i LOVE weight watchers, but i just cancelled my membership.
i wasn't using it, and could use the extra money.
so i decided i will try following the canada food guide.
i'm also going to make an effort to get regular exercise in.

i do not believe in fad diets, i believe in healthy lifestyle changes.
i do not believe in deprivation, i believe in occassional 'treats' within moderation.
that's why i LOVE weight watchers.
as far as programs go, i think it's the best.
one day i may rejoin, until then i will try this path.

what are you all doing?

I'm not following a specific plan. Plans give me the heebeegeebees! (I'm
ADD and mentally unable to stick to any plan!) When I did WW, it drove me nuts!

I have health issues that I am finding I can manage with the right diet and exercise. I track everything, so I know that I'm staying within my "plan" of healthy choices. I don't eat any processed food. I eat a lot of organic veggies (like 10 servings a day), one organic fruit a day, wild-caught fish twice a week, grass-fed beef/lamb once a week and free-range organic poultry for most of my proteins. (I'm very sensitive to soy and carbohydrates.) I am trying to keep a lid on animal fats, but give myself a lot of room on healthy polyunsaturated fats (avocado, nuts and seeds, olive oil).

I don't add any sweeteners of any sort to my diet. My one sweet is a small piece of dark chocolate, when I feel like it. It has to be at least 70% cocoa and be free of soy. I call it my medicinal chocolate. Occasionally, perhaps once a month, I'll have a glass of good wine, a bottle of Corona with lime, or a gin and soda with lime.

My natural inclination is to not eat until after 1 p.m., so I'm now trying Intermittent Fasting. I'll be done eating by 8 p.m. every night. When I tried eating three square meals plus one or two snack, I couldn't control my eating very much, or it caused me more stress than I needed in my already full life.

I go to Pilates three to five times a week. I am not so faithful with the rest of my exercise, but really want to be. I'm shooting for power walking six days a week, about 40 minutes a day. And upper body weight training three days a week. Sometimes I also get on my rowing machine for 45 minutes. Want to do that twice a week.

That's my "plan". Took me a long time to figure this out. Still tweaking...

I follow Weight Watchers online and South Beach. I am not using South Beach recipes, just not eating many carbs or sugars. I find I need to count points and calories and that pure South Beach is not organized enough for me.

I am a calorie counter. I eat between 1600-1800 calories a day right now, and so far I am pleased with the results.

Also, I try to walk 3 miles every day.

I do calorie counting with the help of my body bugg. So rather than having a goal for calories in each day, I have a goal for what my deficit is to be each day. I aim for 1,000 - 1,200 deficit each day. I usually burn 3,000 - 3,500, so I eat around 2,000.

I quit WW three weeks ago because I felt it wasn't working for me either...though I do love the program. I decided to use that money for a gym membership which I've committed to use at least six days per week. I also counting calories (intake & burn) using CalorieCounter.about.com and LOVE it.

@FitGirlyGirl
I have been coveting those body bugg's and cannot wait until I can afford one!

I count calories on MyPlate and eat around 1,500 calories a day which I try to do 1/3 fat, 1/3 carbs and 1/3 protein. I do small group personal training 3x a week.

Good luck with your goals!

I am following one of the oldest of the WW points plans, the 1-2-3 Success plan that worked for me about 12 years ago. I got those books second hand in 1999 and it's still working just fine-without paying for all of the meetings. I am accountable to my weight loss partner and all of the Golden Girls, and so far so good. I combine the points sustem with a low GI diet because of IR and the threat of impending diabetes type II. I eat a rather simple diet and have most of the points values as well as the glycemic index for the foods that I eat memorized.

ps - If your wondering why if it worked 12 years ago, what am I doing here??? well what didn't get through my thick head at the time is the lifestyle change part of it all - there is no going back to "normal" when the weight is off - this IS the normal forever more

I'm doing what I call "modified Atkins".
I'm not very active right now, and am still losing 1-2 lbs a week.

I'm eating 1200-1600 calories and 20-50 carbs a day.
I don't eat as much fat as Atkins calls for, but I mostly follow the allowable foods list.

At first, I did low carb - I didn't follow any particular "plan" (ie; Atkins, South Beach, Ideal Protein, etc...) but I kept my net carbs under 30g per day and that was it.

After I lost 130 lbs, I decided to switch it up and I started counting calories which is what I'm doing now. Now I keep my caloric intake under 1800, make sure I eat lots of fiber, protein and healthy fats and get LOTS of exercise.

I count calories on sparkpeople I also exercise 4-6 days a week.

I am on the Weight Watchers Points Plus program & I really like it. I have been on WW before too & am a life member but I obviously thought I could go back to the way I was eating before.........."T'AINT SO!!" This time I know I have a different attitude & know this is a lifestyle thing for me & something I have to be aware of all my life. Maybe I'll be a beanstalk in my next life!

I'm exercising like a mad woman and have tried to cut out all the "white" stuff. I don't like sweets so that helps, but giving up bread and pasta is not so easy for me. I'm not giving them up entirely just trying to do mostly whole grains and moderation (what a concept LOL)

I tried Weight Watchers years ago, I tried Atkins - lost 30 pounds but ate a cupcake and 40 more came back on LOL I've tried NutriSystem, and one other I can't remember, but then I became older and cynical and it dawned on me that all these places, books, systems, etc., make money because of repeat business. Their success is predicated on me failing and coming back and trying again. No. I won't do that.

So I'm a boring old calorie counter. I use common sense -- 1800 cals at the beginning wasn't much, so I wasn't going to waste 1000 of it on a burger and fries. You learn to be choosier, and because it's all my choice, I didn't freak out at being told DO THIS or DON"T do that. That doesn't work for me.

Along with the change in food, I changed my mind, which was more important in the long run. I'm a psychologist but I couldn't help myself, I sought a therapist and talked about stuff. There was nothing earth shattering to discover LOL there was no abuse, no unpleasantness, no demeaning parents or schoolmates to give me low self esteem, that was thru the room LOL no, on the contrary, I had super supportive parents who thought I was the bees-knees and deserved the moon, and unfortunately as an adult I twisted that life long self-esteem boost to mean that I can eat WHATEVER and WHENEVER and AS MUCH as I want ALL THE TIME!!

SO, once I beat that obnoxious spoiled brat into submission, big things started happening LOL

wow, great feedback.
thanks for sharing, everyone!