Hi there-

I was a WW member about 10 years ago when the points system was in play. I loved that program. Basically assigning point values for food.

I was thinking about rejoining WW, but have heard rumblings of a new program called Momentum.

My question: Is the points system still active? Is WW using another way to count calories etc.

Any help would be appreciated.
gail

Hi Gail! Yes, points are still the basis of the program.

They rolled out their new program, called Momentum, last week, but it's not a major change. I like the materials a lot -- it all seems now to be helping us figure out how to eat like a normal person The focus is on eating healthy foods, and not eat whatever you want as long as you don't go over points.

There's another small, cosmetic change that I think is very smart! They give you a book that has all the basic plan information and the food lists -- AND it serves as your check in card. No more standing in line finding the card. It should make checking in easier. There's a slot for the Monthly Pass (something they didn't have 10 years ago; it's a combination of meetings and online tools that, if you use them, is much cheaper). AND the booklet fits into your Daytimer

WW is still primarily a points system, and the Momentum program is just the newest incarnation of it. The major shift in the newest plan is that they are strongly encouraging eating healthy foods (lean protein, whole grains, fruit/veg, etc) a little more than they were before. Technically, on the Flex Points program (the WW program up 'til the last week), you were allowed to eat absolutely anything you wanted as long as you kept to your daily/weekly points allotment. The point was to remind people that you CAN still eat a cookie or chips or whatever your treat of choice is - though most people learned pretty quickly that their best way to stick to the plan is to eat the healthier options to get the most food for their points (most "bang for the buck" and all that).

Technically, that's still in place - you can still eat whatever you want within your points. They're just shifting their materials to reflect the fact that you're not really likely to lose weight easily/happily while eating 1600 calories of junk food a day; rather than healthy choices.

So, to answer your question - yes, it's still points-based. And now's a good time to join - they're starting everyone on the new materials, so you'll see a lot of discussion of the plan specifics.

Likely differences since 10 years ago: they used to do a daily "range" of points - now you get a single number for each day, plus a weekly "allowance" of 35 points to use at any time. Also, the early points were calculated per serving, and you counted that number/each serving you ate - now if you eat 3 servings, you're supposed to recalculate things (since the fiber "benefit" is capped at 4 g). Basically, the early "points" system meant you could eat as much of a 0-point food as you wanted, period - even if you ate 500 calories of it, it was still officially zero. Not the case anymore.

Good luck - it's a great system, and a convenient method for calorie counting.

Thank you so much for your replies!

I will be joining soon now that I know the point system is still a part of the plan.

gail