question about weight watchers

It's been awhile since I was a member. But when I was a member (back in 2008); you would look at 3 values on all your food nutrient value list. Calories, Fat, Dietary Fiber. They give you a device that calculates these 3 values to find out how many points the food you want to eat is. And the point value it gives you is per serving. So let's say you look up the point value for a gallon of ice cream and it reads 6 points. That is for the serving size NOT the whole gallon.

The great thing about WW is that alot of brands put the Point Value on their packaging (Healthy Choice Soup/Lean Cuisine/Smart Ones/ etc).

Out of everything that I have tried, WW is my favorite beside myfitnesspal.com. You lose weight at a reasonable amount of time to avoid gaining it back, it's really not a diet but a lifestyle change, and the meetings give you support that some people need to get through it.

Good luck!

When I was in high school, I went to Weight Watchers with my mom every week. The point system then seemed effective to me, and I did loose a good bit of weight doing it. However, when we stopped attending the meetings and weigh in every week, the poundage came right back. While they're system works, it lacks the tools and education you need to make your change permanent in the long run (atleast for me). Some people have been successful, bit when I started my fitness pal in December of last year, I gave calorie counting and exercising a try. I have lost more weight by changing my attitude and lifestyle than with any diet, though I have to say, weight watchers did help me when I used it.

In my opinion, Weight Watchers DOES NOT:

Stress the idea of a permanent healthy lifestyle (They want you to need the program for a long time to make money)
The program doesnt teach you to eat clean or wholesome (one of their favorite slogans is "you can eat whatever you want!")
The program costs money and has you looking for their brand name in the grocery store, as well as other places
Teach the indivudual what is BEHIND the point system, what types of nutrients they need to look for and avoid.
Encourage individual will-power, strength and self esteem through real education (again, they want you to need them)

This is why it didnt work for me, and why educating myself and making the change on my own time with MFP has worked instead. I dont think it should cost money to be healthy, I think every person (especially in the US!!) should have free access to the knowledge they need to empower themselves and take care of their own bodies.

WW is essentially the same. But the one thing that I believe has made a HUGE difference in my weight loss, and overall feeling better, is that MFP allows you to customize what you keep track of; it's not just calories and fat grams. I have high blood pressure and I like the fact that I can keep up with my sodium intake each day.

I did WW online, for about 16-ish bucks a month? After a down payment. Something like that. The point system is based on calories, fat, and fiber. I did it twice and had some results; moreso the first time. They have a community area like MFP, but I have found MFP's to be more effective. So far, I still choose this over that. I feel like I have a tad more control; especially during plateaus. I like the flexibility. Although, some like the accountability that weighing in at meetings give you. I would just not go to the meetings as easily as I wouldn't sign into a site like this. This I can do much more conveniently and have had great results, thus far. Good luck