Why I left Weight Watchers new "Freestyle" Program
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My suspicion is that Weight Watchers is going to disappear into the Horizon much like the VCR and , to a lesser extent, compact discs. Back in the day it filled a significant void. Now there are many other things At a much better value that are easier to use at people's fingertips. This app being one of them. I have no need to pay all that money to join Weight Watchers when we have my fitness pal.8
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Proceed with caution. MFP members do the same thing if they don't agree with a choice you made, like having gastric bypass surgery or saying you wear a plastic suit when you work out to sweat more.14
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I have been holding onto a WW ONLINE membership and not using... thinking I will get back on track in the New Year...again. i searched this thread bec I thought Freestyle sounded misleading from all the Oprah-laced commercials airing now. Eat out anywhere!?!? No stress!?!? Only if going to you favorite boiled chicken, garbanzo bean, banana restaurant is your idea of worthwhile...yech! At least I would have some time to get used to cutting back when I had 28 points until closer to my goal...I don't need to pay someone for the right to eat eggs and lettuce...no help!! I am going back to MFP... and going to try to just be more balanced and less bread-ed...9
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I became a WW lifetime member in 1991 fell off the wagon and regained my lifetime status in 2009 and have been at goal since then. I personally feel that the new program is more like their past simply filling program which i couldnt do because lets face it if i could eat to satisfaction I wouldnt be going in the first place. I stress "I" because not everyone is like this. So they come out with this new program. Great over 200 items Zero points. Well lets face it, its basically fruit, veggies, fish, beans and chicken breast all of which I was already eating due to a GF, corn and peanut sensitivities, so now you tell me ZERO, well guess what I had all these points to use and I gained 2.8 in 2 weeks. UGH. So now I am back to doing MFP in conjunction with WW and there are days I have 16 points leftover. Tomorrow is my weigh in so I will be curious to see how I did. And as I saw in a previous post they change up the program every three years. This time their reasoning was we listened to our members and they wanted less tracking. Of course we do but we also need accountability. I for one am not happy with this at all. i was like a kid driving reckless.5
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I've just left ww for the same reason, the new flex system. Introduced out of the blue with no supporting evidence that it performs better than smartpoints, with which I have lost 50 lbs. I'm going to lose the rest with exercise and calorie control.4
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Ugh - yeah, the new system is terrible. I felt like I could easily portion control with SmartPoints (still focusing on lean meats, veggies, etc) - but this new system is really messed up.
I’ve been tracking here for the last five days, using a loose Whole 30-esque food list, and I’ve been really happy with that so far. I feel much more in control!4 -
I have been a member of this community for over 3 years and have lost 53 pounds. I am an older turtle who has learned a lot about her body and healthy eating since being with MFP. I joined WW online only late October because I was not making any progress even after changing things I was currently doing. I still have 40 pounds to lose. I started with smart points but changed to simply filling because it was more in line with my eating. I did not want to add foods that I had not been eating, like starchy carbs and processed foods just to make the points.
Freestyle is not an issue with me. I already eat those foods AND, thanks to MFP, I know that weighing/measuring portions and reading labels are key to successful weight loss. I think this change in WW is their push toward “cleaner eating” for their clients, but the wording is misleading (free and zero) especially for those who DO NOT know portion control. I think in the coming weeks, WW will be tweaking their literature/info/PR to hone in on portion control. There is already an article on the site about how to “hand measure” when eating out.
Since joining, I have lost something, although small, every week with the exception of Christmas week. Most days, I still track here as well because I need to know my macros and calories. Not sure why I have been able to lose again..I still exercise 4-5 x a week....maybe it’s using a more varied menu since I have access to quick ideas, maybe I am being more diligent and really working the program as I may have grown lax just tracking here, or maybe it’s the Connect community. Yes, like this community, it has its cliques, know-it-alls, and the attention-seekers, but if you weed them out, you will find those who are like-minded and choose to follow them. I have really, really been encouraged by reading about others, and I finally, truly believe that I, too, will make it to a healthy weight.
It really boils down to finding a program/style/regimen/protocol that is best for YOU and whatever that is, it has to be sustainable because we’re not on a diet; this is a lifestyle.
Happy New Year!7 -
I tried WW in high school i think its good for beginners but watching what you eat and calorie counting imo is easier and makes just as much if not more sense.4
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I have done ww off and on in the past years. I joined back this year because a lot of the foods I enjoy are on the zero list. So I’m hoping it will work for me. I had good luck with it a few years ago but I couldn’t keep up with counting and calculating so I failed miserably at that. But I did lose a bit of weight before on it. I am not going to trash anyone who chooses to continue or discontinue the program. We all have our own journey!4
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Complaining about Weight Watchers? I'm in! People keep telling me I should join, but besides the inconvenient meeting hours, I just don't like any of their plans. They say their plans are so simple and convenient but they really aren't. I've tried going through my Chinese buffet, counting various points in my head and it's impossible. On the other hand, I can go through keeping a running estimate of calories in my head with no trouble. The new, free foods plan would be terrible for me because I have GERD and almost all fruits are too acidic for me. I also find that I have less hunger and lose faster if I keep plenty of fat and protein in my meals, and that might just go past the strict point system, even though it stays within my calorie limit. WW is not for everyone.1
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Natalianime wrote: »I did weight watcher back when they were on points plus. When the only free things were fruits and veg. I left once they moved to smart points because it seemed like the punishment for carbs was kind of drastic. Foods I used to eat for 4 points suddenly became 11. It was too much of an adjustment to get used to.
I think they are moving more toward general better eating tools for people who have very poor diets. I get what they're doing and it has it's place but won't work for most.
If you eat nothing but takeout, pizza, wings and soda and decide to join weightwatchers you likely will lose weight and learn to eat better. Regardless of the amount of free food you eat. It's no longer a place for people looking to lose 5-20 pounds. It's a learning tool, meant to be used for losing 50+ pounds.
If you're someone who already eats all the foods regularly on their new list you're already past the point of needing their guidance.
I agree about the carbs issue. I left after struggling with the change to smart points. As a vegetarian I felt that my lifestyle was penalised when compared to someone that ate meat and fish.3 -
I see why would they make the change. If you like counting - calorie counting is the easiest, most flexible with apps as MFP accessible for free. Other methods are left trying to cater for people that want to do as little counting as possible.
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I left Weight Watchers 2 years ago and have since lost almost 90 pounds. Best thing I did was working on a program that works for me. The constant changes and trying to fit my square peg in their round hole wasn't working for me. Welcome back to MFP.11
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A co-worker of mine does weight watchers, she started last year and has been pretty successful, but she didn't have that much to lose. We compared notes btw MFP and WW a few months ago and I think that was around the time WW was switching over to the freestyle program as she told me bananas used to be 1 point, now they're 0 because people were choosing an unhealthier option which was also 1 point (forgot what it was). The next time we get a lunch together I should ask her what she thinks of the freestyle program, if she likes it or not. She'll probably stick with it tho b/c she chose WW for the accountability.2
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HellYeahItsKriss wrote: »I was more or less being sarcastic... IMO once chicken and everything else got added to the 0 point list, it seems rather pointless of a program now.
I see what you did there LOL
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Bananas have been zero for a looong time and continue to be on Freestyle. I used WW for years and finally decided it wasn't right for me. I am more accountable when I count calories instead of using a mysterious point formula to track my intake. Weight loss is calories in, calories out, and I've come to the realization that there are no magic weight loss foods. In real life treats aren't double the calories, they are JUST CALORIES. Using the healthy guidelines provided here helps me stay on track and the formula never changes. Best to you in 2018!11
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Bananas have been zero for a looong time and continue to be on Freestyle. I used WW for years and finally decided it wasn't right for me. I am more accountable when I count calories instead of using a mysterious point formula to track my intake. Weight loss is calories in, calories out, and I've come to the realization that there are no magic weight loss foods. In real life treats aren't double the calories, they are JUST CALORIES. Using the healthy guidelines provided here helps me stay on track and the formula never changes. Best to you in 2018!
yeah and most bananas are 80-100 calories so if you were to eat say 3 theres 240-300 calories alone. making it zero points and saying those foods are free many will think they can eat as much of those foods as they want and not gain.4 -
Great discussion since I was on WW recently and wondered about this new program. Thanks!0
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Great discussion and just what I needed to read. I have been successful on WW for two years and am down to the final 10 (now13 thanks to Freestyle). I think it is the stress of losing 7 points a day. My brain cannot wrap around the fact, "but you get more zero point food" as I am a habit eater. By this I mean, the foods I was losing on, need the other 7 points. I even took advantage of their live chat. Nice try, but giving it time and being patient and double checking my tracking....oh no you don't, you don't shove this on me. I just bought a food journal and after reading all of this input, I am going to use and win with MFP. And a new pedometer(just a good old fashioned basic one because if I leave it in my pocket and wash it, I won't shed as many tears or bucks). Thanks everyone, thank you.10
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I just left Weight Watchers too! I wanted to try it but it just doesn't work for me. My biggest gripes with WW are the following:
1. It's not flexible enough for my lifestyle. I usually eat dinner with my family, regardless of what they may be having. They aren't always the healthiest, but I do try to make better choices. As long as I stay under my calorie goal, I feel I have succeeded for the day. WW was KILLING me with points for things I could easily fit into my calorie goal. For example, I had a cup of spaghetti and sausage the other day, logging in at 650 calories. Weight watchers gave me 20 points for the meal! I only get 25 per day.
2. I don't necessarily understand the logic on certain point values. I know the points are designed to "reward you" for eating foods low in fat/high in protein, but sometimes it just doesn't make sense. A medium avocado has 230 calories, but 11 points. A snickers bar has 250 calories but 8 points. I know avocados are high in fat, but you'd think an avocado is a better snack than a snickers bar.
3. Unlimited fruit is a dangerous slope. I know that many of the foods on the zero point list are healthy and fine to eat, but ANYTHING should be eating in moderation. Are you telling me that if I ate 12 bananas a day all for zero points and then ate my regular amount of points (25) I'd lose weight? I don't think so.
I prefer MFP and calorie counting. I don't think it's more tedious than counting points, and for me it just works. I would never bash anyone choosing WW though.20
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