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Does Anyone do weight watchers? Or trying to lose weight?

Just wondering if anyone is on weight watchers or trying to lose weight. I've gain about 20lbs from last sept and would like to lose it.
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Hi,
I have done weight watchers in the past and found it worked and is good as you can be really flexible with what you can eat aslong as you stick within your points you are given. I am tryin to loose weight at the moment and haven't had any joy up until now but I have now started a low carb and high protein diet only second day in but it's going ok so far. Good luck x
 
I tried low carb diets. I need the carbs because I don't get fiber from veggies. Glad im not the only one that is trying to lose.

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My mom did Weight Watchers last year. She and her friends had good luck with it, loosing a good amount of weight, and looking great. For the winter she stopped the program though and gained everything back. I suspect she will try the program again this summer.

Another idea, it isn't low carb, but less carbs I suppose. I've read of people loosing a good amount of weight simply by avoiding wheat. One example on that from Dr. Davis's sight:

"Calories in . . . 8-fold calories out?"

http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2011/10/calories-in-8-fold-calories-out/

snippet:

The effect of wheat elimination on weight loss is intriguing.

I fully recognize that it defies credibility, but the typical effect of abrupt and total wheat elimination is weight loss of one pound per day. This translates to the equivalent of 3500 calories (the calories contained in one pound of body fat) lost. How can this be? How can elimination of wheat–without limiting other calories, without cutting fat intake, without pushing the plate away or consuming smaller portions–lead to an incredible rate of weight loss equivalent to 3500 calories lost per day? After all, elimination of wheat reduces calorie intake by 400 calories per day. That leaves 3100 calories per day unaccounted for. Where do they go?

I don’t have an answer . . . I can only speculate that, with elimination of wheat, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, and 400 calories per day less consumed leads to the equivalent of 3500 calories lost in weight because:

–Wheat elimination restores leptin sensitivity–Resistance to the hormone of satiety, leptin, leads to stalled weight loss efforts. The lectins in wheat have been shown, at least in an experimental animal model, to block the leptin receptor. Could it be that elimination of wheat restores leptin sensitivty? And does that somehow lead to accelerated metabolism?
–The weight lost is really water weight–Actually, I don’t think this is likely to be entirely true, since there is such an large effect on reducing waist size. If you track waist circumference as you progress through your wheat-free experience, you will note substantial reductions in waist size. This is unlikely to represent water loss.

There is clearly something quite unique and not fully understood going on. I’ve seen it happen many, many times. Read the comments here and on Facebook and you see the rapid weight loss developing at about the pound-a-day rate...
 

KWalker

Moderator
I personally think weight watchers is a scam. I know of a few people and when they told me they were on it I was thinking "seriously? It must not be working" lol. The other reason I think its a scam is because they offer a "member for life". Again, if you have to be on weight watchers your whole life, its not working.



However, and I have first hand experience with this. If you go to www.myfitnesspal.com it has a calorie counter. You type in your weight and then what your goal weight it, and it tracks every day. You type in what you eat and it let's you know how much of you protein, etc you've had for the day and it tells you also the amount of calories you can eat in order to keep losing. I watched somebody lose a little over 40lbs in a respectable amount of time just by eating healthier and using that website. You don't need to pay to have somebody tell you to only buy their brand.

Good luck!
 
Wow, that was very rude! There are people that have problems with there weight all there life. I am one of them. I was born with out a thyroid and its hard to get my levels correct, so must of the time I am a little over weight. So losing weight will be a life long struggle for me! Much be nice to be able to lose weight just like that, when some of us have to work our asses off just to lose 5lbs! Next time think before u speak!

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That was incredibly rude and hateful. People need support, not judgement.

I don't know what "weight watchers for life" is but it is clearly, to me (a positive person) a way to make people realize that their diets are a lifestyle change. Not just a quick fix.

I don't have experience with weight watchers but I took off a lot of weight with a low carb/low calorie diet and kept a food journal that calculated what I took in vs what I burned off with daily exercise. I've maintained my loss for over 2 years now :)

I also have some friends that were successful with weight watchers.

Any program you choose is a step in the right direction and kudos to you for wanting to regain your health via diet changes.



I would like to add too (echoing what was said above about grains)... many people are sensitive to these types of processed carbs (breads, pastas, etc) and when eaten too frequently result in weight gain. If you focus on eating healthier carbs (veggies, fruits, beans) you will get the fiber you desire and more dense nutrients.
 
Before crohns I was in fantastic shape, the. Following the onset of Crohns lost an additional 20 pounds, went from being a health 135 at 5'7 to under 110. After the joys of prednisone though I went back up to 135 and gained an additional 20 pounds. Now, my work is in health education, specifically nutrition and fitness, I work out daily and eat the best I can, but since any type of fiber whatsoever, it makes it hard to "eat healthy".

That one post was hurtful and extremely inconsiderate. It's to just about working out or eating "diet a or diet b". Many of us are restricted to certain foods, and constantly a battle of being overweight due to lovely meds or scarily thin due to this ravaging disease.

I am finishing nursing school, have my masters in public health, and have done clinical research in nutrition and exercise. The concept of weight watchers is actually quite safe, and a healthy way to lose weight. Even not eating their food, just using their point system is a a good way to start. They base points off a healthy diet, take into account carbs, protein, and healthy fat. Even if you do. It stay with check ins or whatnot, and just doing the point system of your own, of. Purse with working out, may be a great place to start
 
Ctrl z...thank you for your positive comment. 3 cheers to you for keep the weight off for 2 years! that is a great accomplishment.



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i actualy just starting working out again last week! I lost about 30lbs last year when i wasnt able to eat anything for a few months. Then of course i started to gain it back.....i think i probably over ate to make up for what i couldnt eat before and well...here i am ! So I am down 7lbs and would like to lose another 10 at least.

i use sparkpeople.com , i have been using that site for almsot 7 yrs now. They have a great support system and a weight loss board for people with IBD. Which i like, to hear from others who understand.

I have heard of many having great success with WW. Personally, ijust didnt want to pay the money for it but if it was free, i'd try it!!

Good luck on your weight loss journey!!!!
 

KWalker

Moderator
Oh my, I'm so sorry if my post came off as rude because I was NOT trying to be rude at all. I was just trying to give an alternative because I know weight watchers can be expensive.

I'm sorry :(

I have crohns just like the majority of others on here so I know what it's like to struggle with weight whether it's those of us trying to gain weight, or those trying to lose it.
 
Hi KWalker

I didnt think you meant to be rude as you normally are very supportive & as it read a little differently people may get the wrong end of the stick (british saying meaning misunderstanding, dont know if you use that saying in your part of the world).

Have a great Jubilee weekend everyone.
 

KWalker

Moderator
Thanks Kip1, I thought I was intending give another option other than having to pay a membership for somebody to tell you things you probably already know. A lot of people think losing weight is all about counting calories but there's a lot more to it than that. You have to make sure you stay under your daily protein, sugar, fat, etc levels everyday too. (which is why the myfitnesspal website was very helpful.
 
I think people who do weight watchers find it usefull because of the group support you get with it. I have a friend who has done very well and he motivation of having to be weighed in front of people spurs her on. The thing is not to think about any of these as diets for the short term it is meant to be a life long change for better health and fitness. Although I am finding hard at the moment with the jubilee long weekend been invited for food and drink lots of times but haven't given in yet and not planning to. Have already lost a few pounds with the change of eating healthier, just frustrating as in the past it has been trouble putting weight on now it's gone the other way but must mean my body is absorbing all of the food I eat which can't be a bad thing :)
 
I've only known one person who tried weight watchers, my mother in law, and she got tired of adding and subtracting points all the time. I've done myfitnesspal.com and lost 35 pounds at a rate of about 2 pounds a week. I gained about 10 back on entocort, but am working on losing it again. I've always struggled with being overweight, which is part of why it took 16 years to get a diagnosis. I don't know how many times I was told I couldn't have anything like crohns or colitis because I was overweight! Anyway, sorry for the rant! I love myfitnesspal.com because it's free, and there is a very supportive message board there as well. I've learned a lot about what, and just how much of it, I need to be eating. Combined with a food journal to watch for foods that give me trouble it's been a huge help for me.
 
In my experience, slimming world is MUCH easier as a Chronie... Its way easier to tailor your food to flares etc! With slimming world theres no weights or measures for most things so you never feel hungry or snack because you can eat as much as you are hungry for!! I have many non-crohnie friends who love it too :)
If you search online for spidercise.co.uk he has 30min bodyweight workouts you can do, they require no equipment and you can do as many or as few reps of each exercise as you feel you are capable of each day :) Theres blogs and a downloadable book and stuff online :)
Hope this helps!!
xxx
 
I know this is quite an old thread, but I wanted to go ahead and comment, anyway, in case there are other Crohnies looking for info about weight watchers who stumble across this...

I am a Crohnie, and I am also a lifetime member of Weight Watchers. I successfully lost 25 lbs in 2012, and I maintained the weight loss for 2 years. In 2014, I stopped attending meetings and fell off the wagon, so to speak -- I ended up re-gaining 20 lbs. I rejoined in January 2015, and I am almost back to goal weight.

1. "Lifetime" membership is something you achieve, not something you sign up for or pay for. When you reach your goal weight (which is set individually for each member in consultation with a WW counselor) and maintain it for 6 weeks, you become a Lifetime member. With lifetime status, members continue to have access to all of the WW tools (except for a few premium tools) for free, as long as the member continues to weigh in monthly and stays within 2 lbs. of goal weight. Continued access to tools and meetings free of charge facilitates long-term adoption of healthy behaviors, and is an incentive for members to continue to be mindful. Once a member has achieved Lifetime status, it is not revoked, even if the member gains weight. If the member is above goal weight, he/she would need to pay the regular rate for access to weight loss tools until they are back within 2 lbs of goal weight.

2. To echo what others have said, the idea is not that you have to be on a diet your whole life. Weight watchers is not a "diet," it's a lifestyle, and the ideas is to incorporate healthy changes long-term. The reason diets don't work is that, once people reach their goal weight, they often go back to the same behaviors as before. Weight watchers encourages the incorporation of sustainable healthy choices, and the tools that remain accessible to lifetime members are meant to facilitate those choices long term.

3. In its current iteration, the points system is just a simplified way to keep track of how much fat, carb, fiber, and protein a person consumes -- with daily target point targets set to achieve weight loss or maintenance. The exact same principles as tracking your food on myfitnesspal, just a different approach.

4. Every person is different -- we all have our own individual issues and learning styles, and we each have our own journey -- some have a lot more to lose than others, and while some are able to lose quickly, it can take a long time for others. Not every weight loss plan is perfect for every person. But it is not at all helpful to make judgments about other people's success based on your perceptions of what their weight should be.

5. Yes, WW does cost money. The basic principles of weight loss that are promoted through WW (keeping a food journal, portion control, balanced diet, physical activity)can be implemented on one's own, or through the use of more economical tools. What most people find helpful about WW is that having structure and accountability and support makes it much easier to implement. In the long run, there is a financial cost to being overweight -- it is for each person on his or her own to determine whether paying for services like WW or others is right for them and worth the investment.

6. WW does not have members weigh in front of others!!!! Everyone's weight is private. While the amount of weight lost may be shared in a meeting (with a member's permission), the person's ACTUAL weight is never discussed. And the part where you step on the scale is in private behind a screen. But yes -- many, including myself, find the group support environment to be very beneficial. But this is not for everyone! For people that are not comfortable in that setting, another program is probably a better fit.
 
I really like weight watchers, but I'm not active in it right now. (Right now I'm just using MyFitnessPal) But I am using the lessons I learned from Weight Watchers in my calorie counting, just in terms of making choices. This most recent flare has got me buckling down on my health and being kind to myself as well.

My major concern about weight watchers is that if you actually look at how points translate to calories, they might not be giving you enough. I think in theory your free veggies and fruits are going to push you over the minimum caloric threshold, but I always worry about that. The last thing I want is to go into starvation mode.
 
Thank you for popping this up. I joined MyFitnessPal, and it looks like just what I need. I have gained too much weight since I went into remission, and I've been having a hard time sticking to a diet. I think being skin and bones scared me, and once I could eat, I gained weight, but too much so.
 
I really like MFP. For one, it syncs with my fitbit so as I move more in a day, I can eat a bit more. A similar site (sparkpeople) helped me do my initial big weight loss from 200+ to 150. I've gained quite a bit since then, but I'm trying to buckle down and get myself down to 25% body fat. That's my goal.
 
Just wondering if anyone is on weight watchers or trying to lose weight. I've gain about 20lbs from last sept and would like to lose it.
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I think Weight Watchers is a great program, but it is not a diet -- it must be a way of life -- the problem for people with Crohn's we often have to cut back on the raw veggies and opt for canned fruit, but it will work as long as we work with the crohn's. It is easy to get discouraged -- have had a very rough week -- too much raw foods -- so having a gout and crohn's flare. My one kidney is not liking it either. So back to primarily cooked foods, but WW will work with an eye to our particular problems.
 
This post from a while ago. Since then I have tried many different things. I started a low carb/keto diet and I feel great. I have been reading about how bad carbs are not that good for us. Carbs make me crazy. I hope everyone finds something that works for them.
 
Once i got out of the hospital a few weeks back i have been trying to eat good and get moving more.
My mom bet me i could not do 20,000 steps for 3 days in a row. It's just 3 45 minute trips to the mall a day. I work nights and do around 11,000 to 13,000 from midnight to 6:30 am. I have been trying to sit around less and to start doing more rounds so my steps should go up.
I go to the gym a few times a week also and do low weight high reps.

The first 2 weeks i gained all most 10 pounds, but everything i put on would fall off and everyone at work said i was dropping pounds. In the last few days i have started dropping about a pound a day.
My energy level is up, I'm back to only sleeping a few hours a day, and my mood is much better. The down side is i'm still on heavy duty antibiotics and they took me off my Humara till i have a CT scan that dose not show an abscess. I'll get or set up my next CT scan next week. I'm not in a flare yet, but my joints are starting to hurt.


Gahhh, Ill take all of your weight off your hands. I'm trying to put on 20lbs or so
Last week when i saw my sergeant he pulled out the BMI chart and told me i just need to drop 100 pounds so i'm no longer morbidly obese and i could stay in the obese section. He would not comment about taking off the excess skin once i lost the weight.
 
I've lost some weight of late. I'm quite pleased about it. We have a family reunion next month so I want to look good for the pictures.

What I'm doing is to try a couple ideas. I'm not sure if one or a combination of them has helped.

The 3 ideas tried, I stopped eating beef and dairy products a little over 2 months ago. Some have written that avoiding beef and dairy can result in weight loss for some.

I stopped eating snack's after lunch. This isn't a big difference for me in food intake though. I didn't snack all that much after lunch.

I began exercising outside, around 30 minutes or more. I'll walk, swim, of bike, depending on how I feel. I'm in Florida so it is possible for me to do as the weather is typically nice. I'll also not wear sunglasses. Instead I'll wear a hat sometimes.

Not wearing sunglasses is a light therapy idea. The idea being that bright light through the eyes signals to our brain to produce different hormones. Some of the hormones are believed to be helpful with weight loss.

The condition called SAD, typically seen in winter time, but also seen in people that work indoors all day, is often accompanied with weight gain. A lack of sunlight in winter time is thought to contribute to SAD and with that the winter weight gain. It's a little difficult to explain so thought these nice articles.

Difficulty getting up in the morning in the winter? It might be SAD

http://www.drbriffa.com/2011/10/11/...in-the-morning-in-the-winter-it-might-be-sad/

&

Shedding winter weight: Is biology or human habit to blame for seasonal gain?"

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weath...gy-vs-bad-habits-overeating-holidays/56100932

Anyway, bit of a ramble. I'm down around 12 to 13lbs so far this month!
 
I also have an underactive thyroid and have used weight watchers in the past. They do offer life time memberships.....if you meet and maintain your goal weight. Which just means you can keep going to meetings free of charge. For support and encouragement. I do actually not to bad considering my thyroid but since I have been forced to weed out my normal fruits and vegis I have gained close to 30 pounds since last July. Its very frustrating and don't even feel I could be successful at Weight Watchers considering my food choices are so limited at the moment as to not cause pain. I do think its a wonderful program otherwise and all the best to anyone who has weight issues. I can sympathize. :(
 
I responded to this post almost two years ago 0_0
Shortly after that, I got a Fitbit. I tracked my calories, steps and sleep through it. Especially my sleep, I want to get at least 8 hours a night. It worked really great for me, I'd like to lose 10 lbs more, but seem to be stuck now.
 
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