Weight Watchers

allyphoe said:
The formula is: One point = (calories/50) + (fat grams/12) - (min{fiber, 4}/5)
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Whilst I would not quibble with a word that is said about fat calories being punished more than carb calories - I am a little confused about the formula that you give.

I have a WW calculator - and it requires that you enter calories and saturated fat in order to deduce the points. There is not a means whereby the fibre gets entered or therefore used to deduce the points. Does that imply that UK points somehow differ from US points?

It doesnt matter too much for me as I an on "core" and always have a load of activity points left over at the end of the week. It is just that I am curious.
 
allyphoe said:
The formula is: One point = (calories/50) + (fat grams/12) - (min{fiber, 4}/5)
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oh... i have a totally different formula... i have:

calories/60 + fat/9 ... :piggy:
 
Weight Watchers Question

So my neighbor has been doing the "Weight Watchers" program for about 4 1/2 months now and she has lost 40lbs. I was wondering if anyone else has ever tried it and has it worked for you? Also did you keep the weight off? I know that losing weight is a lifestyle change. So i would assume you just always keep track of the points and eat healthy if you want to maintain your weight once you reach your goal. Im just curious if it works for someone who doesnt have to lose much weight? My neighbor is a heavy lady (her starting weight was 371lbs). And ive heard weight comes off quicker the more you have to lose. But im only 139lbs and would like to get down to about 115-120 so i only have to loose beween 24-29lbs. I have also tried the counting calories and that just doesnt seem the route for me. Seems much easier to count points (altho i will be keeping track of calories too so ill know how many im eating in a day) but focusing more on the points.


Kate
 
there's little difference between points and calories... if you are having trouble wiht calories points will be little difference... it's still accounting for everything that goes into your mouth
 
I was on Weight Watchers for about 8 months and lost 40 pounds I started at 249. I used the points program because there is another called the "core" program where you do not have to count points but you eat until satisfied from a list of "core" foods.

Anyway--eachpoint equates roughly to 30-40 calories and how many points you are allotted per day is determined by your weight. So as you get smaller so does your points allotment. When I was 249 I was allotted 28 points per day but once I reached 225 I was only allotted 26 points per day and so on.

I have seen people with as few as 10 pounds to lose be successful so it is worth it. Note--you must keep track of your foods because its easy to fudge points here and there and that is not helpful, also you may just want to drop by a center and buy a point calculator and the dining out and grocery guides for about 35 bucks for all.

The meetings can get pricey and that information is all you will really need on-going. GOOD LUCK!!!:biggrinjester:
 
thank you for your reply... I actually have a points calculator on my phone so thats pretty handy. Im sure i can find shopping list online somewhere or i can ask my neighbor if she has one. I looked online and for my weight, hieght and the fact that i am breastfeeding (they have a breastfeeding chart) i am allowed to have 30pts a day. Im gunna research more so i can find more info. I just dont see a point for paying for it when i can weigh myself and do most of the stuff at home or find it online.


Kate
 
I can't say that I have done the weight watchers program but I do have some problems with it (my mom and fiance use it). The point system is good and easier for them to comprehend than actual calories and such. However, one thing weight watchers doesnt do is help you understand why you are losing weight. They don't help you develop a routine to workout or get in excercise. Basically, all they do is give you points and change your diet. Which is good, but it's only half the battle. My mom has done weight watchers a few times and every time she is on it she loses some weight then gains it back.

I wouldn't use their program but it does help with nutrition transition. Other than that it's useless.
 
angelicrock,
Did your mom gain the weight back becuase she continues to track and follow her points or because she no longer follows the system?

I have never done weight watchers but i am fairly familiar with the system. I researched it before deciding to count calories instead. Here is my opinion on it.

It is a very good program, if you follow the system. You need to make sure you get your healthy guidelines in each day. If you get 30 points a day you cant eat 30 points of pizza for breakfast and eat nothing the rest of the day. If you balance your points with your healthy guidelines and LEARN what you're doing then you will have success.

Alot of the times this program fails becuase(like any other diet) people lose focus and stop following the program. Like any diet you need to stay focused and eat right and you will succeed.

Now compare this to other commercial diets. You can eat your own food instead of prepackaged meal. On weight watchers you need to look at the label to figure out what you are eating. You need to know calories, fiber, serving sizes. If you eat a prepackage meal, you are less likely to see what the label says. Hopefully by reading labels you learn about what you are eating and apply this long term. If you dont do this, the program inst failing you, you are failing the program.

Just my two cents.

Matt

Matt
 
She did the "core" plan to lose the weight then switched to the regular program to help maintain her weight. She ended up gaining her weight back. I honestly think they are in the business of making money not helping people. The system they have is good to begin with but they need to make money. Part of their membership is once you reach your "goal" weight you no longer need to pay membership fees, it becomes free for you. If you gain weight back you need to start paying again. The core plan, in my opinion, is designed for quick results with the intention of you gaining your weight back so they are always making money.
 
Exercise on WW

There is a specific point in WW, I think its week 4 where the introduce exercise. They like members to control eating habits first. You are supposed to aim for 28 activity points each week and can gain no more than 4 food points back per day from exercise. The have a Exercise point calculator as well. That holds true for the core plan as well.

Sorry to hear that your mom was having issues maintaining but the CORE plan is just that, you must continue to eat only core foods to maintain your loss or stay within the additional 35 weekly points allotted for NON core foods. That is the program...you can't go back to eating whatever you like and maintain.

Either way its about keeping your portion sizes and food choices in check regardless of which plan you adhere to. I agree full participation is pricey, but being overweight is a much higher price to pay...:Angel_anim:
 
I do the core plan on weight watchers and I have lost 91lbs since January.

I won't deny that Weight Watchers is out to make money, they are a corporation after all, but the leaders are all regular people who have been through the same issues and have lost weight on the programme so they believe in it and they want to help.

I do the Core because it is the closest to a healthy lifestyle change. Essentially you eat healthy foods in healthy proportions. It really is as simple as that. If you do it and don't cheat you will lose weight. You can do it by yourself (and to be honest if you are thinking of not actually joining up the stickies on nutrition here will tell you everything you need to know), but I needed the discipline of being weighed every week. I might also say that statistically the people who stay for the whole meeting lose more weight and keep it off and I would attribute that to it helping to keep you focused for the coming week. Again you could use this site to keep yourself motivated if you so wished.

As for keeping the weight off, I won't know that for a while. But it seems reasonable that if I go back to eating the way I was that I would put it back on again. The key is to make a healthy lifestyle change, not a diet. Core on weight watchers is a good way to kickstart that lifestyle change in a supportive atmosphere.

So, to sum up, you can join or you can do it on your own. Neither will work beyond the short-term unless you're ready to commit to making changes in your eating habits.

Best of luck in whatever you decide to do.
 
You guys missed the point of what I was saying. She did the CORE plan then when the weight was off she switched to the REGULAR WW plan and gained the weight back. Either way, the "excercise" they discussed was walking every day for 30 minutes. Not the advice I would pay for.

Anyway, it is a good place to start and maybe 1000Monkeys is right, it probably does help keep people motivated. It's not for me but I have always been a pretty self motivated person.
 
angelicrock said:
You guys missed the point of what I was saying. She did the CORE plan then when the weight was off she switched to the REGULAR WW plan and gained the weight back. Either way, the "excercise" they discussed was walking every day for 30 minutes. Not the advice I would pay for.

Anyway, it is a good place to start and maybe 1000Monkeys is right, it probably does help keep people motivated. It's not for me but I have always been a pretty self motivated person.
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Thanks. I agree completely - if you're very self-motivated then you won't need it. I guess it comes down to figuring out what works best with your (meaning everyone in general) personality and goals. I know from experience though that I need the little motivation! I have great will power in short bursts, I just need something to keep me going in between the bursts :D.

I'm sorry to hear your mother put the weight back on when she went on to the points plan. I've never tried the points to be honest because the idea that you can eat crap in the right amounts all you want and be healthy just seems wrong to me. I'd rather do the healthy thing and go nuts once in a while knowing that tomorrow is another day. That's probably just me though.

Also, you're right about the exercise thing. They definitely get you to focus more on food than exercise. That didn't bother me though because it meant that I could find exercise in my own time when I was ready.
 
For anyone who wants to try WW here's what I did. They often have a promotion where you can go sign up for free and get alot of the starting stuff at no charge then only pay for meetings. After that if you don't want to go anymore or can't afford it you can quit and just do it on your own.

I did purchase their extra dining out guide and another book but I've now come across those in used book stores pretty cheap :X. So you could go, get the info and do it yourself and see if its something you'd want to do. As far as the groups THAT is what I minded paying for. Of course the group and who is running it makes all the difference and my schedule only allowed me to get into one I did not care for. Then my hectic schedule made it less fun and more of something I was dreading having to add one more thing to my day. Personally I do just as well with support here in the forum but for WW you're mostly paying for the meetings, and for some people that helps tremendously. Especially if you find a group you click with or have friends that join with you. As everyone else said, the plan itself is pretty basic, just substituting points for calories and adding exercise in later.

So anyway, if you check online or call a local number they can usually tell you when the promo is coming up to join, they do them pretty often. I still have all my stuff and I've saved it for if I ever get tired of counting calories and want to trick myself into thinking I'm doing something new, lol.
 
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I know a lot of people that have had success with weight watchers. I tried weight watchers, and lost 15lbs or so, but I put it back on fast. For some reason, I just find it easier to count calories. I find calories are easier to understand, and you don't have to calculate anything, the calories are listed on most packaged foods.
I did like the program, the weekly weigh ins, the supportive group meetings and routine of it. I think it is a great program, but what works for one person isn't always what will work for another. In the end, all diets work because they are about reducing the amount of calories you eat while increasing the amount you burn. Some diets or programs are just easier for some to follow. I would say give it a try, and if you decide its not for you then you can save $$ and count calories for free (and have money left over for some new clothes!). Good luck on whatever you decide!
 
I just thought I would put in my two cents. I had been doing WW for the majority of this year and soon got down to the lowest amount of points allowed in a day (20), and I just felt like I wasn't getting enough to eat and I was only loosing 2 or 3 pounds a month... or even none at times. I decided to see how many cals I was getting from my 20 points. I put everything I ate into fit day and it came out to roughly 1100 calories... I was rather shocked. My bmr suggested that I should be consuming around 1700 calories a day to loose 1.5 pounds per week. So long story short, WW IMO is for those who have issues with food as far as choosing the right foods and portion size goes. But once you learn how to make better choices in both those areas its time to move on to something new. Since I switched to counting calories I have dropped another 5 lbs and I have waaay more energy than with just 20 points a day.

Either way I thinks its great that you have decided to make a change in your life in the positive direction!
 
MissDFITT said:
I just thought I would put in my two cents. I had been doing WW for the majority of this year and soon got down to the lowest amount of points allowed in a day (20), and I just felt like I wasn't getting enough to eat and I was only loosing 2 or 3 pounds a month... or even none at times. I decided to see how many cals I was getting from my 20 points. I put everything I ate into fit day and it came out to roughly 1100 calories... I was rather shocked. My bmr suggested that I should be consuming around 1700 calories a day to loose 1.5 pounds per week. So long story short, WW IMO is for those who have issues with food as far as choosing the right foods and portion size goes. But once you learn how to make better choices in both those areas its time to move on to something new. Since I switched to counting calories I have dropped another 5 lbs and I have waaay more energy than with just 20 points a day.

Either way I thinks its great that you have decided to make a change in your life in the positive direction!
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Werd. What she said.
 
Hi,
I am doing the weight watchers diet now. I find it to be the best one I have tried! Its the dieting basics of exercising and eating healthy but I find the meeting to be a god send. It gave me great motivation and encouragement. I've lost 4st and feel so great! It is basically counting calories, but with their system it is alot easier. You can eat and drink what you like just keep within your limit, if you are as over weight as I was it can be quite a lot. They provide free books with endless lists of food and their point values, and you get a slider (or a calculator which is soooo handy) to work out calories in food yourself.
I know I have mentioned this site a lot but I find it to be so useful, (especially if you want to go it alone and not go to meetings) groovybluetees.com it explains the basics and has the food list and the point values for some restaurants there too. and its free which is great! :)
anyway best of luck.
But if anyone is reading this post, I highly recommend weight watchers.
 
it works. just have to figure out if it is right for you. i lost 10 pounds in 3 weeks, but i got SO sick of figuring out points.
 
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