im fat! when did that happen??!
 

When I started this whole MS journey I was a reasonable weight, and doing reasonable things. Enter Steroids, CRABS, a dramatic shift in life style (read no exercise) and before ya know it...IM FAT! My size 10s have been sitting on the shelf collecting dust, and I went clothes shopping. I am in a 16! when did this happen? How on earth did it slip past me so fast? Looking into the mirror in the dressing room was enough to bring on temper tantrums the likes of which this city hasnt seen in a long time. I know I dont own many mirrors, and many of my new pants are elastic waisted, so no buttons to pop and loads of room to grow. I knew I had stretched but had NO idea! OMG! :eek:

Since DH just started his new diet I have decided to try WW. I can eat any foods I choose, and with the new points tracker as long as I can calculate how much fat/carbs/fiber in a product I can figure out how many points its worth. Im just stunned. I seriously had NO idea I looked this bad. I dragged out many clothes because its salvation army time, and was really ticked off that many of my nice clothes dont even come close to fitting me.

So...I will be 49 in about a month. I plan on spending this last year of my 40s getting me back in shape to face my fabulous 50 as a fit and confindent woman. I refuse to march into that room of 50 year old women as a frump who is plump. Im just stunned that it happened right before my very own eyes and I didnt bother to see it. OMG! Stunner!

Anyone else do WW?? can you help me figure it out? They have a new system that I dont under stand.

I did WW online and lost 30lbs in six months in 08, then a bad flair and steroid complications threw that all out the window. I am starting WW, sort of, I'm doing it with the information I have and on my own at home. My husband is doing it with me, well, he's following the program but I plan and fix all of his food:(

I can't tell you anything about the "new" system. But if you have any question about the older stuff I could tell you. So if you just ask a specific question I can try and answer for you, that way if you don't know what is new or not I will just help with what I can.

I've got 57lbs to loose and I'm so tired of this. If you find a way to exercise that doesn't throw your MS on red alert I would love to hear some tips. Every time I exercise, no matter how easy I try to go, it aggravates my MS symptoms and I'm miserable for days.

I would love to hear about your progress if you're willing to share!

I joined the ONline program since the cloest meeting group is a half hour in one direction and I cant drive that far. I ordered the tools to use (the books and tracker book) to keep track. I also got a calculator to be able to add up my points. I get 30 points each day, and if I walk ten minutes I get another point. 30 minutes of walking would get me 3 points. Many foods are free or no points charged. Like I ate a banana and when I marked it on the chart it rang up no charge. my handful of popcorn chips 1oz however was 3 points! Yum, so worth it.

Lets see where this takes me. I really need to fix this! good lord!

Dej - That happened to me after taking Paxil for about 6 months. I put on 30 lbs. Once I stopped taking the Paxil, I dropped 20 pounds within a month or 2. Check your meds and see if that may be contributing to the weight gain.

Also, like you I am far less active than I have ever been. I went from constantly doing something to being more sedentary. This does not help either.

This past flare I dropped 20 pounds. I did not look good at all. I went from a size 8/10 down to a size 6. I haven't weighed that little since my early 30s. I am back up to my pre-MS weight and hope to maintain that.

I know many who have done well on WW and I hope the same is true for you. I wish you luck in obtaining your weight loss goal.:hug::hug:

Does WW have a program, where they send the food to your door? That's the only way I could do it, since I don't go to the grocers or cook much anymore.

since I dont eat pre processed food, and will only eat what I cook, I am kinda stuck. The DH would be happy with nutrisystem and it would kill me. ick! nutrisweet equal and aspertame just blister my brain. I also avoid high fructose corn syrup. So, its going to be a learning curve. I did well today. I was alloted 29 points for daily food and I took it to the wall...29 on the money.

I wish I was a size 16! I have lost about 12 pounds during the time Mom was sick and after. So some of my 20s are fitting me better.

um...why is it that in some pants I am a 16, and others an 18 and yet I was able to still slide into a 20? WTH?! which size am I? lets split the difference and call it an 18. Good grief who ever makes womens clothing needs to be slapped for the sizes alone.

When men try on a pair of pants a 36 is a 36 all day long. A woman can try on 6 different pairs of size 10 and none fit the same! We really need to fix this.

Great job hitting your exact daily points allowance! Remember to make sure you use all of your daily points, they don't want you to use less than that. Also don't forget your 35 weekly points that you have.

Me too! It happened slowly. Got older , less activity, more food and TV. Help!!
 

:confused:

Hello Dejibo
 

I heard you. You had that Oh no experience. I spent my whole adult life until I was 53 yrs. and 186 pounds, and horrified that I had to have a doctor tell me I was in terrible condition. I failed just about every test he gave me. I did something about it and so can all the people here in this site no matter what the meds. or dissability. It really is a questions of how bad we want to live. At 60 coming up I am now 130. Do small steps in your journey. Have faith you can turn it around. It is never too late. ginnie:hug:

WooHoo Ginny!!!!:) I think I hate you now, though..:D:p:D..JK

I've gained over 10 lbs since starting my job in sales. I was always a small size but even my fat clothes are tight now and I absolutely refuse to buy larger sizes so I'll be forced to lose the weight. I'm 53 and still within normal for my height but I will not let this get the best of me. :icon_mad: I have to admit though, my Copaxone reactions are not bad with my extra padding. :o ;)

Good luck with WW. They use common sense for weight control so I think that is a good program to go with. :hug:

I started WW on 3/25 and have lost 13lbs so far, which feels really good.

Joined LA Fitness with my BFF and she is pushing me to go. We've have been taking yoga and body works + abs classes and they are kicking my rear!

I am eating alot of chicken breast, salads, steamed veggies and fruit. Fruit & veggies are zero points, so you can go to town...aparently the old points program you had to count some fruits. I am also eating Santa fe Style Chicken progresso light soup for lunches on most days.

I've also found that I really like going to Applebee's for dinner if we go out. Their PointsPlus choices are very good, especially the Tilapia!

I've got 11.8 lbs to go to hit my goal. I am feeling pretty good about it, and since I am on a loa I am able to exercise anytime during the day.

Good Luck with your Goals! :Good-Luck:

ok, I feel better. I thought I was standing alone out here crying "what happened?!"

I am trying hard to be HONEST with who and how I am. Whether that means MS or whether that means what size clothes I find myself in. I guess I have hidden for the last few years while I sulked with my diagnosis. I hide from you, I hid from me, I hid from this disease, and I hid from things that I could have been fixing. So, I need to stop looking outward, and look in to find the answers, and since I did this to me, I have to undo this to me.

One day done, and it really was easy. I can eat whatever foods I want, no hold barred. I just have to be held accountable for my choices. If I want double oatmeal, I can have it, I just have to pay the price for it. I can have all the fruit and many of the veggies I want free of charge! so fresh squeezed juice in the AM and apple crumble for dessert (if I plan the points correctly.) There are also a bank of points each week that you can borrow from for those surprise things like being asked out to eat or a horrible no good very bad day at work.

I shocked myself. I had no idea how awful I look. my skin is ruddy, my belly is bloated, my back aches, and im tired! no stamina, and I and only I need to fix this. So, this is going to be the very best year of the last year of the first half of my life. (yes, I will live to 100!)

I love that I dont have to pick aspertame products. I can have whole, real foods, and not some package that came in the mail. so, lets see how long I can keep this up. Thanks for the cheerleading.

Hi Dejibo,
 

I smiled at your reply. You will make it work. You have that drive to do something, and that is what it takes. God knows I am stubborn and old habbits are hard to change. If there is anything i can do to help spur you on, let me know. I am always around saying hello to the great people here. ginnie:hug: Dried mango, satisfies sweet/tart and helped me to curb my munching. (Sunweet not in the health food stores) The sugars are less.good luck :hug:

Hi sally
 

It was you that made me smile too. I have read alot of your posts sally and I know you are trying really hard. I am here ifyou ever need a boost. I know sometimes how difficult change can be. I quit smoking cold, 1,500 miles away from home. I cussed myself all the way home for being addicted to begin with. Even my cat wouldn't sit on my lap. Changing eating can be just as hard. I did the same thing with food, I dumped the cra_. The weight rolled off in just under two years, actually 19 months. That is not a long time to a better you. Do it sally and all of you, who have that desire. I can get off the floor like a kid again. The freedom of some movement is so much better, that I can only ask in wonder why I didn't do it before? Yes I am disabled, but without the weight, living with the disabilites got better. I can weed a garden again, and walk up steps even with bad ankles. I am sending out good vibes to all of you......ginnie:hug::grouphug::)

I'm doing WW online! Holy crap my fat jeans were snug so I started middle March and although it has been very slow I do not feel hungry or deprived. I have lost 9.6 pounds and upped my goal to hopefully lose another 5 although I doubt I'll maintain that long term because that gets me back to my trim weight from my 20's and 30s when I was in really good shape. The chunk just creeped up on me and from what I've seen of my former skinny girlfriends who are now in their 50's it is a real challenge so I figured now is the time to grab a hold or else it will get worse. :)

What is really nice with WW, imo, is that with the free fruits and veggies I am definitely changing my habits and what I think of as a snack. The exercise chart also makes me more inclined to exercise.

One thing I have read from the online discussions is that the new points plus can allow you to have a bit more calories depending on what you pick to eat so the weight loss can take longer. It was fine with me because like I said I haven't felt like I was on a terrible diet. Good luck!

And IT DOES!!!:eek:

I've heard good things about WW. It's balanced, doesn't deprive you of any one thing and it's not "faddish" (is that a word:confused:). Since I've cleaned up my diet it's become easier to maintain the weight loss I achieved. Once you get used to eating cleaner the junky stuff just doesn't taste good anymore....and makes you feel worse.

I've found that since I've gotten older I'm not as concerned about how I look to others but more so how I feel myself. When you feel good you look good, too!

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

Jules & Dej, I joined the online WW program, too. I love the online tools it has and I can keep track of what I eat so easily this way. I think this will help me keep on my "clean" eating plan and also keep me honest about what I'm consuming each day. I love being able to go back and review what I've had. :)

I found the city WW meeting group is open on Fridays during the day so you can wander in, buy stuff, tools, books, or food and not pay shipping! wahoo! so I will go peek on Friday. A girl I know wanted to get me in the meeting, but if I pay for ONE meeting (registration is free right now) I will have to pay $12 for that meeting. NOPE! not gonna happen. I have my online set up and got 3 months free, only had to pay the reg fee. so, not paying twice. Anyway, Im off to see the toys, and books on Friday.

I wont eat pre packaged foods. no HFCS or aspertame for me. no MSG or such in my diet. I eat whole, organice healthy home grown foods. So, WW is perfect for me.

Years ago, I sorta went on a short self imposed WW diet. I purchased a weeks worth of WW frozen Dinners, to try it. The dinners were lousey..UGH..hic.. It lasted less than a week..:D

Making your own is probably a better idea, unless their TV dinners have improved, greatly.

I also did The Nutri Systems diet for a month and a half. Some of the food was dang good, but it was just too much food and time consuming.:p I had to eat too many times a day and it interferred with my naptime!!:D I can see where it could work for a lot of people though.

Much luck, Dej.:hug:

i find most pre packaged meals are blistering with salt, and are bland even tho they have enough salt to start their own desert. overly spiced, tiny portions, and that weird after taste! what is that?!

I had a cup of pasta with home made sauce, and stringed cheese across it. a spinach salad with fresh beets, and broccoli from the freezer from last years garden. 8 points. not bad. I find MY sauce is much lower in sodium, sugars, and other nonsense than the store brand stuff. mine just has tomato, garlic, basil, orageno, and water with a pinch of sea salt. YUM! it counts as free if I put in the ingredients one by one, but if I say "pasta sauce 1/2 cup its 4 points. how come that works that way? I guess they expect the store stuff to be full of salt. So, I have enough points left for a glass of milk and some pecan sandies for dessert. YUM!

Amy's frozen organic foods are pretty good. Their cheese pizza and their spinach pizza is good. I haven't tried the entrees yet. Usually they're too pricy. I can get by with pasta and black beans I make myself.

Some days I only eat fruits and veggies. I can do without meat most of the time. If I get the craving for a burger I'll have a turkey burger that I make here at home.

I get Lean Cuisine for my work lunches and keep a week's worth in the freezer. My problem is my odd hours and sometimes I eat at 9 or 10 pm then sit before going to bed.

I love Stoffers Lean Cousine.:p

I have made pre prepped foods. I have lasagna and have it portioned out in the freezer. I made beef stew and have it portioned out in the freezer. Same for some meatloaf, mac and cheese with ham in it, brachiole, and other favs. Just like having a frozen dinner, I just have to reach in the fridge and pull out what I want for today. I ate the last of the Ziti with 3 cheeses from the freezer last night. Last beef stew is tonight...saturday I will restart a new meal plan and fill the freezer for the weeks meals. They are all in glass, so I dont have to transfer them out to microwave or worry about BPA.

Again, I left points on the table last night. I could down a glass of milk or eat cookies to put me over the edge, but when im done, im done. Im being told that leaving points on the table is why I got fat. They expect me to eat all the food set out, so my metabolism will rise. perhaps I should consider the milk option. Its yummy, good for you, and will boost my score.

I wont weight myself till Sunday. its been hard to resist the scale, so I put it in DHs bathroom.

I have a great deal of empathy for all who have posted on this serious subject. The resulting psychological challenges dealing with weight are devastating alone. I see my wife deal with her weight in every imaginable way possible and is now very involved with WW online and a specific meeting because of the counselor.

On the other hand I too have a weight problem which I totally attribute to the fact of being unable to perform any exercise and the numerous meds and side effects. Too many meds with weight gain as a major side effect. Since I can no longer taste but four or so things, and I am extremely sensitive to the texture of different foods, not eating has not resulted in any lost weight.

In following this thread, which has been very revealing in confirming what we all know, the greatest battles in the world occur within the seven inches between our ears. There in is where the war is won or lost. In the end, we are all totally responsible for our own situations, albeit with extenuating circumstances due to our chronic illness.

Allow me to recommend a very enlightening book expressing a simple but powerful concept of life, health and success. "The Slight Edge," by Jeff Olson is an excellent fast reading paperback. Through it the simple things in life which compounded get us all in trouble are revealed with crystal clarity. I have no answers, but can tell you a size 52 inch waist can not defy the laws of physics and be contained in a pair of blue jeans with a waist of 44 inches. :eek:

went for a ride with DH and of course we got very lost, turned around and tempers started to rise because he was hungry! I was hungry! he skipped his morning snack and I dont normally eat a snack, but I had an orange in the car that we couldnt find. We passed many wonderful places to eat, but he couldnt figure out if those places were allowed on his diet. So as the time passed along with the miles away from home and safe food, guess where he pulled into?? yep a HOT DOG Stand! OMG! are you kidding me?! Fearing that if I didnt take what I could get, I would starve till dinner, so i got a turkey dog, no bun, water and a half cup of hamburger chili that was so spicey it made my nose run. DH got 2 keilbasa dogs, with all the trimmings, and crabbed about how he blew his diet all the way home. Sigh. ... I guess we need more practice eating out, yes? once you hit the IM HUNGRY! phase, its too late to save it.

We were only supposed to be gone long enough to drop off a few big bags at salvation army, but DH has been so sick with cabin fever lately I let him talk me into trying to find the job lot store in Peterborough. BIG mistake! There were TONS of choices we could have stopped at and worked out on the ride home after we gave up, but by then hunger, anxiety and crabbiness were our constant companions. I still didnt blow past my normal points for lunch. Im proud that even at a hot dog stand I kept my cool. DH on the other hand needs a nap.

It has been quoted, "Marriage is not a word. Marriage is a sentence."

How many times in our married life are we or our spouse just doing the time?

I think hunger cancels all checks and balances including common sense.

You did great! In fact I'm a big fan of hotdogs and the chicken ones I buy are only 3 points each, turkey are 5 points for 2 of them.

Eating out is tough and largely the reason I put on some pounds especially like you said in a hurry and hungry. I have used this site in the past although sadly most things at restaurants are pretty high in points.

This site has restaurants listed although most are points values not points plus. I can't seem to find restaurants on the official ww site and wonder if they are trying to make me buy the book which would be kind of irritating, imo. http://www.wikiweightwatcher.com/

Hang in there. Jules

Great website....thanks Jules! :)