Weight watchers?

[JaneUK]

I've been on WW for about a month THIS TIME. In the past, I've been on it and lost, but gain back.... however, (IMPORTANT) the reason the weight comes back on is because I quit eating healthily. My portion sizes increase, my activity level decreases, and my choices are not so healthy. As everyone has said, it's a lifestyle change and ... if you do what you've always done, you get what you've always got.

WW is one of the few programs that you can literally be on the rest of your life. Doctors recommend it. But it basically is common sense: less calories, less fat, more exercise. Going to the meetings helps as 70% of the people who do attend regularly will lose and will keep it off. The other 30% are probably just not into the program. At my meeting, they sell WW snacks and one woman will consume 3 or 4 packages at a meeting, and probably snacks constantly at home, but wonders why she doesn't lose.

It's all about motivation and self-discipline, no matter what path you choose.

 

[jabbur]

I've tried weight watchers before. What didn't work for me was all the tracking stuff. Weighing, measuring, figuring out points of dishes I made. I ended up thinking about food all the time. I was also cooking for my family at the time and planning meals around young children and my restrictions and DH's (he was doing it too but wouldn't track his points and expected me to do it for him since I did the cooking!) made it too complicated for me. My MIL did WW many years ago and ended up working for them. As an employee, she had to maintain her weight to keep her job! She was always measuring and weighing food when we were there visiting. Of course she kept the weight off and now that she's in her 80's, she doesn't eat much anyway.

 

[pdswife]

still at 8 pounds lost...sigh

 

[mudbug]

hiya, pds

I've got the whole fam damily on WW since January. We are doing the Core plan. Everybody is losing weight (I'm losing the most - yay for me), and we aren't feeling too oppressed by it. At least we aren't weighing and measuring and obsessing about it all day like someone above mentioned.

The thing about WW is that you get to eat real food - maybe not so much bread as you would like - but it hasn't been too bad. Anyway, keep at it. We just go in and get weighed - don't stay for the meetings, but some people like the group dynamic where you can get motivated and share ideas. It probably helps that our meeting leader is a nice person (lost 49 pounds about 20 years ago and kept it off).

I've got a couple of WW cookbooks, if you need some ideas about what to eat and how to fix it.

 

[babetoo]

high cost

i checked for the cost of on-line ww. found it way to expensive for what you get back. went to a couple meetings years ago and that experience really turned me off.

guess i will just have to keep doing my own thing. have lose seventeen pounds just by cutting out snacks.

babe

 

[pdswife]

That's great Babetoo! Keep up the good work!!

By the way.. I just paid for the point book.. I'm doing the rest on my own.

 

[redkitty]

Great job babe & pdswifey!!

 

[AMSeccia]

It's a business, you can find information online if you search for generic weight watchers points. I bought the books and was a bit disappointed that only some brands are listed (those who pay to be in the book, I'd imagine). Coke is in there, but not Pepsi, that kind of thing. I like the Core plan better than the points; that journaling is just one more thing I can't keep up with.

It's $180 for the leader to come on site at work, which isn't in the budget right now. I know what to do and didn't get much from the rah rah meetings. I know what I need to do, but doing it is another story. I'm workin on that part ...

 

[Treklady]

My husband has done Weight Watchers twice, and it is wonderful, and twice he has put the weight back on. what he did not know was that before it becomes a hand to mouth thing...it is a mind thing. It's how you perceive food and how you feel about food.

What triggers you to eat. Joy, depression, stress, is it comforting to you. Once you get a grip on why food does what it does to you, then you will be bale to understand why you over eat.

Took my husband nearly 30 years to put 2 and 2 together. Now he sees food differently. And I never nagged him about his weight. Was I concerned? You darned right I was. But he was a big boy (no pun intended) and had to do this all on his own. I always loved him, even at his biggest, I just didn't like him. Now I like him, and he is no skinny minny, he just has a different outlook on food.

Theres a show that is aired on BBC, called, You Are What You Eat. What a show, and that is my philosophy about food.

 

[shannon in KS]

I have known LOTS of people on weight watchers, and most of them lost weight!!!

 

[dianabell]

I did WW Core program. They have two programs, Flex and Core. Flex you could points for everything you eat. Core you don't count points for Core foods, and you get 35 points a week for non-Core foods. Both programs you can earn activity points.

The Core program teaches you healthy eating. My personal opinion is it's easier to maintain the weight loss if you learn healthy eating from foods from the grocery store. There's are very helpful WW forums on the WW websites. The forums are free to visit and discuss things. It costs to use the on-line tools or go to meetings, of course.

I lost 35 lbs. on the Core program in six months. I went to meetings and still go to meetings. I have a wonderful leader. I also learned and shared a lot on the different WW free on-line forums and still visit the forums. The on-line tools aren't very helpful for the Core program but the people doing Flex like the on-line tools more. In 1-1/2 years I've gained only 5 lbs. and am working on taking it back off. I quit exercising but am getting back to it. I just ordered some exercise DVDs from Amazon.

Good luck!