my thoughts on Weight Watchers
Options
Replies
-
-
kommodevaran wrote: »I haven't tried Weight Watchers myself, only read about it and trying to figure it out. My conclusion is that you pay for complicating and dumbing down something simple that you can do for free, is that right?
absolutely 1000% correct, it's as simple as calories in vs calories out not some convoluted points system0 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »How did you lose weight the first time? Was that also WW?
i've been on and off weight watchers for YEARS! and i've always gained the weight back. I lost the weight last year using MFP, then gained it back and started going to WW meetings and lost the first 10lbs and will be continuing with MFP0 -
CshellBwell wrote: »The issue I have with WW is that no foods are off limits. The focus should be on the foods that actually nourish and sustain the body, and help you lose weight. Optimum health is what I am after. My husband and I have been able to sustain our weight loss since 2009. He lost over 80 lbs. and I lost over 35 lbs. We've posted before and after photos on our website to prove it. We don't think about being on a "diet". We eat well. We're healthy- no more prescription meds. And we feel great.
http://www.shelbysguide.com/goals/
No foods should be "off limits". I lost 45 pounds by finally allowing myself to eat whatever food I craved at the time, in smaller portions. The foods you claim to eat which "nourish" your body is not why you feel great or are off prescription meds. It is because of the weight loss. I am also off my meds and I did it by finally allowing myself to eat foods I avoided because I thought it would make me fat. I also have pictures to prove it.
0 -
I was thinking of starting weight watchers when I first became serious about dieting but the whole 0 point foods gimmick made me realize that it was not the way for me to go.0
-
CshellBwell wrote: »The issue I have with WW is that no foods are off limits.
I think people should decide for themselves which foods they consider off limits, if any. Some people think certain foods are the anti-Christ, others find ways to incorporate it into their diet and remain satisfied and healthy regardless. My hubby lost over 60lbs doing a high-fat, low-carb diet and I've lost 91lbs on a high carb, low-fat one. I couldn't imagine being able to stick to his diet as it would make me miserable and vice versa.
0 -
CshellBwell wrote: »The issue I have with WW is that no foods are off limits.
I think people should decide for themselves which foods they consider off limits, if any. Some people think certain foods are the anti-Christ, others find ways to incorporate it into their diet and remain satisfied and healthy regardless. My hubby lost over 60lbs doing a high-fat, low-carb diet and I've lost 91lbs on a high carb, low-fat one. I couldn't imagine being able to stick to his diet as it would make me miserable and vice versa.
EXACTLY!! I should have said no foods should be "off limits" unless you choose them to be!!0 -
I think if you take away the portion control part of weight watchers, that can be a valuable tool.
I personally tried it in 2009 and it was awful! I started tracking the "points" and converting them to the calories I actually consumed and I was only set up to take in 1060 calories a day. It was insane how low the calorie equivilent was. And, I personally dispise the processed/packaged foods they say are ok to eat because they fit into the points system. Sugar free jello, pudding, 100 calorie packs of chips and cookies....not good and end up usually making someone hungrier an hour later.0 -
I did WW online and it was great for me. There wasn't the weekly meetings or weigh-ins as I think I would have hated that. The tracker has spaces where they encourage you to get your daily allotment of fruits, vegetables, proteins, oils, water, etc.
There is a robust online community that discusses weight loss issues, health and exercise, etc., etc. They pretty much discuss the same issues that get brought up here so its not like the information isn't available to WW users. I can see that if all you do is go to a meeting and weigh in weekly, your quality of service could be really variable and you're not making full use of your money.
As for the fruits are free - maybe it's a gimmick. But if it gets someone to eat a 100 calorie apple over a 100 calorie bag of chips, it can't be all bad. And only your daily requirement of fruits and vegetables are free. You eat 20 bananas, and about 15 of them aren't free. It is tricky getting the points to register but you are supposed to track them over a certain amount.
One thing I liked is the weekly floating points. You have a fixed daily amount (use it or lose it) and a weekly amount to use throughout the week. I'm sure there's a way to fake it in MFP where you set your daily goal 100 calories lower so you have an extra 700 over the course of a week. Then if you have a couple of beers while watching sports you don't feel like you're off the wagon because you go over by 300 calories on one day.0 -
I did Weight Watchers for years and think it'at an excellent program. I liked the support, made some friends, one of whom I'm friends with for over 20 years andI loved my instructor. I reached the goal I set and I maintained on it. I went to a Saturday morning meeting where a bunch of us went out for breakfast after every week.
Where I ran into trouble was in maintenance. I couldn't inegrate the points as a way of life. My sister-in-law has done this though. With calories, they're everywhere and you don't need to buy a book to translate them into the amount of food to eat. I just thought it was too much work as a lifestyle.
When I found MFP 3 years ago, I liked that it was free. People can lose weight on any program. I went to Jenny Craig too. The key to weight loss is in maintenance, not losing weight. Anyway you can get to your goal and stay there is good.0 -
No, that's not right. How could they possibly both dumb it down and complicate it?kommodevaran wrote: »I haven't tried Weight Watchers myself, only read about it and trying to figure it out. My conclusion is that you pay for complicating and dumbing down something simple that you can do for free, is that right?
There are a lot of reasons to pay for a plan. Accountability, education, support, a structured plan, community, professionals, materials...
0 -
Right, people don't understand the 'free fruit' thing. It's more that your fruit and vegetables for the day are 'pre-logged'. So you can skip them if you want but you can't eat junk food instead.As for the fruits are free - maybe it's a gimmick. But if it gets someone to eat a 100 calorie apple over a 100 calorie bag of chips, it can't be all bad. And only your daily requirement of fruits and vegetables are free. You eat 20 bananas, and about 15 of them aren't free. It is tricky getting the points to register but you are supposed to track them over a certain amount.
If I'm calorie counting, I can log my 100ish calories of supplements every single day and aim for 1400 total calories or not log them, still take them and aim for 1300, because I consider them pre-logged, in effect. Same thing, but in the latter case I can't skip my supplements and have a beer instead. The point is it encourages you to do the things you should be doing, unlike pure calorie goals that sort of penalize you for eating things you should be eating.
Plus it's a great way to avoid 'logging fatigue'. Don't feel like logging snacks? Snack on fruit and veggies. Don't feel like logging dessert? Have fruit. It builds good habits.
People don't lose or lose less on the newer WW plans because they allow a LOT of food/calories now. If you don't have a lot to lose and don't want to spend years at it, you can usually forget those weekly points and activity points now. The average WWer eats over 1800 calories now.0 -
I've lost weight with WW in the past, but I always gained it back. It was expensive and the point systems have become more complicated and confusing. The points algorithm is proprietary and is the way they ensure customers will continue to pay monthly dues, because they have to pay for all the materials to figure out how many points items have. It seems counterintuitive to be on a diet that gives you no clear answers on what exact nutritional factors go in to point calculation. MFP is transparent. You know exactly how many calories and macros you are consuming. I think MFP is far superior, but it does lack the meeting aspect. Those meetings can be a life line for many dieters. Personally, I don't like meetings and social pressure and I don't like spending money, so MFP works for me.0
-
CshellBwell wrote: »farfromthetree wrote: »CshellBwell wrote: »The issue I have with WW is that no foods are off limits. The focus should be on the foods that actually nourish and sustain the body, and help you lose weight. Optimum health is what I am after. My husband and I have been able to sustain our weight loss since 2009. He lost over 80 lbs. and I lost over 35 lbs. We've posted before and after photos on our website to prove it. We don't think about being on a "diet". We eat well. We're healthy- no more prescription meds. And we feel great.
http://www.shelbysguide.com/goals/
No foods should be "off limits". I lost 45 pounds by finally allowing myself to eat whatever food I craved at the time, in smaller portions. The foods you claim to eat which "nourish" your body is not why you feel great or are off prescription meds. It is because of the weight loss. I am also off my meds and I did it by finally allowing myself to eat foods I avoided because I thought it would make me fat. I also have pictures to prove it.
Sorry you took the attack mode. Weight loss for me was a result of focusing on the foods that were causing my body harm. I had some serious issues with fibroids and in doing research uncovered that the foods I was eating at the time were causing the symptoms of fibroid growth due to a diet high in estrogenic food. http://www.shelbysguide.com/blog/2014/12/1/a-choice-that-profoundly-changed-my-eating-habits
I do evaluate the foods that I eat. And I am not going to eat food that I know will cause my body harm. Those I consider off limits. I do not feel as if I am depriving myself because I truly relish and enjoy all the foods I eat.
No attack..just a different opinion. These are some of the foods in your blog that you avoid:
•Reduce or eliminate dairy products and meat from your diet.
•Increase vegetable intake, raw and cooked.
•Consume more beans, seeds, and nuts.
•Eat more fresh fruit.
I just disagree. Avoiding certain foods was what "did me in" every time. It's great that it works for you but advocating these drastic and very limiting dietary habits will not likely work for most people. Yes, eat more veggies, eat more lean protein but if you want a bag of chips, or cheese on your pizza you should have it, otherwise it will probably lead to a binge. I believe moderation is the key.
I am pretty sure you get people to sign up for your free newsletter only to sell something at some point. There is no way you do all of that for free...0 -
Here is another "gem" from your blog:
We have a radically, effective and safe drug-free, surgery-free way to lose weight and keep it off forever without exercise.
awesome0 -
I'd have to think smart phones and apps like MFP are making WW somewhat obsolete.
I've always burned out on logging in the past - pre-smartphone - and regressed - it was a pain in the a** to keep lists/spreadsheets, etc. etc. unless you changed your diet to be easier to log.
Info is power and MFP and a smartphone really empower you just like old systems like WW did.0 -
I'd have to think smart phones and apps like MFP are making WW somewhat obsolete.
You actually make a very good point. In the pre-internet days, when logging and tracking calories required either a photographic memory, or a bunch of hard-copy books and endless patience, programs like WW probably were really valuable ways of making a calorie-counting-like program accessible to the masses.
But now we have so many better options. And Weight Watchers sabotaged itself by creating such an opaque program.0 -
I'd have to think smart phones and apps like MFP are making WW somewhat obsolete.
I've always burned out on logging in the past - pre-smartphone - and regressed - it was a pain in the a** to keep lists/spreadsheets, etc. etc. unless you changed your diet to be easier to log.
Info is power and MFP and a smartphone really empower you just like old systems like WW did.
I agree that crowd sourcing and the internet are making WW less relevant. I think it's relevancy will be in the meeting/group aspect of it. They do have an app and barcode scanner so it's not like they don't know it's out there.
0 -
About the zero points foods. Weight Watchers takes advantage of it's exclusive world-wide data when it undertakes a change like this. The zero point program was tested in Europe first and when it was introduced, the European participants outperformed those on the older program.
"The new plan has been in effect for more than a year in continental Europe and has been beta tested by thousands of people across the United States this past year. Results have shown it to deliver significant weight loss, improve risk factors for cardiovascular disease by reducing LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and improve eating behaviors linked with long-term weight loss and hedonistic hunger."
http://www.todaysdietitian.com/news/exclusive0111.shtml0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 392.1K Introduce Yourself
- 43.6K Getting Started
- 259.9K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.7K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 403 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.8K Motivation and Support
- 7.9K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.4K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 998 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.4K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions