Anyone broken the cycle?

[OneDayIWillLearn]

I’ve just started on WW again. I’ve probably done it a dozen times over two decades and it seems to be the only reliable way I can get weight off. My best ever time I lost 3 stone, but ‘usually’ I lose a stone in 2-3 months and then manage to drift off course and stop feeling inclined to track and point everything, maintain for a while (usually months or even years) but sooner or later put in all right back on again.

i was wondering if anyone else has a similar cycle with WW and / or if anyone has managed to break the cycle and ‘change for good’? I really need to lose at least two stone this time to get my BMI back to normal range and if I lose interest again after a stone I’m never going to get there 🙄.

At the moment - one week in - I’m feeling really motivated and finding it easy but I am just so mindful of what has happened umpteen times before!!

I’m very similar, but I kept returning to Slimming World and/or Cambridge Diet until finally acknowledging I was a yo-yo dieter 🙄.

Joined WW in Oct 2022, lost 4.5 stone so far with 12lbs to my goal weight .
I’ve learned about portion control and eat much more healthily than ever before , enjoy using the App to track and plan my meals.

Although I use the online sessions , Walk with WW and the Zumba ( great fun and highly recommended ) I benefit most from the old-school weekly workshop , though appreciate there are far fewer than there used to be.

Stick with it ! It’s not easy , but so worth it , there’s a very supportive community on Connect if you don’t have a real-life class near you .

I started back in May and have lost a stone. I am really pleased. I love the app. I suppose it’s like any diet really …. You get fed up after a while and become unmotivated. I have another two stone to lose, and am giving myself until November to do it!

@Yiayoula I have found it hard to get into connect…..it all seems to be WW promo posts! Any tips on what I’m missing?!

I used to go to meetings but don’t think there are any around here now, alas….

Yes, it’s a real shame the number of groups has declined rapidly - not everyone’s needs can be met with the online system .

Re Connect : there’s a lot of content and can be tricky to navigate at first .
I’ve always accessed the App from my phone , so maybe it’s different if using other devices - but on the opening Connect page , under the Groups heading , there are three sections :
i)WW Healthy Body, Healthy Mind ii)Mindfulness
iii)Vitual Workshop Hub

Click on any of these for more info- a lot of it is links to online workshops ( they can be useful if you’ve no real life group near you - I’ve used them on holiday , for example , if I need to refocus or be motivated ! ).
There are lots of Zoom-type activity sessions in Healthy Body, Healthy Mind - the coaches running these are excellent .
I would never have thought of exercise as fun , but in particular the Zumba sessions with Pai are like a twice-weekly party , I love them !

If you scroll across to Browse Groups there are lots of sections to join “special interest” groups - lots of hobbies, new members section , an over 50’s group etc etc.

Mostly , though , I use the section below Goups - headed up Trending, New and Following - if you go into “New” there are loads of members posts , photos, recipes - anything and everything , really , and I’ve found it very interesting and helpful .
Some members post very frequently, others not so much , and you can share as much or as little personal stuff as you wish .
Whenever I’ve had a question, WW related or not , someone ( often one of the WW coaches ) has responded within the hour .
It’s a very supportive community , often hilarious, sometimes sad , thought-provoking, kick up the bum or encouragement on tap .
Give it a go , I really recommend it ( can you tell !! )
Sorry this is so long and rambling .
And if anyone is wondering- no, I’m not employed by WW in any capacity whatsoever.
They’ve just changed my life .

I've re-joined too, at 12stone 7lbs and 5ft 4 I'm on the edge of being too overweight and want to nip it in the bud now. Target is to be in the 10's somewhere.

Currently have a FT job, 2 kids and studying so hoping it fits nicely into everyday!

I am thinking of joining. How easy is it?

@Nosummerontheagenda I find it easy to follow but I have done it quite a lot of times over the years so I don’t have a very fresh memory of starting from scratch!!

There are a lot of foods with zero points (fruit, veg, fish, eggs, fat free yoghurt, pulses etc) so you never need to go hungry. It is very easy if you are cooking from scratch.

I would say I’ve always lost weight reliably when I stick to the plan.

I have joined WW again this week. Like you I’ve done it a few times in the past. I know it can work as I’ve reached goal weight and I have managed to maintain, sometimes for years.
I thought about why I have then regained the weight and realised that each time I put on weight something has changed (for example living with a man has both times made me fatter, also having my children and a change in lifestyle such as studying for a qualification).
All of these changes can be linked to three things : reduced activity (eg having children reduced my opportunity to freely take part in the activities I liked and studying for an intensive course meant I was sitting more). Also different food choices (I tend to not eat much meat but my husband is a lover of lamb and cooks a lot) and I would never have biscuits in the house if I lived alone, also portion sizes - food being dished up by others who are blessed with higher calorie needs than me.
I suppose I’ve decided I need to be selfish and prioritise this as I feel awful carrying this weight on my small frame - breathless when I move around, hot and struggling with warm weather, chronically tired, aching joints.
so I’m trying again. I hope everyone who wants to achieve their goal of losing excess weight can find the support they need and the strength to achieve this as I understand how demoralising it is to feel that we are not in control.

Another WW returner here. Years ago I lost almost 2 stone and kept it off for quite a few years. I am also a yo yo dieter though am broadly healthy and only want to lose a stone or so.

I started a new job last year which is enjoyable but quite stressful and has made mid week exercise v difficult. I also picked up a few injuries - including a broken leg earlier this year - which has made exercising inconsistent. My weight has gone up and I’m currently on holiday feeling the worst I have in years. Exercise and healthy eating seem to go hand in hand for me so often if exercise goes out the window so does my healthy eating. I do a lot of walking - 10k steps per day minimum- but now I’m older that doesn’t seem to be enough.

I am eating crap on holiday but want to rejoin WW when I get home. What always worked for me was the accountability - knowing I was going to be weighed. How does that work now with a more online approach? I don’t think there are many meetings where I am but I’m worried that if I am left to my own devices I won’t feel so accountable.

@Picoloangel I used to go to meetings but there aren’t any near me now. I think you can pay more and go to online meetings but that wouldn’t have really appealed to me. I’ve been getting accountability by sharing my goals with my OH and being on a Mumsnet thread for people who want to lose 2-3st, which has worked well for 2 and a half months but has gone quite quiet now so maybe I need to look for a new one!

Also I’ve been working a lot on mindset and inner motivation by doing exercises from the Last Diet.

good luck! And try not to feel bad about your body, feeling good about yourself makes it easier to be healthy I’m sure, even when it feels really hard

@OneDayIWillLearn

Thank you that’s so helpful. I think I’ll try and find a thread for support too. I’m 59 now and it gets so much harder to lose weight as we age. I do IF which I do find helps. I think that and portion size is probably the key for me. As a rule I’m pretty good about not eating crap but when I fall off the wagon I really do take a tumble!

I started in April and I've lost 2 stone 8lbs now. I am still feeling really motivated and have just been invited to a wedding that will take place next summer, so that's really helped me to stay on track.

I've got rid of all my smaller clothes and I'm never going back now.

I've gone from size 18 to size 10-12.

Just updating to say ive now lost 3 stone 8lbs!

I started running and that's taken things up a gear massively. Have honestly never felt better. I've actually got a wardrobe of clothes that I can wear, that look nice, instead of covering up in leggings and big t shirts.

With WW?

@Nosummerontheagenda

Yes I've stuck to WW the whole time. I'm maintaining on it now.

Well done! I wish I could get started but I just don’t understand the system. Everything has points, like calories, but then how do you decide what to eat? How is it better than just calorie counting? I can’t see why it’s a better system. I know there are free foods, but I don’t think that would be a huge benefit to me. What I need are recipes for things I actually want to eat.

@Nosummerontheagenda

It's not better than calorie counting, it's just a different way of counting calories. You could use My Fitness Pal, which uses calories, and log everything there, and as long as you're in a calorie deficit, you would lose weight.

With regards to what to eat, that's up to you... you could google low calorie recipes and go from there, try and make healthy choices based on your calories / points for the day. Eg, I used to have two sides of whole meal bread for my lunch, now I have just one piece folded over, and a couple extra pieces of fruit.

With regards to the free foods, I still have them but I am really careful with portion control. So don't eat loads of something that's 'free', as it obviously still has calories. I have all my meals on a small plate too, that's really helped.