How Can Fruit be "Free" on Weight Watchers
Replies
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Skipping breakfast lowers your metabolism!
FALSE!0 -
When they changed to the new system and noted fruits as free, they decreased the points as well. So used to you would get 26 points on the same plan now you only get like 23 or 22. That how they compensated.0
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I did WW a couple of years ago, completely online, so before the free fruit points plus system - i did lose a good amount on it, as did my mum. When i did it vegetables were free but fruit was not, and i remember they did inform you that it's because of the high sugar content.
Another diet i tried a few years back (sigh, yes another diet) was the GI diet, which focuses on the Glycemic Index - basically the amount and TYPE of sugar in different foods. Fruit does have quite a lot of sugar but it is fructose - rather than glucose which you find in biscuits, regular sugar that you'd put in your coffee etc, which is absorbed and used differently by your body. I *think* (maybe don't quote me on this!) but glucose is absorbed more readily by your body and is more easily converted into fat. Fructose, however, is used differently and is not as easily converted. So basically, if a biscuit and a strawberry have the same amount of calories - go for the strawberry because even if the AMOUNT of sugar is the same, it is a different form (i think a more complex form of carbohydrate)....0 -
Skipping breakfast lowers your metabolism!
FALSE!
My apologies, I will correct myself here. When you sleep your metabolism runs slower. In order to get it going again, you need to eat. This is why breakfast is so important. If you wait until lunch time to eat anything, your metabolism doesnt get going until then, and your body wont burn as many calories, which then leads to less fat loss. 5-6 small meals a days keeps your metabolism running fast.0 -
When they changed to the new system and noted fruits as free, they decreased the points as well. So used to you would get 26 points on the same plan now you only get like 23 or 22. That how they compensated.
That's not true, either. Initially, they increased the minimum points to 29 and then this past year decreased it to 26 and said you no longer have to eat all the dailies. They also increased the weeklies from 35 to 49 and changed the AP formula, so as you used to get 1 AP per 100 calories burned, now it's more like 1/70 or 1/80.
However, they changed the points formula so that higher carb foods are more points than they used to be.
The minimum daily points before this new formula was 18.0 -
Skipping breakfast lowers your metabolism!
FALSE!
My apologies, I will correct myself here. When you sleep your metabolism runs slower. In order to get it going again, you need to eat. This is why breakfast is so important. If you wait until lunch time to eat anything, your metabolism doesnt get going until then, and your body wont burn as many calories, which then leads to less fat loss. 5-6 small meals a days keeps your metabolism running fast.
None of that is scientifically based or true.0 -
I agree... having much more success on MFP with my friends support and motivation, and its free!0
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I guess they don't count carbs...or sugar.0
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Fruit is only free on Weight Watchers because you have to PAY for Weight Watchers. lol0
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The old plan worked better for me. That how I lost 110 pound with it. Not crazy about the new plan.0
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I was on the PointsPlus system and lost a significant amount of weight with the free fruit. However, i didnt eat 17 apples a day... I kept it to berries and stone fruits which i think helped. I did my research and made sure i wasnt going overboard. I doubt I was the typical user though.
That's because it would be nearly impossible to eat 17 apples in a day. Which is why fresh, whole natural fruit is free (not juice, dried fruit, or processed fruit). Because it will fill you up and provide good nutrition (unlike a cookie or other junk for similar calories/sugar), while the fullness naturally prevents you from over-indulging or binging on it.0 -
crazy beans... I is good for you, and has lots of water but it is def not calorie free... vegans would shrivel up and die if it were lol0
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I believe part of WW's reasoning about fruit is based on the Glycemic Index. Fruit usually has a lower glycemic index number (as compared to refined sugars). That means that it takes longer for your body to "burn" the energy it gets from fruits (and many other foods with a low GI#) thereby keeping your blood sugar levels stable over time. Why does this matter? Spikes in blood sugar cause your body to not feel full and consequently can result in overeating. Fruit is not calorie or sugar/carb "free" it's just a healthier kind of calories, sugar/carbs, that makes you feel fuller.
Hope this makes sense.0 -
It's true for me. When I was fat, I skipped breakfast because if I ate it, I'd be starving by 10am and I'd want to eat more. Now I've learned that the reason I'm starving by 10am is because my metabolism has kicked into gear and used up my stored energy. To help cope with that, I eat a (huge) bowl of whole grain oatmeal (1/2 cup uncooked) with 1/2 to 1 cup of mashed fruit and 1 T of milled flax seed in it for breakfast everyday. It keeps me full until lunch time with no problem. If I do get hungry before lunch, and that's rare now, I'll have a healthy snack like a small handful of nuts or half a protein bar.Skipping breakfast lowers your metabolism!
FALSE!
My apologies, I will correct myself here. When you sleep your metabolism runs slower. In order to get it going again, you need to eat. This is why breakfast is so important. If you wait until lunch time to eat anything, your metabolism doesnt get going until then, and your body wont burn as many calories, which then leads to less fat loss. 5-6 small meals a days keeps your metabolism running fast.
None of that is scientifically based or true.
I still dont LIKE eating breakfast because I do not wake up hungry ( unless I've had a 'super' exercise calorie deficit the day before) but I eat it anyway.
So far it's worked for me, I'm down 41lbs since I started eating breakfast back in January.
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It's true for me. When I was fat, I skipped breakfast because if I ate it, I'd be starving by 10am and I'd want to eat more. Now I've learned that the reason I'm starving by 10am is because my metabolism has kicked into gear and used up my stored energy. To help cope with that, I eat a (huge) bowl of whole grain oatmeal (1/2 cup uncooked) with 1/2 to 1 cup of mashed fruit and 1 T of milled flax seed in it for breakfast everyday. It keeps me full until lunch time with no problem. If I do get hungry before lunch, and that's rare now, I'll have a healthy snack like a small handful of nuts or half a protein bar.Skipping breakfast lowers your metabolism!
FALSE!
My apologies, I will correct myself here. When you sleep your metabolism runs slower. In order to get it going again, you need to eat. This is why breakfast is so important. If you wait until lunch time to eat anything, your metabolism doesnt get going until then, and your body wont burn as many calories, which then leads to less fat loss. 5-6 small meals a days keeps your metabolism running fast.
None of that is scientifically based or true.
I still dont LIKE eating breakfast because I do not wake up hungry ( unless I've had a 'super' exercise calorie deficit the day before) but I eat it anyway.
So far it's worked for me, I'm down 41lbs since I started eating breakfast back in January.
So you're doing everything else exactly the same. You aren't eating fewer calories or exercising more? You just added in breakfast and changed absolutely nothing else? Because if that's the case, then you just solved the obesity problem.0 -
It's true for me. When I was fat, I skipped breakfast because if I ate it, I'd be starving by 10am and I'd want to eat more. Now I've learned that the reason I'm starving by 10am is because my metabolism has kicked into gear and used up my stored energy. To help cope with that, I eat a (huge) bowl of whole grain oatmeal (1/2 cup uncooked) with 1/2 to 1 cup of mashed fruit and 1 T of milled flax seed in it for breakfast everyday. It keeps me full until lunch time with no problem. If I do get hungry before lunch, and that's rare now, I'll have a healthy snack like a small handful of nuts or half a protein bar.Skipping breakfast lowers your metabolism!
FALSE!
My apologies, I will correct myself here. When you sleep your metabolism runs slower. In order to get it going again, you need to eat. This is why breakfast is so important. If you wait until lunch time to eat anything, your metabolism doesnt get going until then, and your body wont burn as many calories, which then leads to less fat loss. 5-6 small meals a days keeps your metabolism running fast.
None of that is scientifically based or true.
I still dont LIKE eating breakfast because I do not wake up hungry ( unless I've had a 'super' exercise calorie deficit the day before) but I eat it anyway.
So far it's worked for me, I'm down 41lbs since I started eating breakfast back in January.
Congrats! Keep up the good work! When you're educated and motivated, you'll be continuosly successful! 0 -
I lost 50 lbs. on a WW plan where ALL produce was free, so was lean protein, many whole grains, eggs and other foods. I ate avocados nearly daily. This was called the Core plan and it was around 2004/05.
People on the Flex plan, also available at that time, had to count everything, and would often say, "I wouldn't lose on Core! Free oatmeal? Free bananas? I would binge!" But you don't. Really, the 'free' food loses its specialness and just becomes 'food' to you, and you eat like I imagine normal, healthy people eat. No counting, no obsessing, just eating the vast majority of your food from a pool of healthy foods, and keeping off-plan treats to a bare minimum. And listening to your body and eating when you're hungry and not eating when you're not.
That said, I tried the new plan for 8 weeks and lost 2 lbs. Most people average around 1800ish calories a day on it. That's too much for me to lose. I would need to limit my points to less than 29.0 -
I was on WW and lost weight, but it was only in the first few weeks when I was eating better. At one of the meetings I met a woman who told me that she lost 45 pounds.. I was thrilled until she told me it took her a year to do it. I thought 45 pounds in a year isn't good enough for me. That is too long. I also noticed all the women including the leader was a mound of flab. Yes they were losing but not exercising so they were turning into flubb.. Very unappealing to me.
Also I noticed exercise isn't mentioned at all, except in passing. I think WW is more for people who can't or won't execise and just want the number on the scale to be lower.. People who want true fitness won't settle for WW....0 -
A 100 calorie banana is more nutritious then a 100-calorie Keebler pack, or the like. That's the point of the 0 Points+ so people will learn to choose healthier foods. Yes, they are both 100 calories some would argue, but one is complete chemicals and processed while the other is not. In the long run, theoretically, because of the fiber in fruits/veggies you should consume less calories overall. Previously, a banana used to be 2-3 points while a 100-Calorie pack was also 2-3 points. Nutrionally, these are not equal. I lost nearly 80 pounds on Weight Watchers in 2 years. I hit my goal weight in May 2009. Three years later, I am within 10 pounds of my goal weight. I'd say I've been able to maintain it quite well. Weight Watchers is not a diet, but a lifestyle change. I now use MFP to maintain my weight because I was given the tools and resources to choose healthy foods. Also, no food is off-limites to me, everything in moderation. For me, if I hadn't done WW first before MFP, I wouldn't eat as healthfully as I do now. So many people on here that have Public Diaries eat like utter crap. Sure, you're under 1500 calories a day, but where are the whole grains, produce, dairy, lean protein, etc?0
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Frut is a carbs and will not help you lose weight if you fill up on Carbs all day. Its not always about how much you eat its more about what you eat.
Yup.Have you ever met someone who got fat eating too much fruit?
YES!
Saw it in the mirror. As soon as I went to one serving of fruit a day I started losing weight again went back to more fruit and gained.
At first this program will work for people. It will work because they will go from eating a 280 cal candy bar to a low calorie fruit. But as soon as they get closer to the goal weight they will need to adjust. They will also need to learn what fruits are best for weight loss as some are higher on the Glycemic Index than others.
I have a hard time believing that the amount of fruit was the only factor in your weight loss. Maybe it was your overall calorie intake.0 -
From my understanding, Weight Watches is not just another calorie counting method. Part of the goal is to guide you to making proper eating choices, and their point system plays into that. If you're trying to stay under your point for the day, you're much more liked to have that 0 point apple for a snack rather than that 4 point bag of potato chips or 6 point piece of cake. Since fruit is low calorie and full of good nutrients, eating it daily seldom has a big impact on a person's weight loss progress.
Weight Watchers really focuses less on a calorie is a calorie and more on the nutrition in the food, which is how healthy eating should be.0 -
I disagree. I worked out at the gym 5-6 days a week while I was a member of Weight Watchers. Not every WW member chooses to not exercise, most do. Perhaps your meeting just wasn't a good fit for you. I didn't like all the meetings I went to and some were better then others. Plus, I'm sure there are plenty of people on MFP (or any WL program) who choose not to exercise.I was on WW and lost weight, but it was only in the first few weeks when I was eating better. At one of the meetings I met a woman who told me that she lost 45 pounds.. I was thrilled until she told me it took her a year to do it. I thought 45 pounds in a year isn't good enough for me. That is too long. I also noticed all the women including the leader was a mound of flab. Yes they were losing but not exercising so they were turning into flubb.. Very unappealing to me.
Also I noticed exercise isn't mentioned at all, except in passing. I think WW is more for people who can't or won't execise and just want the number on the scale to be lower.. People who want true fitness won't settle for WW....0 -
Frut is a carbs and will not help you lose weight if you fill up on Carbs all day. Its not always about how much you eat its more about what you eat.
Vegetables are "carbs" too....
And before anyone says "But fruit has sugar!" so does milk and a lot of vegetables, and yet I never hear anyone telling you to stop eating those.0 -
Well, I used WW (the new Points Plus system) to lose 75+ pounds in about a year, and so I can tell you how it worked for me...
Since using MFP for the past few weeks (I am a runner and wanted to know how my carbs/protein/fat were distributed b/c WW doesn't tell you this), my daily PP allowance (I'm on maintenance now) is 32, which I've figured out is fewer overall average calories per day than the approximately 1790 calories MFP says I should be eating to maintain my weight. So, the servings of fruit and vegetables I consume (to get in my 5 servings—or more—of fruits and vegetables per WW's Good Health Guidelines) are calories that can add up to the 1790 (or so) MFP says I need. In other words, the PP system doesn't make you count fruits and veg because they account for those calories/sugars/carbs in their system.
FYI, Points Plus are not calculated based on calories at all. The calculators use fat, carbs, fiber, and protein to calculate PP. I've learned that if your food contains more fiber it will be lower in PP. But, the system does (sort of) penalize high carb foods (even if low in fat), like candy (all carbs and sugar, no protein, fiber, and oftentimes little fat—like Twizzlers).
I've got many WW friends who plateaued just before hitting goal and they found they had to start reducing their fruit intake, or at least monitoring it better/ more closely.
Overall, the "new" PP system rewards you for choosing fruit over a processed treat. Before a banana and a 100 calorie pack of something were the same number of points. Now, the banana is "free" but the 100 calorie pack is gonna cost you 3 to 4 PP values based on the item's nutritional content. This is why it worked for me—I learned I could eat more, when hungry of course, and still lose weight when I included fresh fruits and veg.
I know the WW system doesn't tend to work for folks that eat almost entirely and plant-based diet (e.g. gluten free, folks with tons of allergies). Thankfully that's not me. Their system taught me to eat better foods, and I slowly transformed my lifestyle. It's not for everyone, but don't bash it until you've tried it. MFP doesn't work for everyone either. A weight loss plan that results in lasting, long-term lifestyle changes for YOU is what's best for you.
FYI, currently I eat 32 daily WW Points Plus, eat all my allotted weekly points (49), and at least half (if not all) of my weekly average of activity points earned (currently I earn about 35+ a week). What I like about the system is that it's flexible. If I exercise a lot one day I can "bank" points (e.g. calories), or I can indulge one day with my weekly points, but still stay in a range (for the week) that allows me to maintain my weight.
What I don't like about the system is that b/c I did the whole process online I can never get the benefits of free lifetime membership (BOO!). I also wish the system broke down my protein/fat/carb ratios, as this is increasingly important as I train for future races (half marathon, etc.). What I like about MFP is that its free (Woot!), easy to use, and shows my nutrition (great data!). What I don't like about MFP is that it doesn't naturally allow for the flexibility in eating from day to day. If you never indulge it's great. But who does that? I go over my caloric intake regularly (once or twice a week), but am still at a weekly defecit due to exercise. So, overall it *feels* like it's penalizing me, even though I'm doing a great job over a course of a week.
For now I'm using both the WW system and the MFP system. Don't know if I'll ditch one for the other eventually or not. Time will tell. Right now I love my online WW support community, and am building a community here, too.
My two cents!
Kate.0 -
I trust no one who tells me fruit is bad or will hinder weight loss (if eaten within reason).Frut is a carbs and will not help you lose weight if you fill up on Carbs all day. Its not always about how much you eat its more about what you eat.
Vegetables are "carbs" too....
And before anyone says "But fruit has sugar!" so does milk and a lot of vegetables, and yet I never hear anyone telling you to stop eating those.
I eat fruit daily. I ate five servings a day in my smoothie when I did WW before (but counted the points for it then) and lost an average of almost 2 pounds per week and dropped three sizes fairly quickly.
My issue with the free fruit is those calories really do add up and it's very easy to go over your calories for the day eating too much. You may not be able to eat 17 apples a day, but a couple bananas, an apple and some berries and you're at 300-500 calories you didn't count.
So, I'm all for eating fruit, but count it.0 -
I disagree. I worked out at the gym 5-6 days a week while I was a member of Weight Watchers. Not every WW member chooses to not exercise, most do. Perhaps your meeting just wasn't a good fit for you. I didn't like all the meetings I went to and some were better then others. Plus, I'm sure there are plenty of people on MFP (or any WL program) who choose not to exercise.I was on WW and lost weight, but it was only in the first few weeks when I was eating better. At one of the meetings I met a woman who told me that she lost 45 pounds.. I was thrilled until she told me it took her a year to do it. I thought 45 pounds in a year isn't good enough for me. That is too long. I also noticed all the women including the leader was a mound of flab. Yes they were losing but not exercising so they were turning into flubb.. Very unappealing to me.
Also I noticed exercise isn't mentioned at all, except in passing. I think WW is more for people who can't or won't execise and just want the number on the scale to be lower.. People who want true fitness won't settle for WW....
Good for you to be exercising while doing the plan, but in my experience with WW that was not the norm. Quite the contrary. It was more about points and food choices. They seemed to really be pushing the boxed processed foods. Not only theirs but others. I didn't know any better until I joined MFP and started reading the threads about healthy eating... I have a ton of WW food in my pantry. I won't even put that junk in my body anymore0 -
I disagree. I worked out at the gym 5-6 days a week while I was a member of Weight Watchers. Not every WW member chooses to not exercise, most do. Perhaps your meeting just wasn't a good fit for you. I didn't like all the meetings I went to and some were better then others. Plus, I'm sure there are plenty of people on MFP (or any WL program) who choose not to exercise.I was on WW and lost weight, but it was only in the first few weeks when I was eating better. At one of the meetings I met a woman who told me that she lost 45 pounds.. I was thrilled until she told me it took her a year to do it. I thought 45 pounds in a year isn't good enough for me. That is too long. I also noticed all the women including the leader was a mound of flab. Yes they were losing but not exercising so they were turning into flubb.. Very unappealing to me.
Also I noticed exercise isn't mentioned at all, except in passing. I think WW is more for people who can't or won't execise and just want the number on the scale to be lower.. People who want true fitness won't settle for WW....
Good for you to be exercising while doing the plan, but in my experience with WW that was not the norm. Quite the contrary. It was more about points and food choices. They seemed to really be pushing the boxed processed foods. Not only theirs but others. I didn't know any better until I joined MFP and started reading the threads about healthy eating... I have a ton of WW food in my pantry. I won't even put that junk in my body anymore
I did WW and also exercised. What do you think activity points are about? I know a lot of people who did WW and they all exercised while on the plan. Not everyone, but most. And not everyone on MFP exercises, either. People counting calories will also try to get as much bang for their calorie buck as those counting points.
If it wasn't for you, then that's fine. But you don't actually understand the program.0 -
The way for my former WW-leader put it- "None of us got here by eating too many bananas and carrots."0
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WW is a large organization that employs a whole team of nutritional scientists and other specialists to make their plans, and they've been at this worldwide for 60+ years. MFP was put together by a guy with no specialized training in any of this. I'm not saying just calorie counting is bad but it's hard to argue it's any 'smarter'.0
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that's why after a month and a half I quit WW and came here full time. That I can track my sodium here where WW does not track to that level.0
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