Why Doesn't Weight Watchers Work?

NinaSharp

Please feel free to chime in here, whether you've done the plan or not, I'm really looking for opinions.

Little backstory, I've struggled with weight all my life. I was a pretty hefty teenager and finally did something about it when I was going to college. Lost 50 lbs counting calories. Went to college, gained the freshman 15 and then some. A friend of mine started doing Weight Watchers my senior year, and I was impressed with her losses. I graduated and realized I was 10 lbs away from pre- college weight and felt embarrassed. After I gained 5 more lbs trying to diet on my own, I joined WW.

I am currently on my 4th round with them. (I tend to quit when I lose an acceptable amount of weight and convince myself I can do it on my own). The problem is, this round has been the hardest ever. I usually drop the weight within 3 months of following the plan, but this time I joined in December and come March I was actually the same weight; losing 2 lbs one week and gaining it back the next. My boyfriend finally convinced me to come back to MFP and count calories after he couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that I could eat all the fruits and veggies I wanted for 'Free'. Everything has calories, he would remind me. So flash forward about 3 weeks of counting calories. After my weight going up at .2 increments (prior to MFP), I have lost 10 lbs. I'm amazed. During my time with WW, my diet was focused on getting lots of fruits and veggies and nothing was happening. Now I can have a milkshake when I want or a glass of wine (I haven't had a drink for months because of WW) but now I'm losing weight. As a former die hard believer in the plan, I am stuck. Why doesn't it work for everyone? Per MFP, eat less calories than you burn is the secret. Why doesn't WW and their 'free point's' work?

ETA: (because people seem to miss the point of my post) I'm not saying WW doesn't work. My title is misleading. It works because I've lost weight in the past. I'm asking why their free points seem to be as stumbling block. I go to meetings every week, I'm aware that the plan works for a lot of people.

malibu927

I've never done WW, but from what I've seen, some people take "free" to mean "free-for-all" and eat all the fruits and vegetables they want. Which can add up. And if you aren't counting calories, that can destroy your deficit.

TimothyFish

I think you answered your own question. It doesn't work because there are calories in everything. It would be possible to get fat eating nothing but fruit. When you include other things in your diet and then add fruit on top of that, those extra calories start adding up. I'm sure WW works fine for people who don't care to eat fruits and vegetables.

booksandchocolate12

Weight Watchers does work, until you stop doing it. That's true for any weight loss plan, even counting calories.

Please go back and read your WW materials. Nowhere does it say that you can eat all the fruits and vegetables that you want.

Sabine_Stroehm

WW does work for losing weight. As does MFP, as does low carb, Dukan, etc. etc. etc.

Many people lose weight. Keeping it off is the challenge.

Ninkyou

Because fruits and veggies aren't really free. They have calories. Depending on how much fruit you're eating, for example, you could easily add a couple hundred calories just from that.

Unknown

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NinaSharp

Based on what people are saying, it seems like I may have abused the plan a bit with my "Free" points. I cannot eat a lb of strawberries and still expect to be at a deficit.

I really like strawberries.

strong_curves

From what I've seen WW does work. I know several women who lost weight successfully doing weight watchers, those who have stuck with it, the counting points & working out have kept the weight off. Those friends who lost the weight and then stopped counting & the working out gained all their weight back. But thats with any weight loss plan, its truly a life style change. Not get to your goal weight and then slide right back into bad habits.

lisag0109

I also believe weight watchers does work. They do tell you to limit your "free" fruits & veggies to five servings a day. You should also make sure you weigh everything! It's surprising sometimes how much a "serving" really is!

NinaSharp

lisag0109 wrote: »

I also believe weight watchers does work. They do tell you to limit your "free" fruits & veggies to five servings a day. You should also make sure you weigh everything! It's surprising sometimes how much a "serving" really is!

Wow. I don't think I've ever heard this in my meetings. 5 servings? That makes total sense. Is this on their website somewhere?

booksandchocolate12

Like any weight loss program, WW does require that you use a modicum of common sense. A pound of strawberries? Really?

Holly_Roman_Empire

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

WW does work for losing weight. As does MFP, as does low carb, Dukan, etc. etc. etc.

Many people lose weight. Keeping it off is the challenge.

Hit the nail on the head.

NinaSharp

booksandchocolate12 wrote: »

Like any weight loss program, WW does require that you use a modicum of common sense. A pound of strawberries? Really?

For the record, it was bought early in the day and I didn't sit and just eat the entire lb. It took the entire day but I had it with breakfast, as a snack, in a smoothie and many other ways through out the day.

SingRunTing

Weight watchers worked for me when I actually stuck with it. I think I did it before the "free" fruits and veggies though.

My downfall with weight watchers was that it didn't give me enough points (calories). I was hungry all the time and would give up eventually. I'd rather eat a little more and lose a little slower with a plan that I can actually stick to. That's why MFP works better for me.

Ohwhynot

I would totally eat a lb of strawberries. According to the first entry in MFP under "strawberries, raw" it's only 145 calories...

That's beside the point, though.

DeguelloTex

ninasharpe228 wrote: »

Based on what people are saying, it seems like I may have abused the plan a bit with my "Free" points. I cannot eat a lb of strawberries and still expect to be at a deficit.

I really like strawberries.

A pound of strawberries is 145 calories. You'd have a really, really hard time eating at a surplus because of strawberries, no matter how much you like them. Most likely, it's the other stuff that would be the issue.

allyphoe

ninasharpe228 wrote: »

I cannot eat a lb of strawberries and still expect to be at a deficit.

I really like strawberries.

I feel that same way about blueberries and raspberries. 18 ounce package = single-serving; I will sit down and just eat the whole thing. But 18 ounces of raspberries has about the same number of calories as an extra-large banana, or 1.5 dates, so if I'm not at a deficit for the day, it's not because of the raspberries.

Stpjudge

I tried WW and it worked for me, in fact, I lost 40 lbs on the WW plan. I switched to MFP because it is free and I felt like I was paying WW for something that I can, and have, done on my own.

Seriously "free" fruits and vegetables is not a big deal. I'm not overweight because I binge on watermelon and broccoli

NinaSharp

SingRunTing wrote: »

Weight watchers worked for me when I actually stuck with it. I think I did it before the "free" fruits and veggies though.

My downfall with weight watchers was that it didn't give me enough points (calories). I was hungry all the time and would give up eventually. I'd rather eat a little more and lose a little slower with a plan that I can actually stick to. That's why MFP works better for me.

I was talking to my bf about this, why did they switch from the former model. It seems like allowing for fruits and veggies made a lot more sense than their current model.

cindyangotti

WW doesn't work? Hmmmm that's funny. I wonder how I lost over 100 pounds on it? I think you might want to speak to a leader and show her your journal. You are doing something wrong.

earlnabby

Weight Watchers does work, as long as you work it properly. My only issue with their system (and this is me) is that I didn't learn proper nutrition with them. I went with foods that gave me the most bulk for my points which meant a lot of carbs and I ended up tired and hungry, I shed half of my hair, and my skin was all dry and crepe-like. Turns out I wasn't getting enough protein and fat.

"Eat this number of points and you will lose weight". Very true, I lost a lot.

jessica22222

Ww works. I tried it and lost weight. I gained it back. What failed for me is you're taking an extra step changing calories into points. I could never wrap my head around the points system. I find calorie counting so much easier as every label has calories on it. There are no points labeled. Everything seemed like more work. Plus it cost money. I know people it's worked very well for. Just not my thing.

Sarasmaintaining

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

WW does work for losing weight. As does MFP, as does low carb, Dukan, etc. etc. etc.

Many people lose weight. Keeping it off is the challenge.

This.

jemhh

Point #4 on this list talks a bit about how many fruits/veggies WW expects you to eat per day. The calories for 5 (to 9) servings are built into your points goal. Keep in mind that a serving of berries, for example, is 1/2 cup. A serving is not just "however much I feel like eating all at once." I can easily eat a pound of strawberries in a day but know that it is much more than 1 serving.

NinaSharp

jemhh wrote: »

Point #4 on this list talks a bit about how many fruits/veggies WW expects you to eat per day. The calories for 5 (to 9) servings are built into your points goal. Keep in mind that a serving of berries, for example, is 1/2 cup. A serving is not just "however much I feel like eating all at once." I can easily eat a pound of strawberries in a day but know that it is much more than 1 serving.

Thanks for posting that. I think that nails exactly what I was doing.

booksandchocolate12

If a pound of strawberries = 145 calories, that translates to about 4 points. so yes, that's definitely doable. But I remember reading on the WW boards about a woman who couldn't understand why she wasn't losing and then revealed that she was eating an entire watermelon every day.

My point (no pun intended) is that there are no "free" foods. Zero points does not mean free. I really think that when leaders explain the program to new members they need to stress this more, because so many people come away from their first meeting with the idea that they can eat as many fruits and veggies as they want.

ninerbuff

ANY PLAN works if people adhere to the rules. Sticking to the rules after losing the weight is the issue that all people face.
That's why it's important to pick a program you KNOW you can do for life. I prefer eating whatever I want to eat, but understanding that I have a calorie limit I need to adhere to so I don't gain.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

NinaSharp

booksandchocolate12 wrote: »

If a pound of strawberries = 145 calories, that translates to about 4 points. so yes, that's definitely doable. But I remember reading on the WW boards about a woman who couldn't understand why she wasn't losing and then revealed that she was eating an entire watermelon every day.

My point (no pun intended) is that there are no "free" foods. Zero points does not mean free. I really think that when leaders explain the program to new members they need to stress this more, because so many people come away from their first meeting with the idea that they can eat as many fruits and veggies as they want.

This is so true. A few weeks a go a mini argument started in a meeting because a new member was upset that someone mentioned eating too much fruit. "But aren't fruits free" was thrown all around the room which is what got me thinking on this subject. I don't know if it's selective hearing on my part or others, but whenever I talk to someone about why they love the plan, the free things comes up. Thinking back, the amount of fruits I insisted on every day (including days I went over my allowance into the 49 extras) means I was probably not eating at a deficit at all. I think I'll stick with MFP for this reason. I like all my calories where I can see them.

LolaKarwowski

My thing is, why do WW when you can use MFP for free?

jemhh

LolaKarwowski wrote: »

My thing is, why do WW when you can use MFP for free?

A lot of people like WW because of the group meetings and having to be weighed by somebody else. Different strokes for different folks.