RE: Interesting Observation from my WW Meeting

October 14, 2003

I absolutely must journal (probably my anal-retentive personality. The

original question my

WW leader asked however was not about journaling it was about

" consistently tracking

point values " . If you're not journaling and still keeping track of

points in some other way that's

much better then not even tracking point values - which most people in

my meeting said they

didn't do.

Mitch

Jay & Kris Swofford wrote:

> Apparently there are a lot of people who don't journal and track their

> points very well. Last September Fergi came to Portland and 1,000 of us

> got to see her and listen to her speak. While we were waiting for her to

> arrive they had a couple local WW leaders speak and one of them asked a

> similar question asking how many people kept a good journal and wrote

> down everything they ate. I would say that out of 1,000 WW less than 1/4

> of the people in that room raised their hands. I was really shocked. I

> raised my hand and looked around and couldn't believe my two friends

> sitting next to me didn't raise their hands. My friend who used to be a

> WW receptionist and who has kept the 25 lbs she lost off for over two

> years doesn't journal and never has really!!! She looked at me raising

> my hand and said " Do you really write everything down? Good for you! " I

> couldn't believe she didn't. She just watches her portions, keeps a

> mental note of how many points she eats at a meal and try's not to go

> over. Same for my other friend, she said she tries to write down how

> many points she never records what it was she ate. Our WW leader also

> admits that she is terrible about keeping her journal and doesn't do a

> very good job when she does. I'm surprised people can do that and still

> be successful. I would be interested to find out of the people that

> loose weight and keep it off how many journal?

>

> Kris

> 194/144/128

>

> -----Original Message-----

>

> Been meaning to post this for a few days. At my WW meeting on

> Saturday, the leader was using the word " backbone " and associating

> each letter wth a WW behavior - so for the " c " , she had " consistently

> track point values " . She asked who in the room did that. Of the 40

> or so people - only two - myself and another guy named Bob raised

> there hand. Then the women started commenting that " guys are better

> at that " . This all seemed pretty strange to me, because I'm so religious

> about giving everything a point value and journaling it, that I was

> actually surprised that so many folks didn't to this. What's your

> experience?

>

> Mitch

>

October 14, 2003

There is no way I could do WW without keeping a good record of what I

eat. I too am very anal-retentive or meticulous as I like to say ;o).

Once in a while I will have a where I didn't write half the day down

because we are out doing things and the first thing I do when I get home

is write it all down and see where I stand. Otherwise I will forget I

ate something or just figure " what the heck, I haven't done so good

today might as well eat some ice cream " Sometimes I think I did terrible

and when I sit down and figure out my points I will find I still have

four points for dinner and I can work with that. Usually when that

happens it's because the points come out okay (because I'm always

conscious of the point value of everything) but I will have drank

nothing but diet soda all day long and no veggies so it seems like I did

terrible even though the damage isn't so bad point wise. I agree it's

better to keep points on a calculator, palm, or bracelet, rather than

not at all but there is no way I could do it. I would always be

wondering if I entered in the ww bar I ate or that handful of M & M's.

Kris

194/144/128

-----Original Message-----

I absolutely must journal (probably my anal-retentive personality. The

original question my

WW leader asked however was not about journaling it was about

" consistently tracking

point values " . If you're not journaling and still keeping track of

points in some other way that's

much better then not even tracking point values - which most people in

my meeting said they

didn't do.

Mitch

October 14, 2003

Our WW leader also

admits that she is terrible about keeping her journal and doesn't do a

very good job when she does. I'm surprised people can do that and still

be successful. I would be interested to find out of the people that

loose weight and keep it off how many journal?

>>

I've gone from being an avid journaler to just keeping track of the math in

points. I don't do it in my head, which was a diasaster - instead I bought

the WW calculator, and the system works perfectly for me. I carry it in my

purse and it keeps track of my daily points, activity points, and weekly

flex points.

I just lost interest in journaling one day, and couldnt' get back into it.

This is the perfect compromise for me, and i'm sitll in losing mode. I

don't feel the need to write down exactly what I eat in order to maintain my

points, the math of it is really what's more improtant for me.

October 14, 2003

Our WW leader also

admits that she is terrible about keeping her journal and doesn't do a

very good job when she does. I'm surprised people can do that and still

be successful. I would be interested to find out of the people that

loose weight and keep it off how many journal?

>>

I've gone from being an avid journaler to just keeping track of the math in

points. I don't do it in my head, which was a diasaster - instead I bought

the WW calculator, and the system works perfectly for me. I carry it in my

purse and it keeps track of my daily points, activity points, and weekly

flex points.

I just lost interest in journaling one day, and couldnt' get back into it.

This is the perfect compromise for me, and i'm sitll in losing mode. I

don't feel the need to write down exactly what I eat in order to maintain my

points, the math of it is really what's more improtant for me.

October 14, 2003

Our WW leader also

admits that she is terrible about keeping her journal and doesn't do a

very good job when she does. I'm surprised people can do that and still

be successful. I would be interested to find out of the people that

loose weight and keep it off how many journal?

>>

I've gone from being an avid journaler to just keeping track of the math in

points. I don't do it in my head, which was a diasaster - instead I bought

the WW calculator, and the system works perfectly for me. I carry it in my

purse and it keeps track of my daily points, activity points, and weekly

flex points.

I just lost interest in journaling one day, and couldnt' get back into it.

This is the perfect compromise for me, and i'm sitll in losing mode. I

don't feel the need to write down exactly what I eat in order to maintain my

points, the math of it is really what's more improtant for me.

October 14, 2003

> Been meaning to post this for a few days. At my WW meeting on

> Saturday, the leader was using the word " backbone " and

> associating each letter wth a WW behavior - so for the " c " ,

> she had " consistently track point values " . She asked who in

> the room did that. Of the 40 or so people - only two - myself

> and another guy named Bob raised there hand. Then the women

> started commenting that " guys are better at that " . This all

> seemed pretty strange to me, because I'm so religious about

> giving everything a point value and journaling it, that I was

> actually surprised that so many folks didn't to this. What's

> your experience?

What an ignorant thing to say. Sounds like a room full of wanna-be

losers who haven't quite figured out the program. I can't imagine NOT

tracking points and saying you're on Weight Watchers, yet I know people

do it all the time.

I track points all the time every day. I'm sure there are times I fudge,

unintentionally (I hope), or forget one thing or another. But that only

really happens if I am away from my computer away from home and have to

rely on memory or my points bracelet for journaling. I wouldn't dream of

going through an entire day without journaling. That just seems

completely counter-productive.

> BTW, this guy Bob is at goal/lifetime. He lost something like

> 70 pounds in maybe 30 weeks or so. He's also just completed

> WW receptionist/weigher training and will be the new

> receptionist/weigher at our meeting starting 11/1. After the

> comment above, when Bob raised his hand, the leader and some

> long-time members started joking, " Oh of course it would be

> Bob, the perfect member " . Then one women said, " whenever I

> struggle, I hear Bob's voice say, " what's the problem, just

> follow the program, eat the points your allowed, then stop " " .

It sure seems to me that people love to see success, but then reflect it

back on themselves, and become resentful of it. (Not everyone, of

course...but some.) Bob becomes the butt of jokes because he's

successful and works the program the way it's supposed to work. I have

gotten the same, even had a few people be REALLY nasty to me. Bob's

success is not a condemnation of their success, yet they'll make fun of

him. Even when it's " in fun " you know there is a ring of truth to it. We

all want to make excuses when we stray from the path of meeting a goal

(any goal). It IS maddening to see people for whom it appears to come SO

easily. But the fact is, it doesn't come easier to Bob, me, Mitch,

Diane, Joe, Tom, Dick, or Harry. It's all the same fight and we all have

to make the same decisions on a daily basis. Some people just make it

LOOK easy. Doesn't mean it IS easy.

This weekend I was at a women's retreat. A number of people asked me how

I'd lost weight and I shared that I was on Weight Watchers. At least

half a dozen women were also on WW. I watched (because I am aware of

things) as they'd watch me choosing what to eat. When given the

opportunity I asked the cook to fix me a boca burger over lasagna (I

can't do the cheese with half a pancreas, so I wasn't being all noble or

anything), I put the dressing on the side or squeezed lemon over my

salad, I enjoyed dessert but only a small portion one night and saved my

points for something else the second. (Who wants to waste points on

cheap vanilla ice cream and Hershey's syrup when someone made nanaimo

bars??) Some followed my lead, others did their own thing...but I

noticed that some just broke down as the weekend went on and munched

their way through the weekend. Others LOOKED to be munching their way

through the weekend but they were making choices like apples, kiwi

(someone had these awesome little kiwi fruits from their own trees), fat

free chips (I brought those), fat free kettle corn (another Wwer brought

that), and veggies. I know I munched a LOT! I could have stood there and

said who would be successful at THIS particular go-round of WW and who

wouldn't because you could see those who took out their journals and

journaled, or counted points in their heads (you can just tell), and

those who would struggle and have fits and starts. It wasn't easy for me

to pass up a big bowl of dessert or the trays of homemade cookies

(limiting myself to one or two a day within points), but I did it. One

thing I will say, though, even those who (you could tell) didn't stay

within points DID make better choices. I was proud of all of us, but it

was apparent that a few had a ways to go before believing enough in

themselves to find success.

Okay off the gym!

Tory

222/114/130

October 14, 2003