Sammy: I have never been to a WW meeting. But coming from a family, where most are morbid obese I have heard about some of their experiences. I also understand that WW have more programs and ways to loose weight than they did earlier. Over the years it has been a constant struggle for me to keep my weight down. (6 month of mindless eating and I have gained 50 pounds!!!). Over the years I have studied treatment of obesity, both because of my personal interest in keeping my weight down, but also because of my former profession (I was a medical doctor ... had to stop because of brain damage that caused complex partial seizures). It is not loosing the weight that is hard!!! Any change in ones diet and exercise habits that causes one to be in energy deficit will make a person loose weight. Many sort of diets will make people loose weight. Some are more healthy than others. But all research shows that more than 98 percent who looses weight on any kind of diet will gain it all back + more. So yes people can loose weight ... but keeping the weight off is the problem. If Weight Watchers can help you to loose the weight and make the lifestyle changes needed to be constant vigilant about eating and exercise habits I certainly support people going there. Many do however only go to WW meetings to loose weight. Maintaining the weight loss is really important and for most it is a life long challenge. Many mention the social support going to meetings provide. It does help during the weight loss phase, but remember that most will need to keep up the lifestyle changes the rest of their lives. Getting more knowledge about nutrition, physiology and exercise will help. But even those who know it a lot about these subjects will become overweight anyway. Knowledge do not necessarily lead to action ..... People over eat for many reasons. Psychological, sociological and cultural factors also play their part. It is highly individual what will help different people to loose weight and keep the weight of. A good place to look for online support is this forum: http://weight-loss.fitness.com/ I also recommend learning to use this site: http://www.thedailyplate.com The sad truth about many of our efforts to loose weight is that the body actually try to counteract these efforts. Many who want to loose weight eat way too little and loose too much lean body mass and actually ends up slowing their metabolism down. Many loose weight but they actually only become smaller softer versions of what they look like now. I am not saying that people necessarily should strive to reach their ideal weight. I hate that term ... ones ideal weight is highly individual. Some can carry more weight than others and the "Ideal weight" as 25 yo is different than 50 yo. The most common mistakes in loosing weight are: - People eat to little ( the body will counteract that by slowing the metabolism down) but the worst part is that people do get enough nutrients (macro and micro nutrients). It is important to get enough protein. - People are not exercising enough and in the right way ( Aerobic exercise and weight exercise). I think I better end my rant here. There are many ways to loose weight that is for sure. Keeping the weight off and actually live healthy and build a better body is the real challenge. I sure wish all of you well in your pursuit of your goals to loose weight and get in better shape. And gardening is great exercise!!

Mommyandme -- Oh, to be young again is right. I turn 62 on Monday, and as I age it definitely gets harder. I used to be able to "think about" losing 5 lbs, and it was gone -- like your daughter. My daughter is a fitness nut, looks great, and has been a good encouragement for me. I'm working so hard at everything this week -- weighing and measuring everything, getting more complex carbs, drinking all my liquids, diligent about my exercise, etc.....so I hope I get better results when I weigh in on Tuesday morning. A friend has invited me to lunch for my birthday on Tuesday, so I'm going to use my WW 35 extra weekly points that day. I have never used the extra points before, so I'm hoping this doesn't blow everything I've lost. I love Thai food, and Pad Thai is my favorite. I'm really looking forward to that. So far, I haven't cheated hardly at all on WW. I'll just have to walk a little longer. Thanks for your encouragement. Good luck to you too.

I found that counting points was one of the easiest things I've done. I lost most of the weight that I wanted to lose, but then we had Spring Break and I got off schedule. I haven't been able to make myself get back on the program since then. I've gained a few pounds back and they all seem to be in my stomach, and I hate that!!! I feel sluggish and I know it's because I'm eating the wrong foods. I keep coming here in hopes that I'll get back on the wagon again. So I'm looking for the motivation too! I had got down to 132 lbs. and wanted to be in the 120's. Now I'm 137½, at least I was last week. I still weigh every Wednesday morning. I'll weigh tomorrow and hope that I haven't gained any more. I forgot to mention that there is a chart that tells you how many points you should have a day. I think it's posted somewhere here at the forum. I know that if you are 150 or less that you are supposed to eat 20 points per day, plus you get 35 flex points a week to use (or not to use) whenever you need them. I'll see if I can find the weight chart for you and post the numbers here.

I just started back on WW this morning. Like Blueheron, I don't go to meetings, but I do have the book and points calculator. I also did a website with an online calculator and links to some sites with points listings. You are all welcome to click here WW Points, etc. Last night I didn't want to cook, so for the 2nd night this week I picked up a chicken strip basket from the local Dairy Queen. While eating it and feeling really stuffed, I remembered that it contains more points than I'm allowed in an entire day! That's what spured me into starting back with WW today. All my clothes are tight and uncomfortable! I would like to lose about 15-20 lbs. It's good to see some WW interest here, so lets keep a WW post going each week.