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Please talk to me about Weight Watchers. If you are a WW'er, please tell me about it.


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I am seriously considering joining WW, but I need more information before I make the commitment. I would most likely use the online program only, rather than attending meetings. My dh will be doing WW with me, so we will hold one another accountable.

 

I hear people talking about counting points, and I assume that means that foods are assigned a point value depending on their nutritional content (fat, sugar, carbohydrate, protein, etc.). How does point counting work? Are you assigned a daily requirement/limit? I would assume that this varies with how much you have to lose, age, etc. How complicated is point counting in actual practice?

 

My dad went on WW back in the 70's, and lost 40 lbs. But I have vivid memories of unusual recipes like Tuna BBQ (sounds awful, but wasn't bad, actually), and I also remember that he had a little scale and he had to weigh virtually every food item he ate. If that's still the case, I'm not sure I'd be able to stick with it.

 

And my final question: Will I be able to eat meals with my family without having to eat "diet foods" while they eat "real food"? Could you share with me a sample one-day menu--just an ordinary day on WW?

 

THANKS!

Edited by ereks mom
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I joined WW after Christmas. I go to the meetings and my dh is doing it with me but not going to the meetings. That is great that you will be doing it together. Not to discourage you, but men tend to lose faster than women, so be prepared for that. Overall, I'm glad my dh is partnering with me on this journey.

 

Yes, you can do WW as a family if you eat healthy as a family and watch your portions. We rarely make separate meals for the kids.

 

The point values on the food is based on fat, fiber, carbs, and protein. I got a pointsplus calculator at WW to help figure out the points on packaged items. There are also books they give you that gives you points.

 

You are allotted so many points based on current height, weight, and age. The lowest number of daily points you would ever have would be 29 points. You are also given 49 extra points you can use at one time or throughout the week to use as you would like. Some people use them for special occasions; others use them throughout the week.

 

Point calculating is not hard. Most veggies and fresh fruit are 0 points, so you always have something you can eat without using up your daily points.

 

You can also do the program without counting points.

 

Maybe it would be easier if you could tell me what you would want to eat in an average day and I could tell you how doable it would be for you. This is a "diet" that can be adapted for life, not something you go on and then off.

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I am also a WW member. I am not following program really well right now, but when I do, it is very effective. I reached my goal weight in 2005, but I now have to get back there (had a pregnancy in between, but really should be there again if I would work the program).

 

You asked about a typical menu. Here is one for when I am "good":

 

Breakfast-

Oatmeal and blueberries and milk

 

OR

 

egg, toast and banana

 

Snack-

Lowfat yogurt

 

Lunch-

Sandwich with 98% fat free ham or turkey, tomato, lettuce, pickles, on light whole grain bun or bread

salad or vegetable soup

banana or watermelon

 

snack-

light string cheese

apple

 

Supper-

Teriyaki Chicken breast Stir-fry made with 2 tsp olive oil- lots of veggies like sugar snap peas, broccoli, carrots, water chestnuts, asparagus.

Brown rice

 

snack-

air-popped popcorn

 

Even with nice sized portions this should be under 29 points plus values.

 

Then you have the 49 extra points if you want a treat, like a half cup of reduced fat Breyer's ice cream (YUM!)

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I just started WW online a couple of weeks ago. From what I understand, they've completely redone the program so it definitely isn't the same program your dad was on in the 70s :) You're assigned a number of daily points and you get an additional lump sum of "anytime points." For example, I get 29 points/day and I get 49 anytime points. I can divide those anytime points up among the whole week, or I can really splurge one day and use up a bunch of them at once.

 

Fruits and veggies are 0 points, so you can eat as much of those as you want. I tend to fill up on those during meals and eat smaller portions of meat and carbs. Each food has a point value. Yes, you absolutely CAN eat what your family eats. You enter your own recipes online, put in the amount of servings you get in a meal, and it tells you how many points/serving. You may have to eat smaller portions, or you may decide to make substitutions. For example, Dh wanted me to make a sausage minestrone soup that he likes. It came out to a fairly large amount of points (14 for 1 1/2 cups of soup!) but we substituted turkey sausage and that brought it down to only 9 points. I eat Stonyfield Farm yogurt. That's 3 points. A tossed salad with 1 Tbsp of parmesan cheese and 2 Tbsps of Ken's Italian dressing comes out to only 2 points. You can add any packaged food you like that is not already in their program and it will calculate the amount of points. If you plan ahead and really think about what you're eating, you can eat a LOT of food for very little points and still have enough points left over to treat yourself to something you love.

 

I've tried a few WW recipes. None of the ones I've tried have been weird. They've been pretty good. Their oven fries are yummy & I just made an eggplant dish ahead for lunch tomorrow that looks & smells awesome.

 

So far, I've found it pretty easy to follow. I've dipped into my anytime points, but I've never used all of them up. There are many days when I can't even use all my daily points. You can earn more points by exercising too. I've found that it's training me to make better decisions about what I eat. My best friend is doing it too (we didn't plan it that way -- we coincidentally started it a week apart) and we had her over tonight. We decided on pizza, but we ordered a whole-wheat thin crust veggie pizza while the guys ordered a regular meaty pizza. I never would have gotten a whole-wheat thin crust pizza, but I found that I liked that sort of crust so much better -- AND it was a lot healthier. We've been out to eat a few times and while it's sometimes tricky to order food and then portion it out so you don't eat it all, it's a learning experience. It can be done.

 

I've been on it for 3 weeks and I've lost over 5 lbs. Thursday I was able to button my jeans without sucking in my gut first for the first time in YEARS! It definitely seems to be working and it's so easy to follow.

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For breakfast I made these muffins out of egg beaters, cheese, ham, peppers. I can have 2 of them and its only 3 points. I also have a grapefruit too.

 

Lunch is usually 2 cups of homemade veg soup with chicken added and sometimes some Triscuits.

 

Dinner is whatever I'm making for the family but I watch my portions and count it all.

 

Snacks might be an apple with a teaspoon of peanut butter, or a yogurt, or some sliced peppers with spicy dip.

 

I am focusing on tons more veggies than I ever have. Its been great and I don't feel like I'm deprived at all. Yes you can still have celebrations and holidays!!! But its about figuring out how to make the best choices at those events and keep them in their place.

 

I've lost 12 pounds in about 6 weeks and for once I am very happy with those results. You should go for it!

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Oh, and as for what today looked like for me:

 

Morning: 1 slice of cranberry nut bread

 

Lunch: 2 1/2 cups tossed salad, 1TBSP parm cheese, 2TBSPs Ken's Light Italian Dressing

 

Dinner: 3 slices of whole-wheat thin crust veggie pizza (12" pizza)

 

Snacks: 26 tostitos scoops and salsa, 1 banana, 1 orange, 2 1/2 cups fresh fruit salad, 25 cheeze-its

 

And I still have one point left :D I only drink plain tea and water (not a diet thing -- that's just all I drink) so I don't end up using points up on drinks.

Edited by jujsky
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WW online is fabulous. I use it every year to get rid of the extra 10 pounds I manage to put on every winter. :glare: I started it last Saturday and lost 6 1/2 pounds the first week. I'm also doing Beach Body's "Turbo Fire" exercise program, so that's probably why it's coming off fast. I expect to have the rest of the ten pounds off by this coming weekend. It's really easy and it works really fast for me. I highly recommend it.

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For breakfast I made these muffins out of egg beaters, cheese, ham, peppers. I can have 2 of them and its only 3 points. I also have a grapefruit too.

 

 

I've lost 12 pounds in about 6 weeks and for once I am very happy with those results. You should go for it!

 

Can I have the recipe for the muffins? It sounds yummy and filling for 3 points.

 

Here is a recipe I've used for WW breakfasts that my whole family enjoys:

 

Dutch Baby - 3.5 points (1 serving)

1 egg - 2 points

2 T. Flour - 1 pt (original recipe was 3 T for .5 more pts)

1/4 c. milk - 1/2 point

 

Spray an oven proof bowl with Pam. Beat egg, flour and milk together, add in a dash of vanilla if you'd like, and pour into the bowl. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

 

This will bake into a bowl like shape. Fill with fruit and enjoy. My favorite fruits with this are blueberries, cooked apples with cinnamon, or peaches.

Edited by Evergreen State Sue
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