I've hit a plateau and so haven't been excited to post. I'm holding steady at 32 pounds - up one then down one each week. I can't complain about the program though because I haven't been following it. It's all me. I stopped writing it all down, stopped counting points, etc. Even the exercise has lagged. I can look back at the past 6 weeks and know that I just got too comfortable with where I was! It was so good to be fitting into clothes and even buying a few new things. The success should have motivated me to keep working but instead I just sat back and enjoyed it.\ I had a couple weeks of business travel then a family vacation since I last posted too. That really made it hard and I missed a couple meetings because I was out of town. I guess I should be glad that I didn't gain a bunch of weight during that time! But the good news, for me, is that I got serious last week and feel much more on track. I started back with the homemade and point-conscious soups on Tuesday. This morning I did a 2 mile walk around a local lake, stopped at a farmers market on the way home and stocked up on good veggies, then came home and worked in the garden for a while. (After that I lounged in the pool for 2 hours, finished a book I haven't had much time to read, and am now on my way to a neighbors for late-afternoon mojitos! Didn't want you to think I had turned into a saint or anything!) Finally back with the program, I'm working hard to drop another 13 pounds by the end of June. On the 4th of July I want to be able to say I've lost 45 pounds. I think I can do that if I stay serious. Congrats Happy Girl on reaching goal and staying there! Kate

"Can't do mayo anymore..." What is the issue you have with mayo? Is it the eggs? The oil? Something with the fillers or preservatives that store bought mayo has? You can to go to the health food store and buy "eggless mayo" or 'oil free mayo' to use if that is the ingredient you wish to avoid. It won't taste exactly the same but may work for your needs. If the issue is the additives that store bought mayo has, you can make your own. It is a bit tricky to make (IMHO) and won't last for a long time in the refrigerator, but is healthier. Otherwise you can subtitute mustard for making tuna salad. Even better using mustard with a bit of Greek style yogurt.

I wish just once I could experience that dieter's "high". Seriously. I just recently came off a 3.5 year quest for weight loss and extreme fitness. During this time, I trained for and completed a 5-day bicycle trip averaging 100 miles per day, a half-marathon (I don't like running so not doing a marathon), and a summit attempt on Mt. Rainier. OK, didn't summit, long story, but made it a good way up. All of these activities required a LOT of exercise including both strength (heavy free weights), aerobic fitness, a strong core, etc. A typical week included a minimum of 15 hours of exercising to a maximum of about 30 hours, depending on how long my hikes/bikes were. I also had 70# to lose. Less weight is certainly easier to carry both on a bike and up steep mountains. Especially when you're also hauling gear. I did Weight Watchers and, after 4 months of diligence, including weighing everything and inputting it into MyFitnessPal so I was tracking calories, nutrients and points, and lost a total of 4#. I then tried a series of other plans averaging about 3 months on each plan to give it a fair go prior to switching it up. These plans including the Fuhrman Eat to Live, The Leptin, 5:2, Durkan, just plain eating low-fat vegetarian/sometimes vegan meals, green smoothie fasts, low carb. You name it, I think I tried it. I felt great and could have probably done an Iron Woman competition at the fitness level I had attained. Oh, I would have been in last place but I think I could have completed one. And my attention to my diet's nutritional components also made me feel great. At the end of these 3.5 years of extreme effort and meticulousness, I lost a grand total of 15#. Before you say that I built a lot of muscle which weighs more so I must have lost a lot of inches. Well, I went down a pant size. So, no, not a big inch loss. I took a break and am having a hard time getting back on track. I miss being as fit as I was and I feel myself getting weaker and losing endurance and that bugs me a lot but that much exercise just isn't sustainable for me right now. I have too many other obligations that I was neglecting in order to work out that much. And since I worked that hard and didn't achieve my weight loss goal, I just don't know what I can do to lose the weight I still need to lose. I really don't. And it's difficult to muster the commitment to try again when nothing worked before. And, yes, I have had medical tests run. While my thyroid is on the slow side of normal, it's still in normal ranges. Consequently, everybody seems to think I'm lying about what I'm eating. Heck, I went to weighing food with a digital scale because it's more accurate than measuring spoons/cups. I'm not fudging my intake. And I don't even understand how some people can eat so much. When I eat in restaurants, a fairly rare event, I typically take half of it home for another meal later because I'm stuffed just eating the first half. Even when I was gaining, it was thus. Frustrating. Those of you who have had success, great. But don't presume that what you did works for everybody.

First of all, no matter what program you are on, you are supposed to eat mindfully, and not gorge yourself no matter what you are eating. You want to learn to stop when you are full, (actually, just before that). So that is why making something "zero" points should not mean you gorge on it. I think the WW changes are to acknowledge the latest science and obesity research. I think many many moons ago WW programs and most diets were based on the view that all calories were created pretty much equally. Then they decided that a) that was not good for your health and b) that led people to choose foods that may not have been filling, and so they gave into hunger. When I last was on WW, 15 yrs or so ago, the points system essentially keyed off calories, but the points system rewarded you for eating fiber and dissuaded you from eating fat. That is why points don't equal calories. I would guess that they have found that, if you make tracking the key to success, you will find very few people (even w online apps) who want to track everything they eat every single meal of every single day for the rest of their lives. If you take all of the foods that people tend not to overindulge in and that are reasonably nutritious without being calorically dense, and make them all zero, then essentially you are saying you only need to track treats, or indulgences. That is probably a lot more doable. I believe research shows that almost all diets "work." The issue is which approach one can live w indefinitely. Nearly everyone makes the mistake of playing Scarlett on this one, and figuring, after they lose, then they will worry about what to do for the rest of their lives. But the latter is the most important part. About 15 yrs ago I used WW and did very well. I did it 99% on line. I tried meetings, but some leaders, frankly, are bad at what they do. Or silly or juvenile or not really that knowledgeable. The participants can be even worse. Sorry for the misanthropic bent, but that was my experience. Some people need or like meetings for the accountability of weighing in. If that is useful to you, and or the camaraderie (assuming you are more patient/generous that I am), then WW is a sound choice. I like Myfitnesspal. I like to track from time to time and I don't feel I need a lot of guidance. It is easy to use and i have it on my phone.