Talking It Off

ProPoints ~ PointsPlus Update

Things to try, Thoughts on the Process No Responses »

Nov 292010

I was supposed to be updating my progress with ProPoints but I hit a wall and have been metaphorically collapsed on the pavement for the past week or more. I’m pretty good with hormones as long as they come alone. But when they bring with them their other little gang members – like stress, worry or crappy life events, then I’m usually beaten to a pulp and left lying in the gutter till they go away.

The result is that I have NOT felt like counting points or restricting carbs to the level that the new Weight Watchers plan wishes us to. Just the thought of it makes me feel cranky.

Thankfully, I didn’t turn into a bingeing mess because (hugely thankfully), bingeing is a very very rare event these days. I just needed more than 29 points a day to maintain any form of sanity. I also needed (oh dear – this isn’t going to sound great) a couple of glasses of wine. So I didn’t lose any weight because I didn’t follow the plan. This is not to say that the plan doesn’t work. Of course it works: it’s a diet! And when I want to lose those last 6 pounds (count ‘em! ) , I will follow ProPoints to the letter and they will slip away.

Another “thankfully”: I’m finding it hard to adjust to the new plan – not because I like the old plan better – but because I’ve finally figured out how to maintain my weight loss on NO PLAN. That’s a minor miracle for a woman who has been losing and gaining the same 30 pounds for 30 years.

Dare I say that I may have stumbled on my own secret to permanent weight loss?

Write and write and write for a minimum of three years till you can’t think of another thing to say.
Fall down and get up countless times but never, ever, ever give up.
Alternate losing with maintaining for a long slow journey.
Replace the dieting mentality with the “eating to live” mentality. Enjoy food.

This isn’t a valedictory address of any kind, because I haven’t actually taken off the last of those 30 pounds, but I’m so changed from July 08 when I started this journey that I feel the need to talk about it. Trying to follow ProPoints has just highlighted those changes. This probably needs a new post.

ProPoints for Americans – PointsPlus?

Thoughts on the Process 4 Responses »

Nov 182010

An American friend sent me a link to this article making an educated guess about the launch of the new Weight Watchers plan in the States.

Given all former programmes, it makes sense that the American ProPoints would be called something else. It will be interesting to find out what other differences pop up.

Weight Watchers ProPoints – Week One

Last Ten Pounds, Things to try 4 Responses »

Nov 162010

Well, if the proof of the ProPoints is in the scales, this is a good start. I’ve lost 3 pounds this week having eaten every single available point – Daily, Weekly and Activity. It was also just about the most stressful week of my life and I lost. My wine consumption was well over limits but I lost. Good start. I’ll be happy to lose at least one more pound per week.

Highlights:

Feeling hunger and, instead of heading for the crackers, just reaching into the fruit bowl. It takes practice to change habits and the zero point thing makes it an easy habit to cultivate.

The 49 Weekly Points just make sense. Some days I used them for regular eating but mostly they went on eating out and wine. I realise now how I had virtually given up on ever staying within 18 points per day with the old plan so I just didn’t try any more. ProPoints has much more potential for the long term.

The 49 points make everything feel more relaxed. The last plan made spontaneity almost impossible but this feels much more laid back. It’s hard to describe, but an unexpected dinner invitation doesn’t feel like a derailment – just a chance for a nice evening. That’s huge for me.

I can only comment on ProPoints with thirty years of weightloss baggage. I’d love to hear how people are doing who don’t remember needing to eat liver once a week in order to be “on plan”.

Lowlights:

After I got over my cynicism about YET ANOTHER WW plan, I didn’t encounter too many lowlights – at least ones with universal application. I happen to hate not knowing what’s behind points calculations but once I found the formula as mentioned in yesterday’s post, – I was a happy WWer again. (It’s a personality glitch, not a WW issue.)

The paper points calculator works sort of fine once you get the hang of it but it wouldn’t make for a relaxing daily experience. The paper tracker is not designed for anyone over 40. It wasn’t until day 5 that I realised there was writing at the bottom of each page! Pale green type on paler green background is virtually invisible to anyone of middle age or better. The layout isn’t bad but I’m happier with a little notebook in my handbag and a home made spreadsheet on my laptop.

And why do I make my own spreadsheet? Because anything online with Weight Watchers is cumbersome and awful and pure drudgery to use. A friend and I sat down with her WW account to point some recipes together and it is just awful awful awful. This isn’t a problem with ProPoints but a problem with Weight Watchers not putting the investment into making their site an intuitive delight to use. It looks nice – but that’s far less important than how the whole thing works. Their product list is especially appalling. It should have every bit of information on that site that is in all the guide books but it’s not there. If I’m paying to use the site (which I would be very willing to do if it was worth the money), I don’t want to spending money on books. I also want a .mobi site to use with my Blackberry and a reduced online rate for Gold Members. Weight Watchers, if you’re listening, go spend some time at Nutracheck.co.uk. Really. Go.

So onto Week 2 where I will try to eat every available point and live as normal a life as I ever do. Till next Tuesday.

ProPoints – science & calculations

Things to try, Thoughts on the Process No Responses »

Nov 152010

One of the first things you’ll hear is that WW has finally made a plan which matches the “new” scientific thinking of the day. I’m not sure how true that is but here’s a good clear explanation of what that means. It does seem to be new for WW if not the rest of the science of nutrition community.

I’ve tested that formula against the WW ProPoints paper calculator and get exactly the same results, so I’m guessing it’s the right one. Not sure why WW hasn’t had it removed. Maybe this information is actually in the public domain? Anyway, it makes for a nice Excel spreadsheet diary with built in ProPoints calculator!

Weight Watchers ProPoints – Overview

Things to try 2 Responses »

Nov 092010

Well I overcame my cynicsm and headed off to Weight Watchers this morning.

Life is currently more stressful than it’s been in a long time and I’m in serious need of distraction. I feel healthy enough in body and mind to do this out of curiosity rather than believing that I’m on the verge of “the answer”.

What a glorious feeling! I can mess about with the new plan as an experiment because it has no power whatsoever to make me feel either a success or a failure. It might suit me and it might not.

I may not yet have talked off all the weight but I have talked off a good portion of the crazies!

I have to admit that I also wanted to give a bit of information to my North American friends who have to wait a while longer before they get ProPoints. (I’m sure I should be adding a little tm thingy every time I type that….)

So here’s the lowdown:

You get given your Daily ProPoints Allowance by your leader at the scale. No more little quizzes that can be shared freely on the internet. However, a friend with a ProPoints Calculator can give you the information. Since I have a “no more money to Weight Watchers” policy, I’m afraid I can’t help. Your Daily ProPoints Allowance can be as little as 29 and as much as 71. I’m thinking that WW has adjusted to account for the increasingly obese. Your daily points cannot be carried over to the next day.

Everyone gets a Weekly ProPoints Allowance of 49. This is a much bigger deal here in the UK than it will be in North America because we have been working on a daily points only. So I’ve gone from 126 points per week (18×7) to 252 points per week. (29×7+49)

Given that little bit of information, you might have guessed that absolutely everything has a higher points value than it used to. However, there’s a new formula for calculating points so it’s not just a straightforward increase. UK points used to be based on calories and saturated fat. American points were based on calories, fat and fibre. Now, points are based on a combination of protein, carb, fat and fibre because each of these building blocks of food has a different calorific value. You should see the little wheelie thing required for this calculation! Most people at the meeting were getting ready to part with £7.95 for a calculator but, given my above policy, I’m going to do the Luddite version for a week and see how it goes.

The upshot is that 300 calories worth of food will have different points values. Their example is a poached egg, grilled mushroom and tomato, 2 slices of back bacon and a piece of toast for 8 points but an English muffin with jam is 9 points because it has less protein.

The big ProPoints news is that all fruit, fresh or frozen, including bananas is now zero points. Vegetables, except the usual starchy suspects, are still zero points.

I’ve now been playing with the wheelie thing and it has at least one very serious shortcoming. According to it, half a bottle of dry white wine has 2 points and half a bottle of red wine has only 1 point thanks to a bit of protein content. According to the ProPoints Pocket Guide, either of these has 9 points. OOPS!

I’m off to London for the day tomorrow but will report back on Thursday about how it’s all going.

10k for the Super Novice

Exercise 2 Responses »

Nov 082010

Before the summer I felt like I’d turned into a “RUNNER” – you know, someone who runs for pleasure – one of the despised.

And then, after a summer of living in a place where running just seemed impossible, I felt like I was no longer a RUNNER but a sloth. (But a sloth who hadn’t been attacked by a small dog on the seawall, thank you very much.)

It turns out that I had, in fact, run precisely 21 times in 6 weeks covering a total of 79 miles. That’s it, my whole running career since around 1983.

On a positive note, I managed to shave 15 minutes off my 5 mile time in just three or four runs per week. That, I’m proud of.

So I guess I can do it again. I tentatively set out for a 3 miler last week and didn’t bother timing. I also gave myself permission to walk as much as I wanted. I’ve done a couple since and have gone through my usual teeter-totter thinking…

teeter: running helps my mood

totter: running gets addictive

teeter: running is free

totter: the weather is crap

teeter: running is quick

totter: running becomes obsessive

My final decision is that the mood enhancing, quick benefits outweigh the addictiveness and lousy weather.

I’ve decided to change things up a bit and go all metric. I’ve mapped out a 5k and a 10k and done baseline speeds for each. I can still cover the 5k in just under 35 minutes – not too bad for a sloth. The 10k, however has a baseline of 80 minutes – so lots and lots of room for improvement.

I’ll try not to be too boring about running times but it’s good to know where I’m starting from so that, in 6 weeks I can come and celebrate how much I’ve shaved off that 80 minutes.

By the way – by RUNNING, I mean running till I can’t take it any more then walking till I can breathe again. I’m not crazy. Or all that fit.

On that note, I’m kind of looking forward to running when I’ve finally got a whole head of grey hair. I’ll be the only old lady on the roads in this community, that’s for sure.

Results of Small Changes

Last Ten Pounds 3 Responses »

Nov 032010

My less than arduous goals this week were to:

Grab for fruit or vegetables when feeling snacky between meals
Go for 3 walks in the week
Drink a glass of mineral water before opening the wine

And the results?

Lots of fruit and carrots consumed – and I figured out I’m not allergic to pears! Much rejoicing.

10 miles of moving over 3 sessions – one of them a 3 mile walk/run.

At least half a large bottle of mineral water and a lot less wine consumed each day. Saturday was my only exception when the wine got opened before the water so the water didn’t happen.

1.5 pounds gone without a thought really.

Let’s see if I can do that 2 weeks running.

Progress, Goals & a Little Bit of Planning

Last Ten Pounds, Maintenance, Things to try, Thoughts on the Process No Responses »

Oct 272010

I’ve now weighed a hundred and forty-something pounds for more than year – a feat unheard of since I hit my 40′s. It makes me think that I’ve actually learned something by writing my little heart out for the past 27 months.

Am I where I want to be?

No – but I’m close and so very very proud of myself for not giving up and gaining back what I’ve lost – and all this in years of grief, living in 2 countries, health worries and just getting older.

I’m chuffed.

I’m also thinking that it would be nice, one day, to write: “I’ve now weighed less that 145 pounds for a whole year.”

I think that’s a sensible goal for my age, my level of commitment to activity and my level of commitment to wine. But it means losing at least another 7 pounds and I’m so so so so so sick of the process…….

I appear to be, once again, choosing what I want more:

to be free of “dieting”

to be free of 7 pounds

Good question. Since losing the weight will also make me free of dieting, I guess that’s the sensible choice. I need to make this as easy as possible for me and those around me.

What 3 small changes could I make for maximum impact?

Eating fruit and veg between meals has become part of my “diet” mentality and I need to shift it back into my “everyday eating” mentality. So there’s a start. Will commit to reaching first for fruit or veg when needing a snack or just something to crunch on.

I also tend to be so all or nothing about exercise and I hate both states. So why don’t I just commit to exercise 3 times a week and see how it goes? And why is that so difficult to do? Really, why? But I will take at least 3 walks per week and, if they turn into runs, so much the better.

I’ve fallen back into the 5 o’clock glass of wine to signal the end of the working day. I will commit to having a 5 o’clock glass (or two) of mineral water and then have the glass of wine. I will consider it a very good day indeed when the first glass of wine coincides with the meal.

OK. Those are the three things I’m going to do for a week. If I haven’t lost a pound by next Tuesday Wednesday, I will get back to journalling. At least, that’s the plan from here.

Learn Something New….

Food, Thoughts on the Process 1 Response »

Oct 222010

Yesterday something happened that made me realise I had a new weapon against obesity: food snobbery.

I found myself craving chocolate in that “nothing else will do – to hell with everything” way. I was walking to meet friends and knew I could get some at the store along the way. The only fair trade fruit and nut was the store brand so I decided to try it.

I left the store, tore open the very (very) large bar and broke off a good chunk. It was repulsive – tasteless and unsatisfying. I ate a bit and then…..get this…….threw the whole thing in the bin. The whole thing!

That’s when I realised that food snobbery is a blessing. I am no longer satisfied by cheap chocolate. Or cheap potato chips or cheap ice cream or commercial baked goods. A little of the best is far far more satisfying that a lot of the worst, or even the middling.

I have no idea when this crept up on me but I like it. It makes me much more thoughtful about what I really crave and what will satisfy that craving. Maybe it’s the thinking about food rather than the snobbery that’s the real weapon.

Note to self: This doesn’t mean you’re “cured” of anything. Don’t go near the crap if you don’t want to eat it.

Happily Not “Average”

Body Image, Thoughts on the Process No Responses »

Oct 142010

The average UK woman is 5′ 3″ and 11 stone (154 pounds). At 2 inches shorter and 7 pounds heavier than me, I guess this would explain the fact that all tops now resemble materinity wear.

But it doesn’t explain why I’m still a size Large. What are really large people wearing?

But that’s not really what I was going to blog about today.

What I really wanted to say is that I’ve found that I can stick to a weight between 147 and 149 without being obsessive. That’s progress because my “set-point” (for lack of a better term) used to be about 10 pounds higher.

If I can get that down 5 more pounds without a super struggle, I’ll be very happy. However, I went shopping yesterday and dressing room mirrors told me in no uncertain terms that I can’t lose anymore inches off my hips. “STOP!”, they shouted, then added, “But please do something about the top half.”

Time to start with those weights.

Older Entries Newer Entries

ProPoints ~ PointsPlus Update

ProPoints for Americans – PointsPlus?

Weight Watchers ProPoints – Week One

ProPoints – science & calculations

Weight Watchers ProPoints – Overview

10k for the Super Novice

Results of Small Changes

Progress, Goals & a Little Bit of Planning

Learn Something New….

Happily Not “Average”

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