Weight Watchers..paying for it, help you stick with it?

I have lost 100s on weight watchers but I had to develope my own eating plan and points system for it to work. I do and don't follow the old system and I do it allllll for free. I have a phone app and anything that I want to know is online for free. To start calories are calories, an apple is 1 point and a high fiber cookie is 1 point. Second, exercise points are banked, for every 100 calories burned it is 1 point..I figure out my exact calories burned on freedieting.com. You can carry them over but only to Sunday, come Monday you have to start over..Third, eat your median points, if your range is 26 to 31 then you eat 29 points. Forth only drop 1 point per 10 to 20 pounds lost not 2 to 3 points..fifth, if you over eat, workout, burn the amount you over ate back to your max points..say I ate 33 points and my max is 31 I need to do 30 minutes more walking to burn those 2 points, makes you more accountable. Sixth, keep track and account for everything MFP is great for that..Hope this helps you and good luck

When I made Lifetime in May of 2011, I was asked 'how long did it take you to lose the weight?' I answered with all honesty, '25 years but results aren't typical.'
I first joined WW as a 17 year old, returning from my year in Israel 25 pounds heavier. I didn't lose any weight with that first time and I didn't lose any weight in the numerous times I joined and rejoined and joined again over the years. Why didn't I lose? Because I wasn't ready.
I gained another 25 pounds during college and the first few years of marital bliss and I stood in the WW registration line a few more times but I never got very far. The simple fact is that I wasn't ready and motivated to make a change. I would get all excited to start the diet, as I thought of it, and then I would lose interest after a week. I tried Sugarbusters, Fit for Life, Atkins, Suzanne Somers....
It was only six years ago that I made the decision to change the way I ate because I was suffering from GI issues. I lost 18 pounds in four months and soon started exercising a few times a week. Over that time, I would see the scale go up, only when my head wasn't in the game and I was thinking of it as a diet. It was only when I accepted it as a lifestyle that I got 'it' and I've been able to keep it off. I go to weekly meetings for the accountability and the support. I know I could weigh in once a month but I need to go regularly or else I will get into that place where I think I can push off a 'bad' weigh in or try it on my own for a change. I used to hate tracking but these days, I do it and I have no issue with it. It keeps me accountable and honest. And I am saying this as a Lifetime member at goal for over 1 1/2 years now.

I can't answer about weight watchers but this is a variation of the gym membership sales pitch. You know, if you shell out all that money you'll most definitely use it because it's just a waste if you don't. How full are the gyms in January? How full are they by mid February?

This line of thinking may work for some people but for most I don't imagine that it does.

No, strangely it didn't...no idea why as it seems logical that it should. I also used to get very down when I hadn't lost but had stuck to it, whilst others who gigglingly admitted a whole host of bad eating that week, had lost. I much prefer this (free) site and am constantly inspired by others' stories and encouragement. Good luck with your journey whatever way you choose.

A man I work with lost over 200 lbs on weight watchers. He tracks everything he eats right into his phone. I tried it and lost about 7 lbs and got stuck there for months. I went in for my annual check up and my triglycerides were 491 and everything else was bad, too. I have struggled with my lipids over the years and my doctor told me I have metabolic syndrome and to avoid carbs, so I did until ww. Once on ww, my carbs increased. It was fun eating bread and popcorn again, but my system can not handle carbs. I went to an endocrinologist and he told me I am pre-pre-diabetic and put me on Metformin. He said my pancreas is working overtime producing insulin and although my blood sugars are normal, all of that insulin makes me hungry and also, my pancreas will eventually become exhausted and stop working--causing diabetes. So I tried the metformin and I am not very hungry at all anymore. I have lost 7 lbs in 2.5 weeks. I am now 12 lbs down from where I started.

I have rejoined the Y and I am making myself go there 5 days a week to burn at least 200 calories a day.

I sent ww a note asking if they had special help for someone that needed to avoid carbs and I got back a form letter telling me to join a meeting. I dropped weightwatchers and was looking for a program that will help me track carbs. I found this and it looks so much like the weight watchers program in the way it tracks but this program also tells me how many carbs I am eating. I am very excited about the program and I have shared it with my daughter.

So as for motivation, it was very motivating to tell me about the carb/diabetes problem I have and the outcome if I do not do something. Between the Metformin and this program, I think I can do it!

Thank you all so much for the insight. I guess until I can find my motivation again, nothing, including paying for it will really help. Thank you all!

Take a picture of yourself. Just seeing how fat I was gave me the motivation to do something. Find a group or a challenge group. A lot of beachbody coaches do challenges on facebook and as part of it you have to post pictures of your meals and your "sweaty" pictures (picture of your face after a workout). The accountability is there if that is what you are looking for. All the participants have to post those pictures and helps give you meal ideas as well as the encouragement that you are not doing it alone. If so and so did their workout today you. As you lose weight be sure to take pictures of your progress because it will motivate you to keep going. You can do it.

I have done WW twice. I LOVE it. I paid for it, and both times dropped around 35 pounds. If I had the money I would join again, the weekly meetings help a ton! But I do love mfp, too!