Weight watchers skepticism

[Miss Kitty]

Hello everyone. I've been on WW for quite a while and with great success. True, we are allowed to eat all kinds of things BUT NOT EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING ANY TIME WE FEEL LIKE IT. We have to use common sense and follow the rules. When we do that, it works. They teach us how to deal with real life situations. Brownies and other tasty items will never go away and will continue to haunt us but you don't eat the whole tray. You have one and then adust your daily to allow for it. Also, by giving in and having one, it will stop binging ( a real problem for me). WW give out lots of good literature that explains everything in easy to understand detail and like I said, when it's followed, it works perfectly. Thanks for listening.

[Kimboroni]

I've lost 6 pounds in two weeks, and am VERY happy with the eating plan -- lots of good grains, fruit, veggies and lean protein, and the "treats" aren't "cheats" because I can use my points for them -- this also keeps me from eating too many "treats", because I am accountable for them. I can't say to myself -- well, it's not allowed anyway, so I might as well eat the whole bag/box/cake!

That's terrific to hear that you're getting a handle on food guilt and seeing results!

[LegalBeagle]

Congrats, lessame, on your weight loss! Keep up the good work!

[2SeeLessOfAmy]

I actually lost alot of weight on WW when i was about 18. When you had to eat a certain amount of dairy, meats, veggies and fruit . 70lbs to be exact but that was when WW was more strict. I couldnt eat out or eat junk food. and after a while of being on that particular version of it i didnt crave those things. Now that they have points and you can figure the points out for anything there is to much room for error. I found myself wasting my points on junk food just because i wanted it.

[shadesofsage03]

I did Weight Watchers for about 6 months and lost 30 pounds, which I have kept off. I had a great leader who really emphasized that whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and protiens were vital. They do have the "points" system where you can eat whatever you want, but they also have the "core" program which is similar to SB in many ways...you choose from a core list of healthy foods and eat until you're satisfied. I'm sure other leaders run their meetings differently, but mine always emphasized healthy eating similar to SB. She always said you could lose weight with the points and eating just about anything in portion sizes, but did say eventually your body would get to the point where you wouldn't lose more weight unless you changed the TYPES of foods, not just the calories.

[soon2Bsize8again]

all programs work for those who MAKE it work. i lost 60 pounds on WW from sep 2003 to april 2004 and I don't know what I'd have done withOUT weight watchers. I AM a lifetime member and yes, i'll admit I've gained back 17 of those 60 pounds - which is why I am now using south beach. there are many things I LOVED about weight watchers, including learning portion control, and I'll admit there are many things i do NOT like about WW (such as becoming "obsessed" with counting points and feeling guilty for eating healthy fats such as avacado as well as also learning how to <i>manipulate</i> your points to have more to eat at night)...weight watchers DID however teach me a LOT about better foods than eating fast food and pizza and beer all the time - but, i know my downfall was after 2 years of counting points, i got bored and went back to my old habits (which i know is why they came out with core which is pretty much like phase 2).
weight watchers, just like south beach IS a good program but, the problem I know with weight watchers IS that because it's only about counting points, SOME people tend to abuse those points and eat only crap. you CAN eat 24 points a day in crap but you won't lose weight, and IF you DO it won't be a lot, and where is the HEALTH in that?

i think, honestly, changing your lifestyle whether it is with SB's WOE or WW - it's also an extremely PSYCHOLOGICAL thing as well - you have to re-program yourself and teach yourself what IS the right thing to eat. such as, on WW you can "waste" 2 points on a granola bar filled with a lot of sugar and processed crap OR you can USE 2 points on a healthy banana. what it all comes down to is your personal choice. and, on south beach, it's also the fact that this program tries to keep you AWAY from those processed sugars and tells you ONLY to eat the whole foods - which for many people is what they need, because when you're told, "here are 2 foods, one is a banana one is a chocolate chip granola bar - each have the same amount of calories, which one do you want?" too many people (myself included sometimes) choose the chocolate bar.

some people WILL honestly be able to use WW the correct way and choose that banana and also learn to eat the lean meats and all that, but some people need a different approach WITHOUT allowing them more choices, which is why many people also do south beach.

maybe i'm just rambling now - but i truly believe WHATEVER program works to change your lifestyle and help you TRULY eat healthy is a good program to use the rest of your life.

[brid21msu]

I had to throw in my two cents! I did weight watchers five years ago on the points and not only lost 30 pounds, but I learned to not restrict myself. For somebody with eating issues and restriction issues this diet is awesome. They had very healthy guidelines and it is good to learn portion control and they do have requirements (water, dairy, f&veggies).

After doing SB for six weeks I lost only 2 pounds net (out of 12 to lose) and I learned restrictions aren't for me. So I am back on weight watchers b/c if I want to eat m&m's then I will learn how to fit it into my day. That the key to my long term health.

[Kimboroni]

WW is a fine program for people who only need their calories to be in check (as long as they eat enough protein to avoid muscle loss), but unfortunately that is becoming a rare breed. I wish you luck!

[crimsonbarbie]

I've done Weight Watchers before and it works. My problem is that I get tired of the counting and so I slip. I did it last year and lost 15 lbs and was able to keep 13 off. I quit because of college and because I think i need more food than WW allows. I spend so much energy! This weight is still off now and I decided to try SB to reach my goal weight. The thing with the points is that you have to use common sense! Eating 20-something points of healthy balanced meals is ultimately better for you than if you decide to consume those 20 points in cake! But it does work and it's great for some people. I would recommend it, just not to everyone and not for anything too long term. The reason WW did work for me is because I usually eat lots of salad and lean meat and I like whole grain bread. The bad thing is that it's really easy to overdo it on the treats. I noticed that whenever my diet shifted from healthy stuff to not-so-healthy stuff (while remaining within points values), my weight loss would vary dramatically. And again, counting is annoying! You become obssessed with food and that's not a cool lifestyle.

[tigerlilly]

Hi everyone, I am new to the SB diet and I am on day #4 of p1. So far so good but I am craving soo many bad things...hopefully this will pass. I am looking forward to reaching my goal, I have tried lots of diets in the past and I have heard do many good things about this one that I am super excited about sticking to it!

[Cancerbaby]

WW DEFINATLY works, just check out my website under inspriational photos and you will see those who lost on ww. I did WW before doing SB and I lost 13 lbs in ONE month just 3 lbs less then my first month of SB! WW DOES work but you have to do the plan just like ANY OTHER Plan. And yes you can have 1500 cals worth of pasta and lose you will feel like crap though, not to mentiong STARVING cause you wouldn't get to eat much pasta cause they are HIGH in points! but you will lose, (a little slower then some but you will lose) in the end the amount of cals you eat vs burn is what makes you lose weight. I really don't get how someone can be a religious WW'r and not lose, they are definatly cheating somewhere. I can understand a stall ever one has those, but to just to gain or to not lose anything? I do think the points are actually too low for some people (which could stall weight loss as well). Eating foods that are better for you are because of the way they go through your body and how you digest them! That's why some carbs are better then other carbs. I did the points system and even though of corperating that into SB if I don't get much results only because like with WW CORE if you give me a leway to eat til 'satisfied' I tend to over eat. That's why the point system is so great cause it's counting cals just faster and a little easier, and don't think you can eat just LOADS of food either. Points are made of Cals/Fats/Fiber is how they come up with the points. So something HIGH in fat means HIGH points. WW is nice for those who just are not ready to eat fully healthy or who want to have sweets now and then and not feel bad. For me I wanted to learn how to eat really healthy and not saying WW doesn't incorroperate that which it does I find that SB seemed a better idea, however I have to say I snubed my nose at SB too cause I thought it was a low carb thing like AKins and I was afraid of it! I think if more people really KNEW what SB was more would be more willing to try it. WW is a wonderful program IMO that I tell people about often just like SB. NEither program is for everyone. You have to do what is right for you and fits into YOUR life style! BTW I never got the impression I should limit any healthy foods, or that I Had to have a meatless dish!

[*ali*]

i *kind of* agree. i was doin WW for ages and i went from 119-108 on it, so it does work, but i was very tired and i don't think my blood sugar was good. i have maintained my WW WOE since then until about august, but when i started SB this week i looked back at it and i am shocked! i was esating healthily, but because i have a sweet tooth, i was spending most of my points on sweet food (even if it was fruit).

i would eat sooo much fruit, about 4 bowls a day. once i weighed out a typical bowl of pineapple that i would have ervy day at 11am. 245calories! thats loads for fruit. no wonder i was always tired!

then again, because you can eat whatever you want, it does work. but i think SB will be better because you don't feel the need for all the sugary sweet foods in the 1st place.

[Gmazing]

from what ive been reading almost all diets will work much better if you "spike" your metabolism every fourth day. this means have youre calorie deficit all but the fourth day. on that day have exactly what your bmr dictates. this way your body never goes into starvation mode.

[MaryB]

Hi folks,

Hope you don't mind a newbie to this forum chiming in. I haven't even started SB officially yet - just finished reading the book and hubby and I are starting to plan our menus and initial shopping trip! We're getting kind of gung-ho about it, even if we are a bit nervous about Phase 1!

Anyway...I'm an expert on the new WW program. I was very successful a couple years ago (Flex program). I lost 75 lbs using their program and it truly works - if you work it. The trick to breaking plateaus was changing things up from time to time. They give you a range of points to shoot for, so if you hit a plateau and you've been getting in your minimum points - then you bump things up to your max points, just to keep the body guessing. One of the reasons WW worked so well for me is because there were no real limits on what you could have. If you wanted a fast food burger - have it! But you're going to have to make up for those points somewhere else (points are based on the fiber/fat/calories per food item). It was easy for me to follow the program and even though I've run into people who have said theynever lost any weight on it, because of my personal experience, it's hard for me to figure out how that can happen (it obviously does - I just don't understand it).

So why....if I had such great success with WW...am I giving SB a try? Well, I got bored and a little "cocky". I figured I had it all figured out, so I stopped journaling religiously, counting every point, yadayada...and guess what - I found all those dern pounds again! I'd had a major job change in there somewhere, which fouled up my exercise schedule, and I just put 'me' on the back burner again. So, after about 6 months, I went back to WW and lost about 20 lbs. But I must have had some residual boredom, because I just couldn't find the excitement I once had. In the meantime, the SB craze hit! I thought it was just another fad, so I poo-pooed it. Then it seemed like every time I turned around, a Dr. was recommending it! They'd say "Oh WW is a great plan, too!", but would always talk about SB. So I read the book - and it made so much sense! Particularly for me and my family. Diabetes (adult) runs in my family line - and that's my biggest concern, even more so than my looks. I have 2 daughters (22 and 17) who both have PCOS (Polycystic overarian syndrome) which makes them insulin resistant. HELLO - This just makes sense!

So I'm getting ready to begin my SB journey. It's a bit scary because I am so WW minded. But - WW now has an alternate plan that is very similiar to SB. It's called CORE. A member can use either plan - whichever fits their lifestyle best.

WW is a good plan. But for me, SB just seems to be a smarter, healthier choice (for my personal health issues). If I find it more comfortable (once I pass Phase 1), I may even check into incorporating the 2 programs together, basing my food choices on the SB food list. We'll see!

Anyway - that's my say on the matter!

MaryB

[BonnieSimz]

I agree with many of the postings here. I was on SB from May '04 - Dec. 04 and I loved it. I lost all my baby weight and was down in the 140's. SB taugt me a lot about eating healthy, but I found the lifestyle difficult to maintain in a daily setting, like going out to eat. I had to make sure there was no sugar in everything or white flour. Of course, eating out was also a treat and I know there are splurges on SB that are allowed. But summer came this year and I missed corn on the cobb, etc. I didn't like the restrictions I felt on SB. I joined WW in October and have lost about 11 lbs. This is slower than when I was on SB, but I feel I am truly learning how to eat. Finding out what triggers my eating habits. And for me, that is what I have to get to the bottom of. Because thought there are food combinations that work and keep you satisfied, in the end, I have to figure out why I feel the need to eat when I'm not hungry. Most of the time for me, it's emotional. I do, however, incorporate my learnings from SB into my WW plan. It's good to know about both plans.