Weight Watchers.... I can't really gasp my mind around it

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mandy_lee86
mandy_lee86 Posts: 103 Member
So, about the time I started my weight loss journey, someone in our office started Weight Watchers. I don't know exactly how the points work, but I think the first number of your weight determines how many points you would get? I weight 220 so I would get 20-something points. Anyways, we were talking the other day and I asked her what kind of stuff she is allowed to eat on her Weight Watchers' diet. She tells me that she is allowed to eat anything she wants. She said she's had fried chicken, big boxes from KFC, and she is always eating chocolate. She says that Weight Watchers is all about moderation and that if you eat half of a candy bar for 3 points then you're okay. I don't understand how you can be on a "diet" and put the same fatty foods into your body that you were before. Is Weight Watchers really only about moderation? Also, she has all of these "extra weekly points" that she can use on anything she wants... which sounds ridicilous to me. Also, she gets to eat back her exercise calories. How is this moderation when you're able to get all of these free points AND eat back your exercise calories. Doesn't that basically put you back where you started? Has anyone been on weight watches that can explain to me how it is supposed to work?
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Replies

  • Ejwelton
    Ejwelton Posts: 331 Member
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    Is she loosing weight?
  • mandy_lee86
    mandy_lee86 Posts: 103 Member
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    BTW - she gets over 40 points a day. She has been doing it since February and has lost about 8-10 lbs
  • AlyRoseNYC
    AlyRoseNYC Posts: 1,075 Member
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    It's really not that different from MFP at it's core. They give you a certain number of points to eat which is based on the calories, fat, and fiber in each food. When I did WW, I found that for most of the foods I ate, 1 point = 50ish calories.

    It is all about moderation and portion control. I eat candy bars and junk food too, but I don't do it often and make sure it fits into my daily goals. My mom does WW, and she does not eat at all like your friend. She eats very claen. Since there are no restrictions on WW, you can customize it to what you like, just like MFP.

    The main difference with WW is the exercise factor. They don't put much focus on working out at all. It's more of an afterthought IMO.

    Does this help?
  • clovr24
    clovr24 Posts: 56 Member
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    Just like counting calories, you can eat whatever you want within your range...granted, it's probably not best to just eat candy bars all day but if it provides a deficit a person could still lose doing it.

    The extra points are because on their own, the daily points add up to only around 1000 calories.
  • BurtHuttz
    BurtHuttz Posts: 3,653 Member
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    It's a game. I'll give you a thousand points.

    Each point is worth two calories.

    *shrugs*
  • Shayztar
    Shayztar Posts: 415 Member
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    I don't know about Weight Watchers, but I've seen people on MFP who lose weight eating 1200 calories of junk food. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. It's about making a change that is going to sustain you for life. If you eat 40 points of garbage, then when you stop watching points, you're just eating garbage. If you eat 40 points of healthy food with the occasional indulgence, then when you stop counting points, maybe you've learned how to eat better. Maybe not. It's still a good idea to learn portion and moderation. But I imagine all she is learning to do is eat less, not eat better.
  • Kerri_is_so_very
    Kerri_is_so_very Posts: 1,005 Member
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    I could never stick with ww, but some people can do it and have success. To me it was too commecial, always peddling their foods etc. Unless you are eating healthy to begin with, eating less of the same junk isn't going to change you long term. I am so not impressed with ww, but it may work for some. I think whatever you have success with and can stick to is a good thing, but the drive really has to come from within...there are so many components to weight loss that focusing on just one aspect is probably not going to lead to success in most cases.
  • DelilahCat0212
    DelilahCat0212 Posts: 282 Member
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    Weight Watchers also has the health guidelines (I forget what they are called) where you're supposed to have so many servings of dairy, fruits and veggies, healthy fat, etc. By the time I got in my protein, fats, fruits, veggies and dairy, I had no points left for snacks or treats. A lot of people follow the points but not the health guidelines. You can do the same thing with MFP...you can eat 1400 cal worth of junk or you can eat 1400 worth of good clean food.

    40 points a day is a lot for a chick. I'm pretty darn obese and I only got 29.
  • roachhaley
    roachhaley Posts: 978 Member
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    Calories in calories out.

    I eat a good amount of "junk" and still lose weight.

    You dont necessarily have to eat "healthy" food to lose weight.
  • caramkoala
    caramkoala Posts: 303 Member
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    My understanding is it is pretty much the same as it is in here. One 'weight watchers point' equals 50 cals. Same as MFP, you are allocated a number of points based on your current weight, and a deficit is figured in. You can eat anything on weight watchers, within your points budget, just like you can eat anything here, within your points budget.

    The weekly points are the equivalent of a sort of 'calorie cycling' thing. Like, if you know you are going out to dinner on Saturday night, you might eat 100 cals a day under, to make up for the excess on Saturday night.

    And eating back exercise cals, well, that's the same as in here too!

    It's really not that different or hard. It's like US being being stuck in the dark ages with imperial measurements, while over in more civilised lands we use metric! You say 200pounds or 2000calories, I say 91kg or 9000kJ!

    The biggest difference is this way is free!
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
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    I've done it twice. The new point system isn't bad.

    X points does not equal y calories. There is a formula which is weighted based on the protein/fat/fiber of a food.

    I felt like crap the entire time I did WW the first time (I did lose weight.) So I counted calories with points and found out that the way I was eating - I was eating at an insane calorie deficit. I think like... 1500 calories? (My BMR at the time was something like 2600)
    Keep in mind, this happened because I was fitting fast food into the diet. Eating whole foods, you get more calories shoved into a point. The points you get to 'eat back' from exercise don't amount to much. The 'bonus points' round out the insane calorie deficit. I didn't eat them, but I remember there being 31 or so. Which was about 1500-1800 calories worth of junk food if I remember right.

    The more recent WW I did much better on. Both due to better food choices, and the new points system.

    In any case, it gave me NO way to track my actual nutrition aside from points - Protein intake became important so I had to start logging on another site. That that point, WW just became redundant, and was expensive. So...

    (First round I did in the classes, second just online.)
  • Chrissy_Michelle
    Chrissy_Michelle Posts: 176 Member
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    It's true you can eat whatever you want BUT, WW advocates you should choose high protein that's lean, high fiber, healthy fats, lots of water, many fruits and endless veggies. It's just like counting calories. Yes, you can eat a piece of chocolate cake worth 300 cals but you SHOULD choose 300 cals of something healthier with nutrients. If you choose healthier options, you get more food and you are training yourself for a healthier lifestyle. I did WW for a long time and lost 90lbs. I've since gained weight and now I'm counting cals. Both systems work the same but it's up to the user to choose healthier options for a long term, healthy life.
  • iggymomma
    iggymomma Posts: 6
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    I did weight watchers about 8 years ago -- and it does work. I can't speak for the new points-plus program, BUT when I did points, you were supposed to "spend" a certain number of points each day on fruits/veggies, milk, oil (e.g. olive). Since few fruits/veggies were "free" back then, it really didn't leave you a lot of room to go nutty by eating candy bars, etc. As I remember, once I got through my daily requirements (and I did eat a lot of broccoli which was free, never ate bread, had fiber one with skim milk for breakfast religiously) I barely had enough points left at the end of the day for a WW reduced fat ice cream treat. But then I had only 20 daily points and I never used my weekly in case I needed to splurge over the weekend. Your friend's strategy may be the reason for the new points system which allows for fruits/veggies without limitation, but assigns a really high value to non-nutritious foods. I wonder if you actually read her journal if it looks like what you are explaining. It's true, that you didn't have to completely deprive yourself from foods you like, in moderation, and infrequently, but done the right way, WW is a very healthy program.
  • mashanda
    mashanda Posts: 120 Member
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    WW is just like counting calories you can use them to eat what you want but you have to make good choices. MODERATION is key . I can eat 1300 calories of 100 calorie packs but that is not nutritional. WW encourages you to eat healthy fruit, veggies, dairy, etc... So you should set aside so many a day to fulfil those basic needs..then after that make good choices. I have done weight watchers before and it did work but it is just liek counting calories takes commitment. So that is why this time I decided to go the free route ;)
  • mtaylor33557
    mtaylor33557 Posts: 542 Member
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    at 202 I got 32 points.. so you would get over 30.

    I just dropped below 30 when I dropped down under 180.

    ETA: I lost my first 22 lbs on WW, I just switched to MFP about a month ago and have lost and additional 3.8 lbs on here. It's not coming off as fast on here.. but, I don't have as much to lose now either.
  • Reana27
    Reana27 Posts: 63 Member
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    I used to do weight watchers but found that MFP actually works better for me. Just like MFP, when you exercise you can either choose to eat extra to compensate or not. I think everyone else here is right - I would not necessarily recommend a "diet" that includes fried chicken and candy bars as I think that sets you up for failure. Once you reach your goals, you will just go back to eating all that same stuff without moderation. I like to think of this as a lifestyle change and not a diet. I am eating more clean and healthy foods so that when I do reach my goal I will be able to maintain without much effort.

    Personally, I think MFP and Weight Watchers are about the same (they both give you a daily goal and tools to track your food intake and exercise to ensure you are meeting that goal) except MFP is free, and I certainly like that better! I have actually been more successful on MFP than I ever was on Weight Watchers.
  • TLL09
    TLL09 Posts: 149 Member
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    BTW - she gets over 40 points a day. She has been doing it since February and has lost about 8-10 lbs

    I lost over 20 pounds doing weight watchers. Some people choose to eat the same crap they always have and they will either get limited results, like your co-worker, or they will regain it all eventually. Weight watchers system does allow freedom of choice but encourages a healthier lifestyle. Unfortunately a lot of people just want to be thinner, not healthier.
  • aggiesrar05
    aggiesrar05 Posts: 335 Member
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    I started weight watcher in 2006 back when you got a set number of points for your age range plus 35 extra points for the week. Back there points for food were based on calories, fat, and fiber. I did very well with that and lost 65lbs and 8 months.

    I started having issues with it when they switched over to the new points system that had a whole different way of calculating points for both target points and food points. I've seen a lot of people that this system worked for, but I struggled it with. Another reason I struggled with it is because I got A LOT more active. I always had trouble grasping how calories burned equated to activity points.

    Their basic premise is that you eat can eat anything in moderation and move more and a couple other catch phrases and you'll lose weight. It's the basic calories in calories out premise. They just do it with points.

    The giant bucket of fried chicken is super high in points and they may take up most of her points per day. It all comes back down to energy density of food. Would you rather eat a box of chicken for 15 pts (totally making that pt value up), or some grilled chicken, and apple, some whole grains, more fruit, and cheese for 15 pts (again making that up, but it's probably pretty close).

    I have nothing against weight watchers, my leader was the most amazing woman and still one of my closest friends ever after she moved away. I am not a fan of the new corporate WW that changes programs and pretty much forces clients to purchase the new products (calculators, books, etc) every time they change.

    To each their own.
  • mcrowe1016
    mcrowe1016 Posts: 647 Member
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    What about the word "moderation" is confusing to you? Eating the same as you were before, just less, and you can lose weight.
  • mandy_lee86
    mandy_lee86 Posts: 103 Member
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    Weight Watchers also has the health guidelines (I forget what they are called) where you're supposed to have so many servings of dairy, fruits and veggies, healthy fat, etc. By the time I got in my protein, fats, fruits, veggies and dairy, I had no points left for snacks or treats. A lot of people follow the points but not the health guidelines. You can do the same thing with MFP...you can eat 1400 cal worth of junk or you can eat 1400 worth of good clean food.

    40 points a day is a lot for a chick. I'm pretty darn obese and I only got 29.

    Yes it is a lot!!!!