so, just joined WW. Smoked mackerel is 14 soddingpoints!

[Kenobi]

After much humming and haing I joined WW as it seemed like the right plan for me - I eat healthily but have a problem with portion control, plus it works out points if you are breastfeeding.

I've never dieted before and spent my 20s eating exactly as I wished and staying slim, so I thought following a programme would be the way. I want to lose 2st.

But it's mind boggling. Could someone explain to me please why fish and chips is 8 points but a 150g fillet of smoked mackerel is 14???? No wonder I've put on weight, I thought a smoked mackerel salad with a bit of cous cous would be lovely and healthy but it comes in at 20 points

I'm not cut out for this. I'm going to starve

Any words of wisdom or encouragement?

I think that anything teaches people about portion size is obviously useful, as that is probably one of the bigest causes of people being overweight. I am a bit that any diet support system wouldn't point out the effects of different foods on blood sugar etc and that sensible portions of proteins and fats are better at controlling appetite. So yes, to loose weight you need to restrict the number of calories you consume, but some calories are much better at filling you up that others. People need to understand this or they are doomed to failure.

"Something like mackeral or avocado is good to include in your diet but it isn't good to eat too much of these foods."

but if you are filling up on those you DON'T eat too much of it (or anything else), its pretty much impossible to keep eating avocado or mackeral.. they tell you that you are full! Unlike how its easy to keep eating a massive bowl of pasta etc

e.g. If I rememer correctly a McD's was lower pts than many healthier more satisfying meals

Nothing better than a wee fillet of smoked mackerel and some oven chips.

It is good for you!

WW is a load of rubbish. As someone has already mentioned, it discourages you from eating good protein and fats, and steers you towards low-fat sugary crap. Yes you will lose some weight temporarily, but as soon as you slip even slightly you will pile it all back on and then some, and wreck your metabolism in the process because you will have lost muscle.

The ready made meals are not ok, they are not even real food.

Kenobi - you are 6 foot and BFing and they've got you on 29 points? That is ridiculous. You need fats when you are BFing, otherwise your bones will leech out their nutrients to make your breast milk and you will end up osteoporotic.

This is all so interesting! I wish I'd started a thread before I paid.

bling that's why I chose WW, as I do tend to overload my plate and because I'm so big (ie tall and strong, not just chubby) I'm capable of eating a lot whether I'm hungry or not. So good to hear your and supermum's experience.

Alibaba - no they have me on 36 points as I'm bfing, but I'd already used 7 points by having a large bowl of porridge with semi-skimmed milk and blueberries, so 20 points on lunch made me very sad. I think that I'm craving things like mackerel because I'm bfing.

I'm glad to hear that porridge and mackerel IS healthier than meringue nests and wine as I thought

Though the "meringue nest and wine diet" has a certain ring to it...

Try this book:

www.amazon.co.uk/The-Pure-Package-Jennifer-Irvine/dp/0297866540/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340639503&sr=8-1

I've been following it more or less for a month and have lost a stone. And you can eat smoked mackerel! I haven't been hungry and feel terrific.

Ok 36 is better - but you are nearly a foot taller than me, and if you are strong and have muscle mass to keep going as well as BFing then you need to fuel yourself well.

Do pop over to the Eat More to Lose Weight thread and have a look at the links. The idea is to eat above your BMR (what you would burn in a coma) and about 15% below your TDEE (what you burn in an average day). I am BFing, and running about after my preschooler, and I have a calorie goal of roughly 2300 a day. You would in all likelihood have more, because you are tall.

Sorry, but I'd go with Slimming World every time! It's 2 syns for 100g of smoked mackerel and you are advised to have a minimum of 5 syns a day to aid weight loss.

If you follow the Extra Easy plan, carbs like couscous are unlimited, as are low fat meat, fish, eggs etc! So long as you eat enough to feel full (not bloated or bursting) there is so much flexibility! You just have to ensure that 1/3 of each meal is what they call SuperFree foods (fruit/veg basically)

I have lost 2.5 stone following SW, and I can still follow the plan (loosely) whilst pg too - this is the only diet I have found where you can.

If you're bfing, you get given extra calcium-rich allowances too, so that your weight loss isn't too quick (I didn't realise this till after I finished bfing... I was losing on average 3-4lb a week!)

Bear in mind the weight of the fillets. For example, Ocado smoked mackerel fillets only actually work out about 8 points per fillet.

I'm doing WW but I don't buy any ready meals and don't just eat stuff because it's low in points. I try to just have more fruit/veg than usual and cut out the snacking. The portion control is another good aspect of it.

It's up to you. I think weight watchers push processed crap and the point system seems to be for those who eat eg Kit Kats rather than people who generally eat healthily.

This is exactly why calorie based diets are extremely limited/misleading.

Mackerel is so incredibly good for you in so many ways, and the fat in it is good-for-you fat. Honestly, eat it!

Smoked mackerel is very calorific. However its very healthy, so I would still eat it, but with salad, so that the calories in the mackerel are the whole meal IYSWIM. ALso 150g is quite a big portion. Even 100g will keep you feeling full for ages.

crafty it was an ocado smoked mack fillet! - I weighed one of the others and you are quite right, it was more like 80g not 150 so more like 8 points as you say. I have a lot to learn about WW.

JPark(makes you sound like J-Lo ) I didn't go with SW as portion control is my main problem, but perhaps it would have been more sensible to try a diet closer to my natural eating patterns.

Alibaba you're right, in my 20s I could (needed to) eat twice as much as my smaller friends and not put on weight - I weighed 10st for 10 years which put my BMI at 19 - without even trying. But my metabolism stalled around 29 and it took me a few years to realise, not helped by two pregnancies with pelvic problems which meant I couldn't exercise. But it's very hard to break the habits - I still eat like I'm 25, metabolising everything and dancing all weekend... That said, like you I'm also chasing a preschooler while wearing my fussy 3 mo baby so not totally sendentary!
I'll defo check out the thread, sounds ver' interesting.

And your book suggestions, monkey and SmartArse

This is why I love MN

I worried about the whole portion thing too, as I am a pig have a very healthy appetite! But honestly, you soon learn your body's limits!

They say to eat until you feel full, and if you want to go back for more later on, then go for it. Just stick to your 1/3 super-free and you're pretty much onto a winner.

seventh ?! do you honestly take everything you read so literally?! and how about reading the complete post...! I know my wording could be better, but I am not a SW consultant! At the end of the day, I know that I can have a good size portion of cc (or pasta or potatoes), mixed with plenty of veg and low-fat cottage cheese, and I've proven to myself that I can lose weight doing so!

It's worth mentioning too that the WW website (not sure about books etc) does have a few mistakes (shhh!).

I still remember when I started, I nearly cried on the first day when it told me the (relatively small) piece of baguette I'd already eaten had 12 points in! But once I'd seen more of the other bread values on there (including some other ones for French bread etc), I realised that one must have been a typo and it probably should have been more like 3 or 4 points. So if something seems way above what it should be, do dig around a bit more and you may find it's not actually right...

If you have an iPhone download the WW app, it makes life so easy when counting points. I think an android one is being released soon.

horses for courses and all that.

Good luck OP, hope it all settles down and you enjoy your journey

And this is one reason why I struggle so much with WW. Too much emphasis on eating low fat. Which is soo 20th Century. I'm disappointed to read how many points are in mackerel because I thought with the new ProPoints system WW had finally changed it to focus on less carby stuff and more protein/fat etc. Apparently not.

Mackerel is a very healthy thing to eat, as others have pointed out. I could never understand why I was always so hungry on WW even though I was eating my points and making sensible choices. I've since learned that it's because low fat dieting doesn't suit me.

You may get on well with it OP - as BlingBubbles is doing. - but you do need to accept that some healthy foods like smoked mackerel, avocado, olive oil and nuts for example, will use up your Points allowance fast.

I have to disagree with some of the posters here.I have done ww and lost 3 syone, and maintained it. Of course you could just eat 13 freddos a day and be within your propoints allowance, but at meetings they tell you to make correct food choices and choose 'filling and healthy' foods. Mostly it's taught me about portion sizes and limiting carb intake. For breakfast I'll have fruit and yoghurt, for lunch usually a greek salad with feta and houmous, for dinner usually a big stir fry with loads of veg and a bit of rice. Leaves me with enough points left for choc/ice lolly etc. This is sustainable. Of course they sell their ready meals but these aren't forced on you aand the focus is on fresh ingredients and cooking from scratch, eg it's fewer points to make your own sauce than to buy a ww one.

I just had a smoked mackerel salad for lunch following a WW recipe, so confirm WW promote smoked mackerel! And very nice it was too.

I have had great success with WW and lost 2.5 stone since April which has been fantastically positive for me. Whether you eat processed foods is up to you. I eat a very few of their chocolate bars which I get at meetings and have with a coffee but no other processed foods. The fundamental message of weightwatchers is eat filling and healthy food, drink water, exercise and control portions. Cannot see much wrong with those principles.

Whatever works for each person I guess. Good luck OP.

I think I'm starting to get the hang of it. Still going over my daily dallowance and into the extra points thingy, but as I run around after a toddler with a baby in my arms, plus swim 4 times a week, hopefully I'm burning some of it off.