Hello! I wanted to start up a ongoing support thread for all of us who are actively seeking the extra help from either regular Weight Watchers or most especially Weight Watchers Online.

I do not have the money to fork over for extra fees to attend the WW meetings etc. I also am not sure how many banded folks there are on their message board. I thought this would be a good place to hang out, discuss how well or not well we are staying within our points system, our extra activities and whatnot.

We can share ideas or new recipes, or just anything related to Weight Watchers... and even keep each other accountable.

Help me, I need support!!

I journaled after I posted. I did not get my Protein in for the day, or calories, really. I had a dental appt where I had two fillings, an extraction and an impression made, so my mouth is on strike right now.:ohmy: Hopefully tomorrow I will do better, but I will journal regardless.

Yes, Kristine, our Louisiana summers are a killer. I usually pack a sandwich on whole wheat toast ( peppered turkey or ham). I eat half for Breakfast and the other half for lunch. Some days I only eat the Campbells Soup at hand for lunch, but that won't help you if you don't have access to a microwave. I also eat the Kelloggs, protein added chewy bars for a snack. I like the Peanut Butter chocolate chip. My menu is normally very boring, but it worked for me during the school year. If you pack a sandwich, eat it before the heat kills it. It seems like Tuesday is your only REALLY bad day. If you like the chewy bars keep a box handy. You can always pull one out and eat it if you are ready to gnaw off a hand. I keep a couple of boxes in my desk drawer for the random hungry teacher.

"I lost the material where is shows how to calculate your daily points allotment? Can someone post the calculation? "

If you give me your height/weight and your activity level, I can look it up the WW e-tools.

"I need to find healthy, lunch box friendly foods/snacks. It's a small satellite campus, so there is not a student lounge w/a microwave. Everything will have to survive the Southern heat in my car. Ice packs only last so long when the heat index outside of the car is 106* :crying:"

Boiled eggs in the shell are a good source of Protein and they won't spoil. Also, you could pack hummus and veggies in pita bread. Or cheese and veggie sandwiches on whole wheat without the mayo. Also, I LOVE cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches Especially good on pumpernickel. You could use low fat cream cheese too. If you have a problem with bread, you can use whole wheat crackers. I can't eat bread until my band loosens up in the evening, so for lunch, I put ham and low fat cheese on Ak-Mak whole wheat crackers. I love them.

Also, you could get some milk boxes (the kind that don't need to be refrigerated) and take some Cereal (like raisin bran with lots of fiber) in a zip loc container and have cold cereal for lunch. I do that because sometimes I'm still pretty tight by lunchtime and cereal with milk is easier to get down.

Hope that helps!

to answer a few questions no i dont have ww on-line. money is a bit tight so i think i will do the points also i got the information from my girl friend along with one of those calorie counters. so i will start it in a day or two have to learn it first. and i think the journal is a great ideal. one thing i am doing is drinking more Water. i tried it today when i was hungry i drank and it worked i did it each time until i was really hungry. and i must say it helped out alot.

That is fantastic, and welcome! I was just thinking this morning how wonderfully this system works with our bands. It's like they go together like peas and carrots!

Are you online too? I think this plan is so well thought out and organized - it's like my new best friend! It keeps tabs on everything I'm doing without alot of fuss and guesswork. I've tried The Daily Plate and a few others before, but for some reason it just seemed like too much work, IMO.

Good luck on dropping that 20 Lbs. before your trip!! I know you can do it, just stick to the plan to a T! I bet you'd get more help if you just use your points without using the extras, at least until you hit your target. Get there first and deal with the rest later. :ohmy: Just an idea! Who knows how low you can go?

Anyway, just glad you can join me in this fight. Every single day is a challenge - but if we continue the battle we will win!

Good Girl!! That Target popcorn is a killer.

Why don't we do this? Let's all make a promise to journal every day for a week. No matter what. Even if you don't want to admit you ate a whole box of graham crackers sitting on the floor in the pantry after everyone else was asleep! Ahem. Not that I ever did that.

So, I propose a food journal challenge. Anyone up for that? Starting tomorrow! If the week works out well, we'll challenge ourselves to another week.

hey everyone!!! i think writing down everything we eat is a fantastic idea....i'm going to start today along w/counting points. i'm excited to see if i can complete 1 full week!!! :sneaky:

I have alot to read back on and reply to, but I noticed one question. I don't know how to calculate how many points each person should have per day - but here is a little calculation system I found that you can use to put it toward your food:

Calculate the Point Value Yourself

Step 1

Look at the food item's packaging or lable for nutrional values. Divide the calories by 50.

Step 2

Divide the total fat grams by 12.

Step 3

Add the values from Steps One and Two to get the value of "X."

Step 4

Divide the dietary Fiber grams by 5 to equal "Y."

Step 5

Take "X minus Y" to find the point value of the food item. Round up values higher than .5 and round down for values lower than .5.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2058466_calculate-weight-watchers-points.html

Ok, let me just consolidate this answer since they will all sound the same.

For all who have joined in: Thanks so much! Support is SO important. I knew there was a reason I didn't tread in the WW boards. Thanks for the advice. No one else would know exactly what each of us are going through except us. I actually think it's unfortunate that WW folks would be against any kind of WLS.

The Lap-Band was specifically designed for people who had the right ideas of health in mind. Smaller portions plus exercise = weight loss. I think WW will work absolutely perfectly with this idea. In fact, I'm already noticing my clothes are feeling bigger again!! Yippee and its only been 2 and a half days!!!!

Great idea with the journaling. What I'm doing is doing the "print screen" funtion on the points page and it is listing out everything for me. I cut and paste, and edit a little bit so it's more readable to you.

What I plan to do also is on my Sunday Weigh-In day, I'll do a printscreen of that too so you can see my progress that way too, along with the weekly summary of my points, etc.

THIS WILL BE SO MUCH FUN!!! :sneaky:

I always knew I need to do journaling. I just never knew how to do it on my own and found the other journaling sites quite cumbersome. This one fits me perfectly!!

PS, they have a deal right now for 2 weeks free to join. The startup was 55 for the first three months. I understand though, it's tough even that much. I was pushing it doing that. I just had to though. I'm so SICK of being FAT!!!!!!

I'm so excited guys! I just finally think I get it. Does that make any sense? LOL!

Edited August 6, 200917 yr by LilMissDiva

hey everyone!!! i think writing down everything we eat is a fantastic idea....i'm going to start today along w/counting points. i'm excited to see if i can complete 1 full week!!! :w00t:

Oh absolutely you can! Please check in here, even if you have a bad day. I believe that's when we need support the most. You'll never get any flack from me for that.

We are human after all. :sneaky:

Now git ur booties to writing y'all!!

POINTS® Tracker entries

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Morning

1 item(s) Turkey sausage, egg white and cheese on a muffin made with whole grain 5

1 slice(s) Reduced-Fat Pasteurized American Cheese food 1

1 serving(s) Protein shake 2

1 serving(s) banana Small 1

Subtotal 9

Midday

1 serving(s) LEAN CUISINE: Five Cheese Rigatoni 7

1/8 serving(s) Raley's Lowfat Grated Parmesan Cheese 0.5

Subtotal 7.5

Evening

3 small item(s) barbecued spareribs 6

1/3 cup(s) fried rice, with pork 2.5

1/3 cup(s) macaroni salad 4

1 medium corn on the cob 1

Subtotal 13.5

Anytime

1 small apple(s) 1

1 serving(s) Ben & Jerry's Choc Chip Cookie Dough Light Ice Cream 4

1/4 cup(s) strawberries 0

Subtotal 5

Food POINTS values total used 35

Food POINTS values remaining 0

Activity

30 min Calisthenics (moderate effort) 3

10 min strength training--free weights 1

45 min Walking (>3.0 mph [20 min mile] and <5.0 mph [12 min mile] on level surface) 4

Activity POINTS values earned 8

Check off these important items daily:

liquids

Milk & Milk Products

Fruit & Vegetables

Multivitamin/Mineral

Healthy Oil

Activity

Lean Protein

Whole Grains

Notes

Yesterday was such a success, and I just can't get over the excitement feeling I'm getting! I feel like I've finally gotten back what went missing last fall. I've been struggling so much, and the further out I got the harder it was for me to recover. I have so much to be thankful for, for my new work neighbor. She introduced me to this website, and for my new Shape-Ups shoes. I believe God brings every one person into our lives for a reason. It wasn't hard to figure out why He brought her into mine. :sneaky: ............ Tonight I am having a good dinner so I'm going a little over budget. Thank goodness for the Over Budget Weekly points!! You know if my "diet" lunch wasn't so high in points I would have been okay! I'm going to have to start really looking at the nutrition facts now. Lower in Cals and Fat and reasonable Fiber = good points. Stray from that even a little bit and you can step on your own toes. I still need to eat some fruits too, and can't forget the good dessert. Oh well, that's what the weekly points are for.

© 2009 Weight Watchers International, Inc. © 2009 WeightWatchers.com, Inc. All rights reserved.

WEIGHT WATCHERS and POINTS are the registered trademarks of Weight Watchers International, Inc. and are used under license by WeightWatchers.com, Inc.

Edited August 6, 200917 yr by LilMissDiva

ok, so i figured out i get 29 pts a day. my weigh day will be on fridays. so this is it!! woot woot!! :nanahump: missdiva ...question??? what are shape up shoes?? hope everyone has a great weekend...ttyl!! :wink2:

"I lost the material where is shows how to calculate your daily points allotment? Can someone post the calculation? "

I found this w/a little hunting, I needed it, too.

1. Are you

female?- score 2

Male?- score 8

A nursing mom?- score 12

2. How old are you?

17-26- score 4

27-37- score 3

38-47- score 2

48-58- score 1

over 58- score 0

3.What do you weigh?

Enter the first two digits of your weight in pounds.

(for example, if you weight 199, you will add 19 to your score)

4. How tall are you?

Under 5’1- score 0

5’1-5’10- score 1

Over 5’10- score 2

5. How do you spend most of your day?

Sitting down? score 0

Occasionally sitting? score 2

Walking most of the time? score 4

Doing physically hard work most of the time? score 6

Now add them all together and that’s your daily total. It might be higher for some. My WW coordinator said if this is the case, take the difference between your new and old and divide it in half and then add that much to your previous total.

Don't forget the 35 weekly flex points

Crzytchr & Lillyanne_M, thanks for the lunchbox ideas!

At walmart, I've found that they have these Protein bars called Pure Protein? Have you tried those? I like them and I'm finicky about Protein Bars. They come in flavors from blueberry crumble to double chocolate. I think it's like 19 grams of whey protein/bar. Also, average fat grams/bar is 4.5 w/ average calories at around 200-ish. Some protein bars can be loaded w/fat and calories.

I will start keeping track of my points tomorrow, as I've already eaten Breakfast, today.

Good luck to all!

ok, so i figured out i get 29 pts a day. my weigh day will be on fridays. so this is it!! woot woot!! :nanahump: missdiva ...question??? what are shape up shoes?? hope everyone has a great weekend...ttyl!! :wink2:

Great Scorpio, best of luck! I know you can do it! :biggrin: Lrt us know how you're doing!

Shape-Ups are made by Skechers. I'm wearing them right now! They have a rocking horse tread on the bottom so you have to use more effort to simply walk. They are awesome and I can already tell they are working their magic. I bought mine at Macy's for 87 dollars. Someone here even found them around 68. They can go up over 100 bucks too, so it's best to do some shopping around before buying them.

I found this w/a little hunting, I needed it, too.

1. Are you

female?- score 2

Male?- score 8

A nursing mom?- score 12

2. How old are you?

17-26- score 4

27-37- score 3

38-47- score 2

48-58- score 1

over 58- score 0

3.What do you weigh?

Enter the first two digits of your weight in pounds.

(for example, if you weight 199, you will add 19 to your score)

4. How tall are you?

Under 5’1- score 0

5’1-5’10- score 1

Over 5’10- score 2

5. How do you spend most of your day?

Sitting down? score 0

Occasionally sitting? score 2

Walking most of the time? score 4

Doing physically hard work most of the time? score 6

Now add them all together and that’s your daily total. It might be higher for some. My WW coordinator said if this is the case, take the difference between your new and old and divide it in half and then add that much to your previous total.

Don't forget the 35 weekly flex points

Great info, thanks!! I'm sure lots will find that useful!

Crzytchr & Lillyanne_M, thanks for the lunchbox ideas!

At walmart, I've found that they have these Protein bars called Pure Protein? Have you tried those? I like them and I'm finicky about protein bars. They come in flavors from blueberry crumble to double chocolate. I think it's like 19 grams of whey protein/bar. Also, average fat grams/bar is 4.5 w/ average calories at around 200-ish. Some protein bars can be loaded w/fat and calories.

I will start keeping track of my points tomorrow, as I've already eaten breakfast, today.

Good luck to all!

I think the thing with Weight Watchers is that it's based on trying not to substitute real food. You're right, those bars are very high in calories, and plainly lack substance. I'd much rather get my calories etc. through normal eating.

It's easy to get burnt out and can crash easily. It happened to me in a major way - and I'm SO THANKFUL I've found a real and healthy program to follow! :Banane56:

POINTS® Tracker entries

Thursday, August 06, 2009

Morning

1 cup(s) watermelon 1

1 item(s) Canadian bacon, egg white and cheese on a honey wheat muffin 5

2 slice(s) Cooked ham, Water added, 96% fat free 1.5

1/2 serving(s) Protein shake 1

Subtotal 8.5

Midday

1 package(s) Lemon Herb chicken Piccata 4

1 piece(s) Mint Patties 1

1 serving(s) Banana Small 1

Subtotal 6

Evening

1 serving(s) Roman Meal Wheat Bread Slice 1

1 tsp whipped salted butter .5

Italian Chicken salad 6

Subtotal 7.5

Anytime

WW Mocha Fudge Sundae 7.5

Subtotal 7.5

food POINTS values total used 29.5

Food POINTS values remaining 1.5

Activity

45 min Walking (>3.0 mph [20 min mile] and <5.0 mph [12 min mile] on level surface) 4

35 min stationary bike, fast 7

10 min stationary bike, moderate 1

Activity POINTS values earned 12

Check off these important items daily:

Liquids

Milk & Milk Products

Fruit & Vegetables

Multivitamin/Mineral

Healthy Oil

Activity

Lean Protein

Whole Grains

Notes

I was well under my daily points for the day. Score again! However I still had two points left to use and realized I'd not been getting enough dairy (milk). I poured myself 8oz and it was so delicious. ... and did I mention the mocha fudge sundae with 5 yes FIVE pieces of Hershey's Kisses Caramel??? OMG, WW where have you been all my life? Lap-Band + Weight Watchers = Holy Grail of Weight Loss AND maintenance.

© 2009 Weight Watchers International, Inc. © 2009 WeightWatchers.com, Inc. All rights reserved.

WEIGHT WATCHERS and POINTS are the registered trademarks of Weight Watchers International, Inc. and are used under license by WeightWatchers.com, Inc.

Edited August 7, 200917 yr by LilMissDiva

I just wanted to point out that I have changed my weigh in day from Sunday to Saturday. I am using Friday as my off day because I also don't do any workouts on Fridays. That way beginning Saturday my earned workout points will begin again.

I also am going to use the weight I am for Friday morning. However, I will only get to use up my points I gained for my workouts, so if I didn't get that in then I don't get any special treats for the week. I also must have posted at least a 1-2 lb. loss for the week (Friday to Friday). This way I'll keep myself accountable for my off day.

I'll at least give this a try to see how it works out. If I find this is not working for me I'll have to do some adjustments.

I would also like to mention that from this last Friday to this morning I have lost 4 Lbs. :wink2: That is so awesome!! But, the best thing I think is that its TOM right now too, so I'm going to post some really good numbers again next week!! WOOHOO!!

How is everyone else doing?

Edited August 7, 200917 yr by LilMissDiva

OMG that is so awesome! ok you've convinced me...i'm heading the WW way as well...going to kick my weight's ass!