Can we talk about weight watchers?

[StormyDixon]

I personally have no experience with it, but my bil lost like 80 pounds on it and swears by it

[eddy]

I had a really good experience with WW. I used it to drop 10 lbs. I only stopped because we were heading into summer and I wanted to have a bit more freedom to eat what I wanted.

I found the plan easier and more fulfilling to follow rather than MFP. If I ate the right stuff I wasn't hungry and I was able to have treats. totally managable.

[Deleted]

I lost 25 lbs on the old WW system a few years ago. It was easy to follow and I was happy with it. I tried the new system last summer post baby and didn't budge an ounce, but that could be for a variety of reasons.

I did prefer WW to MFP both times because I needed the encouragement to make healthier food choices

[wambam]

Jun 28, 2013 14:34:57 GMT -5 @crackhabit said:

Be mindful of the types of foods you eat and not just the points, too. 6 points of something nutritious will still yield better results than a 6 points piece of cake when considered daily. If that makes sense? My WW weight loss fell off when I got lazy about logging all my food and drinks.

Is this something they teach at WW? This is something that bothers me about points/calorie counting programs, that "a calorie is a calorie is a calorie." And I just think that's weird and wrong. Cake is not the same as carrots, even if they have equal calories, ya know?

[flex]

I like WW. The online program is really helpful because most of us are not cognizant about how much food we tuck away. But like crackhabit said, you MUST log in every bite you eat.

[hymen]

I did the "free" version of WW. What I mean by that is I did research and found tools online and then basically followed the WW program (the newer one) using that (so I never actually paid to be part of Weight Watchers). I lost about 13 pounds in 2 months or so. I agree with PP that you really need to follow it and track everything. I started getting lazy lately and have not had the same results.

I will warn you that the first few days I was pretty hungry but my body easily adapted. But I also found myself eating a ton more veggies and fruits since they are 0 points on WWplus (to an extent).

I can post the links I used if you want to check them out.

[sneetch]

I have had success with weight watchers in the past and I thought the app made it easy to stay on track. It can work if you are faithful about logging in.

[hymen]

Oh, also, some of my favorite new recipes are from weight watcher blogs. Skinny Kitchen has some awesome recipes that even my H loved. So even though I'm not following it as closely as I should be lately, I still use a lot of those recipes in my weekly cooking.

[who22]

Jun 28, 2013 14:43:18 GMT -5 hymen said:

I did the "free" version of WW. What I mean by that is I did research and found tools online and then basically followed the WW program (the newer one) using that (so I never actually paid to be part of Weight Watchers). I lost about 13 pounds in 2 months or so. I agree with PP that you really need to follow it and track everything. I started getting lazy lately and have not had the same results.

I will warn you that the first few days I was pretty hungry but my body easily adapted. But I also found myself eating a ton more veggies and fruits since they are 0 points on WWplus (to an extent).

I can post the links I used if you want to check them out.

I would be interested if you wouldn't mind.

[glassofsyrah]

WW is the only program/diet that I have ever been successful on. It is supposed to be a life change which is what I am trying to look at it as this time around. I feel so much more in control when I am tracking and know that this piece of cake isn't going to derail me or that slice of pizza isn't going to be the end all. I feel better, I look better and I know I am doing something that is just for me. I am always taking care of other people... 2 kids, a husband, 2 bosses, etc. This is just for ME. I also love that I can drink wine! Yay for wine after long days taking care of all of those other people. :drink:

[hymen]

This blog was my starting off point. Read through it and it gives you a lot of info plus a link to calculate how many points you get a day. freckleberryfinds.com/2012/01/how-to-get-weight-watchers-for-free-really/

This was the calculator I used to determine point values. www.calculatorcat.com/free_calculators/weight_watchers_calculator.phtml

This just has some more info. sites.google.com/site/wwcheatsheets/home/simply-filling-technique

I'm a creature of habit so I tend to eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch every day, making it easy to track my points for those. Dinner was where I would switch things up and then I pulled a lot of recipes from online (blogs like Skinny Kitchen, Slender Kitchen).

[hymen]

No problem!

[zitiqueen]

Jun 28, 2013 14:37:45 GMT -5 wambam said:

Jun 28, 2013 14:34:57 GMT -5 @crackhabit said:

Be mindful of the types of foods you eat and not just the points, too. 6 points of something nutritious will still yield better results than a 6 points piece of cake when considered daily. If that makes sense? My WW weight loss fell off when I got lazy about logging all my food and drinks.

Is this something they teach at WW? This is something that bothers me about points/calorie counting programs, that "a calorie is a calorie is a calorie." And I just think that's weird and wrong. Cake is not the same as carrots, even if they have equal calories, ya know?

Yes, WW teaches this. The old program was calorie=calorie, but the new program takes fat, protein, fiber, and carbs into account now.

[goaskalice]

Yep, I lost 15lbs with WW 4 years ago. Paying for it, and being held accountable at meetings really helped keep me on track.

[eav2c]

I really loved WW. After I had my DS I lost about 25lbs on it. I signed up again though and didn't get into because I ended up pregnant like two weeks later but I will totally do WW after #2. I've been told that once you meet your goal weight you become a WW member for life and can use it for free, forever. I'm not sure if this is true but I've been told this by more than one person? So there's always that, for the future. I found it motivating, I liked the app, I thought the site was manageable and easy to use. A lot of food products in store have WW points listed too which really made my life easier. I think it's at least trying, if you don't like it after two weeks, I think you can get your money back.

[macmars45]

Jun 28, 2013 14:43:18 GMT -5 hymen said:

I did the "free" version of WW. What I mean by that is I did research and found tools online and then basically followed the WW program (the newer one) using that (so I never actually paid to be part of Weight Watchers). I lost about 13 pounds in 2 months or so. I agree with PP that you really need to follow it and track everything. I started getting lazy lately and have not had the same results.

I will warn you that the first few days I was pretty hungry but my body easily adapted. But I also found myself eating a ton more veggies and fruits since they are 0 points on WWplus (to an extent).

I can post the links I used if you want to check them out.

I kind of did the same thing. A lot of my coworkers were doing WW so I'd just ask them how many points things were (and also eating a ton more fruits & veggies/eating smaller portions). I've lost 12 pounds since January.

[ginger]

Agree with the others. I think WW is worth it, but only the online version. I found the meetings to be stupid and overly-simplified. I liked it because it took the guess work out of everything. I also liked that it took into consideration fat and protein along with calories. I find when I just calorie count, I tend to eat a lot more "junk".

I also think WW is good for someone who is trying to lose any amount of weight. Actually..I put on about 5lbs from a medication recently....I finally figured out why I was hungry all the time and reduced the dosage...maybe I should join WW again.

[zitiqueen]

Jun 28, 2013 16:00:11 GMT -5 eav2c said:

I really loved WW. After I had my DS I lost about 25lbs on it. I signed up again though and didn't get into because I ended up pregnant like two weeks later but I will totally do WW after #2. I've been told that once you meet your goal weight you become a WW member for life and can use it for free, forever. I'm not sure if this is true but I've been told this by more than one person? So there's always that, for the future. I found it motivating, I liked the app, I thought the site was manageable and easy to use. A lot of food products in store have WW points listed too which really made my life easier. I think it's at least trying, if you don't like it after two weeks, I think you can get your money back.

I think you have to maintain your goal weight within two pounds in order to become a free lifetime member, and then you still have to weigh in every so often and still be within two pounds to remain lifetime.

[nsl]

Another big WW fan over here. I lost 25 lbs on it after my first was born and am on it again right now. I really appreciate that it's the type of diet that encourages long-term lifestyle change, and that I can eat the same things the rest of my family is eating/go out to dinner once in awhile without going off the plan.

[BaliHai]

WW worked great for me, but the third time I did it, because I finally started meetings. They provided the accountability I needed to be successful, and I lost 37lbs in four months before I got pregnant.

Like a PP said, though, if you do your own research, there are a ton of apps available for you to so you can do the program for free. Eta: Well, "free". The best app I found was called Ultimate Value Diary, and was a $2.99 purchase. Completely worth it.

[kayakjenn]

I find WW to be really easy to follow. The apps help hold me accountable and make it easy to track everything I eat. I've lost over 40 lbs since February (with 25 more to go) by really just using the apps to track both food and exercise. I don't go to meetings but you have to pay for the online membership to get the apps. I basically never use the website.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

[dexteroni]

I used WW to lose 25 lbs. several years ago before my wedding and I really liked it. I found that it allowed flexibility, and the online tracker helped me keep up with the food journal. Unfortunately I haven't followed it as well as I should have in the past few years, and I've let about 15 lbs. creep back on. I'm about to start again, although I understand that the program has changed quite a bit. I hope I still like it.