Discussion Board

Has anyone out there ever used Weight Watchers in conjunction with the Maximum Weight Loss plan (or even the regular McDougall Diet)? I am thinking about using their point system to help me determine how much food I can eat per day and still lose weight along with how much exercise I need to achieve this.

I've kept track of what I eat and have even counted the calories to no avail and hoping this will help me along a bit.

Thanks.

Andrea

Go to Youtube and type in "Calorie Density with Jeff Novick." It will help you further understand why you really don't need to count calories even though calories count. (link down below)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gTLpTq1nQk

Something else to help.

These are averages

Fresh Veggies are around 100 cal/lb
Fresh Fruits around 250-300 cal/lb
Starchy Veggies/Intact Whole Grains around 450-500 cal/lb
Legumes around 550-600 cal/lb
Processed Grains (even if their Whole grain) around 1200-1500 cal/lb
Nuts/Seeds around 2800 cal/lb
Oils around 4000 cal/lb

What they found is if the calorie density of the food is below 400 calories per pound, no matter how much they ate, they all lost weight.

Between 600-800 calories per pound, with some moderate exercise, they all lost weight.

Between 800-1200 calories per pound, people gained weight, except for those with very high activity levels

Over 1200 calories per pound, everyone gained weight.

Andrea, there's a Weight Watchers thread over in the Lounge that you might find useful, started over a year ago but with some recent contributions including one from earlier this morning.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=19518

I just want to say as someone who use to do every diet in the book... and one even worked and I kept the weight off, but was at a standstill with 30 more lbs to lose... I want you to know that this program WORKS and it is wonderful !!! I have never felt better in my life... I sleep better (which helps with my great weightloss results so far), I have little to no pain from my fibro and arthritis, I have energy like I did 25 years ago.. (am 54)... it is an amazing program...
that being said... I was soooo afraid to try it. I have been programed as many other dieters to believe that all the foods on this program would make me gain weight... NOT TRUE... been on program 17 days now and have lost 11.5 lbs... so I have 20 more to go. I am THRILLED with MWL...
unlearn all weight watchers has taught you except for one thing... they taught me that over hungry people over eat... on this program you will NEVER be hungry !!!!
best wishes.

I counted calories my first week on MWL. I didn't try to stick to anything, just tracked what I ate. What I discovered was that, as long as I stuck to the MWL principles, it was impossible to go too overboard on calories. I stopped tracking after a week and just trusted that it would work. So far it has.

Andrea, if you will vigilantly follow the MWL program, you can eat all of the food you want and lose all of the weight you want without counting anything! The key is to eat the right foods--especially lots of veggies and starches. I think that most find that they can manage their weight quite well by eating a ratio of veggies to starches of about 1/2. If you are unhappy with your rate of weight reduction, you you increase the ratio of veggies to starches.

Keep us posted your your journey!

It is just not necessary to count "points" if you are following MWL...you will lose the weight eating plenty of good whole food...I really don't think it's wise to combine the two plans..WW want's you to learn "portion control"..their philosophy is everything in moderation.

Best to follow one plan or the other....MWL is truely the way to go for optimum health and unlimited delicious food for life.

Thanks for all the replies to my original post. I decided to join WW last month and do MWL at the same time, but so far, I've found myself gravitating to unhealthier, refined vegan food. And since WW assigns a lot of points to starches, even the healthy, whole grain varieties, I'm eating less of those than I was before.

I think I was frustrated that I wasn't losing weight following MWL, but I wasn't following it to the letter, either.

Since I'm signed up for 3 months of WW, I'm going to try and make the most of it and use it to record what I eat.

Thanks again.

Andrea

Lost weight upto what point? If your starting weight is high, it is easy to lose weight.

I am a fan of WW (hope that doesn't get me lynched on this board! LOL). I find that WW and plant based eating are completely compatible. To be successful on WW, you basically eat plant strong. When I transitioned into this WOE, I pretty much just deleted the meat from what I was eating anyway and voila! there I was with McDougall compliant meals. I occasionally count points and find that I am right on target with what WW says -- but, you can also do the Simply Filling technique which is pretty much the same as this WOE, if you choose the right things. I find the in person support at WW to be helpful, plus the accountability of having someone else weigh me in on a weekly basis. I ignore the parts of the WW plan that recommend a little oil and dairy (but, I did that before, too as I am not a dairy fan and cheese was just too many points!) Plus, so much of what they teach at WW is helpful to this WOE because WW is not a diet, but teaches how to make a lifestyle change which is what we are all about here, too. WW has changed so much over the years and I really think that they are on the right path. So, give it a try and see what you think. If you get stuck with something, feel free to give me a shout.

Sharon

P.S. I lost 50 pounds on WW before I came here. I came here because my cholesterol was getting high even on what I thought was pretty healthy eating ...

Andrea,
I hope you'll keep us posted about your progress. With so many different people doing this plan, you may be able to help others with your experience trying to combine the two plans. Sometimes the accountability of a group setting can be the thing that makes everything click for someone...I wish you all the best and am anxious to see your progress! Good luck!

I agree that the more you have to lose, the easier it is to lose on this plan. I do watch my portions of things like potatoes, rice, quoina, etc, the grains. I have not lost much since the first five weeks... 16 lbs...have 20 more to go... to make me happy, but really will still be about 20 lbs overweight at that point... but at least I am not gaining... I am trying to work this program...
sigh, its a hard thing to do.... nothing worth having is easy.