I have a love/hate relationship with Weight Watchers. Obviously there is enough love that I have stuck with the program for 12 years. I am currently at my maintenance weight with some fluctuations due to vacations and holidays.
In those 12 years I have seen different incarnations of the program both for the positive and the negative which has caused me to join and cancel at different periods of my life. One of the things that anyone tells you about an eating plan and lifestyle change is that it's all about consistency. The program changes a lot and not always for the best.
When I joined the program they still had their long standing points program that was based on the simple algorithm of approx. 1 point for every 50 calories, additional point for every 12g of fat - 1 point for every 4g of fiber. They had a slider and an easy to read counter book. This made it easy for recipe building, approximation when eating out at friends etc.
Half way through the program years later they changed to the core problem which was great for people who hate counting, however, made it counter productive and very restrictive for accountability, portion control and culinary freedom. All three of these things that Weight Watchers aimed to be different from the other life style competitors when they first started.
Then came the quick start which is in theory a little unhealthy 'cause you're under eating a lot of calories in the beginning to give yourself a quick boost. Most at the meetings that I've been to, even when at the "on track" phase many at the meetings gained it back, myself included.
The 360 program claimed that all fruits and veggies were free (0 points). So what did everyone do? They ate mostly fruits and veggies. The veggies part I don't have issues with as with every plan it has always been 0 points, however, studies have shown that eating too much fruit can make you fat 'cause of the sugar levels. There are different types of sugar, however, the body responds in one way or another to sugar with all the results being the same at the end. Fruits do have a calorie count.
I made the mistake of being on the 360 'cause I have a sweet tooth, however, the amount of fruit sugar that I was eating actually made me large in the end by 2 lbs 'cause it was mostly sugars. Other's in my meeting experienced the same issue more or less.
I appreciate that WW makes an attempt to be relevant with the times with different trends, however, they still have a long way to go IE: Acknowledging vegans, gluten free diet, low sugar etc. There needs to be more information on this to work with some members who have health and dietary restrictions.
I really dislike how WW doesn't acknowledge stevia as a sugar substitute and are very heavy on promoting aspartame which we all know has very negative effects in the end. You're supposed to have 2 tbsp of none saturated fat a day, however, no one wants to acknowledge or discuss that a lot of people are on the coconut oil trend.
So back to the drawing board. If it ain't broke why fix it. I have signed up for the meetings off and on, scheduling depending, but unlike most who are on the latest plan I have stuck with the traditional points method which has worked for me.
Membership is $50/month. You get some materials, coaching, on-line access and 4 meetings a month (more if you need to).
As for the meetings themselves it is very hit and miss. The people at the meetings make all the difference. I have been at some meetings where the people were above my age demographic, a little judgy of my personal lifestyle and very cliquey based on the neighborhood that I felt like an outsider. Then there are some meetings in which people come from all cities, we laugh, exchange ideas, joke around, have each other's e-mail to do walk's etc. If you get a good group that is half the positive battle.
The meeting are very limited in terms of times, therefore, I have had to quit WW and join again due to change in work or school schedule. I didn't want to pay a monthly fee if I couldn't make the meetings.
I had the weight in process 'cause my physical dimensions changed, however, the scale in spite of being on track with points, working out etc. showed a 2 lb gain and the only thing that I did differently was sign up for yoga, pilates and core training. Muscle weighs more than fat, however, the weigh in judges on a number and not the other factors. It can be crushing at the scale at the week end. read more
