Weight Watchers is changing the way I approach my fitness

[RachelV]

... I lift 5 or 6 days a week but really if you can get 3 or 4 a week that’s all you need if you are doing other physical activities around the weights. ...

I do some pretty chill strength training 2 days a week and it's been transformational for the rest of my activities. I've never felt so good on skis in my life (from a fitness perspective, not a technique perspective ). It did take probably a year+ of that to really see the results but now that I've built up some decent strength it's easier to maintain. I'm sure if you do more days a week you see results faster, or more dramatic results, but if you're just looking for day-to-day functional fitness and feeling good 2 days a week seems to be fine.

 

[Joby Graham]

I’ve been successful with MyFitnessPal in the past. I like that I can input my recipes and figure how to make adjustments. I’m take a look at Macrofactor! Thanks for the idea!

@Joby Graham[/USERstruggle with the weight watcher plateaus. The whole zero point thing stops working after a bit and it takes a new approach to break through. That’s when I switch to a calorie deficit plan which often requires cutting out some of the usual zero point foods - like beans and fruit. I stay calorie deficient for a week/10 days and then add those back in. In the meantime I allow myself some others like bread and potatos. I use recipes from The Biggest Loser chefs, Health spas, and the Flat Belly Diet. That usually gets me losing again and adds a little variety. I’m happy to share recipes with her if she wants. DM me and I’ll shoot you my email
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Thanks for the offer. I'll gingerly approach the subject with her.

 

[VickiK]

I prefer the LoseIt app to My Fitness Pal just because I started with it and am used to the interface. You can track sports and activities but its main focus is food and nutrition. You can input your own recipes. I don’t always track but if I do, accurately, it provides a good breakdown of your caloric and macronutrient intake. Then the number on the scale makes sense, so long as you know how much your body needs.

 

[tball]

I'm liking My Fitness Pal. I started using it in January and am getting good results.

Since November, my biggest changes have been high protein and strength training. I thought I was eating reasonably high protein, but I wasn't until I started tracking it with MFP. I believe this is a significant limitation to WW (unless macro tracking has changed).

By dropping some pounds, I'm skiing better and feeling like an athlete again. When I hit 177, I plan on repeating a hydrostatic body fat test, as I've had a couple of tests at that weight. Then, I hope to continue down to my race/beach weight for the summer.

 

[Noodler]

I'm liking My Fitness Pal. I started using it in January and am getting good results.

View attachment 229857
Since November, my biggest changes have been high protein and strength training. I thought I was eating reasonably high protein, but I wasn't until I started tracking it with MFP. I believe this is a significant limitation to WW (unless macro tracking has changed).

By dropping some pounds, I'm skiing better and feeling like an athlete again. When I hit 177, I plan on repeating a hydrostatic body fat test, as I've had a couple of tests at that weight. Then, I hope to continue down to my race/beach weight for the summer.

It's a controversial topic, but be careful of gluconeogenesis from excess protein intake. My personal experience is that I cannot exceed my recommended protein intake (based on 1g/LBM for strength training) or I risk completely stalling any weight loss.

 

[tball]

It's a controversial topic, but be careful of gluconeogenesis from excess protein intake. My personal experience is that I cannot exceed my recommended protein intake (based on 1g/LBM for strength training) or I risk completely stalling any weight loss.

Yeah, I guess it depends on what's considered high. Are you OK consuming 1g per pound of lean body mass?

I'm shooting for 160 grams (LBM is about 150) and having a tough time hitting that (I didn't track the low days):

That's WAY more protein than I ate before tracking. The RDA is .36 grams per pound, 65 grams for me. From my research, the consensus is that the RDA for protein is way too low. Does anyone have a different understanding?

I have no doubt more protein has helped me eat less as I'm less hungry, and I think I've also been able to build some muscle while losing weight. I'll see when I do the body fat test.

 

[Noodler]

Yeah, I guess it depends on what's considered high. Are you OK consuming 1g per pound of lean body mass?

I'm shooting for 160 grams (LBM is about 150) and having a tough time hitting that (I didn't track the low days):

View attachment 229865
That's WAY more protein than I ate before tracking. The RDA is .36 grams per pound, 65 grams for me. From my research, the consensus is that the RDA for protein is way too low. Does anyone have a different understanding?

I have no doubt more protein has helped me eat less as I'm less hungry, and I think I've also been able to build some muscle while losing weight. I'll see when I do the body fat test.

You're well within the recommended range for someone actively strength training. Plenty of guys are going as high as 1.5g/lbm. I have tried 1.2g and stalled, so my body is happiest at 1.0g. Of course this is NOT based on a DEXA body fat scan, so I may be a bit off in my calculation of my current LBM. And yeah, the RDA is way too low. If you're strength training you will be at a disadvantage if you're eating insufficient protein amounts.