Not sure if this club has started, if it has, I'm very sorry

I'm on WW, did do BFL, but the free days made me sick to my stomach... so WW here I come. I've always counted points, and I love to know how many points I'm getting in a day.

I'm on Weight Watchers and I love it. I went on it the first time in 1992 and lost 41 pounds to reach my goal and become a life-time member. I kept off all the weight for 10 years until I got pregnant with my first son.

I went on WW after he was born and lost all the baby weight. I had another baby December 2006, so I'm on WW again right now. I gained 85 pounds when I was pregnant with him, and I've lost 65 of it so far.

WW is really the only plan for me, because it allows me to eat the foods I normally eat, so I don't feel deprived.

hay all iam on weight watchers too so far i have lost 3lbs!

I am on WW too! Good luck!

I am also doing WW and I love it! The support is amazing and it really works GOOD LUCK!

I have just recently joined WW and hope that they are going to help me have a soft landing. I have been pleased with my weight loss up until now (prior to joining them) but have become more and more concerned about
a/ whether I am going to have problems with the final bit (everyone always says that the last 20 pounds are the hardest)
b/ whether I will be able to recognise the right weight for my body and
c/ how I will ever cope with maintenance (I know how to gain weight and how to lose weight - I just never learnt how to stay the same weight).

I finally decided that it was time to gather whatever expertise that I could find.

I fortunately have discovered that the healthy foodplan that I have adopted for my weightloss to date - fits perfectly into their "core" plan - and my portions fit into the "points" plan too. It really makes me think that I have gone to the right people to help me.

I joined Weight Watchers back in January and I have lost 64lbs so far. Having said that I am doing the core plan rather than the points plan. The difference is that on the core plan there are lists of food that you can eat and food that you can't. You don't point everything up like on the points plan but instead you eat three meals a day and you eat until you are satisfied. You can snack on fruits and vegetables (most are allowed) and the idea is to stay satisfied throughout the day, never too hungry and never too full. You have a small points allowance for anything extra you might want to sneak in or use in a recipe and this can be added to by gaining points from exercise.

I too was concerned about the fact that you have to pay for the classes but I found that once I started all my reservations went and I am starting to feel better than I have in a long time.

I will say that you can follow the weight watchers plan at home by yourself, particularly if someone you know was once a member and can give you the materials. However, I find the thought of being weighed once a week very disciplining and I highly recommend staying for the meeting as it really helps with motivation and you can talk or listen to other's struggles.

Anyway, that's my two cents. Good luck to anyone who is thinking of joining.

I'd say that's a good choice. There's a plan for the maintenance on WW. Oh, and insofar as recognizing the right weight for your body (I think you're gorgeous right now, but who am I?), there's a WW guideline, but they also accept doctor's recommendations. So if you think one opinion isn't enough, you can still be a lifetime member with the other. :-)

Have fun!

amber

Thanks Amber. It will be quite hard for me to know exactly when to stop. I really want my wedding ring to fit and it doesnt yet! I also have four skirts from when I was young that I would really love to be able to get into - but I am not close yet. People tell me that our bodies can be expected to change over the years and I shouldnt hope to get into skirts from thirty years ago - but it would be nice if it happened. If I become gaunt looking in the meantime I would stop and scrap the notion of the skirts.

WW has given me a 10% goal to be going on with of 133 pounds. Everyone will think again about what I should be when I get there. My weight has already entered their healthy range.

I am really pleased that I have joined WW. I wear a WW pedometer all the time and can see how many activity points my walking is earning for me. My current walking level (which I plan on reducing when I get to my goal weight) is earning me between 6 and 7 activity points every day.

I am still eating predominantly core foods - but adding up the total points is good for me as it gives me confidence that my portions are not too big.

Adding up points when you start core is a good idea (to me--since the two weeks I tried it I gained b/c I have no real sense of fullness and eat all the time if I let myself).

Oh, and 6 or 7 activity points a day?

49 points a week???!!!?!?!

Wowser. I know you work out a lot, but that rammed the idea home a little more forcefully. It's summer vacation for me now--maybe I'll get to catch up with you!!

Have fun everybody!!

I don't like weight watchers. I've tried it and failed with it many times. I think the problem with the diet is the constant calorie counting and that it doesn't really teach you the right foods to eat - it just teaches you to eat less foods (smaller portions.) Sure smaller portions is good - but I think it's better to learn what foods are really good to eat. I find that on WW I end up just eating smaller amounts of bad food - And I end up feeling hungry. Plus since I'm counting all of my points I end up being obsessed with food (even more than usual.) So... Yeah I guess I have to offer a dissenting opinion. WW didn't work for me.

Not to argue for a corporation that makes its real money on the clients who don't lose, but that's why they made up the CORE program, which is where you don't count and eat until you're full (but not overeat) of a list of good-for-you foods.

Counting doesn't work for everyone, though. I understand that 100%. I just can't get over it. When I went to meetings, there was a woman who never lost weight counting points so she turned to the CORE program and was up to 66 pounds lost when I left. But still, it costs. And the CORE program foods list should be somewhere on the internet, which would leave you paying for the meetings.

I have to admit that the pedometer points that I earn certainly make a huge difference in the amount of points that I have to play with - either in CORE or in POINTS. I do end up with quite a few left over at the end of the week (however I add it up - points or core) - but I seem to need that situation to get the rate of weightloss that I want.

I would agree with Amber that all the food on the CORE plan are nutritious healthy food that would be central to any seriously healthy diet. My previous food plan directly overlayed into the CORE plan. The great thing is that the CORE list has given me ideas of some extra food that I have been able to incorporate into things. I have been having quark this past week from that list.

Catlady's comments are perfectly appropriate regarding the POINTS plan (and any other calorie counting diet) - but CORE does directly address all the shortcomings that she observed.

I do really well on the points, because I need the structure. I like knowing how many points I have for the day and sticking to it. It keeps me in control of my food.

Weight watchers has not worked for me in the past, but it does work if EVERYTHING that goes into your mouth also gets written down and counted...surprising how a lick of peanut butter here and a chocolate kiss there....ADD UP!!! =)