Hi Milton and welcome to the group.  We can provide support and
encouragement when you need it, but the only person who can ultimately
decide to lose the weight is *you*. Trust me when I say that persistance and
perseverance are the best qualities you can have on this journey :)  Good
luck and let us know how you get on.  Here's our welcome notice to get you
started.

Welcome to this great newsgroup where you'll receive lots of support,
advice, and encouragement. Once a week on Sundays, I post a list of links
that newcomers to asdww might find useful. You may want to look for that
later in the week, or do a backwards search for last Sunday's post.

In the meantime, here's our FAQ:
http://www.didian.com/asdww/
our welcome notice:
http://www.geocities.com/welcomenotice/index.html

Frequently seen acronyms on this NG:
NSV = Non-Scale Victory
WOE = Way of Eating
WOL = Way of Life (Living)
OP = on Points or On Program
DH = Dear or Darling Husband
DS/DD/DGD/etc = Dear or Darling Son, Daughter, Granddaughter, etc
WI = Weigh-in

Amberle3's Challenges:

Generic Exercise Challenge: http://www.angelfire.com/me4/travelgirl/ge.htm
   November 29-February 27

It's Never Too Late Weight Loss Challenge:
http://www.angelfire.com/me4/travelgirl/intl.htm
   December 6-February 27

Weight Loss Challenge Summary:
http://www.angelfire.com/me4/travelgirl/summary.htm

Other acronyms:
http://www.wwlissa.com/dwlz100+/100+acronyms.htm

Here's a short synopsis of the USA Flexpoints program by Joyce -

How many points you can eat is only based on your current weight, as you
lose
weight those points allowed will decrease (logic is that your body will need
less
to operate).   At 183 pounds and based on the new US flexpoints system, you
will
have a set point target of 24.  In addition to this you are allowed 35
flexpoints
to be used throughout the week ... as well as any activity points you earn
on a
particular day.  When your weight drops to 175, your target drops to 22
points ...
weight reaches 150, target once again drop to 20 points.  3 servings of
dairy of
recommended per day, 5 servings of fruit and veggies, minimum of 6 glasses
of
water.

To calculate food and activity points, I love this computer desktop
calculator ...
http://www.zythra.com/downloads/points.exe

The basic plan is easy.  Eat at least your minimum daily number of points.
Points
do not carry over from day to day.  You are allotted 35 weekly flexpoints to
be
used at your discretion ... can divide them up and use daily (would be an
additional 5 points per day) or save them and use them for a special
occassion
during the week.  Activity points are earned based when exercising, but can
ONLY
be used on the day they are earned.

Joyce
WW starting weight: 228.8 - 2/5/02
current weight:  133.3
Lifetime: 4/4/03

And here's an explaination of Core/No-count by Laura -

It is a great plan. You DO however need to make sure that you are eating at
your normal Flex plan target number of points. This can be difficult for
some and you WILL stop losing.

Here is the summary of the plan: http://ahwww.home.comcast.net/summary.htm
Here is the detail list of foods:
http://ahwww.home.comcast.net/wwcoreplan.htm

Basic rules:
1. Eat as much of the core foods as you need to feel *satisfied* (not full).
2. If you want to eat foods that are not on the core foods list use you 35
weekly points allowance (WPA).
Note: use these points on healthy foods and not junk.
3. Activity points are used to supplement the 35 WPA for Non-core food items
only. They must be used on the day they are earned.
Note: most people find that they will increase the amount of core foods
because they are hungrier due to exercising.
4. 2 teaspoons of heathy oil daily is required.

~Laura

Please note that if you live in onther countries (UK, Australia, NZ,
Europe), the Points plans are different.  The UK and Australia/NZ calculate
points based on saturated fat and total kilojoules.  Most of Europe
calculates based on total fat and total kilojoules.  The desktop calculator
above can handle all of these programs.

Disclaimer: As an unmoderated Usenet newsgroup, asdww is unusual in that
most of the people who participate are respectful, considerate folks who
freely share their experience with and knowledge of WW, weight loss, and
maintenance. Yet occasionally, spammers, trolls, and flamers show up to post
advertising, false information, insults, and the like. Nearly all of the
time, people like this are just trying to yank someone's chain. Most of the
regulars on this newsgroup offer their experience as a suggestion to try if
you're stuck, but are quick to advise that each person has to find what
works for him/herself. If someone posts something that doesn't sound right
to you, ask the newsgroup, ask your WW leader, or ask your health
professional.

Much success on your weight loss journey! WW works!

Like you, I find it hard to lose now, but the alternative is to keep
gaining ;-(  As long as I am trying to lose, I do slowly go down & it is
indeed worth it. Just keep posting here & reading the posts & it does
hel to encourage you. I wish you all the best for at least a few fast
losses.
Elaine

No you don't.
You need to be able to do this by yourself or you will never lose
weight. It's like with a marathon runner, We can stand at the side and
cheer you on, but unless you do the hard work you won't succeed.
Read the group and join in the discussions. Follow the advice and you
can do it. It generally takes a while but losing even large amounts of
weight is very doable - one pound at a time.

ray