weightwatchers opinions please

Mr_Knight

Taubes has largely been discredited.

"Discredited" might largely have to do with to whom one wishes to give credit, however, I would love to see who is discrediting Gary Taubes...

There are already 8 billion MFP posts detailing Taubes's numerous and substantial errors and misunderstanding, I don't think it's necessary to turn this thread into yet another rehash of well covered ground.

emotigirl

WW never worked for me. I paid and went to meetings for two years, struggling to write it down (on paper at first, then online). They don't emphasize exercise too much and for me being active keeps me focused.
With the zero points fruits and vegetables, I was happy at first because it looked that they were encouraging healthier choices, but I found myself eating half a watermelon in one sitting... feeling no accountability for it.
My 3rd reason is the crowd at the meetings. I tried 3 different locations and there was barely two people in their 20s (mostly women after 40....) who have been on the program for many years (some lost weight, others didn't) and I never really connected with the coach...

You might be looking for different things and I did see women who lost a lot of weight on the program. I guess each person has to find their own path.

SideSteel

Taubes has largely been discredited.

"Discredited" might largely have to do with to whom one wishes to give credit, however, I would love to see who is discrediting Gary Taubes, and to determine for myself if they have a "dog in the fight." so to speak. Kindly post some sources, if you have them

Start with James Krieger at www.weightology.net

WalkingAlong

I agree about the fruits. NOt counting fruits is ridiculous, because you can eat a lot of calories that way.
I just think the points makes everything very confusing. It's so much easier to just count calories and you don't have to depend on someone else (WW) to tell you what to eat. You can do it yourself. Plus their meal plans have too little fresh veg and lean protein, too much junk, and too much processed foods. I do like some of the recipes in their magazine though.

I don't know when you did it last but I don't think they've had 'meal plans' in the last decade, or told people what to eat.

The deal with fruits is they suggest you have up to 3 servings a day, not go hog wild. How many apples do you want to eat in a sitting? I can eat about one. It's about using some common sense and normal satiety signals along with the basic math. Fruit fills you up. Lean protein fills you up. If you learn to fill up on healthy foods, you don't have to track each bite of everything that goes in your mouth for the rest of your life.

WalkingAlong

Taubes has largely been discredited.

"Discredited" might largely have to do with to whom one wishes to give credit, however, I would love to see who is discrediting Gary Taubes, and to determine for myself if they have a "dog in the fight." so to speak. Kindly post some sources, if you have them

Start with James Krieger at www.weightology.net

I hadn't even read his. That's terrific. I don't recall where I had read it but I've seen the actual authors of studies he cites in the book say he misquoted their work, cherry picked the data and ignored hundreds of studies that refuted his assertions.

MichMunchkin

The deal with fruits is they suggest you have up to 3 servings a day, not go hog wild. How many apples do you want to eat in a sitting? I can eat about one.

Exactly. I doubt anyone here got where they are by bingeing on apples and oranges.

patols1

I tried the ww however I wanted to be able to track my calories and I needed to cut down on carbs so it didn't work for me because unless I wrote it all down it didn't show cumulative amounts for the day. only points. so I joined MFP and I love this system. however my sister did and still does weight watchers and has lost 100 pounds and kept it off for many years. I think it is just whatever you prefer and what works best for you.

ElizabethFuller

How many apples do you want to eat in a sitting? I can eat about one.

Lightweight!

In the autumn, when we have apples from the trees in our garden, I can eat lots of apples in a day! 10 apples at 100 calories each is a lot of my daily allowance, this year I was more restrained, gave them away, cooked and froze them etc.

missie_515513

I did weight watchers over 10 years ago and lost over 20llbs. I tried it recently and found I was barely losing 0.5 lbs per week. I didn't really enjoy the meetings so I stopped going. I gained weight on holiday and came back determined to lose some weight so I signed up to the online weight watchers. Again I wasn't losing - over the last 4 weeks I have not lost anything - so I have joined MFP and I have lost 3lbs this week.

The new weightwatchers is just an app on your phone - you get free fruit & veg but for me I just need to track everything!!! I personally would use my fitness pal - its free and the foods data base is fantastic!!

EvaStrange

I once lost 30 lbs with WW, and then 15 more a while later (just using the points system; I never attended a meeting). The reason I gained ten of them back over the last six years is not that it is not that the system is not sustainable, but that "stuff" happened in my life (I quit smoking, I graduated, I lost my sense of purpose…). It did me a world of good and taught me a lot about the caloric value of different foods – I was only twenty when I first did WW and just beginning to learn about food. WW does not "disguise" calories and the impact of foods on your waistline in cutie-pie points, as some have written. The simplistic looking points system merely makes it easier to remember the amount of calories in a given food item and put it into perspective.

The way I did it, there wasn't a big difference between WW and simple calorie counting – except that WW pays special attention to fats and is thus more limiting. On the other hand, I never had to think twice about eating a vegetable or a piece of fruit when I did WW. A lot of people also need more guidance and rules than a simple "count your calories!" offers to succeed in dieting… WW does have its advantages for a lot of people. I switched to simple calorie counting this time because I've gone vegan since, and, curiously enough, the WW system seems too restrictive to me now.

WalkingAlong

I did weight watchers over 10 years ago and lost over 20llbs. I tried it recently and found I was barely losing 0.5 lbs per week.

Yeah, the new plan is pretty high calorie. I did it for like 8 weeks when it first came out and only lost like 2 lbs. I also tracked calories at the same time just to see and I was over 1800. So the painfully slow weight loss makes sense because I don't burn much more than that. If I did it again I'd need to lower my points target. Eating 1800 felt like no diet at all, which was great, but if I'm going to take the time to count, I want to see a little bit more scale movement. Maybe I'll try it again in Jan.

crashtech

Taubes has largely been discredited.

"Discredited" might largely have to do with to whom one wishes to give credit, however, I would love to see who is discrediting Gary Taubes, and to determine for myself if they have a "dog in the fight." so to speak. Kindly post some sources, if you have them

Start with James Krieger at www.weightology.net

Not sure I want to pay to read it, until I know more about what he is up to.

WalkingAlong

It's just a web site. No payment needed.

redversustheblue

My niece has lost 50lb with Weight Watchers so it worked for her. The only problem I have with it is that it doesn't really educate you about healthy eating and the calorie content of food, wrapping it all up in magic "pro points", so you are bound to them for ever. If you enjoy the social aspect or feel that it helps to go to meetings and have the support of the group leader then go for it! This whole weight loss journey comes down to whatever works best for you!
Good luck :flowerforyou:

This isn't really true, at least not for me. I've been doing Weight Watchers for a while now and I did it before a couple years ago.

Their meetings are there to educate you about healthy meetings. Topics of meetings I've been to have included taking a healthy snack with you everywhere, eating in moderation on holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, getting an appropriate amount of sleep and how it can help you make better food choices, quick healthy dinner meals, and so many more. I'm sure there a lot of people who go and learn nothing because they don't want to, but there are people like me who learns a lot.

Their points are not arbitrary, they're based on protein, carbs, fiber, and fat. They heavily favor a low carb, high protein diet. It's become very easy for me to look at a food and quickly estimate what the points value is going to be. I do this a lot in the grocery store or out to eat or something and I'm almost always right or a point off.

OP, the meetings vary by location and leaders. I'd go to one (i'm pretty sure you can attend one meeting for free) and see how you feel about the leader and the people. This has made a huge difference for me. My leader is phenomenal. She's knowledgeable, fun, and is very willing to help. The people who I see at the meetings every week are also awesome. Everyone is very supportive, come on we clap for people when they lose five pounds! It's great. It's not for everyone though, so make sure you mesh well with the program and the leader.

As for how the plan has worked for me...I love it. I eat much healthier now, I eat fruits and veggies because they're "free." Yes, I know they have calories, so I don't eat ten bananas in a day. A common misconception I think, is that just because Weight Watchers says fruits and veggies are free, they're advocating eating ten bananas a day and that's fine! They're not, they're simply trying to get you to choose a healthier choice. One of the first things you'll be asked if you're consistently not losing is going to be "how many fruits are you eating?" Also, it's my understanding that they've somehow adjusted in other parts of their plan for the "free" foods, but I could be wrong about that.

It's really something that has a ton of variables and won't work for everyone and that's okay. Give it a shot and try it out if you want.

bjbrown9

Whatever happened to the "Deal-a-Meal" program pushed by the Sweating to the oldies guy?

Anyone try it?

You can get something very similar at TOPS.org. They are a non-profit - costs $28/year to join. I haven't tried it but was looking into it as an alternative to WW.

bjbrown9

I was once a strong advocate of weightwatchers. I particularly liked their core plan (from about 10 years ago) that didn't require a lot of tracking if you ate from a list of healthy foods and paid attention to satiety levels. It was a good plan that really did teach you how to eat healthy. That plan was too successful. People were not bound to the WW points system/database anymore so they changed it - made it more complex (and changed they way they calculate points, too). Now they still have a list of foods that are healthy but the list of exceptions is not made clear - you have to consult their online tracker (that you have to pay monthly to access) in order to follow the plan. They just made some more changes to it - more foods are now considered "power foods" but they refuse to tell their members what criteria makes them power foods - they tell you to check the tracker.

Well, having to refer to the tracker for everything is a non-starter for me. I just left WW because they are unwilling to give me the info I need to succeed with their plan, so I'm unwilling to give them any more of my money.

Unfortunately, MFP doesn't quite fit the bill for me either. The constant tracking drives me nuts and then then I rebel and go off-plan.

If anyone knows of a good alternative to the WW Simply Filling plan, I'd like to hear about it.

WalkingAlong

Core was the plan I lost all my weight on, too. I don't think it 'merged' into the new plan because it was too successful, though. I think they tried to get the best of both worlds into the latest plan.

I do champion their programs but I too don't like the company and don't pay them anymore. Here, it's a state-wide franchise and they charge more than the corporate locations for everything.

bjbrown- Why not just do Core again yourself? Or if you want to do the new plan without paying them, I have a spreadsheet that works as a points calculator. You don't need to know their exact rules and foods lists, just make your own rules for the stuff outside of the basics. I think I have a booklet around here of the specifics of the latest plan, though I picked it up when the latest plan was new, about 3 years ago. You don't have to use Etools. Or at least here in AZ you don't.

The new points are roughly 40 calories each. High fat foods will be a bit lower and high fiber foods a bit higher but I found most foods I eat fell into that 40 calories per point category.

eldamiano

Never heard of such a bigger rip off in my life. Charge more for smaller portions and hide it under a pro points mask of falseness.

Have to agree that ww isnt a lifestyle IMO its a quick fix as it cuts your cals but isnt sustainable longterm,
have you looked at the nutritional info on the side of the boxes some of the fat is double the daily allowance
and the sugar can be huge, but again only my opinion,


do what you feel is right for you

weight watchers allows you to eat anything you want. Its not just boxed food from the program. Of course they have snacks and stuff you can buy...but that would be the members choice, its not a requirement.

Oh isn't that kind of them letting you eat what you want? You could do that anyway without being conned for overpriced crap products that don't have a silly pro points tag on them.

Channel 4 did a documentary on them. Many of their members meetings are just a glorified sales exercise and products eg their crisps just have the same nutritional value per gram as all the standard brands but cost more and come in a smaller packet.

WalkingAlong

WW has been around for 50 years, does $1.8 billion a year in revenues and is widely recognized as one of the most effective, sensible diet plans available.

But if channel 4 did an expose on the price of their crackers... :laugh:

mockchoc

I'm not allowed to say since last time I had an opinion I got a strike on here. I really wish I could say...... don't waste your money. Wonder if I'm allowed to say that. I worked for them.. when I didn't know better.