I need honest opinions about Weight Watchers

I did weight watchers a few years ago and had great success with it, I would go back but the meeting times close to me don't fit in with my schedule. The things I liked about it were you can eat whatever you want IN MODERATION. as for the points you are right it is similar to calories but I think its more about learning to recognize portion sizes and eventually i found myself not even worrying about points I just knew what the proper size portions for me were. you do earn extra points for doing exercise again i think its just meant to encourage you to move. I know what you mean with the fruit but honestly its not meant for you to eat your way though the produce aisle and then have a 7 course meal lol I think it is just another tool to help remove the feeling of being deprived, if you are hungry and or craving something sweet it is better to grab a piece of fruit than a candy bar so it gives you options. As for the prepackaged foods, honestly when I went to the meetings we were told to use the ww foods as a quick option not an everyday choice for all the obvious reasons but they can be convenient. Its not for everyone, but I think overall it is a pretty sensible eating plan and I like the fact that you can either go to meetings in person or join on line. the up side for me is you are not forbidden to eat anything, it is more of a lifestyle change than a diet and i personally like the support that comes from the group meetings. I am sure that what ever you decide will be the right choice for you let me know if I can help support you on this journey in anyway. Good luck!

I have never done it, however a close friend of mine did and was successful. At the end of the day though, it was the accountability (weekly weigh ins, app, etc) that I think was what really helped her out. The whole points thing I suppose is like an easier way to count calories.

She made some healthier choices in meals and I think it helped her with portion sizing and so on. She didn't eat the WW brand stuff. Also helped her to get more exercise because of being able to eat more points if you exercise! (eating back calories.... sound familiar?)

It also made her drink less alcohol - which also helped her (and her husband!) along with their weight loss.

She has managed to maintain the weight off (well - not anymore, she's pregnant now!) for a good year or so.

If it's free - I don't see the harm in joining up!!!

Personally I wouldn't pay for it but free is always good

As for the first two responses... They have changed the program since then. They no longer go by calories fat and fiber. That was the old points system. I don't think there's a limit to free fruit and veg anymore, but don't quote me on this. Also, you can't really eat what you want in moderation anymore. A 150 calorie chicken breast is 2 points, a 150 calorie skinny cow ice cream or a granola bar is like 8 points. I don't think you earn points for eating those things, they are just much lower point values so you get more food. They are trying to steer everyone towards a certain way of eating. A lot of people are unhappy with the new smart points system and are jumping ship. Some, few, people are doing better. It used to be a great and easy way to count points and lose weight, not so much anymore.

You would probably enjoy the challenge of it that your work is presenting. And being able to do it with your coworkers assuming that you like them. If your employer is paying, you have nothing to lose by trying.

I has great success with weight watchers in my twenties and thirties. It went downhill when I got into my late forties under the point system.

I have tried it... Multiple times... The old points system worked well for me... Smart Points not so much.. I agree with another poster that if you have a 150 calorie chicken breast vs a 150 calorie skinny cow, you get dinged in points for the skinny cow. Almost 1/3 my daily points for a treat. Yes it's about making smarter choices but that's a given. Even WW own foods changed dramatically in points with the new program. A tiny bar used to be 2 pts now is 4.
If my company was paying I still might think twice about rejoining, but if you've never done it, I say give it a go.

My husband lost weight in WW after not losing weight any other way. About 20 lb in 3-4 months.
I lost 25 lbs in 4 months.
I cooked 100% from scratch, just used the point system. No need to buy their food. (I agree it's junk)
The inlimited fruit was a lifesaver. Bananas and berries and apples all day long!!
It basically trained us to eat higher protein, lower carbs, and more fiber.
I'd totally do it!! What's there to lose? (Weight, of course, lol)

I've tried WW and Slimming World.... honestly WW felt too pressured to me, not even just at the meetings. The whole 'points' system just got me really worked up and I'd end up not eating outside home because I couldn't work out how many points things were.
Slimming World just felt less focused on calories and more on moderation and allowing you 'free foods' that tended to be veg and high protein foods. It was a bit easier to handle.

My old workplace did a similar thing though..... I didn't take part but did 'diet' with a friend that signed up, I lost 5lbs more than her without following WW and doing the same workout routines etc

Alatariel75 wrote: »

5 - They keep flippin' changing the program! And with every new one I had slightly less success. I've heard the same from many others.

THIS. Calories NEVER CHANGE. You can eat all your days worth of crap and feel like poo or eat all day healthy OR a mix. MFP is more of a lifestyle and you never have to worry about a program changing and what worked before not working....

I have not used it.
My opinion is that you might as well just learn the actual calorie content of foods you typically eat and the appropriate portion sizes for you. It is free to do that and not difficult at all these days with resources like My Fitness Pal and similar sites/apps.

I say sign up, weigh in and then do your own mfp diary for accountability and give it your all to loose 8% to earn the bonus. As you won't be out anything (sign up fees) then it can't hurt right. No one will b hacking to see HOW you lost the weight, so go for it.

And depending on where your weight is and your level of "health" 8% is not that much in the long run.

I like knowing how many calories I'm eating versus points. I have a friend who switched from MFP to WW. I didn't really understand why because she was having success here. She still posts her foods on social media and it seems like she doesnt eat much, but i cant really know that unless i was with her 24/7. For myself personally the only person I need for accountability is myself because that's the only way I'll stick to the changes.

If you're already here on MFP I see no reason why you can't just use the free tools provided to do the same and save yourself the money over using Weight Watchers. Programs like WW are designed to take the hassle of counting calories away so that you can simply keep track of a simple number of points instead. It's all pretty much the same thing. MFP might take a slight bit more effort, and maybe a little more self control but I say save your money and give it a try.

My experience with WW: I’ve been off & on with it most of my adult life, with long gaps in between. My most recent run was 2008 through January 2016. I’ve done regular meetings, At Work meetings, and online only. I’ve had success. Why did I give it up?

A) I lost only 5# all of 2015. After they switched the program in November 2015, I was also constantly hungry & frustrated that I was rarely coming in at my points for the day, despite eating whole foods, lots of F&V, and whole grains.
B ) Because I was working so hard and seeing such small results, I was afraid there was an underlying medical condition. My doc sent me to see a dietitian while I waited for my endocrinologist appt. She had me switch to MFP in DEC 2015 so she could check my totals on my visits, for macros as well as calories – the new WW program is proprietary so she had no way of being able to interpret the numbers to anything meaningful
C) In late December, after dual tracking on WW.com and MFP, I actually hit my daily points target dead on, and caught up MFP at the same time. I was only at 930 calories! No wonder I was so hungry and emotional all the time.
D) When I finally met with the endocrinologist, I was diagnosed with insulin resistance, and had to keep track of my carb and sugar consumption more closely. Since I cannot do that with WW, I gave up my membership.

The positives of WW:
It does work, although the new program, which assigns pts based on sugar, protein, & fat (maybe fiber too?) is harder to handle than previous systems. The healthy habits, portions, and menu balance between food groups that I’d learned with their help made my dietitian’s job easy and she didn’t really have me make many changes, just lower my carbs & increase my protein a little bit. The WW buddies, even at a work session, can you help you stay on track where you might flounder on your own. You can learn from each other – tricks & tips & recipes. In your case, the extra benefit is the potential bonus and the fact that your company is paying for it.

The negatives:
You cannot track individual macros; while they are used to calculate points, there is no way to see your daily totals beyond points. As someone else stated, after a year meetings tend to get repetitive. Also, your leader makes a huge difference – a good leader is inspiring and knowledgeable. Bad leaders only push the products and can make the whole process unworthy of your time. For most people, cost is a negative. They used to have great message boards on the WW site, but they got rid of them at the end of last year, so they don’t have as good of an online community as they used to.

As someone else stated, if you are working on losing weight anyway, might as well take your company up on the offer. There is no requirement to use the WW website or their formulas. Go to the meetings, keep working with MFP, and get that bonus!! Oh, and if you are just doing it to hit the 8%, don’t forget to wear heavy clothes and maybe have a few items in your pocket when you get on that scale for the official starting WI LOL.

PS: Yes, the WW-brand products are garbage and super expensive. I’ve rarely used them. Even when they gave us free samples, I’d usually give them away or save them for when I forgot to bring my normal healthy snacks to work. Don’t EVER get their food products, although some of their tools are helpful.

I did WW in 2012. It worked for me--I lost weight.

Personally, I prefer MFP. MFP is free and it is helping me learn how to eat for life. I didn't feel that way on WW.

I think it is down to personal preference.

Hi Laura! I have done WW on and off for years. Fifteen years ago, they had a great program. Nothing was off limits. The points system was designed to steer you toward better choices. Veggies were 0 points. Fruit had a point value but was low. Low calorie/low fat sweet or salty treats could be found with a low point value (say 2 points). In recent years, they have changed the program. It really is not as easy to understand, easy to follow as long as you use their app. My real dislike of the current program is that, though, nothing is off limits, all "treats" have a very high point value-as other posters have said. I found it discouraging, when by day 3 of the week, I had already used up all my discretionary points and I would either would "over" or I would throw in the towel. Long story short, I joined in March and never lost any weight because I just couldn't stick with it. If you have 8% of your body weight to lose, (if that profile picture is current, I am not so sure you do) and you think you can do it during that time period and get reimbursed +$100, why not give it a shot? Maybe you will learn something valuable.