Going off weightwatchers diet

*Lees*

I've been doing weightwatchers since the beginning of December and have lost a good bit of the weight I need to loose. Lately however i have been getting really bad cravings for sweets and chocolate and once I have one I just cannot stop, It's like all logic goes out the window and my cravings totally take over!! Before I was on weight watchers I didn't have a sweet tooth atall, I would crave things like crisps and chips more and rarely ate chocolate and sweet things.
It got me thinking that maybe it had something to do with all the 'Low Fat' products I have been eating. Usually low fat means high in sugar right?? And from what I have read the more sugar you have in your diet the more you crave it. So if this is the case then it explains why I am getting these severe cravings!
When I thought about it more i decided that maybe the best thing for me is to quit weightwatchers points counting and instead count calories and loose weight by doing that! I'm also a bit concerned that I have been choosing things that are lower in points rather than the things that are more nutritious because they are higher in points!! For example I had been buying weight watchers yoghurts because they were half a point instead of natural yoghurt which would have been 2 points!!!
I'm not denying weightwatchers hasn't worked, because it really has and it was so easy to stick to. I'm just worried that I'm chosing the wrong things to stay within my points limit and probably not getting all the nutrients I need.

I have worked out the number of calories I should be eating to loose weight by using the formula g'em has posted on the nutrition 101 sticky.

(63.5kg) * 14.7) + 496 = 1429 (resting metabolic rate)
x 1.4 (mostly seated) = 2001

Then calculated the calories I burn through exersize in a week...
At least 5 hours walking the dog = 1,105
Spinning classes (at least 4 a week, 40 mins high intensity) = 1600
= 2705 / 7 days = 386

2001 + 386 = 2387 calories per day to maintain
- 15% = 2,028 to loose weight.

Is this correct? it just seems like a lot, but then again I don't know a whole lot about calorie's but I thought it would be a lot less.
I have started using fitday from today to get used to how many calories are in things, I'm going to go shopping for new food stuff later and I'm a bit confused as to what to buy! I'm ok for breakfasts as I will stick with porridge or eggs but the rest of the day is confusing me, i just don't know how to plan my meals so I'm eating around 2000 calories. Also, already I'm finding it difficult to stop counting points!!!
Can anyone give me some examples of healthy lunch, snacks and dinner ideas that would bring me in at the 2000 calorie mark??

Sapsorrow

Counting calories isn't a much better system tbh, you're still going to end up avoiding high fat foods in favour of high sugar ones as fat is higher in calories per gram than sugar. Forget using formulated systems, just buy a few good basic nutrition books, keep an eye on this forum, keep up the food diary and try and eat as healthily as possible all the time ie. loads of veg, moderate amounts of fruit, plenty of protein, moderate fat and carbs (minimal amounts of bread, crackers, pasta and noddles whether wholegrain or not) and no premade or processed foods and you'll be grand!

Melia

What Khrystyna suggests is ideal, but if you have a problem controlling quantities, like I do (or used to), you could stick loosely with points or calories or whatever but try to make up 90% of that with good, unprocessed foods. Even just for a while till you get an idea of roughly how much you should be eating.

You can't go too far wrong with porridge or eggs for breakfast, soup or salad for lunch (with plenty of protein and veg), fish or lean meat and lots of veg for dinner, keeping carbs to a minimum. Fruit, veg, nuts and seeds for snacks. Plenty of water and cut out the fizzy drinks, diet or no. Eat if you're hungry, eat slowly and stop when you've had enough.

If you need some ideas, Khrystyna's food diary is great.

Sapsorrow

Melia wrote: »

What Khrystyna suggests is ideal, but if you have a problem controlling quantities, like I do (or used to), you could stick loosely with points or calories or whatever but try to make up 90% of that with good, unprocessed foods. Even just for a while till you get an idea of roughly how much you should be eating.

You can't go too far wrong with porridge or eggs for breakfast, soup or salad for lunch (with plenty of protein and veg), fish or lean meat and lots of veg for dinner, keeping carbs to a minimum. Fruit, veg, nuts and seeds for snacks. Plenty of water and cut out the fizzy drinks, diet or no. Eat if you're hungry, eat slowly and stop when you've had enough.

If you need some ideas, Khrystyna's food diary is great.

That's some great advice, especially the last bit

Ciaran500

khrystyna100 wrote: »

Counting calories isn't a much better system tbh, you're still going to end up avoiding high fat foods in favour of high sugar ones as fat is higher in calories per gram than sugar. Forget using formulated systems, just buy a few good basic nutrition books, keep an eye on this forum, keep up the food diary and try and eat as healthily as possible all the time ie. loads of veg, moderate amounts of fruit, plenty of protein, moderate fat and carbs (minimal amounts of bread, crackers, pasta and noddles whether wholegrain or not) and no premade or processed foods and you'll be grand!

Two of my friends moved to this, not looking to loose weight but just to improve their diet and get away from the crap they were eating. They don't count calories at all and the weight is falling off them. When you're eating unprocessed foods I've found its far easier to control how much you're eating and know when you have eaten enough. It just feels right.

shipwreck

If you read my food diary you'll know Im a major advocate of the clean diet!
Ive been on it now for 4 months have lost loads of weight, have endless energy, look and feel better than I ever have before!!

Its an easy lifestyle change...follow what Khrystyna said and has said on other food diaries and you'll be flying!!

Pembily

shipwreck wrote: »

If you read my food diary you'll know Im a major advocate of the clean diet!
Ive been on it now for 4 months have lost loads of weight, have endless energy, look and feel better than I ever have before!!

Its an easy lifestyle change...follow what Khrystyna said and has said on other food diaries and you'll be flying!!

I am the same, if you eat clean most of the time you will feel way better and you need a cheat everynow and again but as K says remove all processed foods!!!!

It will defo help and don't over focus on the scales!!!

*Lees*

Thanks for the replies!
I understand what you are all saying. I do have a bit of a problem with portion sizes, I think I have overcome that a bit from being on weightwatchers and weighing my food.
I'm going try just the healthy eating, I'm going to count my calories for a while just to make sure I'm not going overboard!
I started just eating healthy yesterday, I came in around 1800 calories on fitday but 23 points on weightwatchers. Which would mean I was 5 points over my daily limit!! I just find it really confusing! Anyway, I will give it a go and if I am still loosing weight well then good!!