Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Weight Watchers

OK, so my wife started Weight Watchers last week because she wants to lose the 20lbs she ut on when having the baby. Personally I don't see her needing to lose any weight. She's barely over 140, I thought she was 120, but it goes to show what I know.
I'd really like to support her in this but I know it is discouraging for her to see me eating like a pig at meal times while she sticks to her points system.
now me? I DO need to lose some weight, alot of weight, like 100lbs!! I'm hovering at 300lbs right now and would love to be down to 250 by this time next year. Last summer I lost 60lbs, then put 10-15 back on during the winter. So I know that I *can* reach my goal just by doing what I am doing. But I'm thinking that maybe I should join this thing too. Not only for my own benefit but also to help support my wife.
Has anyone here had any experience with the weight watchers and its points system? Does it work out all that well for guys who are cycling?
I know it *can* help me reach my goal(s) but am wondering if it is worth the $15.00 a month or so for the membership fees.
Any insight from fellow clydes?

OK, so my wife started Weight Watchers last week because she wants to lose the 20lbs she ut on when having the baby. Personally I don't see her needing to lose any weight. She's barely over 140, I thought she was 120, but it goes to show what I know.
I'd really like to support her in this but I know it is discouraging for her to see me eating like a pig at meal times while she sticks to her points system.
now me? I DO need to lose some weight, alot of weight, like 100lbs!! I'm hovering at 300lbs right now and would love to be down to 250 by this time next year. Last summer I lost 60lbs, then put 10-15 back on during the winter. So I know that I *can* reach my goal just by doing what I am doing. But I'm thinking that maybe I should join this thing too. Not only for my own benefit but also to help support my wife.
Has anyone here had any experience with the weight watchers and its points system? Does it work out all that well for guys who are cycling?
I know it *can* help me reach my goal(s) but am wondering if it is worth the $15.00 a month or so for the membership fees.
Any insight from fellow clydes?
Well, there is a lot of support for that $15.00 a month and you get accountability as well as a set diet plan. Is your life worth $15 a month? If you get the excess weight off, you will live longer statistically speaking!:D

Every guy I have met that stayed with the system lost weight, and easily. This is a good program in that it doesn't just help you lose weight, but will teach you how to eat better, and you don't have to give up all of your favorite foods.

You can eat whatever you like but you cannot eat as much of whatever you like as you might want to.

Though I agree with Weight Watchers and have nothing negative to say about them, I used them for a while several years ago and though I lost some weight, it came back.

The problem with any type of sensible diet (like WW) is that it has to become a lifestyle. I could not maintain a life style of points as that became my only focus. I should have observed and learned what foods and quantities I was consuming and stuck with that.

So, I doing just that now – I’ll ballpark the calories and try to stay with in a limit, eating good foods. My weakness is the evening binge – it’ll come on like a need for a fix and then Katy bar the door. It’s getting through evenings that requires the most self-control.

Weight Watchers will work for you if you work it. The thing us clydes have to get into our heads is that we need to relearn how to eat. There are many ways to lose weight, but we have to realize that our eating habits make us fat and if we don't change them permanantly we are doomed to return to our old selves. If we diet sucessfully,and then think we are "cured" and return to our preivious habits we will be fat again. I'm 58 yrs old and it's taken me a long time to accept this reality.
I think you should seize this opportunity to work the program with your wife. It is so much easier to do this as a team. My wife and i are doing this together, I'm 239 and she's 130, so it's more like she's in it to help me. I think you're a lot younger than me, and it seems harder to lose as you get older, so go for it now and enjoy the next 50 years!

i joined WW late in '05. lost 30 lbs pretty much with portion control ( the points system ) and lots of time on the bike. believe it or not - i started carb loading for my first century in late september ( it was great - 105 miles ) and basically it all got away from me. so i've regained twenty lbs back and i'm SO pissed at myself.

my arm is still messed up ( i injured it in november supposedly tendonitus but my physical therapist and i are starting to think something else is wrong ) and i've only been able to get on the trainer for short periods. damn.

so my wife and i sent away for the home WW kit. and ( i don't know why this double dutch picture just popped into my head but ) i'm just waiting for the right time to pull out the food scale and jump back in and start a calorie diary again.

but - like another poster said - its a life style thing. you have to watch what you eat AND spend quality time with exercise.

good luck.

I am basically in the same situation in some respects. My wife and I started eating right and taking better care of ourselves almost 9 months ago. In the time she has lost 30 lbs. She really looks good, but as women do, it's not enough for her. She wants to lose more and I tell her not to obsess over it, as the weight will come off. Now, I have been doing all the same things as she has, but I am also riding my bike on a regular basis, whereas she is not and I have lost 70 lbs. She gets really upset if I mention I lost a little more or let her know I need to go get a new pair of pants or belt. I ask her everyday before I go riding if she want to go, sometimes she does, most not, but I ask.

When she decided that she wanted to join WW, I said great lets do it together. I was hoping they would encourage her to do some type of exercize to help her get to her goal. In my little chapter they really push the eating rules and this and that of the various programs, but they never really pushed the exercize as much as I would have liked. Now it may be that most of the folks in the joint when we go are older, but I always thought they work on a modified one on one type thing.

I had altered my eating habits already and don't need to weigh my food, count points or whatever, so it been a hassle trying to maintain what has been working for me to meld within their structure. One of the meeting, the WW rep was lecturing me that I had eaten way to many carbs and then I point out that I had ridden 123 miles that week and that I was fine. She just gave me this look like I was the devil. I also pointed out that I had lost 7 lbs that week.

I guess what I am trying to say is, it sounds like your wife wants some support, so go with her and support her and then at the same time do it for you. Learn from it, but don't let it rule you if you find something else that works for you. If you have to snack, grab some celery, broccoli or zuccini, watch the sugars and drink plenty of water. Keep riding, get the wife a bike and put a seat on the back for the kid and make it a family affair and enjoy your time together. :)

I count calories, which can be fairly tedious when I really go all out weighing things. I have a friend who does weight watchers and I think it looks like a simplified version of calorie counting. They sort of group points into calorie amounts. You spend points, I spend calories. The point is to monitor your calorie intake. I'm a number/stat junkie, so my way works better for me. My friend isn't so weight watchers works better for her. Either way, the point is monitor your intake. I think it'd be great for you two to support each other.

believe it or not - i started carb loading for my first century in late september ( it was great - 105 miles ) and basically it all got away from me. so i've regained twenty lbs back and i'm SO pissed at myself


Eeeps. Really no need for Clyde's to carbo load. We're 'preloaded' so to speak. Excess carbo loading really just turns straight to fat for us.

yeah - NOW they tell me :eek:

i was really kinda spooked before my first century ( i put a lot of personal worth into finishing at least one last year ) so i was just following the training regimes i read about in magazines and from the web. all recommended increasing your intake a few days before the event.

i actually gained weight on the ride - and just kept going. :(

--

so this morning i got out my little lined notepad and started to journal my diet. my wife started about a week ago but like one of the earlier posters - she doesn't ride or do heavy exercise. ( we both do pilates but thats more for core strength and flexibility )

so i'm going down to eat dinner now - i guess thats why i'm still a clyde.

but with the support on this forum maybe i can modify my habits and get back down to the 220's ( or better ) by the end of this season. thats the plan and i'm going to try to stick to it.

i was really kinda spooked before my first century ( i put a lot of personal worth into finishing at least one last year ) so i was just following the training regimes i read about in magazines and from the web. all recommended increasing your intake a few days before the event.


I hear ya. I'm a little bit the opposite. TnT has been a great training regiment for me, organized rides every Saturday for months before the ride. I'm not at all worried about making the 100 miles. Now I'm more worried about what'll happen after the ride. Need to keep those miles going!

Congrats on the century and the life's lesson learned (even if it's one you didn't want to learn).

ronjon10 - thanks. the thread motivated me to quit moaning and start pedaling. 7 miles in 30 minutes on the trainer in the basement. ain't much ( especially trying to remember to keep my elbows bent so as not to aggravate the arm ) but it might go up to the high 40's here this weekend so maybe i can get some real road miles in. thanks for the encouragement.

I didn't like the points system, or the monthly fee, or the fact that the entire group was women. I still found support in my wife who was also on the system, but the "group support" didn't really work for me. Most of the women were a lot older than me so I just couldn't relate. There are a few guys at my work that lost lots of weight on WW but it wasn't for me. I got on the Sonoma Diet which is basically a regular menu based "just -don't-eat-like-a-pig" diet, except it allows wine and dark chocolate, and kinda gears itself towards fighting cholesterol which is plus for me because i have hereditary high cholesterol. when I started i was sick (i picked a monday to start and turned out to have a chest infection, but still wanted to start the diet) so i wasn't able to exercise for the first 2 weeks. I lost 7 pounds the first week, part of it could have been because i was sick. but i've been losing about 1/2pound a day for the last 4 weeks. so far it's working out great. and all my meals fit into my wife's Weight Watchers diet, and her Bridal Bootcamp diet.

I did WW for 1 week and got so frustrated I quit and did my own thing.

I personally use google spreadsheets so I can add from anywhere with internet access. I have one sheet with cal/fat/carb/protein/fiber data for all my frequently eaten foods, and I can just copy those lines to the day where I ate them.

my big problem with WW is that they basically outlaw foods. say my target calorie intake is 2500, and WW says I can eat 30 points. they will take a really fatty restaurant meal thats like 1400 calories and make it 40 points. that really pisses me off, because part of being able to keep off weight is not outlawing foods. 1-2 days per week I will eat a "bad meal" out somewhere, but then my other main meal of the day will be ultra-healthy and under like 600 cals.

Carry a 3x5 index card and a pen. Write down everything you eat during the day. End of day tally. Just the act of writing it down makes you think about it. You'll actually start think ahead as to what you're going to have for lunch, a snack or dinner. When you start thinking, you'll be more conscious of what you're eating.

Hi. I joined bikeforums just so I could encourage you.
I was 327 last year around this time, and lost 10 pounds by mid October. Then my work decided to sponsor Weight Watchers meetings here. I joined - the price was right, and I never ever wanted to weigh more than 300.
As of Monday of this week, I have lost 46 pounds through WW. It's a great program - but only if you're ready for it. If the desire to lose isn't there, no plan will work. WW does a good job of teaching you what your current bad eating habits are, and then showing you how to change them into good eating habits. It's also a sensible plan that's easy to adapt to, unlike other plans (like Atkins) where your eating lifestyle has to change dramatically and stay changed for the rest of your life.

I'm never hungry, I eat pretty much what I want to (anything is acceptable - you just have to count it!), and I feel great. I'm also reminded of my progress every time I put on my clothes that used to be tight, and now they hang off of me.

Good luck!

271 and dropping ...

From the weight watchers patent (found using google patent search here (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=269850))

This is really everything behind weightwatchers ... a simplified method of calorie counting.

For a free calorie counting website that has a bigger database of foods (that you just click on to calculate your daily intake, I use thedailyplate.com (and not to sound like a farking commercial, I've lost 23+ pounds using just the site since Jan 3rd, about 6 weeks ago).

But save your money and spend it on you bike or making the world a better place ... here's everything weight watchers could tell you with out any of their other BS:

Abstract
The disclosure relates to a process for controlling body weight in which selection of food servings is based on a calculated point value and a range of allotted daily points which is adjusted for weight change. The calculated point value is a function of measured calories, total fat and dietary fiber for serving sizes specified in readily estimatable units. A range or maximum number of points allotted per day may be calculated based on current body weight, caloric reduction to be achieved, physical activity level, and physical activity duration.
Inventors: Karen Miller-Kovach, Sarah May Watson, Marian Jane Way, Wanema Frye, Mary Grace Melnyk, Adrienne Forman, Kathryn H. Schmitz
6649848 (http://www.google.com/patents?vid=USPAT6649848)

Claims
What is claimed is:
1. System for calculating Points values for use by a person in a weight control process to produce a restricted food intake for the current weight of the person taking into account food ingested and activity level comprising: means for determining whole number Points values, p, for food servings ingested by the person characterized by the equation p = c k 1 + f k 2 - r k 3
where c is calories, f is fat in grams and r is dietary fiber in grams for each candidate food serving and where k1 is about 50, k2 is about 12 and k3 is about 5; and
means for determining whole number activity Points, PA, on the basis of intensity level and duration of physical exercise for addition to a number of basic Points appropriate for the current weight of the person and weight change to be achieved.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the activity Points, PA, are whole numbers characterized by the equation P A = k 4 × kg ⁢   ⁢ body ⁢   ⁢ weight × minutes ⁢   ⁢ of ⁢   ⁢ activity 100
wherein k4 is a predetermined numerical weighting factor determined on the basis of intensity level of physical exercise.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein k4 is between 0.05 and 0.2.
4. The system of claim 2, wherein k4 has at least three progressively increasing values corresponding to low, moderate and high intensity physical exercise.
5. The system of claim 2 wherein k4 is equal to about 0.05 for low intensity physical exercise, about 0.07 for moderate intensity physical exercise and about 0.18 for high intensity physical exercise.
6. The system of claim 2, wherein the addition of activity Points to daily basic Points occurs when determined activity Points exceed a predetermined threshold of 1 to 3 activity Points per day.
7. An apparatus for calculating Points values for use by a person in a weight control process comprising
an electronic computing device having a memory which determines a total Points value (sum of p values) for food servings ingested during the day in which the Points value p for each food serving ingested is characterized by the equation p = c k 1 + f k 2 - r k 3 wherein c is the number of kilocalories in the food serving;
f is the total amount of fat in the food serving;
r is the amount of dietary fiber in the food serving;
k1, k2 and k3 are preselected constants;
k2 is in the range k1/4.5 to k1/1.5 when f is measured in grams;
k3 is in the range of k1/20 to k1/5, when r is measured in grams; and which determines activity Points, PA, characterized by the equation P A ⁢ activity 100  ⁢ of ⁢   ⁢ weight × minutes ⁢   ⁢ body ⁢  = k 4 × kg ⁢
where k4 is determined on the basis of the intensity level of the physical exercise; which upwardly modifies basic Points allotted per day for the person by a number of Points corresponding to the determined activity Points, PA, over a predetermined threshold; and which determines the number of Points left for the day after subtracting the sum of p values for the food servings ingested; and means for displaying the number of Points left for the day.
8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein k4 is between 0.05 and 0.2.
9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein k4 is equal to about 0.05 for low intensity physical exercise, about 0.07 for moderate intensity physical exercise, and about 0.18 for high intensity physical exercise.
10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the predetermined threshold is 1 to 3 activity Points per day.
11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the memory of the computing device stores the parameters necessary to make the Points determinations.
12. In a system for determining Points for food servings ingested by a person in which the Points, p, for each food serving ingested is characterized by the equation p = c k 1 + f k 2 - r k 3
wherein c is the number of kilocalories in the food serving;
f is the total amount of fat in the food serving;
r is the amount of dietary fiber in the food serving;
k1, k2 and k3 are preselected constants;
k2 is in the range k1/4.5 to k1/1.5 when f is measured in grams; and
k3 is in the range of k1/20 to k1/5, when r is measured in grams;

13. The process of claim 12 wherein the activity Points, PA are whole numbers characterized by the equation P A = k 4 × kg ⁢   ⁢ body ⁢   ⁢ weight × minutes ⁢   ⁢ of ⁢   ⁢ activity 100
wherein k4 is a predetermined numerical weighting factor determined on the basis of intensity level of physical exercise.
14. The process of claim 13, wherein k4 is between 0.05 and 0.2.
15. The process of claim 13, wherein k4 has at least three progressively increasing values corresponding to low, moderate and high intensity physical exercise.
16. The process of claim 13, wherein k4 is equal to about 0.05 for low intensity physical exercise, about 0.07 for moderate intensity physical exercise and about 0.18 for high intensity physical exercise.
17. The process of claim 13, wherein the addition of activity Points to the basic Points total occurs when determined activity Points exceed a predetermined threshold of 1 to 3 activity Points per day.
18. The process of claim 12 wherein k1 is about 50, k2 to about 12 and k3 is about 5.

From the weight watchers patent (found using google patent search here (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=269850))

This is really everything behind weightwatchers ... a simplified method of calorie counting.


But save your money and spend it on you bike or making the world a better place ... here's everything weight watchers could tell you with out any of their other BS:

Abstract
---edited----


Cool, if they showed me all the rad numbers and had downloads I could load into excel and databases, I'd be all over this :)

I am on WW now. I have been (again) since the first of December 06. I have lost a little over 40 pounds, but I have been working very hard at it. I also started running (slogging) 3x/week. Slowly.

WW works for me. Using points, and their "Healthy 8"*, is helping to relearn what better eating looks and feels like. I weigh in at an office every week, pay $13 or less for that, but don't often stay for the meetings. I get my support from a web site, http://www.healthdiscovery.net/forums/, that has a mens area. The weekly cost and weigh in help me to stay accountable.

WW introduced a revised program in 2007 that "personalizes" points more than ever before. Things such as job activity, male/female, and height are all taken into consideration. If you haven't looked at WW points in awhile, it might be worth looking at. Men especially gain points.

* I think that sometimes people focus too much on points. The Healthy * or daily 8 or whatever they are called change the focus from being strictly points to points based on healthier choices.

Every day:
- six 8 oz. glasses of water
- a multi-vitamin
- 5 servings of fruits or vegetables
- dairy (usually 2 servings, but the amount is dependent on situation)
- healthy oils (basically 2 teaspoons of canola, olive, etc.)
- Choose whole-gran foods, such as brown rice and oats, whenever possible.
- get enough protein
- Limit added sugar and alcohol

Is WW for everyone? Nope. Is it healthy? I think it's healthier than lots of other systems and programs. For me, it's helping with my re-education and accountability.

Also, exercise is a huge component for me. But I'd rather "train" than exercise, so I sign up for running events and later this year I want to try a duathlon. And that's why I am on bikeforums now... :)

My wife and I go. We've been successful.

It may not be for everyone but if you have only tried one meeting time/group/leader and thought that that was it, then you are giving a good tool short shrift. It's like saying I'm never going to use a knife because this butter knife did a crappy job cutting my tomato. (OK, maybe it is nothing like that.)

The group we attend talks about activity every week. If it isn't the focus (I believe WW corporate sets the theme for each week) it is certainly one of the tools the group comes up with to meet goals that are raised in the week's focus/topic. (For example, one week the focus was,"What are some methods to succeed when you are going to a party and food/drink will be served?" Obvious answers of picking healthy foods and portion control came up but others raised suggestions of exercise before hand/after to mitigate "going over" a little. By the time the group was done, there were over a dozen good suggestions up there. Not all of them obvious.)

In the year+ we've been going, my wife is down 80# and I'm down ~40# (I had done a crash diet the two weeks before so I'm down ~55# in the past year+.)

My big motivation has been the arrival of my two kids. I know that three hundred pound men don't live as long to enjoy their families and man, I want to see my boys grow up! (I know it sounds preachy but that is what gets me to the meetings.)

Though I agree with Weight Watchers and have nothing negative to say about them, I used them for a while several years ago and though I lost some weight, it came back.

The problem with any type of sensible diet (like WW) is that it has to become a lifestyle. I could not maintain a life style of points as that became my only focus. I should have observed and learned what foods and quantities I was consuming and stuck with that.

So, I doing just that now – I’ll ballpark the calories and try to stay with in a limit, eating good foods. My weakness is the evening binge – it’ll come on like a need for a fix and then Katy bar the door. It’s getting through evenings that requires the most self-control.


It dosent matter what you do to lose weight its a lifestyle change. If you work out to lose weight and continute to eat too much or the wrong foods you will need to continue working out. If you lose weight by eating better and not working out you will have to continue eating better or the weight will come back.

Losing weight means changing your current lifestyle....... regardless of how you approach it. I fail to see why folks call this a "problem"

I did the weight watchers thing when I was 18 (5 years ago) and it helped me a lot. If you are going to do it with your wife I'm going to give you a bit of advice. Try to keep your weight loss to yourself. As a man you will lose weight faster than she will because of genetic differences, and how the WW program is set up. hopefully she will not be discouraged by this. I think it's wonderful that you are considering this for yourself, and to help support your wife's efforts.
I lost 30 lbs and kept it off for a while after I stopped the program. I then entered a "difficult" time in my life and due to some "health" problems and medications I ended up gaining over 50 lbs. I'm currently back to my weight after weight watchers (202lbs) but it's been a very difficult road.
I do have some tips to help your success.
1. Drink the water. seriously. it helps with the breakdown of fat, and it puts something in your stomach. also, it helps flush out all the "stuff" you are breaking down
2. Remember the no points or "free" foods. Home made cabbage soup is a wonderful thing. put some red peppers and garlic in there and it's a wonderful thing.
3. Fiber!!! you can actually "modify" point values by adding fiber. yes, I'm aware that this is "cheating", but it works. Add a quality (tasteless, non gumming) fiber powder to sauces and other things. (you can even add it to ice cream)
4. You can still eat bread!!! just be carefull. I like Aunt Millie's Light potato bread. 35 calories a slice compared to other "white" bread which is usually 70, 2.5 grams fiber compared to 0. and it has less fat. all important things.

but most of all a positive attitude will get you through. And you not only have weekly support, but daily support from your wife.

I wish you the best of luck.

I've been on WW for 14 weeks and have lost 35 lbs. My wife has been on WW for 30 weeks and has lost 36. Both of us exercise 4-5 times a week alternating weight workouts with aerobics. I currently eat around 38-40 points a day and never feel hungry. I eat more because of my working out. If I don't eat, I get tired, cranky and I know I need to feed my body. I'm currently 242 and 18% body fat.... and feeling great. Cannot say enough about the program... yet, you have to want to lose weight for any program to work. You just have to find out what you can work with as a lifestyle... not a diet.

Peace.
Eric

What I did was I found a book online called "Fire Up Your Metabolism" and read it. When I realized the affects of the foods I was eating and how even small changes can make a huge difference, I have not had any problems. While I technically have not lost any weight in the 2 months since I read this book, I now fit into an XL shirt and have dropped a pant size. I had been a size 44 waist and worn a XXL shirt for 6+ years previously. For me, the difference was that it explained exactly why x food is good for you and y food is bad for you, in terms of the affect on your metabolism. It didn't provide me a diet plan to follow, just an understanding of the affect of food on the human body. And IMO, that is 1000% better as I don't deny myself anything any more because I am not having to follow a set diet. Understanding what affect a hamburger has on my blood sugar and metabolism has done wonders for allowing me to lose body fat.