Should I stop WeightWatchers?
 

I've (re)discovered this site (I joined it months ago, but then my weight loss goals kind of fizzled out). I joined WeightWatchers a few months ago, and was wondering if it was worth it to stick with this program. It seems that the points system teaches me a few things, but it also seems that I would rather learn about the actual calorie/nutrition components of foods rather than just count points. I don't know. Is there something I'm missing about WW?

I can't tell you for certain, I haven't done WW in years and years. I guess the question I would ask you is "Does WW work for you?". If the answer is "yes" then no you shouldn't quit. But if the answer is "not really", then try fitday for a while. Personally I like fitday, and I feel like I've gained a lot of tools here that I can use in the real world.

I guess it's really up to you. I used the old WW points formula years ago and lost weight. I don't know exactly what the "new" forumula is.

FitDay is so easy to use and sure works well, so I'm a bit biased in that respect. For long term weight loss and maintaining, I do think it makes sense to take control of your calorie/nutrition mix.

Regards,
Michael

I think you cannot find any better approach than tracking your calorie intake and exercises.
The idea of nutritional journal is an interesting idea, you can track and see what mistakes/good things you have done in the past and understand whey you didn't lose your fat for example.
Beside that, you will see what nutriments or vitamins are scarce in your diet, you'll see your fat loss progress, what number of cup of water did you consume per day last month etc.
I cannot imagine myself following those kinds of diet that force you to eat according to a rigid meal plan ie (one apple and half yogurt 2% at 7:25 am ) i like the idea of counting myself my calories and thus preparing and choosing the right food I like or I have in my fridge actually.

Yeah, I couldn't do that either. I'm not good at following a rigid schedule.

I think the main problem for me is getting good foods into my diet, like fruits and veggies. It's not that I don't like fruits/veggies, it's just that I rather eat other things (like sweets and too much meat). Fast food cravings is also a problem for me. I've noticed that WW doesn't really have the nutritional feedback unlike FitDay. One day, I ate a sub from Quiznos, and even though it cost me a lot of points, I was still all right because of my weekly extra points. Idk, it just seems that Fit Day holds me more accountable than WW, and also it's free. Plus, it's easier to count calories than it is to count points.

I think I'll try both for a while and then see if I should quit WW.

Thank you all for your replies. :)

I think in terms of calorie, we should be rigid enough in order to make some progress.:D
I do not crave fast food or sweeties, my big flaw was that I like beer binging during weekends.
If you find yourself craving too much for carbs, then I think you should avoid high GI foods as well as caffeinated beverages and alcohol, because those 3 substances can trigger pikes of insulin hormones which starts fat storing and gives you a huge appetite towards carbs.
Fast fast and Junk food have to be banned from your list, as they contain hi GI foods.
:)

Quit WW, read Robb Wolf's Paleo Solution.

Weight watchers is a system.
This is a system.
The end result of all diets is to reduce the calories you take in to less than you burn which equals weight loss.

If you feel you need to learn about foods and nutrition to maintain [and you prob do] nothing is stopping you from learning if you are in weight watchers. You might even make better choices within the program instead of wholesale "Gee it is X points so I can have" vs "I have X points these are in that range, which is healthiest for my goals?"

The choice is actually what suits you best. WW worked for my nephew when he followed it. When he stopped he gained. I know others who haven't. It suits them. In my case it was too much fuss. Points are fussy. I do better with facts. One McDouble is 390 calories with 22 grams protein, 19 grams fat and 65 mg cholesterol OR I can have one Bodyfortress Protein shot [ a drink] with 110 calories, 26 grams of protein and NO cholesterol and fat... Guess which one I'll pick. More bang for the buck in the nutrition with the shot.

Weight Watchers is great because it puts the onus of responsibility on the dieter. Nothing is strictly off-limits, but knowing you have to stay within your points makes you start thinking in terms of choices, knowing that you can have the brownie OR the cake OR the hamburger, but not all of them today. I have known many people who lost weight on WW because even though they knew sweets and junk were bad for them, they didn't realize HOW bad because they had never actually measured the serving sizes before.

The downside is that it can be hard to obtain points values for certain things, and it can be fussy, as another poster pointed out. I am more of a control freak, so I like tracking calories, fiber, fat, etc on my own. Furthermore, I am cutting carbs because of endocrine issues of my own, so the WW tendency to skew in favor of lower fat/protein, higher carb foods doesn't work for me.

All in all, you have to figure out what works for you. If you find it too cumbersome to obtain and track the points values, then in the end it's not suiting you.

Sometimes we just have to try things on for size to see if they fit us, WW is no different. It isn't a matter of good or bad but very personal, no one can decide for you. I am dyslexic and counting points makes me Bonkers!!lol. My 2 friends are bankers and love numbers and spreadsheets..WW is right up their alley and they have been very happy with that system. They are watching me with Fitday tho and the almost effortless way I am losing a lb a week and how I have made far more headway than them since January even tho they nearly kill themselves at the gym all week. I think mindful science has it all over counting, but perhaps that is just me.

I think the new WW program sounds solid. It seems they are taking all aspects of nutrition into account....so junk foods are more "costly."
AND the support is VERY good and often just what is needed to get to success. It might be something to consider for a period of time, paying careful attention to your eating habits. The way you eat, why you eat, how you get yourself into trouble...but also how your body reacts to certain foods. When you have a good handle on things....then perhaps consider leaving the program and doing your own thing.

You can do both. You can be a 'Weight Watcher' in terms of being a member of a group that gives each other encouragement with the whole accountability feature (weigh-in shows whether you are still focusing on weight loss and learning from the previous week's cumulative actions). In addition, you can learn about nutrition on your own, for reinforcement of ideas you may have or ways to deal with 'problem foods.' You can use the Internet - even the WW website has good information - or do independent reading. You can ask your WW leader after the meeting for information you think you're missing.

There are tons of diets floating around the Internet - the high carb diet that uses starches comes to mind. Nothing in a WW meeting every tells you that a food (a starch, for example), is forbidden. What they do tell you is that points (basically, weighted calories) are going to be a limit you have to work with.

There are diets that tell you there are no limits you ever have to work with. They simply don't express it outright, but there is always some limit. Low-carbing give you limits. A diet that restricts you to a certain type of food on certain days is going to give you limits. They know the limits are there. Eventually, when you are plateauing on a diet, the response will be to stick to the limits or make the limits even more stringent! Hey, they are diets!

WW will tell you the same thing. If you aren't losing with X points (now called 'points plus'), they will tell you to give the level you're working with a bit more time OR if you are impatient, lower your points for a week and see what happens. Kind of basic common sense, if you ask me! WW is for support while you try to work with limits. That's all it is. It's a valuable diet for that reason - that and the fact that once you reach your goal, you can be a lifetime member and use the organization for support.

I don't see a conflict with doing WW and reading and learning about nutrition. The fact that WW doesn't spend members' time in meetings giving mini-seminars about nutritional topics is clear to me - the reason people have trouble with diets is not that they don't understand the material. They have a problem with the lifestyle! THAT'S what they talk about in WW meetings - how can you deal with x, y, and z situations when you have a solid ingrained habit of sabotaging your weight.

i haven't read through these other comments yet, so hopefully i'm not repeating anyone.

i do both fitday and weight watchers. i've been a lifetime member for 5 years and enjoy going to the meetings and hearing what they have to say every week. I also enjoy having someone else help me track my progress. if you have a bad leader then the meetings aren't so great! i don't know anything about the online version of WW so I can't speak to that. were you going to meetings?

I LOVED a few of my past leaders. i'm now with one that is just okay but I still think going helps me stay on track.

I think I'll be with fitday for life because I like tracking the macronutrients, but I also like just being able to track points and weekends and be more flexible. I also love fitday because of forums like these, and talking about things that I wouldn't speak up about during meetings.

I tried WW last year. A lot of money and poor results. I didn't follow the program right. I would prefer to count calories and get an overview of my nutrition. I don't think I need the support of the group, but I still have some friends in WW. One lost 130# and the other 70# on WW. The key is tracking and sticking with it. Also you need to up the exercise, especially if you hit a plateau. The point system drove me nuts. Now I just read a label and know what I need. I also found on WW I was eating a lot of empty low cal snacks sold by the company. Now I am just avoiding snacks except for fruits.

I think it's tempting to use the WW snacks (ice cream, cheese, etc.) because they are lower-calorie. But there are lots of other low-calorie snacks on the grocery shelves that have around the same number of points and you never have to buy a WW product. Some of them just taste good.

Tonight, I had a snack when I came home late - two very large fresh oranges. Not one, but two - and they were big. So, when I went to put the points in the WW tracker, I entered 4 medium size oranges because they didn't have oranges that size in the tracker. Number of points? Zero. The new 'free fruits' really does work. The whole diet kind of nudges toward eating more fresh fruits and fresh vegetables. This is all good, but some people still have to have pretzels, etc., when they snack. I'm just glad to be able to have fresh fruit and still lose. (I did lose this week...)

I did WW a number of years ago and had great results, I went from 208 to 135 in about 6 months, at the time I had also joined a gym and was working out on a regular basis, now that I am older and working too many hours to get to a gym I prefer to come here, but I still use the information I learned with WW, I had the points of foods memorized and know what I should or should not eat. I have lost approximately 30 lbs in 3 months and am getting closer and closer to my goal. I can even say after a few months on here I don't need to count my calories as I can pretty much guess when I have hit my limit or when I still have room for a treat at the end of the day. I have never concerned myself with the charts and fat, protein, carb counts. I am a Math geek and numbers are my thing, so WW and here are both ingrained in my head at this point. I love the support that both gave me when I needed them the most. The choice is all yours, but my thinking is that if you have already paid for WW then continue with it and try to mesh the two together.

I've done WW 4 times in the last 11 years. I always follow the plan and stay in my points and I see results. I usually lose at 20 pounds in a couple months. Then I slowly go back to my past way of eating and gain all the weight back or even more.

This year I joined again and liked the new Point Plus system. It never seemed right that cookies could have the same points as fruit and I would always chose cookies or whatever. This time I dropped junk food completely and it has been 3 months and I lost 40 pounds. I don't really crave the junk food anymore now and I think that was part of my problem in the past.

Being on any diet should help you learn more about nutrition. During my research I found people discussing the Paleo diet. I studied it for a couple weeks and got Robb Wolf's book. At first I was scared of giving up certain foods. After removing those foods and increasing my vegetable intake even more, I feel better than I have in over a decade and I still lost 10 more pounds. And this is after just a few weeks. I would recommend Paleo to anyone. There is tons of support online and many sites with great recipes. The food is never boring and tastes great.

You go!!! What an excellent result - 8/5/2011!!! Congratulations!

I've done WW a few times and did very well on it all times, with the exception of the last time. My husband did it once and did very well on it.
I think it is a very good program. I like what the first poster said...that if it works for you...then continue. They teach you how to eat, portion control and give you lots of support. I personally, find this a little better than doing Fit Day alone. I have done both and like both, but the WW support is very helpful. I did WW the first time when I was very young and then did it several times afterward with success. Seems it doesn't totally "stick," although each time it took me longer and longer to regain the weight. The last time, I was over 50, hypothyroid, etc. and WW didn't really work for me. AND the last few times I did it, I found that I could eat very few breads or sweets...so I personally modified the program a bit to get the results I wanted. Then, like I said, the very last time, it didn't particularly work. Today, I am doing other tihings...something like the paleo diet, etc. and getting good resullts with that. I visit my doctor often...she is helping me. I DO find that support is very important when it comes to weight loss. Well, I guess that answer was kinda long (sorry). I would try WW with an open mind and give it several weeks. Remember, you can always tweek it a bit to suit your body. If all that doesn't do the trick...then discuss it with your doctor and look for another program that makes sense for you.

I'm currently on weight watchers online and I too am thinking about leaving I use my dailies plus weeklies and feel a little restricted especially with carbs as I eat them with everymeal.

So today I decided to long on here and do weightwatchers to actually see how many calories I eat,

I did WW online a while back, maybe 7 years ago? I found it was too fussy for me. I also found that I didn't make the best food choices when I was on the plan and due to that, might have been why I was quite hungry most of the time. Not that hungry is a bad feeling, but I was cranky-hungry and that was aggravating for me. And that is what I was, very, very cranky.

Fitday is my hero. I love to click that nutrients button and see, "Hey! I ate really well today!" by seeing all those percentages in the nutritional breakdown. I have never eaten more healthy in my life than when I am consistently logging here on Fitday.

Great comparison. I think of WW as a good program overall, but it's kinda like a "dumbed down" version of calorie tracking. It's simple, and simple is good to understand and is good for some people, but if one really wants to take the time to educate oneself, like using the tools and resources here on FitDay, one becomes like their very own nutritionist. Then a marketed "diet" or "plan" isn't necessary.

I skipped all the pages to here, so I'm not sure what you decided. For my money, WW was good for accountability, but not for lifestyle change. If you're just using it for accountability, TOPS is more economical ($26/year national dues, $5/month local dues). I liked TOPS much better. TOPS has a published eating guide, but they talk more about lifestyle changes than actual eating plans--you generally use the food plan chosen by you or your doctor (unlike WW who always got upset because I was on Atkins and losing much faster than the other club members).

I believe that WW is all about lifestyle change (the accountability is important, too).

The only thing really discussed at WW meetings is how to stay on your plan. Everyone at the meeting has individual points plus assigned to them. Points are based on age, weight, height - just as fitday figures your calorie allowance for you. Points are basically calories, weighted a bit to steer you toward fresh fruits and vegetables and some lean protein. You can also earn points with physical activity. At a recent meeting, I saw that WW has a pedometer that not only tells you distance but also how many points you used in a day by walking. You don't have to use it - it's just a convenience. I don't use activity points to try to be able to eat more, but it would be good incentive to exercise if I did.

TOPS and Overeaters Anonymous are cheaper but they have the necessary components of support and accountability. If you use fitday faithfully, there is support (forum) and accountability (reports of what you accurately enter). One thing that WW adds in accountability is automatic logging of your weight from the meeting weigh-in to your online profile (Weight Watchers online). Your weight goes into the computer from the weigh-in and appears in your weight report when you log in to WW online.

One thing I have noticed: when I eat to stay within points range, there's not so much food in my kitchen. Whatever the cost of WW, if you stick to the points, you definitely save on food. Fresh vegetables and fruits can be expensive, but I buy marked-down veggies, past their prime. They taste good, they are fresh! I imagine this would be the case with TOPS or OA, too.

WW does the same thing Fitday does, except they counted the calories for you ahead of time. You would still need to use a food journal to track what you are eating. As far as being fussy, I am finding I have to enter foods on Fitday as well, and quite a bit at that. Contrary to the other comment, WW doesn't seem to lean toward low protein/high carb, nor does Nutrisystem, and both have online tools that work to your advantage.
I do not use WW. I did a long time ago, but I did use their site, and Nutrisystem's site, both have easy to use food logging tools. The NS one I did concurrently with my Fitday entries so I had even more tools at my disposal.
Bottom line is, one is free and one is not. Both are going to require energy and attention, so in that regard, neither is "easy". Nothing worth having is easy, though, and if you are truly dedicated you will make either (or both) work for you. It's a commitment, and the only one that won't work is the one you don't commit to, right?
I suppose that's the hardest part. The commitment to your body. And mind.

I am trying to stay committed! Good luck to you!

I just wanted to add, that I'm using NEITHER WW or NS now. Just Fitday entries. The goal is to log in every single thing I eat, so that I can track exactly what's going into my body, know what nutrients I'm short on, and all that good stuff. Like I said, it's a commitment! After you do it long enough, it becomes a habit.

It is a habit, but I have to admit that I am getting weary. I have been using fitday for a very long time. In the last 14 months, I have only skipped a couple of weeks--planned lazy days. It's important, though, so that I can go over the data with my diabetes doctor.

I go to WW and use their online tools (the website). But I've been using fitday for years - and this means my custom foods list is HUGE! I wish that when you searched for a food, the search brought up everything including your custom food.

WW is a business
 

with lots of repeat customers. The majority of people may lose weight, but regain it when they abandon the "lifestyle". I have tried WW and found a better way with FitDay. I like to know that the balance of my food is "right" for me, so the pie chart is my best friend.

Unfortunately, I have yet to find a DIET that guarantees you won't regain weight once you lose it. I have found the regaining tendency in every diet I've ever been on - and so I guess it must be me. It really is my focus and commitment that keeps me going to meetings and paying attention to what the scale is telling me.

If I do attain my goal weight at WW, I can continue to go to meetings as a lifetime member. All the more support, which is all good - for me. It all comes down to - me. If the support of WW didn't help, I wouldn't go.

As far as WW being a business... meh, so what. If someone told me that I could lose all the weight I want when I drink a magic potion or they wave a magic wand, all for the low, low price of $10,000, I'd come up with that money somehow. THEY would be in the business of changing lives. I'd be a willing customer. Too bad there aren't magic potions (some would argue that Slimfast fits that description) or magic wands. Until then, I have to reduce my calories.

Searching for a food..
 

'I go to WW and use their online tools (the website). But I've been using fitday for years - and this means my custom foods list is HUGE! I wish that when you searched for a food, the search brought up everything including your custom food.'

I want to add to this: you don't get all foods to include custom foods. But the search for a food works fine when you put the food in the search box and THEN tab over using the tabs below that and choose 'CUSTOM.' It will search your custom foods, which is an extra step but not that difficult. I was recently searching for 'seaweed' and got a lot of results when using the 'all' tab. When I used the 'custom' tab, I did get the Trader Joe's seaweed snack from my custom foods. That was great!

I did WW twice, and both times lost plenty of weight, but both times regained it. I am now trying the Dukan diet, which, if followed, is supposed to "cure" you of being overweight because of the stabilization and consolidation phases. It has 4 phases, attack, where you just eat lean protein and no fat dairy. This is a short phase, from 2-10 days, that just kind of gets you started and motivated. The second phase is the "cruise" phase, where you alternate days of lean proteins only with days of lean proteins and certain veggies. I should mention that in all of these days, you can eat everything in unlimited amounts except for a few listed items. The cruise phase takes you to your ideal weight, or "true weight," which is a healthy weight that your body can actually maintain. Next comes the "stabilization" phase. In this phase, you can add most fruits and I believe starchy vegetables twice a week, and 2 slices of bread per day. The number of days you stay in this phase is determined by how many pounds you lost overall. Finally there is the consolidation phase, which is the final phase. I get the last two phases mixed up (I'm not there yet), but basically by one of those two phases you start introducing "celebration" meals, at which you can eat whatever you want for the meal, including wine appetizer, and dessert, as long as you just have one serving, and you commit to eat nothing but lean protein on one day per week. In one of the last two phases you also reintroduce cheese in a limited quantity. You also swear not to take escalators or elevators ever again if stairs are available. And you are supposed to exercise from 20-35 minutes per day, depending on the phase. Brisk walking is recommended but you can choose.

I think the diet is kind of ingenius in theory because it strips you down to the essential, lean protein, and then builds you back up gradually, but showing you how much of each you can eat, and finally leading you to what is a healthy way to eat. Thus, its much more about the process over time and showing you how to eat right step by step.

This is the last day of my 5 day attack phase. I have lost 8.6 pounds. I'll get my final attack tally tomorrow morning. It has not been hard in that I have never once been hungry, but I do miss variety, as in attack you only eat lean protein and no fat dairy. Tomorrow I will be able to add veggies! I am very much looking forward to the process, and think it is something I can actually live with, at least once you get to the celebration meals, which is either 1 or 2 per week, have to check. Who can't do that if they know how to limit themselves (1 serving) and how to get things back on track (regular lean protein days). I HOPE I have finally found a winner, meaning something by which it STAYS off. I liked WW while doing it, but got totally sick of counting points. That restriction made me feel like I was in jail. On Dukan, you don't count calories or points or anything, it just basically forces you into a different way of eating, and through the time calculations for each phase, which are calculated for you personally, it engrains this into your head.

Sounds interesting. If it works permanently, as you say, then that's great!

Or, Protein Power by Michael and Mary Eades!!!

I've never eaten so many veggies as on the WW Points Plus plan. And fruit. Still losing weight.