I'm considering trying Weight Watchers to lose about 15-20 pounds. I've heard how great it is and my office manager lost 100 pounds on WW. In the past I have always counted calories and stayed within a certain range. How do points work? Is it similar to or easier than counting calories? If I chose to do this then I will probably join WW online. Any info you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Weight Watchers question
- Thread starter kristi
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RunnerGirl
Cathlete
I think that it is easier than counting calories. It was the easiest plan for me to follow because you can eat anything you want you just have to stay in your points range. It really helped me with portion control. I lost around 30 lbs on WW and have kept it off . HTH. Also check out this website. www.dwlz.com
LD
LD
dcat
Cathlete
WW helped me get off a 9 lb post-baby weight plateua a couple of years ago. I think it's a great food guide. It emphasizes portion control and high-nutrient, high-fiber foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains). You can still enjoy the treats in life as well, in moderation, of course. I think it's the most sensible plan out there.
RunninTeach
Cathlete
I think WW is an excellent program. The only hesitation I would have -- and it might be different now as the program has changed since I did it -- is that I felt they were a little skimpy with activity points (the points you earn back from doing exercise). My guess is that the WW folks must have structured the activity points with sedentary clients in mind who would most likely be walking or easing into an exercise program - not folks who were already fit and working out intensely.
[font face="heather" font color=brick red size=+2]~Cathy [/font face] http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/4.gif
"Out on the roads there is fitness and self-discovery and the persons we were destined to be." -George Sheehan
[font face="heather" font color=brick red size=+2]~Cathy [/font face] http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/4.gif
"Out on the roads there is fitness and self-discovery and the persons we were destined to be." -George Sheehan
dorothyrd
Cathlete
I origanally lost 40 with WW, slowly gained 20 back over 6 years, and am on my way back down on a system that emphasizes clean eating, unprocessed foods, and low-gycemic(like a diabetic diet). I have 5 to go.
Anyway, the good about WW is that it is very easy. Any food that has a lable is easy to calculate the points( I got so doing it in my head was a snap). Their restaurent guide is extensive, and if you do not get in the habit of using points on garbage foods, it is a very, very good diet.
The bad is it did not support my work-outs well. The emphasis is on diet, and they have items on exercise, but not the athlete training. Not their fault, the masses do not exercise like I do.
If I did WW again, I would do core. It is a much sounder concept, better for you and works with the heavy exerciser better.
The key to a diet....following it, journaling, planning, and they work. Sneak cheats in, don't write down what you eat, don't plan what you will eat, and you will fail, or if you get away from it, gain it back(speaking from pure experience).
Speaking of that, I must plan my day and go grocery shopping.
Anyway, the good about WW is that it is very easy. Any food that has a lable is easy to calculate the points( I got so doing it in my head was a snap). Their restaurent guide is extensive, and if you do not get in the habit of using points on garbage foods, it is a very, very good diet.
The bad is it did not support my work-outs well. The emphasis is on diet, and they have items on exercise, but not the athlete training. Not their fault, the masses do not exercise like I do.
If I did WW again, I would do core. It is a much sounder concept, better for you and works with the heavy exerciser better.
The key to a diet....following it, journaling, planning, and they work. Sneak cheats in, don't write down what you eat, don't plan what you will eat, and you will fail, or if you get away from it, gain it back(speaking from pure experience).
Speaking of that, I must plan my day and go grocery shopping.
Hi,
I just started doing WW online. I opted for the Flex program, because I thought Core was going to cost me too much money to go out and buy all of the food for the menus. I do eat fairly healthy already, but it was the portions that were hurting my success. So far after about 4 weeks, I have lost 12 lbs. I have to admit that the first week was a bit of a shock to the system, but now it just feels good to be in control of food for a change. The points are easy to calculate, and if you go with the on-line version you can type in the calories, fat and fiber in the food you are eating and it will tell you the points. Another poster suggested that the activity points don't seem right, and I would agree. After doing Cathe, we all know there are times when you are doing a moderate workout and then there are times when it is super hard. WW only allows you to select 3 levels - low, moderate and hard (guessing it's hard can't really remember though--might be high for intensity or something) anyway, I just don't feel like my workouts are entirely one level, the warm-up and cool down are low, but the majority of my workout varies from moderate to high. So...man, this is getting long, hope you are with me...I decided to enter my workout in those terms, and I think that is doing a better job of calculating the extra points I am burning. You see, with exercise you actually are allowed extra points for the day that you exercise, and believe me when you are working out you need those extra points!
Well, that's my 2 cents. Hope it helps!
Keli
I just started doing WW online. I opted for the Flex program, because I thought Core was going to cost me too much money to go out and buy all of the food for the menus. I do eat fairly healthy already, but it was the portions that were hurting my success. So far after about 4 weeks, I have lost 12 lbs. I have to admit that the first week was a bit of a shock to the system, but now it just feels good to be in control of food for a change. The points are easy to calculate, and if you go with the on-line version you can type in the calories, fat and fiber in the food you are eating and it will tell you the points. Another poster suggested that the activity points don't seem right, and I would agree. After doing Cathe, we all know there are times when you are doing a moderate workout and then there are times when it is super hard. WW only allows you to select 3 levels - low, moderate and hard (guessing it's hard can't really remember though--might be high for intensity or something) anyway, I just don't feel like my workouts are entirely one level, the warm-up and cool down are low, but the majority of my workout varies from moderate to high. So...man, this is getting long, hope you are with me...I decided to enter my workout in those terms, and I think that is doing a better job of calculating the extra points I am burning. You see, with exercise you actually are allowed extra points for the day that you exercise, and believe me when you are working out you need those extra points!
Well, that's my 2 cents. Hope it helps!
Keli
Faithnveggies
Cathlete
I've lost on WW. Best lifetime tool I took from that program was frontloading on fruits and veggies (checking off those 5 svgs of fruit veggie boxes) and drinking plenty of water. I think you can get away w/ eating lots of processed food on WW, so in that way not good, but if you are getting several healthy svgs of veggie and fruit in, there is less room for non healthy foods. Good luck.
gidget1978
Cathlete
I started following WW's just 4 weeks after having my son and I really enjoyed it. I followed it online cause I didn't have the time to go to meetings. And I also bought the 3 month package cause I knew it was going to take me longer then 1 month to lose 20 lbs.
Sure enough, within 3 monthes I had my baby weight gone and I can honestly say it wasn't hard to follow. You get the hang of it. And if you follow it online you can switch from the points plan to the flex plan at the beginning of your week if you wish, so you can figure out what is best for you.
I wouldn't esitate doing it again if i ever needed to.
Lori
Sure enough, within 3 monthes I had my baby weight gone and I can honestly say it wasn't hard to follow. You get the hang of it. And if you follow it online you can switch from the points plan to the flex plan at the beginning of your week if you wish, so you can figure out what is best for you.
I wouldn't esitate doing it again if i ever needed to.
Lori
punka274
Cathlete
I joined WW back in Jan of this year and still doing it! Ive lost about 35pds so far,the weight flew off at first-two pds a week and one week I lost four pds. I've still got some weight to lose but I enjoy the WW program! I do flex right now! Although Im considering switching to core!
Back in Jan of this year,when i joined WW,I had been on a five month long plateua and WW'ers help to break that! I will Highly recommend WW'ers to anybody! HTH
Back in Jan of this year,when i joined WW,I had been on a five month long plateua and WW'ers help to break that! I will Highly recommend WW'ers to anybody! HTH
Hi,
I just lost about 10 pounds using the WW POINTS system for the past two months. I actually just use the POINTS calcualtor that my mom gave me several years ago--don't do meetings or online anything. This works for me, but I didn't really have a lot to lose. I actually lost more than I planned to (only wanted to drop 5 pounds).
I spent the first week or two just figuring out how many points are in what I normally eat, and then adjusting those quantities so I was eating healthier versions with fewer points. Also upped my veggie adn fruit intake. I'm no longer dependent on the POINTS calculator, because I have a good idea of how many points are in all the foods I eat, and I'm in the habit of eating the right amounts and types of foods. Using that calculator really helped me realize that I was eating good food, just too much of it!
Good luck!!
Wendy
I just lost about 10 pounds using the WW POINTS system for the past two months. I actually just use the POINTS calcualtor that my mom gave me several years ago--don't do meetings or online anything. This works for me, but I didn't really have a lot to lose. I actually lost more than I planned to (only wanted to drop 5 pounds).
I spent the first week or two just figuring out how many points are in what I normally eat, and then adjusting those quantities so I was eating healthier versions with fewer points. Also upped my veggie adn fruit intake. I'm no longer dependent on the POINTS calculator, because I have a good idea of how many points are in all the foods I eat, and I'm in the habit of eating the right amounts and types of foods. Using that calculator really helped me realize that I was eating good food, just too much of it!
Good luck!!
Wendy