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!!

Realisticly yes only 3 small meals. However you dont come out of surgery with restriction. So you have "room" to eat! I have been banded 2 months now. I am not yet at restriction and you still have to make the "healthy decisions" Im not going to lie. Its hard making healty decisions when you are prepared to start losing right away. Ive only lost a total of 14lbs since i been banded. In the inbetween weeks I gained 6lbs back! After I gained I got a fill finally and when i realized the fill just wasnt restriction I joined ww. I have now lost that 6 lbs again and been at ww for 3 weeks this saturday. I think ww teaches you to eat healty you have to remember with the band tehre are slider foods that go thru easily. so ww traines your mind to keep away from those foods. As far as small meals. If you have 29 points you can enjoy a good meal at a small portion. I never eat the whole meal cause i do have little restriction but I always count all the points for that food cause that way i dont cheat myself. The difference is I dont eat a lot of 1 or 2pt foods. *ido eat my veggies and fruits* just dont waste time on the small points I eat the more filling foods its higher in points but that way i can actually hit my point goal.

I have no problem eating my 29 pts with 6cc in my band, and some weeks I eat more flex points than others especially if they are slider foods. Some days I am not as hungry so I may have 1 or 2 of my daily pts left, but WW is certainly what I needed to get the ball rolling again and the pounds dropping. I love my BAND!!!!!!!!!!!

How do you figure how many points to use? I had a book once but it got thrown away. Doesn't it started with the first 2 digits of current weight and add points based on activity level. Is that right?

Weight Watchers actually changed their program at the end of 2010 so you can figure your points up like that anymore. its all done metabolically and stuff now. Everytime I weigh in my points change even if I only lost 1.2 so? They have a special right now tho. You can join for only 9.95 a week! and its free to join. If you do join and you have computer access or hand held access dont buy any of the books! everything is available on there website once you join. You can search restraunts and foods and all kid of things on their website instead of buying the books.

I may join WW.

When I was first banded back in Aug. 2010 I asked the dietitian at the surgeons practice if I should join WW ...she said NO.

She is not too helpful though . I have learned more about how and what to eat from the books I've read and here and Youtube than I heard from her.

I have been struggling to lose at a good steady pace since then. I do have pretty good restriction so I don't eat much and I'm not a sweet eater but I feel I need more structure to get to goal. I tend to agree that the band plus WW will bring a good result.

I'm thinking that I need the weigh in accountability.

I'm thinking about it.

It was actually going in every week to weigh that keeps me motivated! Its shows me my success and then I get applauded for it! Makes you feel even more proud!

Just wanted to say hi to the fellow Weight Watchers out there! I lost 65 pounds with the band and then got stuck on a plateau for several months. I decided I needed to shake something up and joined WW nearly two weeks ago. So far, I'm really liking the changes to the program!

I met with my nutritionist today and talked with her about the WW plan and how it fits in with my needs as a bandster, and she thinks I'll be a-ok. Her main recommendation was that I still eat Protein first at mealtimes, and if that means I have trouble getting in all 5 of my fruits/veggies for a day, that's OK. Getting in my protein is more important.

Rejoined recently (was a member before being banded two years ago) and was pretty successful with WW. .

Do you use all your points, or try to keep to the low calorie count the lap band diet requires? I've been stalled for the longest time, after putting about 30 lbs back on. I decided to try using all my points which gave me around 500 calories MORE than what I have been eating, and immediately dropped 5 lbs in less than a week. The lap band diet outs me at around 1200-1700 calories. WW puts me at around 2200 calories.

Weird.

I just recently went back too for the accountability. I've lost some weight since going back, I'm not eating all my points but I'm eating much more than I was just focusing on the "band diet". It is quite strange, I just think I'm paying more attention to the quality of the foods I'm eating. I was never a calorie counter whenever I've dieted pre and post band but have always been able to take off weight when I payed more attention to my choices. I love WW, always have, but after months of losing, all 6 times I joined prior to surgery, I'd always fall off the wagon and send my portion control out the window. Now I've had portion control installed lol so I'm hoping this time I'll be more successful. Geez, 7 times at WW, that's so bad! lol

Wow it's nice to see this thread is still surviving!!! Wishing you all success on your journey's.

Okay so I'm a little confused...do you guys adjust your points just because you have the lap band? I've done weight watchers before and a lot of time I had a problem getting all my points in. I can't imagine being able to do it now after being banded. I would love to do a plan like WW again. If someone could let me know if the points differ after being banded I would appreciate it. Thanks

Here's what I do:

I go with my regular point allowance- in my case, 33 a day- and plan my days' meals accordingly. (say, 10 for breakfast, 11 for lunch, 12 for dinner) I will fill my plate with the food I have measured out, but I will start eating with the protein. Once the protein is done, I will eat back and forth on the other stuff until I am full. No matter how much I eat, I will track the whole point value of the plate.

I realize I'm not eating my whole 33 points a day, but I don't think that's the point. The food WW encourages is healthy food we should be eating anyway. And if the food seems to be going down a little too easily, the measuring I did will help me put the brakes on things.

So far, so good

Hi I am Smith Clinton. The diet chart looks good but take care of the protein intake which is required by your body. I would like to suggest you a very good site for your problems. http://www.griffinhospitalbariatrics.com/

Hi all! I am so glad there is a WW forum on here!! I have been a Weight Watcher member for years. Like some other posters, I can say I have lost well over 100 to 150 pounds on WW, if you add all the times I have lost 50 then gained most of it back. I, at this time, am still down about 20 lbs from my highest with WW. I love this plan. Love how it's in my head already and know that it will be a great tool with the band. I am not banded yet, but looking to get it within 2 or 3 months. (seems sooooo far away ) I am waiting on September so I will see what new insurance options I have at my work place. Until then, I have been back on track with WW for over a week. I KNOW this will work hand in hand with the band just because it teaches healthy eating and the points= how much I need to eat for my weight, height, sex, etc.... for weight loss, otherwise I could eat too few calories and my body will not let go of the fat, thinking it's in a famine. I know there will be some tweaks to be made, but like another poster said, I will try to stay as close to my point count as possible by choosing higher points foods, that are healthy (such as a protein bar if I want). I wish all of you great success and I look forward to being on the other side of the band.....eventually.

Hi! If I can figure this out..I would love to join the WW group. I was banded 7-14-2010, and recently joined WW at work. In the past

I have done many of the WW programs. I signed up again..hoping if I had some support...it would help. I finally feel some restriction

with the band. I wonder sometimes why that took so long. But, everything happens for a reason. I learned of lap band talk from one

of the girls at the support group. I am had one meeting at work so far. Being this Monday was a Holiday...the next till be on 7-11, by birthday.

Wondering ...how you find follwoing WW, with any restrictions of the band? With the band, told to stick to 3 meals a day..with maybe a snack.

Fruits not being with a band..but no pnts value for most. With certain band restrictions, I knew going into WW, I probably couldnt do all WW

wants you to do. Any advice?