Weight watchers

I lost 120 lbs on the previous WW program PointsPlus. I left after the latest plan change and the demise of the message boards. I've maintained with MFP quite nicely. It works well if it works for YOU. like most other programs.

I am a double tracking WW member as well! I really enjoy the new Connect online social media and there are some great ambassadors of WW on Instagram that I have gotten great meal ideas from. I have found the scale moving when I watch my macros and ensure that my 30 points per day are more balanced with less sugar, more protein and vegetables- that was the whole idea behind the new Smart Point program. If I eat higher sugar items my points are all gone at around 800-900 calories for the day and that keeps the scale completely stuck- I could then add several 0 point food which would be vegetables and fruit and in theory that would balance the macros. CICO simply do not work for me, especially as you get to those last 10 lbs. What you eat matters- period. I can't eat half of my calories in MM's and still lose weight. WW is doing a great job shifting gears and focusing on the mental aspect of weight loss. You will NOT hear them talk about good and bad foods- they will not tell you to not eat your weeklies or your fit points ( which yes- you still get- weekly) Bottom line- it is a well balanced program, when you work the program.

There are many people having great success and some people (like me) that are modifying the program slightly and need to pay more attention to the macros and total calories. Some people do lower carbs, some track on MFP and you can find these "subgroups" through # search in the Connect program.

Ultimately its our personal responsibility to find what works best for ourselves and I find these two tools used together are helping support my goal of being health and happy.

ksearleknox wrote: »

I am a double tracking WW member as well! I really enjoy the new Connect online social media and there are some great ambassadors of WW on Instagram that I have gotten great meal ideas from. I have found the scale moving when I watch my macros and ensure that my 30 points per day are more balanced with less sugar, more protein and vegetables- that was the whole idea behind the new Smart Point program. If I eat higher sugar items my points are all gone at around 800-900 calories for the day and that keeps the scale completely stuck- I could then add several 0 point food which would be vegetables and fruit and in theory that would balance the macros. CICO simply do not work for me, especially as you get to those last 10 lbs. What you eat matters- period. I can't eat half of my calories in MM's and still lose weight. WW is doing a great job shifting gears and focusing on the mental aspect of weight loss. You will NOT hear them talk about good and bad foods- they will not tell you to not eat your weeklies or your fit points ( which yes- you still get- weekly) Bottom line- it is a well balanced program, when you work the program.

There are many people having great success and some people (like me) that are modifying the program slightly and need to pay more attention to the macros and total calories. Some people do lower carbs, some track on MFP and you can find these "subgroups" through # search in the Connect program.

Ultimately its our personal responsibility to find what works best for ourselves and I find these two tools used together are helping support my goal of being health and happy.

Agreed. I wanted to learn to eat in a healthy and balanced manner as part of my lifestyle change. I still eat snack and treat food like donuts, cake and chips. I just eat lower point foods around it. The same way someone would eat a lower calorie food around a splurge. I count calories because my 30 points always come out to between 1300 to 2000 calories, and either I maintain or gain. Too many low point healthy choices I guess? But I do love my veggies. Counting calories keeps that in control. Left to counting calories only I don't think I would see a fruit or vegetable. Tried it and it happened. It was more fun spending calories on crap than on food that prevented the diseases that I lost 68 lbs to avoid in the first place. All I know is what I'm doing is working, and the teaching tools WW provide its members work. So does CICO. It's all good.

I was a WW member twice at various points in my life, most recently around 2008/2009. I lost about 15 out of the 40 lbs that I set for my goal. What finally drove me away was the constant marketing. Buy our magazine! Look at our new cookbook! Try these WW snacks that are full of god-knows-what chemicals bur are only 2 points per serving. You need a new water bottle - these are on sale for $9.99. It felt like I was in the studio audience of an infomercial.

And in the group I attended, the same ladies lost the same 5 pounds over and over and over again.

Jimb376mfp wrote: »

@chubbychickruns Agree! Yes they exist TO MAKE MONEY! But if it was easy then nobody would need help.

Why do you think O joined in?

They are guaranteed customers to the end of time, sadly.

I figure what I pay makes me stick with it and better than spending it on junk food, fast food and other ways I used to waste my money.

O joined in because she has a majority owner percentage of it....which is not openly disclosed

mph323 wrote: »

I had success losing on WW points plus, got within 5 lbs of my goal weight, but I got really frustrated with the food database. I have celiac disease and eat a lot of off-brands of gf food, and a lot of it wasn't in the database (at that time). It was generally accepted that the rough formula for conversion was around 35 calories per point more or less, but eventually it got to be just too much effort and stress to continue with the program, and I didn't have the tools to maintain my loss. I'm doing so much better watching my calories, which I can figure out on my own regardless of whether it's in the database or not.

Now, out of curiosity (and I've been dying to ask this), how does the Connect app differ from the old boards? I used to participate in the community and around the time I left some of the forums were getting a little out of hand (GDT I'm looking at you ) I assumed they closed it to outsiders because no matter how strict they were policing the comments, there was a lot of discussion around "how many points is this food?", and of course the points system is proprietary and their primary draw.

Connect is kind of like a toned down Facebook. That's the simplest way to describe it. Post pictures, ask questions. Give likes. Run challenges. Some posts trend, others don't. Some members literally have thousands of followers, some don't. Yes you can post Points values. They will delete anything spammy or offensive.

@mph323
"Now, out of curiosity (and I've been dying to ask this), how does the Connect app differ from the old boards? I used to participate in the community and around the time I left some of the forums were getting a little out of hand (GDT I'm looking at you )"

It's sorta like FB for WWers BUT without the negative posts. IMHO Some don't like the Rah Rah cheering but I do.

There are no Threads per se and no continuity. The GDT moved to http://newgdt.proboards.com/ if you want to see.

The WW Guys on a Diet (GoaD) moved here to MFP, it is Guys AND Gals all on WW plans. Friendly group with NO DRAMA!

I used to visit the WW General Daily Thread (GDT) but kept getting in trouble with some of the more avid ones on there. Now I get in trouble on the MFP Chit Chat forum. LoL

Jim

I have to laugh at the comments about the WW message boards. I remember a Calling All Mom's board (CAM) and the General Daily Thread (GDT) we're some of the BITCHIEST people fighting 24/7.

I used Weight Watchers online when it was Points Plus and lost 85 lbs. The program works if you stick to it. In reality though, it's the same as MFP (at least on line only). The difference is Points instead of Calories. I got to my initial goal of 225, then slacked off and gain 30. Was going to get back on then started using this. Calories (at least with MFP) is a lot easier than points. I did not like the fact that if I was out shopping and wanted to try something that I'd have to pull out the phone and calculate point. I also didn't like the fact that I was dropping $16 a month for the tracking program. MFP all the way. Lost 24 of the 30 so far and will continue using this free program.