confused and a little disheartened

Galaxy83

Member
Morning everyone!

I started weight watchers online on 2nd Jan (weighing 24st 3lb) and lost 4lb in my 1st week. I then had a doctors appointment for something else but we got onto my weight and she recommended xenical to use alongside my weight watchers plan. That was it really, she gave me no other info.

I have now been on xenical for 2 weeks and have lost just 1lb a week, which I know is better off than on but considering my weight and the amount of effort I am putting in it just feels a little disheartening. I'm confused now and don't know if I'm doing things right. I know the alli advert says you can lose up to an extra 1lb for every 2lb you lose on your own so considering weight watchers is supposedly designed for you to lose weight at a steady 1-2lb a week I was expecting to lose 2-3 per week taking xenical at the same time (especially as the ones you get from the doctor are twice the strength of alli).

I have read through some threads on here and seen things about 5% fat and things which makes me think I might be doing it all wrong. My GP never mentioned anything about what to eat, she just said they were fine to take with weight watchers. I have been sticking to my daily points allowance religiously so I know I'm following the plan correctly but I have no idea how many grams of fat I'm eating....is this where I'm going wrong?

I have not had any bad side effects or anything so I assumed I wasn't eating too much fat. I know xenical isn't a miracle pill and am not hoping to lose loads at a really fast rate but I can't help being disappointed with just losing 1lb every week. I should mention I'm fitting in exercise every day too (mainly in the form of walking) because I know I can't just sit about and wait for the pills to work!

Am I being unrealistic wanting to lose 2-3lbs a week? Or am I doing something wrong or shouldn't be doing weight watchers at the same time? Any advice would be great.

Thanks in advance!
 
Good morning,
Sorry to hear you're feeling so disheartened - it does sound like you're doing everything right, but maybe you could post a couple of typical days worth of food on here, so people could have a look and see if anything stands out a mile!?
I haven't done Weight Watchers recently, so I can't comment on that particular diet, but I know a lot of people do combine it with Xenical and have excellent results (likewise with Slimming World)
I think if you'd been overdoing the fat, you would have experienced some side effects by now, but the general rule is to keep below 5g of fat per 100g of food.
If you have a look at the packaging of some of the food you've been eating, there are usually two columns of nutritional information - one for the whole serving, and one per 100g of product. It's best to stick below 5g per 100g and no more than 15g for the whole meal (someone will correct me if I'm wrong).
Try not to get too disheartened, the tablets do help (I got down to my lowest weight on them), but maybe things are just a little slow at kicking in for you. Everybody's body and metabolism is different.
Alex x
 
some of the weightwatchers things have more fat in them then xenical likes.. maybe your not getting side effects but still maybe its not low fat enough for xenical..

for this reason i just did xenical on its own with no sideline plan.. i look at all my packets and everything must be under 5g of fat per 100g of product and the whole meal should be no more then 15g of fat ... some weightwatchers products while they fit into the points ect they fall out of xenical guidelines..

are you doing exercise as well? xenical wont make you loose weight it just keeps you within the guidelines of healthy eating which does make you loose weight if your active...

ive lost over 11 stone on xenical and the one thing ill tell you is xenical doesnt make you loose weight its all about the things you do alongside it.. infact xenical doesnt do a thing if your following the guidelines... because it doesnt need to.. its just a way to change your thinking and approach to food. xx
 
Thank-you. A typical day would be something like:

Breakfast: porridge with skimmed milk

Lunch: Sandwich (2 slices wholemeal bread, scraping of low fat spread, lean ham and salad) and a low fat yogurt

Mid afternoon: Can of Tomato soup

Dinner: Potatoes, Veg, skinless chicken breast wrapped in lean bacon (you know the healthier bacon that's just the round bit with all the fat cut off) and a yorkshire pudding

If I've enough points left at the end of the day I'll usually have some cereal with skimmed milk.


Some days I'll have things like birdseye crispy chicken which having just looked on the packet has over 12g of fat per 100g!! I'll certainly start looking at the labels more. Just to make sure....it is the whole fat content per 100g and not just the saturated fat I should be looking at isn't it?

With regards to the exercise I'm trying really hard to fit some in everyday. Obviously at my weight and with not doing any for such a long time I am finding it a real struggle but have been pushing myself to go for a walk everyday despite how hard I'm finding it, this is the reason I want to lose weight because I want to be able to walk without finding it hard and for exercise and activity to not be such an effort. I suppose this is the main reason I'm a little disappointed, because I'm finding it so difficult being so unfit and wanted to see that I was getting somewhere to being healthier and fitter. Which I know I am....even losing 1lb a week I will get there eventually, I can't give up this time, I'm determined to do it no matter how long it takes.....even though I was hoping it would happen a little faster!!:)
 
The only thing i can really add to this that hasnt been mentioned already is looking at your food diary even tho your are not using all you WW points. I would reccomend sticking to only 3 meals a day with fruit as snacks. I would also cut out things like bacon, some people may disagree even if it is low fat. Really there is no need to have a nice piece of chicken wrapped in bacon low fat or not.

If I've enough points left at the end of the day I'll usually have some cereal with skimmed milk.
What time of the day are you having this? If its after 8pm your body will not be processing the food as it would be during the day. I would swap this for a banana or try drinking water to fill up on.

I would have a word with your WW leader on your next visit and try talking to them about it. When i did weightwatchers last year i was loosing 1-2lbs a week. Now im taking xenical on its own along with exercise and im loosing 2-3lbs a week. I was allowed about 30 points a day which i could never use more than 23 so you find yourself eating more thinking 'its in my points' when you dont actually need to eat anything else.
 
I'm sorry I can't help more with the Weight Watchers side of things, but I'd agree with Redkoala, just have a look at what you're having in between meals - it might be better to snack on things like fruit rather than cerals. I have a stash of apples, clementines, Snack a Jacks, and healthy cereal bars in my desk drawer at work, so I can happily graze when I need to without having extra meals.
The only other thing I can think of is the potatoes - are you measuring them out? I don't know what they're like in terms of WW points, but they're a lot higher in calories than other vegetables. I try to limit myself on them (although I love them), and fill up with piles of other veg (brocolli, cauli, leeks, carotts etc).
Remember that the Xenical 'clings' onto 30% of the fat in whatever meal you're eating, and passes it through your system (hence the orange effect that some people experience). This is great in some ways, because not all the fat you eat is being absorbed (thus speeding up your weight-loss).
However, remember that the remainder (70%) of the fat is still being absorbed, so it's best to stick to low fat foods even if you're not having the side effects.
Hope this makes sense - I wonder if they have a dietician at your doctors surgery, or somebody who specialises in weight management who could have a look at your food diary and give some advice.
I'm sure you'll get lots of good help and advice on here too!
p.s. yes, it's the total fat rather than just saturated.
 
Any fresh fruit is more than fine to eat :)
 
yeah it would be about 8ish if I had cereal. Even after that most days I have about 7 points left, I'm allowed 33 which is a LOT of food. It's hard to eat that much really because on one hand weight watchers is telling you that not eating all your points can actually make you put on weight (because you're body can think you're starving yourself) but then on the other I find myself forcing myself to eat when I'm not even that hungry to make sure I'm not leaving too many points out. Eating when I don't need it sort of goes against what losing weight has always been about for me so I find myself feeling guilty sometimes even though I'm allowed to eat more!!

I will stick at the weight watchers approach for a couple more weeks and see what happens, although paying more attention to how many grams of fat are in what I'm eating regardless of the points value. You see my doctor said that the xenical would 'boost' what I was already doing with weight watchers so I assumed I would lose more than normal. I will just have to plod on and hope for a better result next week! Thanks for the help peeps!
 
Hi Nikki,
It is really disappointing when that happens and it makes it hard to keep going. The only advice I can give you is to stick with it and hopefully you will have a good loss next time.
I only weigh monthly now because I get disheartened by tiny weight losses and feel much better with a good loss after a longer period.
Good Luck and let us know how you get on.
Shorty x
 
yeah it would be about 8ish if I had cereal. Even after that most days I have about 7 points left, I'm allowed 33 which is a LOT of food. !

And thats your problem. Youre not eating enough. You need to eat all your points. As you rightly say not eating enough will affect your losses. Stick to WW properly, eat your points and stick with Xenical and youll see results. At the moment youre not following WW properly

Breakfast: porridge with skimmed milk have semi skimmed or full fat

Lunch: Sandwich (2 slices wholemeal bread, scraping of low fat spread, lean ham and salad) and a low fat yogurt have another type of spread and regular white bread and a regular non low fat yoghurt

Mid afternoon: Can of Tomato soup

Dinner: Potatoes, Veg, skinless chicken breast wrapped in lean bacon (you know the healthier bacon that's just the round bit with all the fat cut off) and a yorkshire pudding

If I've enough points left at the end of the day I'll usually have some cereal with skimmed milk. If youre 7 points under per day you have plenty left. Cut back the skimmed milk and have semi or full fat


You dont have to necessarily eat more. Making some changes to what youre having will bump up your points to a level in line with your allowance
 
You can't win with food - eat too much put weight on, eat too little put weight on
 
id defo agree with starlight on this! With ww you are allocated more points cos your body needs more calories to function. if u dont eat enough your body will hold on to every single calorie!

in the first few weeks of taking xenical it tends to bung people up. I know you pug veg on your food diary but it doesnt look like you are having enough! Can you still have some veggies and fruit unlimited? if so it might help if u up your intake of them.

When i first started xenical it took me a while before i got my rhythem ;) sorry tmi back again and the first week i didnt loose a single lb!

Id advise your stick with ww and have all your points recomended and see how it goes. Xenical affects everyone differently so it might work out that its not for you but try not to get disheartened! I know its easier said than done but im sure you will see the results in your next WI

let us know how u get on!

love katie

xxxx
 
hi and welcome...
I didnt find ww worked for me, but thats my personal opinion...
I think like the others you should have or close to your points, other wise you will not get what you need to live and keep going.

My advice (and it doesnt have to be taken) is to add some more fibre (this will help with any bunged up problems that the tablets can cause)
personally i would cut the soup and cereal out and change these for fruit or maybe try some of the ww puddings (which i eat often, but watch out for the ones above the fat content)
cut down on some carbs... Dont what ever you do cut them out completly.. But lower these.. Not sure what the daily recomendation is but look it up and try to stick to it....
Maybe if you like them, have a hot chocolate at night with a pudding and i tell you what you will feel fuller than having a bowl of cereal.

Hope this has helped.. Keep us posted and im sure things will settle down in time

GOOD LUCK!!!!
 
Can't really add anything to whats already been said. How have you found your weight loss pattern when you've lost weight in the past? (I'm assuming you've walked this road before as most of us have) I was looking at some previous weight loss charts that I've kept from former weight loss attempts at various slimming clubs, and I noticed my weight loss seems to occur in fortnightly drops, rather than weekly. Also, I've always been a slow loser even though I've stuck to the diets, other people lose twice as much in the same time, so I try not to expect miracles. I'd say, watch your fat, watch your snacks, get exercise, drink water and stick to your full points quota for a month. (Post your food diary). After that assess your progress, it might be a good result. If not, you may be one of the few people that WW doesnt suit. Reconsider eating plan if this is the case. Lots of luck babe. Lizzie
 
Thanks everyone you've all given me some great advice. Today is actually my official weigh day and upon getting on the scales this morning I had lost 5lb!!! I am really annoyed now for weighing myself yesterday and not sticking to the once a week rule but I have definitely learnt my lesson.

I still think I need to take some of your advice though and am going to start looking at labels more and fitting in more fruit and veg. I got the boost I needed to carry on this morning and from now on will never step on the scales unless it's a saturday!

Thanks again everyone I'm glad you are all here for advice when I'm having a wobble!!
 
well done nikki im so glad you got a good weight loss. Keep it up babe!
 
Thanks everyone you've all given me some great advice. Today is actually my official weigh day and upon getting on the scales this morning I had lost 5lb!!! I am really annoyed now for weighing myself yesterday and not sticking to the once a week rule but I have definitely learnt my lesson.

I still think I need to take some of your advice though and am going to start looking at labels more and fitting in more fruit and veg. I got the boost I needed to carry on this morning and from now on will never step on the scales unless it's a saturday!

Thanks again everyone I'm glad you are all here for advice when I'm having a wobble!!


ooooh i didnt realise u were midweek weighing! :giggle: tut tut hehe i always do it and it crushes your motivation doesnt it! I am a serial weigher too! glad u have learned your lesson tho! And i am happy you have got the results your were looking for!

Keep it up hun!

love katie
xxxx
 
That's fantastic news, well done on losing 5 pounds.
Shorty xx
 
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