[KatMic]

Hi folks! I'm a veteran in losing and gaining weight and haven't always done the losing in the healthiest forms. I've signed up for WW online 2 years ago and did track my food and all for awhile with positive results, but just eventually made up an excuse why I didn't need to spend that money there every month and quit. You know what I mean? Why do you think WW is worth it for you? I feel like I may would stick to my diet better if I thought I was "paying" for it but I'm just undecided. We're on a bit of a fixed income, but I wouldn't mind the cost, if it'll kick my butt into gear. I haven't checked out the new points system or anything so was just hoping for other WW member's opinions.

Thanks a bunch!

[Buffinlovin]

Personally, I find weight watchers to be a good alternative to calorie counting, which would have been the diet I had chosen if my grandmother had not gotten me the points plus calculator for my birthday. I actually don't pay for anything, except for their ice cream...those dulce de leche ice cream bars are sooo yummy, lol!

There are so many free versions of the calculators online and through smartphone apps, most of the reading material is online, including the actual weight watchers official website...you CAN do it without paying for it (I am unemployed right now, so I don't have the money to spend on a lot of extra things). I use this website as my support system, and I find it to be as successful as if I had signed up. You can even order the starter kit online through places like amazon...sure the price is marked up, but it's a one-time fee and comes with the calculator/food guides/starter reading material if you want to have something on hand.

The only issue I find in going online only without signing up is that you need to check the dates when the articles are written...I believe everything changed to pointsplus in 2010, so articles written before then are for the old system and may not have the same point values as the new one.

As far as sticking to the diet because I'm paying for it...I stick to it because it's working. There is something very satisfying about seeing the scale number go down, even when it's just a little bit. When I started, I had hit that "ah-hah" moment where it was time to make a choice...either stick with where I was heading, or get myself in shape. I chose to get myself in shape, and while I know there will be stumbles along the way, I am looking forward to the time where I can mark my ticker at my goal weight

[Vortex_VVV]

I swore I would never do WW because I did not want to go to meetings. I did break down and try WW online just before Christmas and found the online tools easy to use. I also found that the current system nudged me gently into eating more fresh veggies. I've lost 40+ since December and I do think that paying for it is one element--I haven't skipped a day of tracking, which was never the case when I used free services.

I also just think the points system is way easier to use than calories. I eat fairly habitually, so I have good sense now of "oh, that's a 12-point breakfast, and that's a 10-point lunch" and I can mostly do the counting in my head as I try to think ahead to what I'll fix for dinner, etc.

I do find the message boards here far superior.

[Dixiemom]

I found the point system very easy to use, you just need to take the time to learn what points things are (which you would have to do with calories as well.) paying for it kept me motivated to finish (so I would not have to pay anymore) but I only had 40lbs to lose. Meeting kept me on track because I would have to stand on the scale infront of other people.

The point system also works on the fact that all calories are the not the same. Healthier options are lower points and fill you up more, so you make better choices.

Loved etools on my phone and iPad, really helped me stay on track.

[Teresa66]

I finally decided to do WW after getting no results from doing my own thing. I would try to stick to calorie counting but it's so time consuming that I would give up and go back to my old ways of eating. I LOVE the eTools I get through WW. I can track points so much quicker. Plus being able to have the scanner on my phone for grocery shopping and the recipe builder are awesome.

I do feel having to pay for WW will make me focus more consistently than I ever have. I also like having to go weigh in once a week. The accountability is important for me. Plus I like the meetings and being able to share with others and learn something new is great.

[Krissypants29]

It works for me because I used to drink tons of pop and eat lots of pasta. I dont do any of that anymore and lost 35 pounds of course with the combination of eating healthy !!

[dehtripper]

I don't think its magic, nor do I look at it as the "diet" I'm using. But moreso a great tool that has helped me lose weight (I only do online). The main reasons I really enjoy it are:

* Its taught me portions, which have easily been my biggest problem my diet.
* The app is fantastic for me. I don't do meetings but the app makes life easy on the go and for tracking my weight/measurements.
* I like knowing I have activity/weekly points to use if I want something extra. Allows for real life living without guilt.
* The healthy checks help remind me to eat well and balanced.

Why I've chosen it over calorie counting:

* I refuse to feel guilty about eating a banana. I know they aren't realllllly free/unlimited but I like that I don't need to feel bad about eating lots of fruit and veg.
* I like that its not quite as precise. Its much easier to think in terms of flat, nice points than single to quadruple digit calories.

[Garnet2727]

WW was precisely what I needed to get started. At the time, I had a lot of failure junk in my attic about counting calories and other diet methods. I'd also done quite a bit of research online and of the commercial diets available, WW had one of the highest long term success rates. I'm not a meeting kind of person so I've been doing online only. The points system just made sense to me from day one although now I do count calories as well.

The biggest part of my success on WW has been tracking all my food. I like the way that WW automatically changes my daily points allowance as my weight changes. I have also developed a circle of good friends in the blogs over there that really help. Oh, and blogging...baring my sould has been an immense help to me. I feel safe doing that on the WW site.

[SweetyKins]

The meetings can be inspiring and sometimes repiticious, it does depend on the leader for the most part. What I like about WW is it teaches you how to deal with real life unlike the HCG or other crazy fad diety things that are out there. It's something you can live with and that's important because you have to work at it the rest of your life. Getting thin and staying there is very important to me. It's like an alcoholic, they don't wake up one morning and bam they're fixed. Every week I work at it, some weeks are better than others. This week I had a slip up (somehow those cookies mysteriously traveled to inside my house?), I'm not over my weeklies yet so I can still recover!