Can you lower carb at Weight Watchers?

[ZZMum]

I need to lose a couple of stone - on my own I am good for a few days or couple of weeks and then slip back and so I know I need to do something more structured. Having read a lot about lower carb diets, I know this would work for me, but on my own I seem to lose portion control and so replace carbs with nuts and cheese and so never lose weight.

I would like to join WW but not if they are going to insist on my eating bread pasta and potatoes as part of their regime .. I need to be given a framework that allows me to choose my food but to limit the amount - does that makes sense?

Do any of the WW followers know if I could do this?

Thanks

Yes, you absolutely can. I started WW in October 2010 and have lost nearly 5 and a half stone so far. I eat far fewer carbs than I used to. I eat lots of lean meat, fish, vegetables and fruit. I have at least one meal a day without bread/pasta/rice/potatoes, sometimes two. It is entirely up to you how you use your weight watchers pro points.

Oh great thanks! and well done you - an amazing success in a short space of time!

The problem that I had when I tried to do WW by eating lower carb was with fat. WW points are based on cals and fat, so it can be a challenge to eat enough fat as you should on a lower carb diet and stay within your points limit. I found i was using all my Points (and some!) most days, but when I worked out the calories I was having about 1100 which is a bit low for someone my size, but yet I was well over on points. I think the only way would be to keep the fat low too but that's a challenge if you are low-carbing properly.

Littlefish how do you find it works with your fat intake or are you doing a lower carb plus lower fat type plan?

I haven't really considered the fat if I'm honest! I have a balanced diet, including some virgin olive oil, some cheese, some red meat, but more lean white meat and fish. I lost an average of 1.5lbs per week the first year (4 stone loss), and expect to lose about 2 stone this year, leaving me 1.5 stone to lose in my third year to get me to the top healthy BMI bracket.

Well done on your loss so far, Littlefish, that's brilliant!

Thanks Malory. I honestly haven't found it too bad so far. At long last I seem to have found a healthy way of eating which I'm happy to continue for the rest of my life in order to achieve and then maintain a healthy weight. I'm finally beginning to understand how "normal" people eat.

Why bother with WW why not use myfitnesspal to monitor both carbs and calories? Its free

Yes forever, I guess that is what I need to do - I just need to be more accountable to myself and give up on this idea of someone else making me do it.. so I know the calories but what is a reasonable level of carbs to watch for - I do not want to go down to ketosis levels of no carbs but just make sure I am not over doing it? What would you say is reasonable?

Thanks!

Aim to keep carbs under 100g and protein over 100g. And stick to calorie limit.

That will allow you one piece of fruit, some dairy, lots of veg. But no grains.

Great thanks .. that gives me a framework - and saves me a fortune at WW !!
Cheers