I haven't tried it since i don't want to go to meetings. However, I've heard excellent things about it. For some people the support of others is important.

I did for a few weeks, it does work but its not for me. I would much rather eat more healthy and get more exercise, limiting your body of food each day just isn't healthy

If you were on the WW plan for a few weeks and you think you were not eating healthy then you weren't doing it right.

If someone is following the WW program as it was intended then it is a very healthy lifestyle. Regardless of which plan you are on (core or points) WW emphasizes, among other things: Nutrition, portion control and increasing your activity level. WW encourages its members to view their new healthy lifestyle as just that: A Lifestyle. If you are eating healthy foods, watching your portions, and increasing your activity you are practicing a healthy lifestyle. That is true regardless of what weight loss program you follow. It is when you think of it as a "diet" that it seems restrictive. Unlike a lot of other programs, WW does not tell you what to eat . . . it teaches you how to eat.

I'm not here trying to promote WW by any means and I do realize that the program does not work for everyone that tries it. However, to infer that it is an unhealthy and restrictive program is simply unfair and inaccurate.

Weight Watchers Point Guide

The Weight Watcher Point Program is not a very new concept. It is getting widely accepted nowadays due to the fact that people today are more aware of their fitness. To be in a fit position they consult the dietitians. The expert dietitian always focuses on a balance of exercise, reduced fat nutrition and counseling of course.

In the Weight Watcher Point Program all the food items are assigned some point value and the users of this program use a point calculator and the recipes provided by the program.

The members of this program are motivated to participate in the local counseling so that they can get new ideas and suggestions which in turn help them out with the lifestyle changes that is also the prime part of the program.

In addition these weight watchers produce their own line of meals that can easily be purchased from the super stores.

The point value allocated to food also depends upon:

--The portion size
--The calorie count
--Quantity of fiber
--The amount of fat

The general rule is that high fiber food have a low point value and high fat food have a high point value and vice versa. Daily allowance for the portion size varies according to the body weight and the require amount of weight that has to be lost.

For your ease the formula is mentioned below where

P= points
C= calories
F=fat grams
D=dietary fibers grams

The points formula is as follows:

P=[c/50] + [f/12] - [min {D,4}/5]

With the help of the formula you can very easily calculate the point value of each meal.

Allison
Diet and Fitness Enthusiast

Both my wife and I have done weight watchers. They are a good program. My experience however is that they are like all the "other" programs out there. They work while you do it. But unless you want to continue to drop 40 or 50 dollars a month into it indefinitely.... at some point you fall off the wagon. I found the most valueable thing they teach is journaling. Write down whatever (everything) you eat daily. Its surprising how much stuff can add up when you don't pay attention. Unfortunately, that's also my least favorite thing to do (carry a journal around and write down everything with its "points" - a generalized calorie counting system. Anyway I did weight watchers and lost weight consistently at about 2-2.5 lbs/week, went off and gained much of it back over the next year. Likewise when I did Atkins, pure calorie counting, ... I don't want to sound like I'm really down on WW, I'm not. Its just that you have to adhere to their system for it to work and you should consider the long term cost of such a program.

While I realize WW is not for everyone, it is possible to follow their program without going to the meetings and paying the weekly fee, although going to the meetings helps if you need that accountability, which I do. Also, in reference to your journaling issues - I hated carrying my journal around with me as well. I was less likely to write it down because it was such a PITA. However, I now journal online, which takes only a fraction of the time and the journal calculates my points for me. The ease of journaling online helps me stick with it.

I have a friend that lost over 200 lbs on the WW diet, but once he hit lifetime status he gained most of it back. I think the reason he gained it back is because while he lost he ate the same thing literally every single day and then binged one day on the weekend with his flex points. He never "learned" how to eat. He just stuck with the points. WW tries to ensure you get your 5-a-day fruits/veggies, two servings of healthy oils, two servings of milk, and water. If you follow the program like the way it was intended, you have learned what you need to maintain it once you are at goal.

I think another reason that people gain the weight back - myself included - is because they approach weight loss as a temporary thing. A diet. Once they are at a weight they want to be, they forget that this is a life long journey. And this is true for any weight loss program, not just WW. You don't magically stop gaining weight just because you are at a healthy weight level. It is something you have to maintain once you arrive at the weight you want to be. In fact, it is the people who have once been overweight that are more likely to gain weight than a person that has always been thin. I read an article issued by Johns Hopkins that as you gain weight you grow extra fat cells to store the fat. Once you lose the fat, the actual cells are still there. They never go away.

I lost about 45 pounds doing weight watchers...I looked forward to going to the meetings weekly and weighing in...but after a while it did start to get expensive...I would do it again if I had the money...

I love WW. My leader is great, she keeps things fun. Maybe I am a simpleton but getting the 5 pound stickers is what really keeps me motivated. I want 5 pound stickers and applause. I want them at every meeting. I usually sneak a weigh in on Monday (my weigh in day is Wednesday at WW) to see how I am doing. If I am up or even I crank up the workout program. I walk over lunch and work out in the evening paying CAREFUL attention to my core foods. I used to pay no attention to portion sizes, sugar content, the food pyramid...anything. But WW is like school for fat people. Everything is laid out right in front of you all you have to do is follow the program.

It is $12 a week. When I look back on my old hobbies (big 4x4 trucks) I could have paid for a 10 year membership with one engine. Totally worth it for me. I want stickers and applause EVERY MEETING. If I don't get one then I am hell bent on getting one the next time.

I do have to admit that on Fridays I eat what ever I want. Usually it is pizza for dinner. Some times I have an old school lunch of a burger and fries. I doubt I go over my 35 weekly points with these meals but it really gives me something to look forward to. I'm down from 370 to 339 since the middle of sept. GL!

Funny how that works. I'm looking forward to my 10% key chain.



I used to do this after weigh-in and then behave myself until the next weigh-in. I haven't done that for weeks now. I have been eating so healthy that lately even the thought of fast food/burgers/etc. makes me nauseous.

That's great! Congrats!

I'm a big fan of WW. I do the program on my own (thus, no paying for meetings) and I always see fairly quick results. I would strongly recommend the WW lifestyle to weight loss newbies, because I think it's a lot easier than some of the other diets, especially once you've been on it for a week or so and have really gotten into the swing of things.

I have heard this is a good diet. You should also keep up to doing cardio exercises for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour every day.

I use to do weight watchers and it really worked. But it took so much planning that I fell of the wagon.

All the best!
Hello Everyone,

I've just read Lisa post and agree.

I use to read a lot of slimming magazine after my son was born, because I had gained over 3stones in weight and following the principles laid out I was smaller than I was than when I became pregnant a year later, but not underweight.

It may take time, but weight loss should be viewed as lifestyle change and not a quick fix.

Regards.