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Update in post 1. Weight watchers


Scarlett
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Well, just to add my two cents, not all doctors are as horrid as some of you are making them out to be. My mom has had 3 doctors since she was diagnosed with diabetes in 2008 and every one of them encouraged her to keep a low carb diet. The first one sent her to a nutritionist and a class.

 

I think I'd leave a doctor who fussed at me for eating right and wanted me to stay on medication. But some people expect doctors are like demi gods and what they say must be true.

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Well, just to add my two cents, not all doctors are as horrid as some of you are making them out to be. My mom has had 3 doctors since she was diagnosed with diabetes in 2008 and every one of them encouraged her to keep a low carb diet. The first one sent her to a nutritionist and a class.

 

I think I'd leave a doctor who fussed at me for eating right and wanted me to stay on medication. But some people expect doctors are like demi gods and what they say must be true.

I agree with you, and in no way was I trying to generalize that all doctors were as horrid as the ones I mentioned. In fact, it is many doctors who are saying that the ADA recommendations aren't working and are keeping their patients sick, and they are therefore leading the charge to educate people about low-carb diets. I have tremendous respect for the medical profession. (But there are some real quacks out there.) Edited by Greta
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We have a pool so he can swim.

 

 

Is your pool suitable for lap swimming for an hour? And does your son know how to flip turn? Summer swim club at rec level, is well worth the cost in terms of instruction and motivation,as well as results.

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Another issue is that going on and off the low-carb diet makes many people feel terrible. So you have to be the one who skips the birthday cake when everyone else is having some, and skips the pizza when there's a class pizza party, and instead eats your packed low-carb lunch, and a lot of teens really can't handle that. Heck, a lot of adults can't handle that. 

 

Yeah you CAN have special stuff once in awhile IF you can manage to not let it derail you or be more than once in awhile.  That's the problem though.  We have cake and cookies and candies for everything.  It's constant bombardment.  People throw the term "moderation" around a lot.  To me true moderation is a few times a year and not a few times a week.  Sure some people can get away with that, but not everyone.  I do allow myself treats and going out to eat without restrictions, but it is not a weekly thing and I save it for something I absolutely want to eat and not just eat because it's shoved in front of me.  But then that does mean that I have gone to parties, etc. and had no options.  I try to bring food, but sometimes for one reason or another that's not easy to do. 

Edited by SparklyUnicorn
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Well, it sounds like he is interested.

 

The skim milk thing though is why I am not so keen on WW type apoproaches. Drinking skim is associated with gaining, not losing weight.

Skim milk is not a WW approach . I don't know what you mean by that . You can have whole milk.

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Is your pool suitable for lap swimming for an hour? And does your son know how to flip turn? Summer swim club at rec level, is well worth the cost in terms of instruction and motivation,as well as results.

Our pool is 32 feet long. There's no summer swim club option here

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Eating cereal at all is going to be crazy. It's empty calories. She was going to make him some egg/veg things to have with skim milk. Which is why I mentioned whole milk might be a better option.

I agree cereal is very high points. So he will have to factor that in his daily choices. This morning he had three egg muffins and a container of yogurt so that was nine points

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Concerning diabetes - low carb is one way, Fuhrman's high fiber vegetarian way is another; the ADA is very disinterested in either option, no matter how many of us explain to our doctors and diabetes educators that our numbers are consistently lower - into non-diabetes range - on these plans than on their meal plans and pills. Of course, there's very, very little money to be made in telling people to eat their vegetables and take a walk...

 

still, concerning Scarlet's son, I will have to join the ranks of those wondering what difference the milkfat percentage makes if he's eating three or four bowls of cold cereal for breakfast. Come, now.

Right. I think cereal Will be out . I have been reading all this information about low-fat milk with interest . I have never been a fan of low-fat anything. So I will probably go back to buying only whole milk which is what I buy for Ds27.

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We have had a good day. He is learning a lot. He has the app on his phone and he checks all kinds of things. He was shocked to discover that the 2 ounces of fry sauce was 10 points. We got a burger for lunch and share some fries and still threw away half of them. But that fry sauce is from the devil

 

We picked up lots of good salad vegetables and fruit so tonight we will have a nice big salad . I think he still has 32 points left for supper. I have 10

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We have had a good day. He is learning a lot. He has the app on his phone and he checks all kinds of things. He was shocked to discover that the 2 ounces of fry sauce was 10 points. We got a burger for lunch and share some fries and still threw away half of them. But that fry sauce is from the devil

 

We picked up lots of good salad vegetables and fruit so tonight we will have a nice big salad . I think he still has 32 points left for supper. I have 10

 

 

:hurray:   I think it's so great that you're doing it with him.  That way it's not "this is something you're doing wrong that you need to fix!" but instead it's "this is something that we do to take good care of ourselves, to be healthy and happy".  

 

(This wasn't Freddy's fry sauce by any chance?  I love that stuff!)

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Our pool is 32 feet long. There's no summer swim club option here

He is six feet tall? Tough to make that work for fitness lap swim. Perhaps there is a high school pool with public sessions for lap swim?

 

He really needs something that involves strength, not just aerobic exercise. That's just how teen males are. Any possibility of joining a public high school sports team?

 

Nice to see he is incorporating greens. How are you handling the protein that a growing teen needs?

Edited by Heigh Ho
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He could do simple strength stuff like pushups and chin ups.  That should keep him busy for awhile.  ; )

 

If you have a Planet Fitness, those places are very affordable.  About $30 down for the year and $10 a month.  They are open 7 days a week (24 hours during the week days).  That's where I go.

 

 

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He could do simple strength stuff like pushups and chin ups. That should keep him busy for awhile. ; )

 

If you have a Planet Fitness, those places are very affordable. About $30 down for the year and $10 a month. They are open 7 days a week (24 hours during the week days). That's where I go.

PF here has removed the 'intimidating' higher weights..my teen outgrew what they had left fast...the Y is much better ($150 per year for a 16 yr old). Even better is the high school...use of the weight room is available before and after school to the teams for free. Edited by Heigh Ho
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PF here has removed the 'intimidating' higher weights..my teen outgrew what they had left fast...the Y is much better ($150 per year for a 16 yr old). Even better is the high school...use of the weight room is available before and after school to the teams for free.

 

I have no idea what they have for that.

 

Here the Y is kind of a rip because they don't have a pool (and it's $19 per month plus $25 down for that age).

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He could do simple strength stuff like pushups and chin ups. That should keep him busy for awhile. ; )

 

If you have a Planet Fitness, those places are very affordable. About $30 down for the year and $10 a month. They are open 7 days a week (24 hours during the week days). That's where I go.

Cough, cough, Nerd Fitness, cough.

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If he doesn't have access to a gym or a home gym, then I recommend You Are Your Own Gym.

 

Good book, and there's also a free training program at startbodyweight.com if he wants to get started without the investment.

 

Even with access to a gym I highly recommend bodyweight exercises. It can mean a lot to a teenager to be able to bust out push-ups and pull-ups, which are much easier to show off at a party than squats or bench presses. 

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:hurray: I think it's so great that you're doing it with him. That way it's not "this is something you're doing wrong that you need to fix!" but instead it's "this is something that we do to take good care of ourselves, to be healthy and happy".

 

(This wasn't Freddy's fry sauce by any chance? I love that stuff!)

Yes it was. I love it too. But I had about 1/2 an ounce. He had two ounces. :)

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He is six feet tall? Tough to make that work for fitness lap swim. Perhaps there is a high school pool with public sessions for lap swim?

 

He really needs something that involves strength, not just aerobic exercise. That's just how teen males are. Any possibility of joining a public high school sports team?

 

Nice to see he is incorporating greens. How are you handling the protein that a growing teen needs?

I don't know. :(. We have meat every supper.....I buy tuna and we keep peanut butter. I just bought hummus and encouraged him to eat it with veggies...eggs. Lots of egg.

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He is six feet tall? Tough to make that work for fitness lap swim. Perhaps there is a high school pool with public sessions for lap swim?

 

He really needs something that involves strength, not just aerobic exercise. That's just how teen males are. Any possibility of joining a public high school sports team?

 

Nice to see he is incorporating greens. How are you handling the protein that a growing teen needs?

There is no pool anywhere close for laps. He will have to make do...and we have weights in the shop. Edited by Scarlett
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Like Big G cereals that they serve to school children every day in many schools in the US?

 

I don't know what those are.  But, things like whole grain crackers or Cheerios.  Even bread that is still pretty highly processed.  Most people simply won't eat as much real whole grain bread.=, it's too filling and work to chew.

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It seemed to me that previous posters were discussing ways to make his cereal preference healthier; Scarlett had said that the multiple bowls have been his habit. So he's supposed to cut his portions by 1/3 to 1/2? I think (JMHO) he might prefer to eat something else entirely, such as the egg "muffins" Scarlett is going to fix, which sound like a great idea.

 

(It's not that strange for teenaged boys to eat half a box of cereal, either; my guys are not at all overweight and very athletic, but never bother with just one serving of cereal. Which is one reason we try to get them to eat oatmeal or eggs, or anything else that will actually stick to their ribs.)

 

No, I brought up the milk.  Scarlett was going to bake egg and veg in muffin tins and give him skim milk with it. I suggested whole would be better.

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No, I brought up the milk.  Scarlett was going to bake egg and veg in muffin tins and give him skim milk with it. I suggested whole would be better.

 

 

Interestingly he chose a yogurt over the glass of milk.

 

He did great yesterday.  I see WW as a tool to education him and motivate him.  Of course it won't help long term if he doesn't apply what he learns.

 

I think he ended up with 10 points left over yesterday.  And he rode his bike two different times.  Once for 15 min and once for 30.

 

I on the other hand went over by 4 points.  ;/

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I agree with you. :)

 

Moxie had said it was easy for her to never eat bread (or whatever) and I said she was lucky it was so easy for her. I was genuinely glad it was easy for her. Then she said it wasn't luck, so I asked her what she would call it, and she said it was because she had educated herself and is doing what is best for her health. I think it's great that she is doing what she believes is best for her health and that it's easy for her to stick to it, but I think she is more the exception than the rule when it comes to being able to stick to a new diet plan long term without any regrets or cravings for old favorite foods.

 

I think I offended her when I said she was lucky it was easy for her, but I meant it in a nice way. It wouldn't be easy for me, no matter how educated I was about it! :)

 

Yes, this seems to vary a lot.

 

People sometimes seem to think I'm very moderate, but really that isn't the case.  I focus well on some kinds of tasks, and generally my tastes are moderate - I like fruit and veg and cooking - I like to walk outside and work in the garden - I don't want to run off to a weird sex cult or eat twinkies all day.

 

But I'm not actually all that disaplined when my wants go outside of what I ought to do, I have to set things up so I can't fail.  And it's sometimes cravings, generally being impatient, wanting to be social and just enjoying things and not wanting to give up something I like.  And I'm very good at rationalizing.

 

A diet in the tradtional sense would not be a good approach for me.

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I agree cereal is very high points. So he will have to factor that in his daily choices. This morning he had three egg muffins and a container of yogurt so that was nine points

 

I don't care about high points.  He'll be hunry again in an hour even f he eats the whole box  of cereal.  Then he'll need to eat something not to feel awful.

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I don't care about high points.  He'll be hunry again in an hour even f he eats the whole box  of cereal.  Then he'll need to eat something not to feel awful.

 

Yes that is the point.  Cereal takes a lot of your daily points and it doesn't keep you feeling full for very long at all.

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I skipped the last couple of pages, but wanted to add my own suggestion for what worked for me at one point, in terms of weight loss (45 lbs) and really changing my eating habits. I tried WW and Jenny Craig and a few others, but they were not quite right for me. WW didn't distinguish enough between different types of food, focusing more on calories, and JC was too much packaged food and constant sales pitches.

 

I basically followed a version of Richard Simmons' Deal-a-Meal plan. Depending on my recommended calories for the day, I would get a certain number of servings from each food group. Off the top of my head, it was something like 6 veggie servings, 3 fruit servings, 3 meat/protein servings, 6 grain servings, etc. For example, a veggie card was green, and the back of the card listed suggested veggies along with the appropriate serving size. I had a wallet with a different card for each serving. As I ate my food throughout the day, I would move cards from one side of the wallet to the other. A salad with bread would be 2 or 3 veggie cards and a grain card. Throw 3 ounces of chicken on the salad, and I would deduct a meat card.  If I didn't balance the food groups over the course of the day, at dinner time I would be faced with a big stack of just one kind of card (usually veggies). I learned to mix in fruits and veggies through out the day, and take smaller portions of grains with each meal. 

 

Once I had the hang of it, with proper serving sizes and a good repertoire of meals, I printed out a mini version of the program, which was a list of all my serving choices on a paper about the size of a bookmark, and I would check off each serving as I ate it over the course of the day. I carried my daily bookmark with me as a reminder, but I really did not need to rely on it as much, since I had developed much better eating habits while learning to use the program. 

 

Maybe an approach like this might work for your dss? It sounds like he needs to address both portion awareness and appropriate nutritional variety in a way that builds a healthy relationship with food.

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Interestingly he chose a yogurt over the glass of milk.

 

He did great yesterday.  I see WW as a tool to education him and motivate him.  Of course it won't help long term if he doesn't apply what he learns.

 

I think he ended up with 10 points left over yesterday.  And he rode his bike two different times.  Once for 15 min and once for 30.

 

I on the other hand went over by 4 points.  ;/

 

I don't know about the current Smart points plan but when I was going on the Points Plus plan, we were told to eat all our points, at least the minimum daily allowance. We were also given a weekly allowance to use or not use. We were also able to convert activity points to eating points but I never did that.

 

There are healthy ways to eat those points. I use mine for PB crackers and milk mostly. I also love avocados.

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I don't know about the current Smart points plan but when I was going on the Points Plus plan, we were told to eat all our points, at least the minimum daily allowance. We were also given a weekly allowance to use or not use. We were also able to convert activity points to eating points but I never did that.

 

There are healthy ways to eat those points. I use mine for PB crackers and milk mostly. I also love avocados.

 

Yes, he should eat all his points.

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Yes that is the point. Cereal takes a lot of your daily points and it doesn't keep you feeling full for very long at all.

Is the allowance set for a teen male, or an adult? They have different nutritional requirements.

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I don't know about the current Smart points plan but when I was going on the Points Plus plan, we were told to eat all our points, at least the minimum daily allowance. We were also given a weekly allowance to use or not use. We were also able to convert activity points to eating points but I never did that.

 

There are healthy ways to eat those points. I use mine for PB crackers and milk mostly. I also love avocados.

 

 

I think this is true still.  I need to read up on it.  I told him that yesterday but it was dinner time, he was full and I think he was shocked he did so well.  :)

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I don't know about the current Smart points plan but when I was going on the Points Plus plan, we were told to eat all our points, at least the minimum daily allowance. We were also given a weekly allowance to use or not use. We were also able to convert activity points to eating points but I never did that.

 

There are healthy ways to eat those points. I use mine for PB crackers and milk mostly. I also love avocados.

I know, I'm beating a dead horse.

 

This is what bothers me. PB crackers and milk are kinda bad. No nutritional value really and high in sugars (not even touching on how inflammatory grains and dairy can be). An avacado is always awesome! Eat lots of them and you will still lose weight. With points, you aren't learning about nutrition and changing your habits, you are just eating smaller portions of crap. Yes, you can do points and still learn about nutrition but that is not how I usually see it play out.

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I know, I'm beating a dead horse.

 

This is what bothers me. PB crackers and milk are kinda bad. No nutritional value really and high in sugars (not even touching on how inflammatory grains and dairy can be). An avacado is always awesome! Eat lots of them and you will still lose weight. With points, you aren't learning about nutrition and changing your habits, you are just eating smaller portions of crap. Yes, you can do points and still learn about nutrition but that is not how I usually see it play out.

 

 

But Moxie the points do not make you eat crap. 

 

And I definitely can not eat all the avacados I want and lose weight. 

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I know, I'm beating a dead horse.

 

This is what bothers me. PB crackers and milk are kinda bad. No nutritional value really and high in sugars (not even touching on how inflammatory grains and dairy can be). An avacado is always awesome! Eat lots of them and you will still lose weight. With points, you aren't learning about nutrition and changing your habits, you are just eating smaller portions of crap. Yes, you can do points and still learn about nutrition but that is not how I usually see it play out.

Not everyone believes that dairy and grains are bad for you, and there is no reason why the average person -- even a person who is trying to lose weight -- needs to avoid sugars to the extent that they can't even eat a few PB crackers.

 

 

(Edited for typo -- l really need to turn off the autocorrect thing on my iPad! :) )

Edited by Catwoman
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But Moxie the points do not make you eat crap.

 

And I definitely can not eat all the avacados I want and lose weight.

:iagree:

 

WW has worked for many people for many years, and I know several people who have not only lost weight on the program but who -- more importantly -- have kept the weight off for many years and are still slim. I hope it works for your dss. It sounds like he's already motivated and on the right track! :hurray:

 

The problem with many diets is that they're too restrictive and too extreme for the average person. I would never tell the average teenager that he couldn't have dairy or bread. How long would the kid last on a diet like that? He could never eat any of the things his friends were eating. Heck, I wouldn't last long on a diet like that, either.

 

I think that's why WW works for so many people. It's real "normal" food that the average family eats, and the focus is on portion sizes and learning which foods you can eat lots of, and which foods you should eat more sparingly if you want to lose weight. You can still eat a piece of cake (or whatever) on WW, as long as you're keeping track of the points. That ability to eat at least some of everything you like is very freeing for many people.

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:iagree:

 

WW has worked for many people for many years, and I know several people who have not only lost weight on the program but who -- more importantly -- have kept the weight off for many years and are still slim. I hope it works for your dss. It sounds like he's already motivated and on the right track! :hurray:

 

The problem with many diets is that they're too restrictive and too extreme for the average person. I would never tell the average teenager that he couldn't have dairy or bread. How long would the kid last on a diet like that? He could never eat any of the things his friends were eating. Heck, I wouldn't last long on a diet like that, either.

 

I think that's why WW works for so many people. It's real "normal" food that the average family eats, and the focus is on portion sizes and learning which foods you can eat lots of, and which foods you should eat more sparingly if you want to lose weight. You can still eat a piece of cake (or whatever) on WW, as long as you're keeping track of the points. That ability to eat at least some of everything you like is very freeing for many people.

 

 

Yes exactly.  Last night he chose to wrap his burger in lettuce and skip the 7 point bun.  Since there is not a lot of nutrition in that bun I thought that was a good choice.  I think he should have had two burgers though instead of one....He would have used most of his points that way.  It was his first day though and he is learning.  He was talking about it in front of ds17 so I guess he is ok with people knowing! 

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Yes exactly. Last night he chose to wrap his burger in lettuce and skip the 7 point bun. Since there is not a lot of nutrition in that bun I thought that was a good choice. I think he should have had two burgers though instead of one....He would have used most of his points that way. It was his first day though and he is learning. He was talking about it in front of ds17 so I guess he is ok with people knowing!

That's good -- he's making choices. He knew he could have the bun if he wanted it, but he chose the lettuce. If he knew he *had* to have the lettuce because buns were prohibited, he might have felt deprived.

 

I know several people have said that you shouldn't talk to your kids about needing to lose weight, but I'm kind of wondering if your dss has secretly wanted to lose weight for a while now, but he felt awkward about bringing it up, and didn't know how to get started on his own. He might have also felt like if he was the one to talk about it, he wouldn't be able to fail because it was all his idea. Maybe by talking to him, you and your dh gave him the chance to agree with you and try WW, without having to approach you about his weight situation on his own.

 

I only say this because now that you've given him the tools he needs to lose weight, he seems to have gotten very motivated very quickly.

 

I'm so happy he's trying so hard, and am praying for his success.

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That's good -- he's making choices. He knew he could have the bun if he wanted it, but he chose the lettuce. If he knew he *had* to have the lettuce because buns were prohibited, he might have felt deprived.

 

I know several people have said that you shouldn't talk to your kids about needing to lose weight, but I'm kind of wondering if your dss has secretly wanted to lose weight for a while now, but he felt awkward about bringing it up, and didn't know how to get started on his own. He might have also felt like if he was the one to talk about it, he wouldn't be able to fail because it was all his idea. Maybe by talking to him, you and your dh gave him the chance to agree with you and try WW, without having to approach you about his weight situation on his own.

 

I only say this because now that you've given him the tools he needs to lose weight, he seems to have gotten very motivated very quickly.

 

I'm so happy he's trying so hard, and am praying for his success.

 

 

Yes, I know a lot of people are so sensitive to anyone discussing weight....I hear it so much on here that I was really conflicted.  I talked to dh about it and told him all of that and how did he feel about it.  When I told him ds weighed 297 he said, 'um, he has to do something.  I am not giving him a choice.'  So thankfully dss seems eager to cooperate.  I believe like you that he has been looking for some firm guidance on it.  He obviously needs help because on his own he just keeps gaining. 

 

He has a rash on his side that he asks me to take him to the doctor for...We go next Tuesday so I will be happy to hear what the doctor says about the weight issue and the WW efforts.   When dss was there last summer for a check up (his first visit with this doc) the doctor did not say much about his weight.  But dss has gained 20 pounds since then. 

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PF here has removed the 'intimidating' higher weights..my teen outgrew what they had left fast...the Y is much better ($150 per year for a 16 yr old). Even better is the high school...use of the weight room is available before and after school to the teams for free.

I'm jealous your Y is so affordable! Ours is $48/mo for a teen.

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I know, I'm beating a dead horse.

 

This is what bothers me. PB crackers and milk are kinda bad. No nutritional value really and high in sugars (not even touching on how inflammatory grains and dairy can be). An avacado is always awesome! Eat lots of them and you will still lose weight. With points, you aren't learning about nutrition and changing your habits, you are just eating smaller portions of crap. Yes, you can do points and still learn about nutrition but that is not how I usually see it play out.

 

Don't blame WW for my food choices. And thank you for your knowledge but I"m a big girl and will eat what I want to eat.

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When I first started losing weight, I only tracked calories. I saw some great results on the scale and in my well-being (including lab results) and in my athletic performance just from eating smaller amounts of crap and adding vegetables. And when I did get more interested in nutrition, moving to tracking macros was easier because I was used to tracking calories. 

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