How many calories are you getting each day? I strongly suspect that you are not eating enough and your body is rebelling. Talk to your supervisor about the goal weight thing. You should be able to set your goal weight at the top of your goal range. When I was on WW last year, that was 150 pounds for me. I'm 5'5" and 45 years old.

I was on WW for 10 months last year. I started in January and went from 177 to 150 by May. I really wanted to get to 135, but I had only lost another 5 pounds by October. I was diligent about sticking to my 20 points and using no more than 4 activity points for food. I'd use about 1/2 to 3/4 of my flex points on weekends. I was doing about 3 one-hour cardio sessions at the gym and taking a 90 minute yoga class each week. I was hungry, tired and discouraged and 10 pounds away from my personal goal.

I started doing some research. First, 20 points on WW is only about 1000 calories. Add 4 points for activity and that brought me up to a whopping 1200 calories per day. Heck, when I did a Turbo Kickboxing class or an hour on the elliptical, I was burning 500 calories. According to my research, I should have been able to maintain my weight at 2100 calories per day and lose a pound a week at 1600 calories per day.

So, I quit WW in October. I added good, healthy food back into my diet that I'd avoided or not eaten enough of because they had too many points. I added beans and nuts and real whole grain bread that wasn't marked "light". I added dairy and cereal that wasn't oatmeal in a real portion, not a lousy 3/4 cup. I ate when I was hungry and stopped when I was full. I kept up my same activity level. Guess what? I didn't gain weight. I didn't lose, but I didn't gain either. That was a victory for me.

In late January, I started Couch to 5K in addition to my workout routine. I gained 3 pounds the first two weeks and a pound a week for the next three. I wasn't eating any more than before. I wasn't any hungrier. I kept a food diary for a week and found I was averaging about 1850-1950 calories per day. I was so angry and scared that I was gaining weight when I had increased my activity level. I knew that I couldn't go back on WW or another diet. I couldn't take that kind of food obsession again. I couldn't possibly add one more activity to my fitness routine--I missed my family. So, I went to talk to my doctor a couple of weeks ago.

He told me that the dieting last year had slowed down my metabolism. I was able to maintain with a normal food intake until I added more exercise. At that point, my body went into conservation mode and started turning more of the calories I was consuming to fat instead of burning them. He said to get my metabolism up by exercising as hard as I could for 1/2 hour 6 times a week and by eating a balance of protein and carbs every 3 hours. He said that if my metabolism was working properly, I wouldn't have to worry about calories.

So, I'm no longer doing the 1 hour Turbo Kickboxing classes twice a week. Instead, I'm doing 1/2 hour on the elliptical or on the bike at the gym and lifting some weights 2-3 times a week. I'm up to 28 minutes running 3x a week on the Couch to 5 K. This week, I haven't gained any weight. And, I feel better than I have in a long time. I feel stronger and healthier and less desperate.

Now, you are much more active than I am. Your calorie requirements are probably much greater than 2100 calories per day. You are running a lot. Your body is probably not getting enough fuel and that's why you are hungry. Definitely get your goal weight changed so you can relax about weight gain. When you start eating to satisfy your hunger, you may just gain a few pounds. But, you would have to gain more than 20 pounds to end up overweight by most standards. You might want to consult with a nutritionist to make sure that you're getting a good, balanced diet with enough fuel for your training.

(BTW, you may be trained in dieting through Weight Watchers, but I truly believe that Weight Watchers' program is not well designed for extremely active people. It's great for sedentary and moderately active people, but doesn't allow enough fuel for those who exercise a lot.)
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Sandi

http://This message has been edited by Sandikal (edited Mar-21-2007).

Are you eating all your exercise points. I dont run anywhere near as much as you (~30 miles/week) and am still actively trying to lose weight but I have found that if I dont eat my exercise points, I starve...literally stomach growling almost passing out starving. Maybe you just need to eat more. Eating more in your situation doesn't necessarily = gaining weight.
Remember nutrition isnt an exact science. Every body is different and the way your body processes food may be different than the way your husband's processes food.

I don't have any good answers for you, but I am very interested in what you're saying...
I have been trying to lose weight, am running 40 MPW at least and have recently cut my calories from about 2300 to 2000.. but my weight went up. I realize I don't have a lot to lose I am a 5'8' F at 135, but I am trying to drop some body fat and increase my speed... so I guess I'm a little confused too. If you are running 80 MPW I'd think you'd be burning calories like crazy and thus be wasting away if doing that while also dieting... guess the body isn't as predictable as we'd like.

just another non-medical opinion...so take it FWIW:

Perhaps your body, from having been on WW for so long has compensated for constantly being in a starvation mode and as lowered your metabolic rate as a result...

It thinks it's starving...thus you are always hungry

You are eating less calories than what WW says you are burning in a day...but you aren't losing weight...this can only happen if your body has responded to the starvation signals by turning down it's metabolic rate....that is not a good thing...and I'm guessing your training is suffering as a result.

BTW....you are running 60-80miles a week...I wouldn't be surprised if your daily caloric intake in the range of 3000-3500calories/day.

I wouldn't be surprised by eating MORE, you'll begin to lose weight..since more calories will allow your body's metabolic rate to return where is should be...and your training will be better too.

I would go see a registered dietician to get a real handle of your daily caloric need and scrap the WW method....WW is not designed for people like you. It tough because you work for them, but as long as you stay in your weight requirements, you are still able to help customers...even if you aren't following the WW program per se.

Good luck!

How did you feel and what were your experiences with weight maintenance when you were running less (due to that injury)?

Interestingly, you are not the first ultra runner I have heard complain about this type of problem (not so much the hunger but the struggle with weight).

Have you ever considered experimenting with a different goal? E.g. instead of training for an ultra training to run a 1:35 half (or whatever number would make sense for you and give you a chance to work on different muscle strength).

High mileage is not good for weight loss. If you were to cut on the high mileage, you would not be hungry all the time. That is exactly why so many people gain weight when they are marathon training. The cravings get too high, irresistible urges to eat, plus the feeling of entitlement after the long runs.
What I have found to curb my appetite when doing training for longer events is to focus on getting enough calories, but to drink a lot, too.