Weight watchers
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I recently tried to join and they charged my card 8 times a day for 6 days!! Had to file a claim and close down my bank account. Customer services is an overseas call center and is a joke. No one answered at their corporate offices. Go figure. Glad now because I found MFP!!0
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I think it's great. I need the structure, though. Everyone's different. Honestly, if I could "spend" 1500 calories however I wanted to, I'd eat pancakes for breakfast, oatmeal for lunch and toast with butter for dinner, then enjoy a treat of a cupcake with a glass of wine. I need to be incentivized to eat protein and vegetables and fruit (because these are healthy ways to fuel your body, weight loss or no weight loss.) Eating the high protein/lower-sugar/high produce foods they push you towards for me means being less hungry and craving sweets less. If I had more discipline, maybe I could just rely on CICO or force myself to eat the foods WW advocates on my own, but alas, I'm lacking in that department.
You can easily change the settings to include activity points. The default is to track how many you earn but not make them your allowance, but you can change that if you want to.2 -
Oh boy ... of course everyone is different and will react different to different ways of eating. I have successfully lost weight through WW and even got to goal. The whole group-therapy approach is very effective for many people. Also facing that woman who weighs you and writes your weight down every week was super motivating for me. Over the years, having kids/working/busy busy, i gained everything back. Being too cheap I found MFP and follow my calories here. This actually appeals to me more but I learned some valuable tools and coping methods from WW. I still will comment 'is that point worthy?'. I have become more strict with myself and don't eat sugar or white flour. The whole "moderation" teaching of WW is just a slippery slope for me. BEST OF LUCK ON YOUR WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY, WHATEVER ROAD YOU CHOOSE!1
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I did WW 17 years ago and lost 38 pounds and made "lifetime" in about 5 months. Kept most of it off, have been on MFP for many years though not consistently. I gained about 10 lbs. back recently and started WW on my own again. The smart points plan works in the sense that it DOES focus your attention on sugar consumption. Yes, a calorie is a calorie.... but alot of times, people get overweight consuming large amounts of sugar that they don't seem to "see". By making high sugar items "high smart points", it draws attention to that. We know that sugar foods don't satisfy for very long, making you want to eat again, and thereby, calorie overage. The WW plan now puts protein in the limelight, which we all know is better nutrition and satisfaction for hunger than something sugar laden. I've dropped 9 pounds since Jan 1. And yes, there still are activity points. And yes, you can use them. I'm back to logging in MFP as I personally want to know my macros so I use my points each day more effectively. I'm never overly hungry anymore, eat regular food, more veggies and fruit than in the past, less coffee creamer, think about the cookie before I do or do not eat it... it's a good program if it works for you. For some it doesn't. I know people that can't get the hang of MFP for some reason. Some can just drink a "shake" for a meal and be happy (not me....) Whatever gets you moving, eating right, works for you, and makes you feel good about your self is a step in the right direction.
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Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »
Sweet jesus.. =/
Thats sad, i had a co worker join them just 2-3 days ago.. $19 a week.. and shes ranting and raving about how it needs to be real for her or she wont do it.. yeah.. well... i kept my mouth shut for the most part.. but.. i honestly dont think anyone learns much of anything from the program to take with them if they ever cant afford to do it anymore... i had a co worker previous to this join and lose some weight but she stopped paying to go cause it was just too expensive.. she put 5 pounds back on since the summer, which is all fine and good, its not ALOT of weight but shes still over weight in general.. i would rather see someone LOSE 5 pounds since the summer on their own
Things I've learned from WW that I've carried with me for years even though I'm no longer willing to pay for the program...
- How to make reasonable choices at any type of restaurant.
- How to estimate portion sizes, with pretty good accuracy, when I'm away from home and can't measure (I actually test myself periodically, and I'm pretty darn close)
- That it's important to eat at least so much every day.
- Tools for dealing with cravings, including knowing when and how to indulge one.
- Which foods are more filling.
- Drink water.
- Exercise (so you can have desert)
- Desert ideas that don't blow your diet.
- Make sure you still eat dairy, protein, fiber, and healthy fats.
- Don't only worry about the scale. The scale on any particular day doesn't tell you how good or bad you're doing.
- Celebrate Non-Scale Victories.
- If you have a special occasion coming up, eat lighter ahead of time to "bank" some calories/points, then you can indulge a bit without going off plan.
- Going off plan one day is seldom a problem, it's when you use that day as an excuse to stay off plan. Brush yourself off, and get back on the saddle.
- The importance of mini goals (5%, 10 pounds, etc.)
- The joy that is club soda.
- Slow and steady wins the race.
- The importance of maintenance.
Before WW, every "diet" I tried was not at all sustainable, and some of them were downright dangerous. Could I have learned these things somewhere else? Probably. But I learned them from WW, and I'm not sure I would have learned they would be as ingrained in my brain if I learned them somewhere else.
This is everything I learned from WW and why I still believe in it. So why am I here? Because I am smaller and the new points system is wacky. Members in my group have had their points lowered to below minimum (>30) to either maintain or continue losing. I need to count calories because 30 pts for me is either maintain or gain. I'm happy to report that I've lost 6 lbs over the last 2 weeks double tracking here and with WW.
I also miss donuts every now and then and Quest bars can't fill that void all the time. Almost the same calorie count, but 13 points for the donut but 4 for the bar? Come on.
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I started WW last year Feb, lost 58 pounds by November. I think it is a great program to lose weight, but MFP is better for maintaining.0
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Once upon a time, WW was my most successful weight loss attempt and my favorite "diet" plan by far because it was more customizable and it didn't conflict with the beliefs I held about dieting, mainly that forbidding certain foods was counterproductive. I can't comment on the recent system, but I did it twice once on the really old system that just took into account fat, carbs, and protein, and once on points plus when they just introduced that one. I mean I've still lost more now on my own than back then but I think the most valuable part is the weekly weigh-ins and meetings. Contributes a sense of accountability, and every week you learn from someone who has lost a fair bit of weight and maintained it with the program. I prefer lone wolfing it now because I can't justify paying money for something like that.0
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I used to believe in WW but they kept changing the program again and again. Seemed to me it was just a way to hook more people and sell products. The calculations for points became next to impossible to do on your own. I don't want to need a calculator to know how much food I have left for the day. Also you don't really learn anything because even if you did it would change again in the next iteration of the program. When they changed in 2016 I dropped my subscription and came here and lost 70 pounds for free! I paid for WW for years and years without losing more than 10 or 15 pounds. What a waste of time and money.0
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$15 a week I remember it was $10 a month.0
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storyjorie wrote: »I think it's great. I need the structure, though. Everyone's different. Honestly, if I could "spend" 1500 calories however I wanted to, I'd eat pancakes for breakfast, oatmeal for lunch and toast with butter for dinner, then enjoy a treat of a cupcake with a glass of wine. I need to be incentivized to eat protein and vegetables and fruit (because these are healthy ways to fuel your body, weight loss or no weight loss.) Eating the high protein/lower-sugar/high produce foods they push you towards for me means being less hungry and craving sweets less. If I had more discipline, maybe I could just rely on CICO or force myself to eat the foods WW advocates on my own, but alas, I'm lacking in that department.
You can easily change the settings to include activity points. The default is to track how many you earn but not make them your allowance, but you can change that if you want to.
If you can fit all that into 1500 calories go for it nothing is stopping you, you are an adult. A few days eating like that you may think hmm I need some veg and protein I feel a little sick from all this sweet.2 -
Oh boy ... of course everyone is different and will react different to different ways of eating. I have successfully lost weight through WW and even got to goal. The whole group-therapy approach is very effective for many people. Also facing that woman who weighs you and writes your weight down every week was super motivating for me. Over the years, having kids/working/busy busy, i gained everything back. Being too cheap I found MFP and follow my calories here. This actually appeals to me more but I learned some valuable tools and coping methods from WW. I still will comment 'is that point worthy?'. I have become more strict with myself and don't eat sugar or white flour. The whole "moderation" teaching of WW is just a slippery slope for me. BEST OF LUCK ON YOUR WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY, WHATEVER ROAD YOU CHOOSE!
I guess every one I went to was not big on group therapy nobody talked at the meetings but the head WW lady (at all the different ones I went to). They were so boring but I was in my teens and twenty's so ...0 -
I lost 120 lbs on the previous WW program PointsPlus. I left after the latest plan change and the demise of the message boards. I've maintained with MFP quite nicely. It works well if it works for YOU. like most other programs.0
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They really should make the older versions of the program available for use on the website, apps, and meetings. The first version I tried worked great for me, the second (pointsplus) was a huge waste of my time and money. I haven't tried the latest version, and I won't. But if I could have gone back to the version that was in use in 2010, I might have gone back again after having my last baby, I'd likely be there still.0
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I am a double tracking WW member as well! I really enjoy the new Connect online social media and there are some great ambassadors of WW on Instagram that I have gotten great meal ideas from. I have found the scale moving when I watch my macros and ensure that my 30 points per day are more balanced with less sugar, more protein and vegetables- that was the whole idea behind the new Smart Point program. If I eat higher sugar items my points are all gone at around 800-900 calories for the day and that keeps the scale completely stuck- I could then add several 0 point food which would be vegetables and fruit and in theory that would balance the macros. CICO simply do not work for me, especially as you get to those last 10 lbs. What you eat matters- period. I can't eat half of my calories in MM's and still lose weight. WW is doing a great job shifting gears and focusing on the mental aspect of weight loss. You will NOT hear them talk about good and bad foods- they will not tell you to not eat your weeklies or your fit points ( which yes- you still get- weekly) Bottom line- it is a well balanced program, when you work the program.
There are many people having great success and some people (like me) that are modifying the program slightly and need to pay more attention to the macros and total calories. Some people do lower carbs, some track on MFP and you can find these "subgroups" through # search in the Connect program.
Ultimately its our personal responsibility to find what works best for ourselves and I find these two tools used together are helping support my goal of being health and happy.3 -
ksearleknox wrote: »I am a double tracking WW member as well! I really enjoy the new Connect online social media and there are some great ambassadors of WW on Instagram that I have gotten great meal ideas from. I have found the scale moving when I watch my macros and ensure that my 30 points per day are more balanced with less sugar, more protein and vegetables- that was the whole idea behind the new Smart Point program. If I eat higher sugar items my points are all gone at around 800-900 calories for the day and that keeps the scale completely stuck- I could then add several 0 point food which would be vegetables and fruit and in theory that would balance the macros. CICO simply do not work for me, especially as you get to those last 10 lbs. What you eat matters- period. I can't eat half of my calories in MM's and still lose weight. WW is doing a great job shifting gears and focusing on the mental aspect of weight loss. You will NOT hear them talk about good and bad foods- they will not tell you to not eat your weeklies or your fit points ( which yes- you still get- weekly) Bottom line- it is a well balanced program, when you work the program.
There are many people having great success and some people (like me) that are modifying the program slightly and need to pay more attention to the macros and total calories. Some people do lower carbs, some track on MFP and you can find these "subgroups" through # search in the Connect program.
Ultimately its our personal responsibility to find what works best for ourselves and I find these two tools used together are helping support my goal of being health and happy.
Calories in vs. calories out ALWAYS matters for everyone. This is how the human body works.
The last 10 pounds are ridiculously slow (1/2 pound a week is good progress). That is easily masked by normal water weight fluctuations and waste timing......it's 8 oz.
We don't need to hear them talk about "bad" food.....the punitive point values for certain foods speak louder than words.
What we eat does matter (not for weight loss as much) but more-so for our health. I'm not going to have long term success/energy/ satiety......if my diet is filled with crap. But 1 piece of dark chocolate should not mean I only get 900 calories for the day.
WW Points get re-invented every couple of years......it's marketing.5 -
ksearleknox wrote: »I am a double tracking WW member as well! I really enjoy the new Connect online social media and there are some great ambassadors of WW on Instagram that I have gotten great meal ideas from. I have found the scale moving when I watch my macros and ensure that my 30 points per day are more balanced with less sugar, more protein and vegetables- that was the whole idea behind the new Smart Point program. If I eat higher sugar items my points are all gone at around 800-900 calories for the day and that keeps the scale completely stuck- I could then add several 0 point food which would be vegetables and fruit and in theory that would balance the macros. CICO simply do not work for me, especially as you get to those last 10 lbs. What you eat matters- period. I can't eat half of my calories in MM's and still lose weight. WW is doing a great job shifting gears and focusing on the mental aspect of weight loss. You will NOT hear them talk about good and bad foods- they will not tell you to not eat your weeklies or your fit points ( which yes- you still get- weekly) Bottom line- it is a well balanced program, when you work the program.
There are many people having great success and some people (like me) that are modifying the program slightly and need to pay more attention to the macros and total calories. Some people do lower carbs, some track on MFP and you can find these "subgroups" through # search in the Connect program.
Ultimately its our personal responsibility to find what works best for ourselves and I find these two tools used together are helping support my goal of being health and happy.
Agreed. I wanted to learn to eat in a healthy and balanced manner as part of my lifestyle change. I still eat snack and treat food like donuts, cake and chips. I just eat lower point foods around it. The same way someone would eat a lower calorie food around a splurge. I count calories because my 30 points always come out to between 1300 to 2000 calories, and either I maintain or gain. Too many low point healthy choices I guess? But I do love my veggies. Counting calories keeps that in control. Left to counting calories only I don't think I would see a fruit or vegetable. Tried it and it happened. It was more fun spending calories on crap than on food that prevented the diseases that I lost 68 lbs to avoid in the first place. All I know is what I'm doing is working, and the teaching tools WW provide its members work. So does CICO. It's all good.0 -
I joined WW (again) in 2013 at age 65 and 376# in lieu of having WLS.
DW suggested it because we knew it had worked for both of us in the past. My problem was I never changed my Lifestyle and would go back to my old bad eating habits.
This time I have changed:
SW 376
CW 221
GW 186?
My loss has been slow but steady w/out regaining any weight lost four years now.
2013 -60#
2014 -32#
2015 -16# (was happy to hit -100#)
2016 -37# ( I decided to really follow new Smart Points and added swimming laps to my water aerobics classes.)
2017 -9.8# (In the 52poundsin52weeks MFP challenge.)
I enjoy my Mtg Leader, our Thursday group meetings, the New on line Connect social media feature and know that it's changed my life for the better.
I know WW has it critics but it's the path that got me to realize that at my age I needed to change and it's still working so I plan to get my -175# charm and get BELOW 200# and get below obese BMI.3 -
I was a WW member twice at various points in my life, most recently around 2008/2009. I lost about 15 out of the 40 lbs that I set for my goal. What finally drove me away was the constant marketing. Buy our magazine! Look at our new cookbook! Try these WW snacks that are full of god-knows-what chemicals bur are only 2 points per serving. You need a new water bottle - these are on sale for $9.99. It felt like I was in the studio audience of an infomercial.
And in the group I attended, the same ladies lost the same 5 pounds over and over and over again.0 -
@chubbychickruns Agree! Yes they exist TO MAKE MONEY! But if it was easy then nobody would need help.
Why do you think O joined in?
They are guaranteed customers to the end of time, sadly.
I figure what I pay makes me stick with it and better than spending it on junk food, fast food and other ways I used to waste my money.
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Jimb376mfp wrote: »@chubbychickruns Agree! Yes they exist TO MAKE MONEY! But if it was easy then nobody would need help.
Why do you think O joined in?
They are guaranteed customers to the end of time, sadly.
I figure what I pay makes me stick with it and better than spending it on junk food, fast food and other ways I used to waste my money.
O joined in because she has a majority owner percentage of it....which is not openly disclosed2 -
I had success losing on WW points plus, got within 5 lbs of my goal weight, but I got really frustrated with the food database. I have celiac disease and eat a lot of off-brands of gf food, and a lot of it wasn't in the database (at that time). It was generally accepted that the rough formula for conversion was around 35 calories per point more or less, but eventually it got to be just too much effort and stress to continue with the program, and I didn't have the tools to maintain my loss. I'm doing so much better watching my calories, which I can figure out on my own regardless of whether it's in the database or not.
Now, out of curiosity (and I've been dying to ask this), how does the Connect app differ from the old boards? I used to participate in the community and around the time I left some of the forums were getting a little out of hand (GDT I'm looking at you
) I assumed they closed it to outsiders because no matter how strict they were policing the comments, there was a lot of discussion around "how many points is this food?", and of course the points system is proprietary and their primary draw. 0 -
I had success losing on WW points plus, got within 5 lbs of my goal weight, but I got really frustrated with the food database. I have celiac disease and eat a lot of off-brands of gf food, and a lot of it wasn't in the database (at that time). It was generally accepted that the rough formula for conversion was around 35 calories per point more or less, but eventually it got to be just too much effort and stress to continue with the program, and I didn't have the tools to maintain my loss. I'm doing so much better watching my calories, which I can figure out on my own regardless of whether it's in the database or not.
Now, out of curiosity (and I've been dying to ask this), how does the Connect app differ from the old boards? I used to participate in the community and around the time I left some of the forums were getting a little out of hand (GDT I'm looking at you ) I assumed they closed it to outsiders because no matter how strict they were policing the comments, there was a lot of discussion around "how many points is this food?", and of course the points system is proprietary and their primary draw.
Connect is kind of like a toned down Facebook. That's the simplest way to describe it. Post pictures, ask questions. Give likes. Run challenges. Some posts trend, others don't. Some members literally have thousands of followers, some don't. Yes you can post Points values. They will delete anything spammy or offensive.0 -
newheavensearth wrote: »I had success losing on WW points plus, got within 5 lbs of my goal weight, but I got really frustrated with the food database. I have celiac disease and eat a lot of off-brands of gf food, and a lot of it wasn't in the database (at that time). It was generally accepted that the rough formula for conversion was around 35 calories per point more or less, but eventually it got to be just too much effort and stress to continue with the program, and I didn't have the tools to maintain my loss. I'm doing so much better watching my calories, which I can figure out on my own regardless of whether it's in the database or not.
Now, out of curiosity (and I've been dying to ask this), how does the Connect app differ from the old boards? I used to participate in the community and around the time I left some of the forums were getting a little out of hand (GDT I'm looking at you ) I assumed they closed it to outsiders because no matter how strict they were policing the comments, there was a lot of discussion around "how many points is this food?", and of course the points system is proprietary and their primary draw.
Connect is kind of like a toned down Facebook. That's the simplest way to describe it. Post pictures, ask questions. Give likes. Run challenges. Some posts trend, others don't. Some members literally have thousands of followers, some don't. Yes you can post Points values. They will delete anything spammy or offensive.
Thanks! Sounds a lot more community- oriented than a free for all like it used to be 0 -
@mph323
"Now, out of curiosity (and I've been dying to ask this), how does the Connect app differ from the old boards? I used to participate in the community and around the time I left some of the forums were getting a little out of hand (GDT I'm looking at you )"
It's sorta like FB for WWers BUT without the negative posts. IMHO Some don't like the Rah Rah cheering but I do.
There are no Threads per se and no continuity. The GDT moved to http://newgdt.proboards.com/ if you want to see.
The WW Guys on a Diet (GoaD) moved here to MFP, it is Guys AND Gals all on WW plans. Friendly group with NO DRAMA!
I used to visit the WW General Daily Thread (GDT) but kept getting in trouble with some of the more avid ones on there. Now I get in trouble on the MFP Chit Chat forum. LoL
Jim
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Did WW lost well, it was easy and consistent. Three years later trying MFP ....can't lose a pound. Going back to WW. MFP isn't working. You get what you pay for. MFP is free and....not working. Waste of time unfortunately. I think MFP has me set at wrong calorie intake. Very frustrating ...making me mad.1
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I have to laugh at the comments about the WW message boards. I remember a Calling All Mom's board (CAM) and the General Daily Thread (GDT) we're some of the BITCHIEST people fighting 24/7.1
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Now, out of curiosity (and I've been dying to ask this), how does the Connect app differ from the old boards? I used to participate in the community and around the time I left some of the forums were getting a little out of hand (GDT I'm looking at you )
I thought at first that GDT stood for godd__n thread. :-P
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I used Weight Watchers online when it was Points Plus and lost 85 lbs. The program works if you stick to it. In reality though, it's the same as MFP (at least on line only). The difference is Points instead of Calories. I got to my initial goal of 225, then slacked off and gain 30. Was going to get back on then started using this. Calories (at least with MFP) is a lot easier than points. I did not like the fact that if I was out shopping and wanted to try something that I'd have to pull out the phone and calculate point. I also didn't like the fact that I was dropping $16 a month for the tracking program. MFP all the way. Lost 24 of the 30 so far and will continue using this free program.0
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People lost weight before it's all about the deficit yours is just expensive!0
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