Why I left Weight Watchers new "Freestyle" Program
Replies
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The problem is, not everyone understands CICO. People who have used WW without understanding the reasoning behind the points system have a higher chance of failing when the system changes.
For example, I was sitting at the grocery store cafe a couple weeks ago grabbing a quick dinner. I overheard the lady at the table over talking about how WW changed the program. Her exact words, "I can eat all the chicken and eggs I want now. I could eat tons of that." She then proceeded to polish off an entire roasted, rotisserie chicken. Granted, I have no idea what she ate earlier or what she will eat later.9 -
Wow, their zero point list constitutes more than half, probably even two thirds, of my current calories. I would do horribly on it if I didn't count these. Dates? Dates are on the list? Whoever thought that was a good idea? They're very easy to overeat. A random snack of 5 dates has more than 300 calories and I've been known to eat 4x that in one setting if given free rein. Interesting how one program can be horrible for someone because it causes them to undereat, and horrible for another because it causes them to overeat. A program is bad if only a subset of people whose preferences are just right can do it.7
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amusedmonkey wrote: »Wow, their zero point list constitutes more than half, probably even two thirds, of my current calories. I would do horribly on it if I didn't count these. Dates? Dates are on the list? Whoever thought that was a good idea? They're very easy to overeat. A random snack of 5 dates has more than 300 calories and I've been known to eat 4x that in one setting if given free rein. Interesting how one program can be horrible for someone because it causes them to undereat, and horrible for another because it causes them to overeat. A program is bad if only a subset of people whose preferences are just right can do it.
NO dates are NOT on the list!
About 4SP (smart points) each, I get 23 SP a day...Have you ever been a WW member??? Please read my post above
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amusedmonkey wrote: »Wow, their zero point list constitutes more than half, probably even two thirds, of my current calories. I would do horribly on it if I didn't count these. Dates? Dates are on the list? Whoever thought that was a good idea? They're very easy to overeat. A random snack of 5 dates has more than 300 calories and I've been known to eat 4x that in one setting if given free rein. Interesting how one program can be horrible for someone because it causes them to undereat, and horrible for another because it causes them to overeat. A program is bad if only a subset of people whose preferences are just right can do it.
NO dates are NOT on the list!
About 4SP (smart points) each, I get 23 SP a day...Have you ever been a WW member??? Please read my post above
No, I have never done WW (jumped straight for calories). I was going by the list posted by Nony_Mouse, 200 zero point foods under the new freestyle system. Thing is, "being reasonable" doesn't work for some because things that are seemingly reasonable can be deceiving. 5 dates looks like a reasonable snack. You're not shoveling in the entire box or eating what looks like obscene amounts of food. But that's 300+ calories, not something that can be eaten without awareness. Now if you decide to have a snack twice, as people sometimes reasonably do, we're talking about something seemingly innocent being the difference between losing and gaining.
It's great the program works for you, it's just too error prone to work for me. The relationship between calories and foods eaten is inconsistent, creating inconsistent results and frustrations for some.12 -
amusedmonkey wrote: »Wow, their zero point list constitutes more than half, probably even two thirds, of my current calories. I would do horribly on it if I didn't count these. Dates? Dates are on the list? Whoever thought that was a good idea? They're very easy to overeat. A random snack of 5 dates has more than 300 calories and I've been known to eat 4x that in one setting if given free rein. Interesting how one program can be horrible for someone because it causes them to undereat, and horrible for another because it causes them to overeat. A program is bad if only a subset of people whose preferences are just right can do it.
NO dates are NOT on the list!
About 4SP (smart points) each, I get 23 SP a day...Have you ever been a WW member??? Please read my post above
I can't find the list on the website (probably because they restrict some materials for members-only), but according to this list, dates are a zero point food on the new plan: http://balancingtoday.com/complete-weight-watchers-freestyle-zero-points-food-list/8 -
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I can't find the list on the website (probably because they restrict some materials for members-only), but according to this list, dates are a zero point food on the new plan: http://balancingtoday.com/complete-weight-watchers-freestyle-zero-points-food-list/[/quote]
Fresh Dates are 0 the green/hard kind, have you ever tried one
I see how not overeating is involved there, but you got a point...It's not for everybody...For me I can say that I'm a WW success story
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Thanks, everyone! I really enjoyed reading about that 200 zero-point list and downloaded it. Oh my, fruit cocktail? Corn? BEANS, any?? Those were absolute no-no's the last time I actually lost weight on a diet ("Quick Weight Loss"). Just one egg has 70 cal., people!! I lost all respect for WW when I read the list. "Lobster" just about tops the insane choices. If I ate nothing but some of the foods on this list I could gain 10 lbs. in a month. Easily.
The first time I joined WW they just got away from having to eat fish 5x a week, and that was a controlled portion every time. We kept a diary sheet and wrote "LEGAL!" on every day we stayed under our goal. And we lost weight! Ah well, that was in the pre-computer stone ages, 1980. When the new year rolled around they allowed peanut butter as one of the fat choices. A teaspoon full.7 -
I left it a while ago, I loved it 10 years ago but what are the200 foods they now have added? Also, why not just do the smart points program since you have the info? I didn't like smart points because with the old program I could look at a food and tell the points plus too many points for carbohydrates.
Hi There -
You can't really do any old programs once they change it because everything is done on the WW app now. I guess I could still do it and be a -7 everyday but that would mess with my head seeing the - everyday. WW has changed so much if you haven't been on it in 10 years you would be in for a major change going back. The 200 food list I am sure you can google it "zero point food list" and find an image.
look into the app itrackbites 2 -
I can't find the list on the website (probably because they restrict some materials for members-only), but according to this list, dates are a zero point food on the new plan: http://balancingtoday.com/complete-weight-watchers-freestyle-zero-points-food-list/[/quote]
Fresh Dates are 0 the green/hard kind, have you ever tried one
I see how not overeating is involved there, but you got a point...It's not for everybody...For me I can say that I'm a WW success story
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I admire your passion, but this new program has been out for a few weeks at most. I'm a former WW success story too, but they changed things into insensibility.11 -
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My problem with ww was I got 27 points and was just hungry all the time. I couldn't stick to it, The leaders response was to fill up on more veggies which was not satisfying to me. I crave sugar and sugar is really restricted on the plan. A piece of cake is 24 points1
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carterbrent wrote: »My problem with ww was I got 27 points and was just hungry all the time. I couldn't stick to it, The leaders response was to fill up on more veggies which was not satisfying to me. I crave sugar and sugar is really restricted on the plan. A piece of cake is 24 points
Depends on the size of the cake. A 40 to 50 gram size slice of cake was only 7 or 8 points. 24 points was for a multitier, frosting loaded bakery sized slice.3 -
Ah, the "F" word... (a.k.a. Freestyle)
I was doing wonderfully well on Smart Points. Blue dot every day, no need for weekly points, not hungry, hitting calcium/protein targets, and losing weight steadily. Then Freestyle happened. All of the sudden, I was hungry (I somehow managed to lose 10 daily points, not just 7 like everyone else), I didn't have enough points for dairy so my calcium/protein numbers took a major nosedive, I ran out of weekly points well before the week was over. And I didn't lose weight!
I tried to voice some of my concerns, but it was made pretty clear that I was just being too picky, too resistant, too stubborn, etc. In other words, I was being too negative. They didn't want to hear any of that.
So while I'm happy for the people Freestyle works for, I wish they'd stop pretending it's the greatest thing ever conceived. It might be the most-awesomest-thing-EVAH for some people, but not for everyone, and certainly not for me.
So now I'm back to MFP. Not only does it hold me accountable for the calories I consume, but it also makes me aware that calories don't tell the whole story. Nutrients matter too!
Not to mention MFP is free. And in this case, free is good. 19 -
Oh and this week on Freestyle I lost 2lbs and I ate all my WP (weekly points)
Why? Because WW is not only about counting points it's about much more!
It gives you tools that you still have to implement but hey! Whatever WORKS right?12 -
Different things work for different people. I like the structure of WW (I learned portion control and healthy eating) and the calorie control of MFP (because you can gain weight on overeating healthy foods). Both are flexible but require sensibility. Like the cake example. Yes you can have cake every day if you have the calories, points, whatever. Does it mean you should? I personally have no interest in continuing a behavior that made me obese. So I kicked the daily Little Debbie habit to the curb. YMMV.2
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I think WW is a good onboarding system. I joined in July, when they had a special that included telephone coaching. I got a lot out of checking in with someone, kept me focused and accountable. However, the long term price I just thought was too high when the program was focused on doing what I was already doing, namely eating more lean protein fruits and vegetables. That's just me; I can totally see how the simplified approach of points can keep people on track more easily than carbs or macro counting. Like everybody said, whatever works for you.
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Download the iTrackBites app. You can track the Smart Points or previous Weight Watchers plans on the app.2
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I had a friend who was over 400 lbs and joined weight watchers. with the points this person was eating under 900 calories. stopped losing weight and weight watchers told this person their body was in starvation mode and to lower the points a little. for goodness sake that is way too little calories even for someone who doesnt have a lot of weight to lose. so now they are telling people higher calorie foods are no points? heck 5-6 oz of turkey is like what 300 calories or a little more?eggs at 74 calories for an large egg? give or take the weight of course. but if you ate nothing but these 0 point foods and as much as you wanted a person could enter into surplus calories territory easily. I dont see this lasting long.
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