You’ll be relieved to know that today I have no intention of curdling your mood. I was a proper oxygen thief on Monday wasn’t I? Sorry about that. I do have the good grace to look a bit sheepish. I guess I just needed to vent, and by the way I really appreciate all your lovely notes and emails about my screwed up knee…it’s much better thank you. I reckon another day or so with the brace on and then I’ll be fine.
Thanks also to all of you who reached out with words of reassurance about my snail’s pace weight loss. I take enormous comfort from knowing that it’s not just me. Shitbird Scales across the nation regularly piss on your chips too, so I feel like we’re collectively engaged in a much wider battle with the needle than the shitstorm that goes down in my bathroom every Sunday. Welcome to the life of a dieter, right?
Anyway, you know how I’m always on the lookout for new ideas? Beth sent me the link to an interesting article about some bloke who’s figured out some kind of optimum usage of weight watchers’ points, and he reckons that when you eat them is almost as important as what you eat. Beth’s going to give it a go and report back, but you know what, I think I’m going to give it a go too. I’ve got nothing to lose, have I?
What..? Well yes okay, technically if we’re splitting hairs you could say I’ve got one hundred and two fucking pounds to lose. Smart arse.
Anyway, you can read this guy’s theory HERE if you’re interested, but in a nutshell he reckons that you should stick to your daily points allowance on weigh day and the day after that, then have your daily points and all your weekly ones over the next three days. Finally, the last two days before weigh-in should be daily points only.
His theory is that speeding your metabolism up for a few days in the middle of the week is like sprinkling your food plan with magic dust because your body has to work harder to process the increased volume of food, and on days six and seven it carries on at warp speed when you’ve cut back on your portions and Boom that’s when the magic happens. He also recommends spending some of the extra points you earn when you exercise, and I never do that. I used to, but in recent times I’ve just allowed them to stack up.
What do you reckon? I mean, you are looking at a fully paid up member of the I’ll believe any old crap if there’s a chance it might work society…I’ve gone down so many blind alleys over the years where folk have offered up this or that theory/diet/lifestyle as the optimum way to reduce the size of my arse, and I’d go so far as to say that if I’d been born and raised in past times I would’ve had cupboards overflowing with snake oil, you know? I’m an easy sell when I want to believe that whatever outlandish claims in front of me are true. But in this case, I mean what if…?
So anyway, me and Beth are leading the charge. We’re going to road test it. I mean, it’s not a supplement, or a fad diet, so to be honest if all I have to do is rearrange the running order of when I spend my weeklies, it’s got to be worth a shot, right?
I swear my eagerness to get cracking has got nothing to do with the fact that as we speak I haven’t touched my weekly points, and I’m bang in the middle of my dieting week, so by the time I shut my eyes tomorrow night I need to have eaten a whole weeks’ worth of extra points…
Look at this innocent face. The thought never even crossed my mind m’lud 🙂
Hey there from the south..Atlanta Georgia. Just wanted to say heyyyyyyy. I rejoined WW for the umpteenth time at my new job . The combination of walking more with my new job and the motivation from the meetings is helping.
I’m a Thursday meeting girl and then Friday happens at work…my weekly job evaluation . …..and for many of the last few weeks we have a meal/birthday cake on Friday. Real …really good special bakery cakes. I ain’t saying no to cake.
So after the work eval which is rocky at times and then the cake… I leave work in a bit of turmoil. I do not drive thru or binge. I just suddenly am ok with eating things that jack up my points…I admit I’m not a great tracker too.
Friday through Sunday becomes a max out of all of my weekly points with my daily points. Sunday through Thursday ..back on track. Somehow, losing about a pound a week.
Sounds very like your new spending plan. I’m with you on this and I’m motivated to do better with tracking.
Well it’s lovely to meet you, and yes it sounds like this might work for you too. Happy days! Think how skinny we’ll be in a year from now if we manage a pound a week consistently! 🙂
Hi–this method appears to use the same strategy as something called the “wendie plan.” (Google it to find out more.) It’s something I used back in the day when weight loss seemed to stall (even though I was sticking to the letter to the WW plan. Just a note: I know it’s frustrating, but I wouldn’t see a one-week small loss as a stall. In my experience the week after a stall, I’d have a large loss, wendie plan or no. This is all to say that shaking up your metabolism by the timing when and how much of your weekly points to eat *does* work; as far as I can tell it tricks your body into thinking, “Nah, there’s not really a famine going on here, my metabolism is still running.” I hope you find it works for you!
Lastly, I found that when I worked out regularly and hard (like you’re doing), my weight loss slowed. It was hard for me (forgive the pun) to swallow, but I finally decided one day to look at it like this: exercise produces mental health benefits (it makes me feel more present in my body, and makes me feel great about what my body can do, and I loved seeing improvements)– these benefits help me want to make better food choices (because I like my body more when I exercise and want to feed it healthy things I love to eat). So, for me: exercise = mental health boost, food intake = weight loss. (I also find that when I stop exercising, I tend to eat off the rails, because my Asshole voice reckons that if I’m not exercising, I’m not treating my body well, and so why should I care what I put in my gob?
Seriously, I need to tell that Asshole to shut the heck up.
You certainly do! We are so alike, I do the same thing where if I’ve dropped the ball on one, the other usually follows!
I’ve heard of many diets with a “cheat day” by whatever name (when you can eat more calories, extra carbs, forbidden foods or whatever you are denied other days) with the claim it’s not just for mental health but because it keeps your metabolism guessing. Who knows, it just might work?
I’m hoping so!
I ate all my weeklies (except 2) yesterday and it resets on Sunday. I am trying not to panic about it by thinking about this guy’s program and hope it works for me, too! But I did go out with my husband and another couple, and we had appetizers and drinks, and the spending of points felt like a happy celebration of togetherness. As opposed to squandering on junk food in a binge by myself. Perhaps that is what is meant by lifestyle, not diet. This was my first big point day in 2 months. We will anxiously await your results! (I am afraid of going over “on purpose” since I have enough occasions where I get all my dailies and some weeklies “by accident”. )
It sounds like you had a lovely evening and actually that would fit perfectly into this approach. Don’t panic about it lovely lady, consider it a leap of faith and we’ll all keep fingers and toes crossed that this guy knows his stuff! ?
Woo hoo Dee I’m so glad you’re going to try it with me! I mean crazy, right? This guy is having a huge following he’s like the freakin Pied Piper! This week on Days 3-5 I ate all my weeklies – ALL! It was a strange feeling to purposely do it because I do always view it as a bad thing. But unfortunately no weigh in for me because we’re on vacation so I’ll have to wait until next week. But what do we have to lose except a few pounds, right? I’ve been stuck stuck stuck so I’m super excited about the prospect of getting the scale moving. Now who knows my next weigh in can be +5 from this little experiment right? Good luck to us Dee – may the power of the plan be with us!!!
Imagine the possibilities! I’m super excited, lets keep all fingers and toes crossed that his plan works!
Yes, varying your calorie counts through the week does keep your metabolism going better, that’s been shown already by science. Enjoy your new experiment!
I will mimi…I’m so giddy, this might actually work!!!
Interesting…I may give it a go, too. Thanks for all the good tips, and someone to commiserate with!
You’re more than welcome April…you need to let us know if it works for you too! You, me and Beth, look at us pioneering! 🙂