Debating....weight watchers or Physique Transformation?

[luv4fitness]

Hi everyone!! major lurker here I have lost a large amount of weight and kept it off for over a year, however still have about 15 to 20 pounds to go. Nothing seems to work for me these days, Ive been at what seems an eternal plateau. I am debating between joining weight watchers and the Physique Transformation plan Ive read about here. Could someone please point out the pros and cons or either or both for me? The only reason Im hesitating with the Physique Transformation is the month thing where you are training your metabolism before you can go into fat burning...I would like to have already lost some weight in a month instead of being right here where I am now. Plus Im not sure what kind of foods you actually eat on it. I think could stick with weight watchers if I join that because my sister will probably do it with me and we are living together so it would be a great support system. Help me decide!

I already work out quite a bit and also teach aerobics, but for some reason my body is determined to stay right here no matter what so I need to take some action asap if I ever want to break this plateau. thanks for any infomation.

Leslie

 

[IGTamayo]

Hi Leslie,

I'm by no means an expert. I've been exactly where you are. I also lost a lot of weight/inches with LA Weight Loss Centers - they really helped me. I reached many pleateaus during my weight loss and then I discovered physique transformation. I read the e-book and then took it to my counselor and she concurred. I did not do the monthly program since I was already in one, but I did learn alot from reading the book. You see, your body will hold on to whatever fat it has stored and won't let it go because it thinks its starving (anyone reading this, please chime in). I recently broke a plateau by increasing my food intake with a clean diet - no added fat, sugars, etc. I'm currently eating about 2600 calories a day. In fact I gained some weight, but by the third or fourth day my weight came down - big time and it has stayed off. You can workout forever, but if you are not fueling your body correctly all that exercise will just amount to being frustrated and discouraged. I keep a daily journal - I record everything that I put in my mouth - everything. You'd be surprised how aware you become of what goes into your body. Please hang in there..we're here for you.

Take care,

Iris

 

[wutherhi]

Ooh, ooh, I have to get my two cents in here. I've done both programs. I think WW is great. I lost 99 pounds using their program. I'm using PT now. I love it even more. But they're both good.

The only problem I ran into with WW was hitting a plateau after losing 99 pounds. I just couldn't break it. That, and I lost very, veeeeery slowly--1/2 pound a week tops--on WW. I broke the plateau with PT (found out I wasn't eating enough on WW), and I'm losing faster--1-2 pounds per week. I learned a lot more about things like sodium, sugar, fat, etc., and just good nutrition in general, from the PT program.

If you're a very "precise" type of person, you'll prefer PTs style. WW is not as picky about things like condiments, and they allow you unlimited "free" vegetables, which is good. You get a lot more to eat on the PT program, and you pretty much have to stick with "clean" food. You'll probably do more planning on the PT program, and there's a sharp learning curve. The first couple of weeks, you could spend up to an hour a day planning, although that should drop to about 10-15 minutes a day as you learn the program. You won't spend as much time planning with WW, but you will need to journal all your food and exercise. Keeping careful track of what you eat is crucial to the success of either program.

The Conditioning part of the PT program, which you mentioned, takes anywhere from 4-8 weeks, and you will likely not lose any weight during that time and might even gain a pound or two. If you're in a hurry to drop a few pounds, you might try WW first. If you eventually hit a plateau like I did (and as I understand a lot of people do, especially those who exercise hard), THEN you might consider the PT program to help you build your metabolism back up and get you through it. At least, that is what I would do if I was in your situation.

Shari

 

[FitnessGoddess]

Hey Leslie,

I've done both WW & PT & think you've gotten some great advice from the ladies that have responded. Download the FREE ebook from PT & get an idea of what their "theory" on weight loss & muscle gain.

WW is very much geared for the couch potatoe life-style. You can lose weight without exercising. They don't give you many extra points for the exercise you do. As an example you can get activity points for ironing! If you are an intense exerciser, you are allowed no more than 4 activity points a day. That is not a lot of food. It's about 200 calories.

PT does require a lot of time to "learn" in the beginning. If you don't have time to sit at the computer & create menus, you will fail at this program. I didnt' have the time & quit. I enjoyed what I was eating, real food & a protein shake occassionally. It was just too time consuming for me.

The only thing I don't agree with Shari on is doing WW first & then PT. The reason I disagree is because WW gets your caloric intake so low that when you start PT, you'll be putting yourself into a long "conditioning phase" (the first phase of the program). I started PT eating an average of 1100 calories a day. PT made me go 8 weeks before starting the fat burning phase of the program. That was just too long for me, I got fed up & quit. However, during that 8 weeks, I initially lost 4 lbs & never gained it back even though I was eating 2750 CLEAN calories a day when I quit. I did gain them back immediately upon quitting & reducing my calories again. Of course, I not only reduced my calories, I started eating poorly, too.

Check out PT's support forum at Yahoo.com groups. It's called PFASupport. There are some great people on there that have gone through the program 2 or 3 times. You have to sign up for the support group but it is free.

OH speaking of cost, another pro for PT is the cost, it's only $7.95 a month, no obligation. WW online is $60 for the first 3 months & then $15 a month after.

Whatever you decide, good luck to you & let us know how you do!

 

[YasBeFit]

Hi Leslie,
Just wanted to second the point that the PT program is VERY time consuming, particularly if you are not familiar with precisely tracking not just calories, but also protein, carbs, sugar and fat.I'm still not sure why they don't have more sample menus, but I guess they want you to do it so you can learn it-still it can be a big pain!! Plus, the conditioning phase can be really de-motivating with no weight loss and having to eat a HUGE amount of clean food.

That said,I agree with their diet philosophy and the personal food analyst (PFA) diet tracking software really increases diet awareness. However, I would suggest using the free diet analysis tool at fitday.com for a few weeks to see if you are up to precisely tracking your diet.

I am in the 3rd week of conditioning and I'm only continuing program because I want to see if it works in practice for me (the fatburning phase).

My advice is to find something that you honestly feel you can stick with. Good Luck

 

[MRSchultz]

RE: Debating....weight watchers or Physique Transformat...

Hi Leslie:

I'm a Weight Watcher fan all the way!! I've seen tremendous results myself plus many people and friends that I know have lost weight and without a huge amount strain on your everyday life. You basically eat whatever you want and keep track of the points. Check out their website and see if it interests you: www.weightwatchers.com

GOOD LUCK! Marcia