Wieghtwatchers, your views please

You'll hear all sorts of opinions on this, but my view is yes, it can work but a LOT of people put the weight back on after they stop buying the program foods. I think it would be a better investment to get some good cross-trainers, a DVD workout, a digital food scale, and a heart rate monitor and eat real foods in a sustainable manner. Foods you can prepare yourself without the added sodium to preserve it. Foods you can control the portions and contents of.

Don't be afraid of making your way through figuring out what works best. It'll all work out in the end!

Good luck!

I think it's a program that probably worked in the past. The changed up their program and STUPIDLY have made fruits and vegetables "0 point" foods. Of course you can't be shocked to see a ton of people, mindlessly following the program without even thinking of actual nutrition and calories, complaining that their weight loss stopped, or reversed, on the new plan. Well yes, if you're eating 8 additional pieces of fruit a day, on top of your regular food, and seriously think they don't count because a corporation gave them 0 caloric value, you're in for a shock. Lots of people caught up in the point system don't even know anything about the amount of calories they're consuming.

I think people forget it's a business. They want to keep you as a member, attending meetings, buying WW merchandise, spinning your wheels for as long as possible. I watched my wife do nearly 2 years of Weight Watchers, losing at a snails pace, and being cheered all along. There was no real accountability. Nobody at meetings seemed to be much of a help when she stalling for months, or losing miniscule amounts of weight, like .1 and .2 pounds, or gaining. It was a huge culture of enablement. I would be giving her sound advice at home, but it took her a long time to get out of the cult mentality WW can foster. And boy did those people LOVE to waste their money on low quality WW product crap.

I'm sure will give better reviews. But me personally, I struggle to see the point of paying some corp to help you lose weight. Especially since WW's success long term in maintenance is just as abysmal as every other diet and lifestyle program.

I vote for MFP and a fitbit zip. The only cost was the fitbit. the end.:flowerforyou:

I think I unintentionally touched a few nerves so I'll clarify: Those who I personally know that relied on the program foods during their weight loss with WW, gained everything and more back when they stopped using the foods on their journey. I suppose I should have included the words "in my personal experience." It's not my intention to spread misinformation or contention. I'm sorry for not phrasing it better in my initial post.

I don't think anything that inspires people to lose weight is bad. I think there are plenty of options that may or may not be more effective for some people. Some people will succeed with WW. Just like anything else, it's determination on the part of the person losing weight.

Anything that restricts calories and focuses on nutrition is going to work if you put the work into it. So you find your groove and work it. Whatever inspires you!

Personally, I'll compare WW Online to MFP. I like MFP better because I cook a lot and it's easier to track. If you're going to WW meetings, that's a different story.

I'll chime in. I have done WW in the past and had both success and failure. The first time, I lost some weight and put it right back on. I tried again after my son was born and I was at my highest weight, ever. I lost 25 lbs and became a Lifetime Member. But I started to let things slide when it came to counting points. About 10 lbs have crept back up on me, of and on, over the last several years. At one point, about 3 years ago, I joined again. By then, WW had changed over to the Points Plus system. Sadly, the previous system was the one that was ingrained in my head and I struggled with the new points. I kept wanting to eat the way I had when I was successful, but all those foods had new point values, and those new values had me hitting my daily points quickly. I ended up hungry all the time. And the free fruit? Nope, that did not work for me. I tried to continue the plan while counting points for fruit. I was at my daily total even quicker.

After close to a year of paying for WW Online, and only half-heartedly participating, I quit. I joined MFP instead. I saved quite a bit of money, On MFP, I am basically doing the same thing as I was on WW, except I'm counting calories instead. I calculated MY TDEE instead of relying on a generic number (MFP's or WW's) and I find it much easier. Because I can log my food and see the actual caloric breakdown instead of an overall point value, I have better control of what I'm doing. Yes, I suck at hitting my macro's, but because I can see the WHOLE picture, I know where my problems lie. When I go way too heavy on carbs (like 60+ %) and too little on some more filling proteins and fats, I tend to be hungrier. The same was true when I was counting points, but I wasn't seeing it all broken-down like that. It helps me plan the day a little better. I also know that I won't log on MFP one morning and find out they changed the program. ;-)

Bottom line, WW works. MFP works. BOTH will stop working when you stop tracking and paying attention. On that they balance. What you really need to consider is: 1) Do I need or prefer to attend meetings with others and hopefully find support, 2) Do I prefer the simplified point system, or the bigger caloric picture, 3) Will I be more motivated by someone else weighing me in or can I be accountable to myself, 4) Will I get my money's worth. There is no right or wrong answer, just your preference.

Best of luck to you. And if you do choose WW (ain't no shame in it!) watch that free fruit & veg. People tend to only hear "free" and start packing it in. It usually backfires. :-)

Those who I personally know that relied on the program foods during their weight loss with WW, gained everything and more back when they stopped using the foods on their journey.

I think you might be confusing it with another plan, one where there are program foods.

Weight Watchers has a line of foods you can use to aid your point counting. There are freezers full of them at the grocery store. They aren't compulsory, but they are available.

Yep. That is the case. Now, they do try to tell people that they don't mean you should gorge yourself on fruit and veg, but then they also state that "fruits and veg don't make people fat". Kind of a mixed message. And let's face it, most people stop listening at "FREE". Many people who were on the program prior to this change, started having trouble. Especially those who were already incorporating fruit into their daily routine. If you were to calculate the points of fruit on the new system, they are a little higher than they used to be. Many people started throwing caution to the wind and seeing it on the scale. i'm guilty. I never really ate much fruit, but started eating more because it was free. "Hello, new found pounds. Where did you come from?"

I'll add that I was afraid of nuts when doing WW. They were kind of high in points and i wanted to save those points for what would have felt like more food. That is why I need the big picture. I now embrace the almond! :-)

Those who I personally know that relied on the program foods during their weight loss with WW, gained everything and more back when they stopped using the foods on their journey.

I think you might be confusing it with another plan, one where there are program foods.

Weight Watchers has a line of foods you can use to aid your point counting. There are freezers full of them at the grocery store. They aren't compulsory, but they are available.

Yep, they're called Weight Watchers Smart Ones. They're all up in my frozen section too. As you say they're not compulsory, but a person could build the majority of their base on WW off crappy, processed WW food if they make that mistake and fall into a bad habit.

Nobody lives on WW foods on the program and goes off them after. It's not Nutrisystem or Jenny Craig. They teach you how to eat on your own, with your own foods. They sell a few convenience snacks is all.

WW doesn't tell people fruit has no calories and it's ok to eat eight servings a day.

They have one of the most respected weight loss programs in the country and have been at it for like 60 years. They know what they're doing. Yes, it costs a little money and no, it's not perfect or effortless or even particularly fast. And the company web site and apps generally suck and their snack foods are overpriced. The meetings can be useless or preachy or salesy or motivating and educational, depending on your leader. But if you want some direction and good info and support with a plan that's got a tracking element but also doesn't make you track every bite you eat, it might be good for you.

I agree. I've been on WW since the days when you had to make your own Ketchup. I find MFP more helpful to me but WW is not a bad program.

I was responsible for packaging Weight Watchers foods for over 10 years. Entrees, puddings, dessert toppings, salad dressings, mousse mixes, pizzas, hundreds of items. Believe it or not, these products are not affiliated with the Weight Watchers programs in any way. They were owned, manufactured, packaged and sold by the H.J. Heinz Company. We tried to infiltrate the Program by sending "leader kits" full of samples out to group leaders, but never succeeded in becoming integrated. As a many-time member of Weight Watchers, I know they have a few small snack items and soups now for sale at each meeting, but they never make any reference "my" products out in the grocery store. The reason seemed to be that the promotion of packaged foods was at odds with their philosophy with healthy planning, healthy shopping, healthy cooking, healthy eating.

Those who I personally know that relied on the program foods during their weight loss with WW, gained everything and more back when they stopped using the foods on their journey.

I think you might be confusing it with another plan, one where there are program foods.

Weight Watchers has a line of foods you can use to aid your point counting. There are freezers full of them at the grocery store. They aren't compulsory, but they are available.

Oh, and as for fruit? One day a banana was a 2, the next day it was a 0. I asked my WW leader how they could possibly justify such a thing (I think she really hated my questions), and her response was "common sense - I think everyone can agree we're all smart women here".

The reason I finally quit them for good was because every group in my area seemed to be geared towards seniors, and I had trouble finding a buddy - I need my buddies to stay motivated.

I had success with WW many years ago (several versions of the plan ago). I re-gained the weight and have stopped and restarted WW many times since my initial success until I eventually just quit completely and moved on.

Although I have not had success with the newer versions of the plan, I still think it is a great way to learn basic nutrition, serving sizes, and to truly get some perspective on how unhealthy some foods could be. I was blown away when I found out how many points are in a Big Mac, and how I could make a complete dinner for about half the points. It was a great learning experience.

Try to stick to whole foods as much as possible. I noticed during weeks were I ate within my points but wasn't following the healthy guidelines (eating too many empty calories), I wouldn't lose weight. Good luck!

I lost 90 lbs and have kept it off for two years with Weight Watchers (online on/y). I don't buy any special foods - I just track my food and yes i do embrace the zero point veggies and fruits.

It's a tool like any other, that keeps you in a calorie deficit. Please keep in mind that the 26 or 29 points you get for losing equals to be about 1200 calories, so if you eat the free veggies and fruits you will most likely be at around 1400, which is a good amount for the average woman to lose weight.

The reason I've kept it off is I continued to track in maintenance, and plan on doing it for life.

I lost 68 lbs in a year on WW (their first version of the points program). Unfortunately I've gained it all back plus, but that's on me. I do think that after following the WW program on and off for so long, it got pretty stale for me. Its a great program though, easy to follow, puts more emphasis on healthy foods than just counting calories (the high fiber, lean protein, fruits/veggies are all lower points than any processed or high carb choices) and gives great support through the website and the meetings. I think it really depends on what you're looking for and what kind of support and tools will best motivate you.