Jen, glad to help if we can. Do you get Weight Watchers magazine in your area? library? I weigh 145 pounds at present, started at 157 pounds. I use about 18 points a day which works for me. I don't miss meals, I actually eat when I am hungry during the day but I annotate what/how much I eat in a diary so I don't forget. I know I am hungry mainly in the afternoon so that is when I 'graze' on healthy foods - fruit salads, low fat yogurts, low fat chips (small portions) and I count everything. At night I am more tired than hungry so I usually have a nice veggie/broth soup, some fish/meat (about the size of the palm of your hand and fruit or veggies. Some nights I just have soup and a slice of toast. Most of my food is in the afternoon. Do check the link above. Someone on one of these threads has posted a points calculator link online. Start reading food packages - avoid hydrogenated oils of any type. There is a lot on WW website but I can post more info for you. Please feel free to join us on the Diet Pals thread. Later on I will start posting more info on portions and points. If you can tell me a basic list of foods you enjoy eating, I can give you the points for them from my books. I have a family funeral today, so I may not be posting again until tomorrow. I will start a new thread about Weight Watchers basics. Cheers, McPeg

Jen, I'm told by my WW leader that it's still "0". Someone asked if they could possibly go overboard on zero point foods, and she said "yes, if you aren't losing or are gaining, we would have to take at a look at your diary". So I guess the answer is to count as zero unless it affects your weight.

Thanks for the info...I think what I will do (and I know I am a LONG way from this point) is go to a nutritional site, get the information on the required calories for my weight and figure my diet out from there. The other point is to pay attention to my PORTIONS and continue to use smaller bowls, plates for meals. Thanks for the info. McPeg

FW, how was your weigh in? Don't beat yourself up - just kick the dust off your feet and keep going forward! Wasn't it one of you ladies who recommended the little oreo crisps in the 100 calorie packages? Well I tried them and they're good! I also picked up a couple of boxes of the WW snack bars in two different chocolate flavors and was surprised at how good they are - the peanut caramel snack bars are 2 points and definitely just like a candy bar. Except they cost more. :( LL, Have really only been in Ojai when my son was there playing basketball a few times and we had time to kill in between games - very touristy. The Ojai Valley Inn and Spa is supposed to be great if you and some girlfriends ever want to get away for some quality spa time... some frineds of mine have been there and they love it. You can do an actual spa program for a week, or just go for a day or a weekend of pampering. Maybe you can switch over to the flex plan for one week! Is that allowed? I love teas, if they come with a glass of champagne and those cute little finger sandwiches. Will you be wearing a hat? FW what do you do for work? I actually eat more at work because I'm sitting at my desk with the opportunity to snack all the time. And I always kept snacks since I'm so afraid I might get hungry, and then, gasp, starve! So this past week and 1 day I've been rediscovering what hungry feels like and I've been amazed to find it hasn't killed me yet! Have a great day ladies, and thanks for sharing!