Shrinking Natalie

WELCOME! Congratulations on joining Weight Watchers (WW) and working towards a new you. The message boards on WeightWatchers.com  is a great place to get support, but we all know this process can be overwhelming. Here are the answers to some questions you might have starting off. This list of helpful hints was compiled from experienced weight watchers who want to share our knowledge with all the new WWers, as well as cut down on board traffic & repeated posts:

1. Yes, you should eat all of your daily points allowance. This is your minimum intake of food. Its up to you, however, how many of your Weekly Points (WP or flexies) and Activity Points (AP) you use. Everyone is different on how many WPs & APs they use, you will have to find your body's rhythm. Just experiment!
2. APs, WPs, WW, OP, DBF - got your head spinning? Go here, for a list of board abbreviations: http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=272
3. Speaking of APs - NO, you do not get to count sex as an activity.
4. For info on the good health guidelines (GHG) and serving sizes, check out your week 1 booklet, or visit: http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?art_id=303&tabnum=1&sc=3002&subnav=The+Plan
5. 30 Day Shred is a workout DVD by Jillian Michaels, one of the trainers from NBC's "Biggest Loser." Some members have had great success using this DVD workout, and you should check out the daily thread "Shredding Sisters" to learn more.
6. Freewebs is a free site that lets you build your own website where you can track and blog on your progress - including posting pictures. Many board members have their links in their signatures (the text below their posts) and a link in their profile (you can get to someone's profile by clicking on their name).  For more on how to build a freewebs site of your own visit: http://members.freewebs.com/pages/features/
7. To "post stalk" someone means to see what they have posted earlier. To do this, click on the number (the # of total post they have made) underneath their name in any message.
8. A realistic weight loss is between .5-2 lbs a week. That means if you want to lose 20 lbs, it will probably take at least 10 weeks. Everyone is different, though, and if you have more to lose, you can lose it faster - in the beginning. Setting stringent time goals (e.g. I want to lose 20 lbs by my sister's wedding in 5 weeks) is setting yourself up for failure. Also, if you do lose quickly in the beginning, you may get a message from the online tracker that “you are losing too quickly.” This is just a disclaimer that WW must post for legal reasons. Ignore it.
9. The more water you drink the less water you retain – counter-intuitive but true. Also, your time of the month, salty foods and alcohol, especially beer, can make you retain lots of water. Retaining water can account for drastic swings in weight on the scale. Sodium is the culprit. We only need about 500mg a day and WW suggests 2000-3000mg as a good goal, but salt is packed into a lot of things as a preservative, especially processed foods & soup.  If you have consumed a lot of sodium, drink water to flush it out of your system.
10. Speaking of the scale, try not to weigh yourself everyday. Lots of things affect your weight, read this article: http://primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/library/weight/scale.htm
11. You cannot post points values of foods. The message boards are open to the public (you don’t have to be a paying WWer), and points are a trademarked product. You can however say the word points, and you can post the nutritional information for food (usually done in the calories/fat/fiber format).
12. The only way to change your screen name is to re-register. This sucks, but there is no way around it.
13. A troll is someone who lurks on the boards and posts messages to start drama. They often post under an anonymous name (one they haven’t used on the boards before). Ignore them. We love our mostly drama free 20’s Board, let’s keep it that way.
14. Everyone has their own weigh-in (WI) day rituals. What foods to eat, wearing the exact same clothes, etc. Try not to stress too much, WI is about your cumulative work over a week, not how many grapes you ate at lunch.
15. Fiber is great. But taking in too much fiber and not enough water will lead to a very unhappy WWer. Drink your fluids! Also, fiber can make you very gassy – take your BEANO!!
16. C25k = Couch to 5k, a program that helps you get off the couch and prepare to run a 5k race. For details go here: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
17. A weight loss pill is not a healthy approach to weight loss. We advocate safe weight loss using WW rules for nutrition and exercise.
18. The numbers under members’ names (e.g. 200/150/125) are Starting Weight/Current Weight/Goal Weight. To add/change yours, add avatars (the 1-3 pictures under your name), and update your profile, click on your name at the top left menu (where it says “Welcome, YOUR NAME!”). Login and then click on “Message Board Profile” in the last menu box.
19. Finally, introduce yourself! We want to get to know you, don’t be afraid to jump in. Remember, though, these are public message boards, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion.