Weight watchers skepticism

[longboat614]

I've been a diehard WWer since the 80's when I first made goal, but as much as I loved the options/freedom on the flex point system, it stopped working for me a long time ago. Yes, calories in and calories out matters, but I have read enough about SB and other eating plans that are based on insulin, blood type, and other physiological issues to know that these are not the critical components of the WW program. I stopped going to meetings several months ago because all WW is about these days is selling products and taking your money. The leaders have commercials that they are required to do during meetings. I got tired of losing and regaining the same two pounds and never getting back to goal. It has taken me longer to lose 20 pounds than it did to lose the original 36. Admittedly I'm older (57), but I have basically healthy eating habits. I am tired of weighing, measuring, and being hungry, then settling for FF Pringles to fill up my hunger. I"m only on day 2 of P1 and I know I will eat pizza again, but I think this may be a better WOE for me.

[LewdaCrys]

As of today, I am also an ex WW'er. The plan is very successful for people who are willing to follow the guidelines. They encourage people to eat the foods they love in moderation- which means they SHOULD be eating good fats, whole grains, protein, veggies, etc- but if they want a brownie or some ice cream every once in a while, it is not forbidden. The problem is that it is not designed for people like me who have unhealthy relationships with sugars and starches. I lost 40 pounds in the first 5 months, but then I yo'yo'd for two more years because I could not kick the sugar habit.

This is healthier and more practical for people who need effective guidelines for sugars. I think it's all about what works for you.

[Rose26]

lol this i suppose is kinda ironic but i posted in the thred a long long time ago about a friend of mine on weight watchers who seemed to be losing all this weight even though she ate countless meals full of sugar,grease and white flour (its on the first page of this thread if you are interested in reading it) well i asked how can she possibly eat all this junk and still lose weight? well she always teased me about south beach not being worth is and not working for me and how she was losing much more than me(keep in mind that at the time i weighed 160 and had gone down to 145 with SBD and she weighed 215 pounds) well the answer to the above question was she can't!she got down to 185 but she has continued to abuse her points and use them on junk food thinking that keeping with in the number of allotted points will save her at the end of the day when she hasn't eaten an ounce of "real" food. she has crept up the scale and she tells me that she is eating the same way, then she askes me why shes gaining if she eating the same, shouldn't she still be losing?i just told her plain and simple "NOPE i just thought it was funny how she teased me and told me i could never lose the weight while she was eating chips smarties and pizza and i was eating salads, but shes the one who lost in the long run. i guess thats karma for you.

[cherylll]

I'm a WW fan! Six years ago I lost 100 lbs. with WW in 13 months, and I kept it all off for four years. Lately I've gotten away from the plan and have put some of the weight back on.

WW is a very sensible way to lose weight, if you follow the plan (there are several plans to choose from). One plan is to count points (which is just an easy way to count calories). There are no "forbidden" foods, just sensible choices.

The other plan (the core) is closer to the SB diet, where you can eat unlimited amounts of very specific foods. When I combined the points system with eating the "right" foods (read - most nutritious/healthy), I quickly lost weight again.

Don't knock it til you've tried it, folks!

cll

[blosinlv]

lol this i suppose is kinda ironic but i posted in the thred a long long time ago about a friend of mine on weight watchers who seemed to be losing all this weight even though she ate countless meals full of sugar,grease and white flour (its on the first page of this thread if you are interested in reading it) well i asked how can she possibly eat all this junk and still lose weight? well she always teased me about south beach not being worth is and not working for me and how she was losing much more than me(keep in mind that at the time i weighed 160 and had gone down to 145 with SBD and she weighed 215 pounds) well the answer to the above question was she can't!she got down to 185 but she has continued to abuse her points and use them on junk food thinking that keeping with in the number of allotted points will save her at the end of the day when she hasn't eaten an ounce of "real" food. she has crept up the scale and she tells me that she is eating the same way, then she askes me why shes gaining if she eating the same, shouldn't she still be losing?i just told her plain and simple "NOPE i just thought it was funny how she teased me and told me i could never lose the weight while she was eating chips smarties and pizza and i was eating salads, but shes the one who lost in the long run. i guess thats karma for you.

You shouldn't knock a diet just because someone is on it doesn't follow the rules. If you want to follow that theory, you can say the SB isn't good because you know someone who is on SB but eats loads of ww bread and ww pasta, etc. and gains weight. Any diet will work if you adhere to the rules. If you fail it is your own fault, not the fault of the diet. I am not on Weight Watchers, but I think it is a very good plan that works and is healthful.

[pookiebear]

Let me start out by saying that I'm an advocate of ANY "diet" that helps people stay healthy and lose weight. On that note, I believe WW and SBD are totally different!

SBD was a way of eating designed to help people stay healthy. It isn't really a "weight loss program". As someone stated before (I believe it was lorka?) - SBD is a moneymaker. So that's why I believe it ENDED UP turning into a "weight loss way of eating" ~ They marketed their product well.

They allow you to eat ANYTHING, I mean ANYTHING, as long as you keep within range. One WW point equals approx. 54 calories.. so my range was between 22-24 points daily, but if I really wanted, I could eat ice cream all day long, as long as I didn't go over my point.. personally I think it's stupid..

I've personally never done WW. But based on this person's quote and what I've read about it - WW TOTALLY seems like a weight loss program - that counts calories. If you can eat anything you want... but you just need to "account for it" and "adjust" things... that means you're counting calories! They've come up with a little moneymaker themselves if that's what they're doing. Now, I DO appreciate the support that they offer. Whenever accountability is involved, there's usually better results.

So in a nut shell, I like both plans... but I see them for what they are:

SBD - Healthier eating

WW - Weight loss program

People that end up combining them? And it works for them? - That's awesome! But if you DO end up combining them... realize that it all boils down to counting your calories AND eating the SBD way. Throw in a little exercise and you're WELL on your way to losing weight AND being healthy.

[Kimboroni]

The fact is that, for the majority of people, losing weight isn't only about calories, and the points system certainly seems to push the idea that calorie intake is the only determining factor in how much you weigh. If it doesn't push it, definitely it strongly suggests it, since an awful lot of people use the "eat whatever you want as long as it's under your points" approach.

That approach won't work if you have insulin resistance (going back to my first post in this thread), and it can actually make you develop insulin resistance if you are in the 75% of humans with the genetic predisposition to IR. Then it doesn't matter how well you stay in your points-- you will gain fat rather than losing it if you choose the wrong foods.

[blosinlv]

Kimboroni, everyone I know who has gone on Weight Watchers and followed the plan has lost weight. The important part is to follow WW rules about low fat, low sugar, whole grains, etc. It is really a very healthful food plan. My sister was doing so well on CORE until she was diagnosed with Crohns and had to give up most veggies, whole grains and other foods containing fiber. As you know, there are many roads to good health and weight loss and SB is only one of them.

[Lady T]

Kimboroni, everyone I know who has gone on Weight Watchers and followed the plan has lost weight.

Me too, blosinlv! I've seen and read about thousands of WW success stories. I believe it's all about how you choose to work the plan...and if you're really serious about it.

LadyT

[Kimboroni]

Sure, it can work, especially if you're being smarter about the foods rather than just manipulating points. The problem is the definition of "smarter." If a few portions of pasta are seen as a smarter choice than some nuts, that's a problem. The low-fat, high-carb thing will only work as a lifetime strategy for a minority. For the rest of the population, it will only work for some of the people some of the time; it can't work for all of the people all of the time. It takes a while to develop IR, so what works at first will eventually stop working as the system wears out from dealing with high blood sugar.

It's also important to distinguish between losing weight and losing fat. Studies have shown that the low-fat, high carb approach results in signficantly more muscle loss than seen in more balanced approaches such as SB and The Zone. Add exercise to a balanced plan, and there is hardly any muscle loss at all, so what is being lost is fat.

I'm really not anti-WW. I'm just anti-point-manipulation. However, going back to the origins of this thread, I don't think the current point system is going to last much longer anyway, and then it won't matter.

[Kerri]

Although I never formally "joined" a Weight Watchers program, my mom belonged for YEARS and even worked for them for a while. I went to lots of meetings with her and when I started gaining weight in college I bought the flex points starter kit off of Ebay. I also found a place online called the Wendy Plan that teaches you to alternate how many points you get in a day so that you are eating the same points for the week, but alternating how many each day to stimulate your metabolism.


Needless to say this did NOT work for me. I was always very poor at making healthy choices when it came to food (until SBD!) and I was one of those sneaky little buggers who would manipulate the points. I'd eat a big bowl of Cheerios for breakfast, another bowl for lunch, mashed potatoes with gravy or a bowl of pasta for dinner, and an ice cream for dessert. Usually I was so hungry by 7:00 at night that I ended up eating popcorn or rice cakes and going over my points anyway. I never lost ANY weight and I did not learn ANYTHING about making healthy choices. WW can work for some people - the people who are already disciplined enough and knowledgeable enough to make good choices and stick to those choices until they've accomplished their goal. I was never one of those people until I found SBD...I was never so stupid or naive that I didn't know fruits and veggies were healthy...but I never really understood what different foods did to my body until I read SBD and that was what made the difference for me when it came time to get disciplined and start eating healthy foods.

-Kerri

[Lady T]

WW can work for some people - the people who are already disciplined enough and knowledgeable enough to make good choices and stick to those choices until they've accomplished their goal.

That's not altogether true, my friend. I suspect more than half the people (or at least the ones I've come across) who try WW are clueless about good food choices. But you learn as you go. If that were the case, no one would need WW...or any plan for that matter.

WW doesn't work for everybody, just as SB doesn't work for everybody, but it does work. I've seen too much to convince me otherwise.

LadyT

[jesluvmk]

I was on weight watchers 2 years ago and lost 12 pounds in 8 weeks. I started SB on July 1 and am almost at the same weight after 8 weeks of weight watchers. The problem was...I could eat whatever I wanted. I could save points for bad foods and then eat salads the rest of the day...and I was still following the plan. I would have to say that SB has really made me aware of picking the right foods to eat.

[Lady T]

I was on weight watchers 2 years ago and lost 12 pounds in 8 weeks.

Unless you've a large amount to lose, this is a safe and recommended rate of weight loss.

I started SB on July 1 and am almost at the same weight after 8 weeks of weight watchers.

Congrats on your progress thus far!

A big loss during the first few weeks of any plan is quite common. It is mainly water though. While it can be very motivational, the mistake that a lot of people make is thinking that weight loss will continue at that rate. It most likely will not.

It's always said that slow and steady wins the race!

LadyT

[jesluvmk]

Good point Lady T. I'm just glad that I was able to put on these pair of pants today that a week ago I couldn't button. Although there is still overhang (you know what I mean)....they close and with a big enough shirt you can't really tell. I don't think I'm ever going to take these pants off (well....maybe I will).