Still debating about Weight Watchers...

[Julie in CA]

If you are doing the new plan, would you be willing to tell me the points value for the two most evil foods I eat? I can put in the nutrition information from the label...:bigear:

[Night Elf]

I need total fat, total carbohydrates, protein and fiber and I can calculate it for you on the WW site.

[Julie in CA]

Ok, thanks!

I love this totally evil low fat (but chock full of sugar) vanilla yogurt.

Fat: 2g

Carbs: 41g

Protein: 7g

Fiber: 0g

Will I ever be able to eat this again?

 

The other thing is an ounce of cheddar cheese.

Fat: 9g

Carbs: 0g

Protein: 7g

Fiber: 0g

[i.love.lucy]

Anyone care to share more about the "new plan". I have never had much success with WW as I always find a way to cheat.:glare: But I know lots of people have had great success with it...:bigear:

[Night Elf]

I love this totally evil low fat (but chock full of sugar) vanilla yogurt.

 

This one is 6 points.

 

The other thing is an ounce of cheddar cheese.

 

This one is 3 points.

 

I'm not liking the new plan. I can't get used to the higher points and the fact that fruit is free. But I do rather like being able to stick Starbucks in there several days a week!

[Julie in CA]

This one is 6 points.

 

 

 

This one is 3 points.

 

I'm not liking the new plan. I can't get used to the higher points and the fact that fruit is free. But I do rather like being able to stick Starbucks in there several days a week!

Thanks!

[NanceXToo]

I am loving the new plan! You will get assigned a number of "points" to eat each day based on your current weight, height, age, gender and activity level. You use those points each day. You also get 49 "weekly" points which are optional to use however you want. And you can earn activity points.

 

The food points are based on fat, fiber, carbs, and protein. Things that are high in carbs now tend to be more points than they were on the older plan. And all fruit is now free (which I LOVE).

 

I find on this new plan that because I know fruit is free and i can grab it whenever I want, I don't stockpile snack points (which would likely be spent on a 100 cal pack or some such) and instead i eat more protein with my main meals and i can be relaxed about doing so because I know I can grab fruit anytime I want.

 

So I've been more full/satisfied during the day and more relaxed about eating slightly bigger main meals and fewer snacky things during the day.

 

I'm continuing to lose weight and feeling good overall. I recommend it. :)

[Mrs Mungo]

The other thing is an ounce of cheddar cheese.

Fat: 9g

Carbs: 0g

Protein: 7g

Fiber: 0g

 

Maybe this article will make you feel better about your 1 oz of cheese. I love cheese, it is my downfall (along with pringles, shhhh).

[Night Elf]

Anyone care to share more about the "new plan". I have never had much success with WW as I always find a way to cheat.:glare: But I know lots of people have had great success with it...:bigear:

 

I found this on their site: "The currency of the original POINTS formula was based primarily on calories with a penalty for fat and a bonus for fiber."

 

and then,

 

" Further, we have grown to learn even more about the difficulty in making healthy choices and achieving sustained weight loss in a food environment that seems to conspire against us. This so-called “obesogenic†environment is one in which we find ourselves surrounded by multiplying food choices in the grocery store and in restaurants. Too many of these choices seem to entice us to excess sugars, fat and sodium as well as ever-increasing portions."

 

Not that I understand it completely. I hope it was okay to pull those quotes out!

[Julie in CA]

Maybe this article will make you feel better about your 1 oz of cheese. I love cheese, it is my downfall (along with pringles, shhhh).

Uhh...I guess I didn't mention that it's 1 oz *three times daily*. :lol:

[OH_Homeschooler]

I am loving the new plan! You will get assigned a number of "points" to eat each day based on your current weight, height, age, gender and activity level. You use those points each day. You also get 49 "weekly" points which are optional to use however you want. And you can earn activity points.

 

The food points are based on fat, fiber, carbs, and protein. Things that are high in carbs now tend to be more points than they were on the older plan. And all fruit is now free (which I LOVE).

 

I find on this new plan that because I know fruit is free and i can grab it whenever I want, I don't stockpile snack points (which would likely be spent on a 100 cal pack or some such) and instead i eat more protein with my main meals and i can be relaxed about doing so because I know I can grab fruit anytime I want.

 

So I've been more full/satisfied during the day and more relaxed about eating slightly bigger main meals and fewer snacky things during the day.

 

I'm continuing to lose weight and feeling good overall. I recommend it. :)

 

Yes, I agree with all of this. I would only add that the daily points target has most likely gone up, in case the OP did not know that.

 

It's only my 5th day but so far so good. I've stayed in my daily points every day, although I decided if I earn activity points I get to use those each day (that day only...I guess there's some confusion about whether you need to use them each day or can let them accumulate all week).

 

This morning I had a minor breakthrough. I was going to have grapes with my breakfast but after I ate my oatmeal, I decided I was full enough and did not need the fruit. On the old plan I would have already counted the grapes and therefore would have had them. This morning though, I put them back. Strangely, allowing me to have free fruit makes it more likely I will think carefully about eating it.

[NanceXToo]

Yes, I agree with all of this. I would only add that the daily points target has most likely gone up, in case the OP did not know that.

 

It's only my 5th day but so far so good. I've stayed in my daily points every day, although I decided if I earn activity points I get to use those each day (that day only...I guess there's some confusion about whether you need to use them each day or can let them accumulate all week).

 

This morning I had a minor breakthrough. I was going to have grapes with my breakfast but after I ate my oatmeal, I decided I was full enough and did not need the fruit. On the old plan I would have already counted the grapes and therefore would have had them. This morning though, I put them back. Strangely, allowing me to have free fruit makes it more likely I will think carefully about eating it.

 

Ah, yes, I meant to add that part! That some food values have gone up, but your daily points have gone up, too (and you get the free fruit)!

[i.love.lucy]

Maybe the focus on higher carb foods being higher points would keep me on track better? I think it was just that when I eat lots of carbs, especially salty carbs like crackers and chips and fries I just want more and more. I have this giant slump in energy, but it's an addiction I guess. I can't just eat the few I'm allowed. So I would be allowed them, eat them and then go for more and more. Not that I ever stick to a no carb diet either. I guess I haven't found the magic bullet yet. DH thinks its exercise and I am certain he's right. But it's not fun exercising when you are quite overweight either.

 

Do most of you go to a WW center for meetings or do online?

[Patches]

Are activity points about the same? Or has there been a change in those as well?

Wondering about diving into WW again. Thanks.

[NanceXToo]

Maybe the focus on higher carb foods being higher points would keep me on track better? I think it was just that when I eat lots of carbs, especially salty carbs like crackers and chips and fries I just want more and more. I have this giant slump in energy, but it's an addiction I guess. I can't just eat the few I'm allowed. So I would be allowed them, eat them and then go for more and more. Not that I ever stick to a no carb diet either. I guess I haven't found the magic bullet yet. DH thinks its exercise and I am certain he's right. But it's not fun exercising when you are quite overweight either.

 

Do most of you go to a WW center for meetings or do online?

 

I rejoined WW meetings for one week to get all of the new plan information and to make sure I understood the plan, and then I went back to doing what I've been doing for 15 weeks straight now- doing WW on my own at home using the materials I have, and going to TOPS meetings (instead of WW) meetings for my accountability, support, weigh ins, etc... because TOPS meetings are a LOT cheaper than WW meetings (and more fun, too)!

 

Are activity points about the same? Or has there been a change in those as well?

Wondering about diving into WW again. Thanks.

 

Yes, those seem to work the same way as they always have.

[Night Elf]

Do most of you go to a WW center for meetings or do online?

 

I lost weight better when I went to the meetings. I'm not doing so well online independently. It's just too easy for me to say, 'maybe next week'. I always wanted a good weigh-in at the meetings.

[Night Elf]

Ah, yes, I meant to add that part! That some food values have gone up, but your daily points have gone up, too (and you get the free fruit)!

 

And this is a problem for me. I took their list of nutrients for a banana and put it into the calculator and it's 3 points. I can't stand the thought of eating something and not counting the points. The calories are still the same as they were on the old plan. If I eat all my points, daily and weekly, and have fruit on top of that, I feel like I'm cheating. So now I'm not eating my weekly points and I'm just plain hungry.

[NanceXToo]

And this is a problem for me. I took their list of nutrients for a banana and put it into the calculator and it's 3 points. I can't stand the thought of eating something and not counting the points. The calories are still the same as they were on the old plan. If I eat all my points, daily and weekly, and have fruit on top of that, I feel like I'm cheating. So now I'm not eating my weekly points and I'm just plain hungry.

 

They've accounted for the fact that people are going to spend some points on fruit, though, when considering how many points to assign you.

 

I personally don't usually use my weekly points- I do if there's a special occasion or something but not on an every week basis. I also never really tended to swap activity points. But I DO always eat all my daily points, and I'm still losing, even with the free fruit. A couple of times I used the points I get on this new plan (33 points) and then I recounted everything I ate (which usually includes at least one banana) using the OLD way of counting up points, and found out that it would add up to 27- which was exactly what I got on the old plan. So in that regard, I'm basically eating the same.

 

The difference for me, like I said, is that I'm eating more protein at my main meals because I'm not worrying that I need to "save" snack points in case I starve to death before bedtime (haha), knowing I can always grab that piece of fruit. That in turn keeps me more satisfied and then, when I do snack, it tends to be on the fruit rather than on, say, a 100 calorie pack or some such.

 

WW put a lot of research into this, and they tested it on people, and they got good results. People following it are getting good results from what I've seen and heard, for the most part.

 

It's not cheating. You just have to forget everything you knew about WW before, trust them the way you did before, and just go with the new plan. It does work, and there is good reasoning behind it!

[OH_Homeschooler]

Are activity points about the same? Or has there been a change in those as well?

Wondering about diving into WW again. Thanks.

 

In the weekly they hand out at meetings they had some examples of how activity points have changed. Many activities now yield more points, some the same, and some less (like swimming laps).

[dirty ethel rackham]

What I love about the new plan is that it rewards healthy eating (whole foods, minimal processed ingredients) and penalizes crappy eating. I was always a bit frustrated with the old plan because I would be eating fruits and veggies for snacks and would eat more points than someone having a 100 cal snack pack of oreos, even though I knew my food was healthier. I need protein in my diet and need to be careful with carbs. With the new plan, protein isn't nearly as expensive in points in comparison. This plan is so much more doable for me in the long term. I am struggling right now because of the holiday foods around AND because I have SAD and eating helps me stay awake and feel less foggy.

[beachpotato]

does anyone know how they determine how many points you should have? i know on the old plan there was a formula, but i wonder how it has changed. do they even give out a new formula or do you get a new points target when you weigh in?

[i.love.lucy]

does anyone know how they determine how many points you should have? i know on the old plan there was a formula, but i wonder how it has changed. do they even give out a new formula or do you get a new points target when you weigh in?

An old formula was 2 for being female, 2 for my age (35-45 or something like that), the first 2 digits of your current weight, so if you weigh 190 it would be 19, then a 0 for sedentary, 1 for walking some, 2 for active lifestyle. But that seems too low, so I am missing something. If you google you can find some formulas. I have yet to hear of anyone under 29, and those of us with lots to lose could be closer to 32-35. Plus you get 49 a week for extra, and exercise converts to more points too, right? You don't have to use the extra or the exercise ones and will likely see faster loss if you don't, but I have heard over and over to eat ALL the minimum points you are given. Right?

 

I posted on another thread, but I found an app for my phone that appears to calculate food points and track based on the new plan. I wonder if I have this can I just do the plan without the online etools or meetings? I just can't see how I can afford it right now. Can someone walk in off the street and buy the basic diet plan without joining? I don't think so but I'm not sure. Maybe I need to find someone I know to buy it for me?

[Carol in Cal.]

I like the new plan just fine. I think that the emphasis on veggies is good. It kind of makes me think of snacking on cabbage instead of crackers, which is a much more healthy choice.

 

For me, the tracking of every single thing I eat has been really helpful. I learned where my big pitfalls are. For instance, I eat a bowl of cereal with some sugar and a big glass of milk for breakfast. It turns out that that has a surprising amount of points. Also, I tend to drink tons of nonfat milk each day--probably 1 to 1 1/2 quarts--I've cut back on that, and I still drink quite a bit. I've also realized that when I go to Bible studies where appetizers are out, I eat a TON--I never realized how much that adds up. And, the little reminder on the screen to 'watch your hunger signals' has been VERY helpful as I tend to finish what is in front of me whether I am still hungry or not, and that has changed. The activity tracking has been great as well, particularly since it's directly traded off against food.

 

So I would say that you don't have to join for all this, but it's what worked for me.

 

My intention is to stop tracking anything but weight until the end of the Christmas holidays, but then to resume full tracking around 1/4. I am still going to get exercise, but I don't want to drive myself crazy figuring out a bunch of point values for foods when I'm a guest in someone's house. I will still watch for hunger signals and eat moderately. Now that I know I can lose weight, which was in question before, and know how to work this system, I feel more comfortable maintaining for a few weeks and then getting back into it later on.