Monday, August 20, 2007

What you're doing wrong and I'm doing right ;)

Since I'm a little miss know it all I feel this is an appropriate topic.
I've been catching this more and more "out there". Especially about you WW folks. Not to knock the program. I know it works for some of you. But you gotta pay attention. I'm hear to tell you to EAT MORE! Seriously! Your metabolism is based on how you eat. When you eat a lot, your metabolism works a lot (burning more calories). Which is why you can usually get quite a big weight loss when you're quite overweight and start to try and lose. And that's also why you see all these overweight women with the great big a$$es (probably reading a magazine on the elliptical and never lifting weights, am I talking about you? wow I'm cruel) but they hardly eat a thing and have been dieting for years. It's because they don't eat very much, their metabolism has shut down and their body has figured out how to be very very efficient and not burn as many calories. Whereas when you eat a bunch, your body thinks "oh yeah there's more coming" and it doesn't have to be very efficient so it just burns through that food. How many of you have noticed a loss monday after a big cheat on the weekend? I've read it over and over and you're suprised! Well there's your proof! You might be eating too little! I look at those of you who've posted your menu's and I just think, "wow I couldn't get buy on only that much food!" and I'm amazed at how you could still be overweight. and why I'm not gigantic with the amount of food I eat. But I think my metabolism is better than your metabolism (and my dad could beat up your dad). No I'm not a dietician or a personal trainer or anything. But I do read a lot about this junk and I'm not completely stupid so I don't think I misinterpretted all this. Swizzlepop checked it out awhile ago and found that with WW eating her points only gave her like 1100 calories (Sorry if I screw this up, I'm going from memory). Well you should never go below 1200 calories because your body thinks it's starving! Since she upped her calories to more like 1500ish range and she's totally reaping the benefits! I don't know how much she's lost since then or how little she was losing before, check out her blog. i'm just giving you the moral of the story.

The thing with your metabolism is dieting too long with too low of calories can permanently damage your metabolism (in which case you need to get a good personal trainer who knows what they're doing to help you out). Your metabolism eventually won't spring back when you eat more. So here's my warning to all y'all. Check your calories once in awhile and make sure it's not going to low. Especially if you're stuck at a plateau for too long. and especially if you aren't doing strength training. And especially if you've been dieting for a long time.

and don't get me started on strength training. If you aren't doing it, but you're trying to lose weight. You're doing it the hard way. Plain and simple. Plus, when you're "skinny" you're still gonna look yucky.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I know you are probably talking about me missy, but I have done this program so many times so I know how it works for me. Also if you look at what I am eating you will see it actually is quite alot. I have to stay within my points you know.

Anonymous said...

I wasn't trying to be mean cause I read it back and it didn't sound that nice. I like your honest advice, it's very refreshing. :)

Anonymous said...

I have to comment because I am a know it all, too. :) If you are following WW properly; eating all your fruits and vegetables, and eating high fiber foods, even 20 points a day works out to be 1500 calories, and that is without the 35 extra points for the week. Once you add those, you are eating closer to 1800 (or more!) If you are only eating high fat, no fiber foods, then yes, you are only eating about 1000-1100 calories, which is WAY too low, I agree.

Strength training is awsome!!!

Randi said...

Shannon, it really wasn't anyone specific I swear. But if YOU feel it applied to you, then maybe it is something you should think about? ;) Plus I think you've posted menus before and I KNOW I eat more than you!
And I didn't think you were mean, did you even hear how completely rude I am all the time?
Robin, I guess that's sort of my problem with WW, people concentrate so much on the points and not enough of what they're using those points for. I know there are guidelines but most people tend to skip fruit or fibre or something as opposed to going over points. And Robin - get yourself a blog so I can hear advice from somebody else who knows everything! ;)

Anonymous said...

I knew you were talking about me cause you said the same thing on my blog today. Could you please post what you eat, I would really appreciate it. Thanks doll. :)

Swizzlepop said...

Are you making an example of me? :P
Even with fruits and vegetables I wasn't making 1200 calories a day. Now that I've focused on calories I find that I am getting more protein in too which always helps me lose. I'm still "experimenting" with it all because now I think my fat intake may be too low on some days and I know you need a certain amount to still be "healthy." Either way the first week I upped the calories I lost 3.2 after a previous week of a gain. Not sure how this week will turn out because Saturday was really bad no matter how you look at it but based on my daily WIs I haven't gained which is great. And I am slowly starting to incorporate more exercise into my week.

Amanda said...

Well, you weren't talking to me, but I had the same experience this morning that you wrote about. I had a really high point day on Saturday...the scale hadn't moved all week and BOOM...today down over 2#. What you say makes sense. I do follow WW, but I also try to eat tons of fruits and veggies. I choose higher fiber things if I can...for example my english muffins have 8 grams each. So I eat one for breakfast and then at lunch, if I have a sandwich, I put it on the muffin b/c it's higher fiber than the bread I have. I am going to try to take some of what you said into heart this week and go with it. Swizzlepop pointed me to your blog today b/c of this very topic. I'll have to thank her...and thank YOU! :)

Candace MacPherson said...

Hi Randi, I knew there was a reason I read you regularly. LOL, you may have noticed the recent references to the Wendie plan. It looks reasonable enough. Also, I have 22 pts/day plus 35 extra each week. On a regular day I do around 1600 calories according to Sparks (where I plug in my menu for some extra info.)

I guess it's where someone chooses to 'spend' their calories/points that matters. High fibre foods reduce the calories, high fat increase them. In 13 weeks I have lost 16.6 lbs. I am on a mission to make activity a regular part of my life. All of this puts me in a much healthier position than I was in mid-May (almost 190 lbs with little to no activity). I do believe that WW works, but it's how you use your plan.

I am trying to do glute exercises so I can have a nice butt when this is done. Frig, they hurt!