + real people support= real success

stacey

[Guest guest]

Awwwwwwwwwwwwww! Thanks, !!

Re: OT no workouts but made a decision..............

You are so awesome. What a nice, thoughtful reply! I'd almost sign up just to meet with you face to face, !

[Guest guest]

Just a quick note... the meetings should be different every week. WW gives the leaders a topic and ideas for presenting it that they can use if they think it is appropriate for their groups. The same topics do come up again during the course of a year but usually presented with a different slant so that members who come for more than a few months don't think, "Here we go again!" I also let my groups just "pick their topic" a lot by asking what they are struggling with, questions they have about the program, what they are concerned about and working on and then we discuss their immediate issues. I go to the planned topic if there is a need or if it fits in with what they need so, hopefully, most of my meetings are fairly different.

I hear ya on the healthy food too. I'm surrounded by people that don't care much about their weight and don't think I should either. They've gotten used to me just doing what I do though and rarely hassle me anymore (and in return, I never criticize their choices to their faces and never have though they haven't always been so respectful of me).

Re: OT no workouts but made a decision..............

Congrats on re-committing yourself to WW, Judy! Most people I know who stick with that program are successful and personally I think the live meetings are critical, to have a live body to be accountable to though I have a friend who did it online and was successful that way too. For me I'd need the human interaction but I could see where the meetings might be too much of the same thing week after week, kind of like AA? The same stories over and over again? Noel is like this for me, he asks me how the diet is going though he doesn't make me weigh in or anything. I like the point system because it's a very real tool you can take with you, one that is proven to work. Keeping a food journal has helped me, and I'm fascinated by what food contains. Even if I go over my 20-30g fat and 150 carb allotments as deemed by Noel I at least have something to shoot for and know where I'm going of the plan and at what time of day. While it's true that WW (and Noel) can be expensive, it's so worth it! To fit into smaller clothes, have more energy, not feel like the chubby girl - I realize I'm not all powerful and need HELP with this. Don't buy any new workout videos for awhile to help offset this expense? Keep us posted! You are lucky in that you got the exercise thing down just fine The hard thing for me is that my friends and family don't share a clean, healthy eating lifestyle and while they understand they also at some level get irritated with my fickleness regarding food. Do I just go out and make new friends that value health and fitness? Not as simple as that, obviously. Most of America, sadly, DOES eat crappy food!

On Mon, Jun 14, 2010 at 3:44 PM, Judy S <k9sports4gsps > wrote:

I have had a crazy week with work and events == just all around busy..... So this AM I decided I need to go back on WW AND I need to start off at meetings. I do very well on WW and it was getting expensive but I was struggling with sparkpeople not that it is bad site or anything just because I think more in the WW point world.....My one issue with WW is meeting times etc. That is why I went to online version and really liked it. There is a meeting center near work I am going to try tomorrow. I like the idea of the community (which isn't as easy online) and info from meetings. But sometimes when I have gone to meetings in past it gets into just talking about food finds and I admit to leaving them hungry At least this is a WW Center so I can just go and weigh int.My idea is to do it for a month (get month pass for online and meetings) if going well stay with meetings but if I can't make or they drive me nuts just switch to online..any advice nancy ???judy in DC