weight watchers - not eating enough

I'm looking for advice from any weight watchers memers/followers.
I find myself eating less during the day trying to save up my points for a good supper and evening snack. But, after a healthy supper I discover I haven't used all of my points. I feel like I'm not eating enough, but I don't want to stuff myself after supper just to make sure I meet my points level. And, I'm afraid if I use too many points during the day, I'll get hungry later in the evening, but have no points availble.
How do you "balance" your points to insure your getting enough calories? I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, which tend to have lower point values.
Any advice would be great.

Thu. Feb 9, 9:46am

Just an idea...

I just started WW on Monday evening, so I'm not a pro... :)

I'm not sure what you have been using, but if you are using lower fat milk and stuff, you could switch to whole fat. Same with sour cream, coffee creamer, yogurt, etc. That would give you an additional point or so per serving and boost that daily total up. I have heard that if you don't use all your points, then you won't lose because your body goes into starvation mode.

Good luck!

Bradway

Thursday, February 9, 2006, 11:00 AM

I feel the same way. I have been giving myself small treats, like a handful of M&Ms or a pudding cup, to satisfy my sweet tooth and use up those extra points. Also, are you eating snacks? I've added a morning and afternoon snack to my daily routine and I've found those use up the extra points too. I keep 1/2 cup portions of unsweetened applesauce, wasa crackers, and low sugar granola bars in my desk for snacks. They add 1-2 points each.

Thursday, February 9, 2006, 11:35 AM

Here's my breakdown

Maybe it can help, as I distribute my points (22) evenly throughout the day:

breakfast- 4 pts
Fiber 1 (at 60 cal & 14 g of fiber I count it as a zero point food), 1 medium banana, 1 c skim milk

lunch- 5 pts
Turkey (2oz, 2 pts) on low fat/high fiber wheat or multi-grain bread 4 pts
baby carrots 0 pts
a piece of fruit 1 pt

snack (between 5 & 6 pm) 1 pt
no fat yogurt sweetened w/ splenda 1 pt

dinner- varies in points
salad w/ lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber, red pepper
dressing either 1 tsp olive oil w/ tsp balsamic and 1 tsp soy, or 2 tbsp Newman's Own light balsamic, 1-2 pt
Lean Cusine or healthy Choice entree- 5-8 pts depending

After dinner, extras (something to consume the extra points):
Low cal dessert- usually Skinny Cow ice cream product or FF pudding
will have toast or crutons with dinner, usually not both
another glass of milk
a veggie with points (peas, etc.)
another piece of fruit

Hope this is helpful.

Thursday, February 9, 2006, 2:25 PM

Try this: PLAN your dinner ahead of time. Then you will know how many points you need for it. Even if you aren't a meal planner, it's just 1 meal a day. Then it will be easier to budget out the rest of your points for the rest of the day. Also, don't forget to use some of your weekly extra points and activity points. If you only stick to 22-24 points per day, you may be starving your body and you won't lose any weight.

Thursday, February 9, 2006, 4:03 PM

weight watchers, unless you're eating a ton of vegetables, is not enough calories. 20 points, in many circumstances, depending on fat content, can only add up to a 1000 calories.

Thursday, February 9, 2006, 4:18 PM

that's interesting

I think i should start counting calories as well as points to see where I'm at. So far I've been losing but you have to think the momentum will stop eventually.

Good point!

Thursday, February 9, 2006, 4:36 PM

Change your times

Try starting your point count at lunch time each day. That way if after lunch and dinner you have a bunch of points left you can have a nice breakfast the next day. If you don't have many left, then eat a small breakfast (1/2 cup egg beaters is only 1 point), which will tide you over until lunch.

Friday, May 23, 2008, 11:25 AM

I've lost my weight doing weight watchers so I can say that if you eat correctly you will be getting plenty of food and calories! Add lots of fruit and veggies, they help keep you full. And honestly you do need to eat all your points. I agree with a previous poster that suggested you plan you dinner AND any PM snacks you want. That gives you a set amount to have in the daytime so you are sure to get in all your points. I'm a big meal planner so that really helped me. Plus you have your flex points so that if you eat a little more during the day and are still hungry at night you have some flexibility there. Hope that helps and good luck!

Friday, May 23, 2008, 12:34 PM

I have been doing WW for quite a while ... I find that the single best key to controlling my eating at night, is to eat a good breakfast! The weaker the breakfast the more I struggle at night.

I plan all my points out for the day and plan for finishing them at dinner. IF I find myself needing a little something at some point in the evening, I take that from the flex points. Flex points can be tricky and some people try not to use them at all - I disagree. Use them for what they are - flexible points that if you stick within the 35 you can manage those in an average week on top of what you NEED to live - which are your points allotment for the day.

I also find that exercise makes me VERY hungry. I have found the protein helps curbs my hunger better than anything else. I drink V8's in the afternoons for 3 servings of veggies for 1 point - but watch the sodium.

I also find that leaving points after dinner, almost gives me permission to eat late and that's untilately a bad habit for me b/c one thing always leads to another.

Friday, May 23, 2008, 12:53 PM

I'm not on WW, but doing something similar... watching my calories while trying to stay high on fiber... and lately I've been feeling like I may not be eating enough. I'm not exactly hungry, but I just added up my calories for the day and I haven't even reached 1000 yet, but have already eaten dinner. I want to lose weight, but I'm scared that at this rate, my metabolism is going to slow down too much! Then again, if I eat something extra, I feel like I'm cheating on my diet and eating too much...

Oh, to keep a balance on this stuff is too confusing for me!

Friday, October 10, 2008, 10:38 PM

I started by keeping weight watcher points and then switched to counting calories and fiber. I aim for 1200-1300 calories a day and 40 + grams of fiber and eating lots of fruits and vegetables trying to get some combination in at every meal or snack. Most days I do not feel that hungry after dinner, but if I have a snack around 8 p.m. it is usually a bowl of high fiber cereal or oatmeal. Helps me not think about food the rest of the night, and I don't feel guilty because one bowl of cereal at that point is not going to kill my weight loss goals. Here's how I eat in a typical day: small breakfast between 8 & 9 a.m., piece of fruit around 10 or 11. Lunch around noon or 1, snack around 2:30 or 3. Dinner around 5 or 6, and lastly a snack around 8. This really helps stave off hunger pains, and I've heard it is best to keep the metabolism up.

Friday, October 10, 2008, 11:21 PM

Need help with possible starvation mode and weight watchers

So i've been dieting for the past couple of months and consuming about 900 - 1000 calories a day. Instead of losing weight, i start gaining and heaven forbid I eat anything with the slightest bit of sugar, my weight would sky rocket. I'm not heavy to start. When I started dieting I was about 120lbs and started to creep up to about 123 once i really decreased my calories and started working out about 5 days a week (4 days cardio, one day weights). After thanksgiving and now trying to take in more calories to get out of "starvation mode". I've put on 5lbs in a week (128).

I'm thinking of joining weight watchers on Sunday. Has anyone been able to get out of "starvation mode" on Weight Watchers and actually start losing weight.

Please let me know before I have to go out and buy all new pants because I've completely grown out of all my current ones.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008, 1:30 PM

5lbs in a week sounds like bloating, not weight gain. It's not really possible to gain 5lbs in a week. Have you been eating a lot of processed/salty foods lately? If so, cut back, and drink a lot of water over the next few days, and the excess weight should subside.

As for the weight gain, I always gain weight when I start working out, because my muscles swell and retain water.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008, 3:16 PM

Lol don't advice the initial poster to switch from low fat to full fat just to fill in some points!!! Trust your hunger instincts initial poster!!! If you are hungry eat! If not don't! And your body won't go into starvation mode that easily don't worry!!!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008, 6:58 PM

6:58 - agree! This is where we get lost when it comes to food - we stop listening to those internal cues.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008, 9:14 PM

not loosing weight on 1150 to 1200 calories

I have used weight watchers in the past and lost a lot of weight. I went off of it and gained 40 pounds. I started back about 2 months ago but the first week I gained 3 pounds.. I thought perhaps my metabolism has slowed down so i started just counting calories. I started eating 1150 to 1200 calories and I lost 15 pounds in 2 months but now I am not loosing anything on the same amount of calories. Can someone please tell me what I am doing wrong. I am so frustrated

Tuesday, August 11, 2009, 1:53 PM

It's probably b/c your calorie amount was way too low to begin with.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009, 3:35 PM

points carry over?

If you don't use all of your points in one day can you carry them over to the next day. Or is a use or lose per day plan?

Friday, August 21, 2009, 1:30 PM

Points plus

At our last meeting several people actually said they were having the same issue. One gentleman said that his sister begins her "day" at sundown since dinner is her most important meal. She tracks her points from dinner, to breakfast, to lunch. I've been doing it for four days from 6pm (I needed a hard fast time) and mentally, it's very freeing. I mean having a one or two point soup or salad for lunch is fine, but such a sad dinner!

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