WW Plans
Al_Howard
Posts: 8,713 Member
Are there some of us who have (or want to) revert to one of the older plans?
I lost well with PP, but this Freestyle has me stuck (with the way I live). Anyone find an online tracker for it?
I lost well with PP, but this Freestyle has me stuck (with the way I live). Anyone find an online tracker for it?
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I could use PP now.0
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I loved PP and have disliked the plans since then. Pretty sure somebody talked about an app to track PP, but can't remember what it was.0
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I wouldn't mind trying PP again myself.
SW 400.8
CW 340.0😀
Next GW 300.0
Final GW 185.0
60.8 lbs Total lost0 -
I would gladly go back to the plain old points system they had in 2006, don't want that cardboard slide rule calculator they had it was a pain compared to the phone app.
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I know I've read of trackers available for Apple mobile devices. I'm guessing something's out there for Android too. The only advice I can recommend is checking the respective app locations (App Store and Google Play?). Good luck finding it (seriously!).0
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I'm a fan of P+ too. I don't find the later plans to be an improvement at all.1
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There's an Android app, WWPP that looks interesting. Need to load your oun foods, though.0
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I realize it is counting calories rather than points; but, I have found the MFP app to be very, very useful.1
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I agree on PP. I did very well with it. I left WW after Smart Points except for a monthly Lifetimers meeting. I am trying Freestyle which was an upgrade of Smart Points, but still not in the same league as Points Plus and earlier programs. I think they could of reworked PP a bit rather than go in Smart Points/Freestyle direction which seems to be more of a marketing decision.0
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I'm also a fan of PointsPlus. I found it to be a straightforward program and liked the ease of seeing the relative value of one food to another. That's not the case with SmartPoints or Freestyle.
Check out info on an app called iTrackBites. There's a review of it on snack-girl.com. I'm not attaching the link because I don't know if MFP would remove it. I've only glanced at this, but it looks like it's a basic app with options to add things like a recipe builder and food database.
Don't forget that on PointsPlus, a point was equal to 38 calories except for alcohol. I find that an easy rule of thumb to default to when needed.
I'm doing fine with MFP . . . as long as I track. Spending some time on the front-end setting up some recipes, importing others and finding good entries for commonly used foods was helpful. I had to do the same with PointsPlus.0 -
I've been using the iTrackBites app points plus copy for a couple of weeks. I used MFP for a few years after smartpoints came out. Then I tried WW Freestyle recently for a few months, but I found it to be as unworkable as smartpoints.
On iTrackBites, you can follow the WW Momentum Plan (called the Classic Plan), and Points Plus (called BitesPlus), in addition to Smartpoints, and for a fee - Freestyle.
So far, I'm very happy being back on a plan where food values are relative to calories, but without counting calories.
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@cakeman21k I’d forgotten that cardboard slide rule. :-)0
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At the end of my meeting run last fall they almost seemed to come right out and say they wanted out of the weight loss business.
But you know, if we had taken our last dimes and bet it all on Oprah the day she got in WW, we would have done fabulously well. Guessing WW HQ isn’t looking to make big changes any time soon.0 -
This site has several WW points method calculators.
https://www.calculator.net/weight-watchers-points-calculator.html
The food db is up to you.
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I liked the Smart Points plan that got me rid of my of last 80# (2016-17).
Before that PPV got rid of 100#(2013-14) and -15# 2015 to NOT GAIN.
So they all worked for me, I think the Plan depends more on the Person than the Plan.
If you work the Plan the Plan Works.0 -
Jimb376mfp wrote: »
If you work the Plan the Plan Works.
Not in my case Jim. I tracked, weighed and measured faithfully for months on Freestyle and lost very minimally, maybe less than 1/2# a week average. It was very discouraging. And no, I was not eating an excessive amount of free foods.
And Emmie, I was just thinking about the 38cal=1 PP earlier today. I guess that's why tracking on MFP is working for me, though I did have to lower my calories allotted to get the scale to move.1 -
Before PointsPlus there was Momentum. Which is the last plan to use the slide rule. Points plus utilized the calculator that looked like a birth control pill pack.
I found the Momentum plan the most effective for me. Both because of the 'reward' for fiber and because vegetables, but not fruits, were zero points. While it's true the 'fiberization' of foods got a little out of control (I think it was the FiberOne yogurt that officially put the fad over the top) the plan probably kept me focused on the healthiest food regimen I could muster and still managing my weight. Once I could replace celery with peaches, mangoes, oranges and whatever, I found it much more challenging to manage my caloric intake on the points plans.
BTW, I really liked that slide rule. And I miss it.0 -
Jimb376mfp wrote: »If you work the Plan the Plan Works.
I too would not be able to agree with this in my case. I had changed plans before without much problems. Without me changing how I was eating and on a long term weight loss trend, Smart Points suddenly would tell me I was eating too much. I could never get it to work for me and WL stalled. Eventually, I quit WW for MFP, except for a monthly lifetimers meeting. I am back with Freestyle for a few months now. Results are inconsistent. I haven't quite figured out how to "work the plan" though it seems doable. I never had to do that before. I am double tracking now to see the calories & nutrition as well.
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[quote="Jimb376mfp;c-42550778"
If you work the Plan the Plan Works.[/quote]
I used to agree with this, but now I believe some plans have inherent problems that make them unsustainable long-term. I believe Freestyle fits this category.2 -
Actually, the plan always works. Because there’s a little caveat in every version that basically tells you if you’re not losing weight you need to adjust the parameters. Whether it’s cutting back on 0 point foods or daily/weekly points or not adding in activity points, there is a recommendation to dial down caloric input.
What makes one plan more successful than another is how each plan frames the priorities of food content and eating behaviors.
The magic in magical thinking is about what magically speaks to the individual. (Yes, I did manage three versions of the same word in that sentence. Cool.)1 -
Actually, the plan always works. Because there’s a little caveat in every version that basically tells you if you’re not losing weight you need to adjust the parameters.)
But if "adjusting the parameters" includes the need to calculate calories outside of the plan being used, I'd argue you're not really following a plan that works.
I lost weight on Freestyle, but I was frequently/consistently WAY over my points allotment. The numbers were literally all over the place. If I ate within the allotted points, I was usually (but not always) stll very hungry. I found this frustrating, and it begged the question, "How many Freestyle points can I eat and still lose weight?" Once I started double-tracking in MFP, I learned the answer was, "It depends on what you eat."
For me, that's not a plan that works.
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I don’t know the name of the plan I started with in 2006. But we had the slide rule and men and women had the same number of points. I lost steadily to goal and the women at the meeting appeared to hate me for it. Or maybe there was some other reason.1
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But we had the slide rule and men and women had the same number of points.
I remember when I joined WW under the first iteration of PointsPlus. I'm a little over 5'6 and wanted to lose 40lbs. (Thirty to reacg WW goal.) I was given 29 daily points and was told it was the minimum for women. I asked "So a woman who is 5' tall and wants to lose 10lbs gets the same number of points as me?" The reply was "Yes." I told the lady that one of us would hate this program.
BTW, I may have one of those slide rules somewhere. Happy to get rid of it if someone wants it.
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For what it's worth (certainly not very much), I encourage anyone who deemed themselves successful on prior plans to go back to them for the sole reason that success often breeds success.
I don't believe we're here to be tested or tortured. I firmly believe as people step on the stepping stones of weight loss, they get encouraged by weight loss. They experience the NSVs. They feel better. They sleep better. They have better interactions with their doctors. They're less of a burden to themselves and probably, less of a potential problem to their families. Once that process starts, I think some re-evaluate the nuances of how they eat, how they "spend their points" , what they want to put in their body, how they want to incorporate activity (because it's easier to do so), etc.
Much of my challenge in weight loss was in my head and learning to re-learn about my relationship with food and drink and the triggers for same. I lost the majority of my weight on PP. It took me a while to figure out what worked for me with the newer programs, but I realized my body really didn't care that WW changed up their gig. I could easily have kept on PP and it would have worked. I transitioned to the newer programs because I actually appreciated the weighted-emphasis on sugars and carbs. It's worked out OK for me, but if hasn't for you and you were on a program that was working, maybe going back to it is the best thing you could do for now.
Options are always open down the road but if you're stuck and discouraged, I don't think it will work to try to force yourself to an eating style you don't like and doesn't work for you. Ultimately, we live better lives in a smaller body. Consider the method as a stepping stone. Use what works, evaluate the result and your happiness & satisfaction with it, and periodically adapt as necessary. That includes leaving WW behind (here we are on MFP, right?).
I'm quite sure my view wouldn't be sanctioned by WW, but I get so damn jazzed when people get to experience the benefits of weight loss, I think the tradeoffs are worth zigging and zagging to your heart's content.1 -
I’ve never done Freestyle. I’m fairly certain I would hate it. There is no doubt the Freestyle approach is more unmoored from calories than prior plans. It so punishes saturated fats and sugars that it would be easy for me to be done with my points by noon every day.
Even without considering sugars and the evils of trans fats, some the judgements are just ridiculous. And illogical. So, even though boneless skinless chicken thighs have only about 10 more calories per serving than breasts, they are not zero points. (I know lots of people who got fat by eating too many chicken thighs. Not.). Conversely, farmed salmon, which is much fattier than chicken thighs (and probably some cuts of beef not on the zero points list) is a zero points food.
So, yeah, I could see an uncoupling between points consumption and weight loss, calorie counts, and satiety.
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And pork tenderloin is pointy, and about the same NI as chicken.0
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(I think it was the FiberOne yogurt that officially put the fad over the top)
I remember that! Although I got my favorite brownie recipe from this era of Weight Watchers (can of black beans, brownie mix, and water).
I have a hard time with Freestyle feeling too restrictive unless you're eating off of the prescribed food list (and as someone who can easily eat 4 bananas a day, it didn't seem like a good fit for me!)1 -
So, yeah, I could see an uncoupling between points consumption and weight loss, calorie counts, and satiety.
Exactly. And when this uncoupling happens on the regular, the true learning of how/when/why weight loss happens goes away (or possibly accidentally gets replaced with magical thinking.)
Learning the real facts/lessons is what increases the chance of long-term success. IMHO.
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