I lost about 20 lbs on Weight Watchers but when it switched to the Points Plus,my weight loss really stalled. I decided to stop doing that plan and try good ol' counting calories starting this past Monday. Out of curiosity,I compared my food diary from that day on both plans.
B: 1 grapefruit 100 cal (0 points)
1 egg in Pam 75 (2 points)
Coffee with creamer 50 (2 points)

L: 1 can Slim Fast 180 (5 points)

S: 1 banana 110 (0 points)
1 mini bag lite popcorn 110 (3 points)

D: 1 veggie patty 170 (4 points)
4 cups green leafy lettuce 30 (0 points)
6 cherry tomatoes 30 (0 points)
1/2 cucumber 18 (0 points)
1 slice garlic bread 200 (5 points)
2 Tbsp lite dressing 80 (2 points)
1 tsp honey dijon mustard 5 (0 points)

S: 1 ice cream bar 110 (3 points)
Total:
1,268 calories 26 points

With WW, I should have taken in a total of 29 points for the day.Not to mention I would have eaten more fruit which is all zero points,and I didn't even dip into any of the 49 allowance points I would have had for the week!
This leads me to believe even staying within the correct WW points range, I was WAY over doing the calories needed for my body to lose weight.(I guess that old saying is true. There is no such thing as a "free lunch" Lol!) I haven't weighed myself since Monday, and probably won't again till next Monday,but am anxious to see what happens.
Anyone else out there try a similar experiment?



Good morning all my calorie counting friends!
I was going to wait till Monday morning to weigh in again, but just couldn't help myself!(Am I the only one who gets on the scale with eyes closed,exhales every ounce of air and says a little prayer to the weight loss gods before peeking at the number in the scale? Lol!)Any who, I'm down 2.9 lbs since Monday. I've been staying between 1250 and 1600 calories. I'm thinking you all are on to something here!

Interesting. Years ago, I was doing the WW Points, and then I just stopped because it seemed easier to calorie count. I'm surprised that fruit is "free" on WW. I mean, that alone would stall me as I could eat a few hundred calories in fruit every day.

I applaud anyone who is working to find a plan that fits their life and weight loss needs! Not every plan fits every person, and trial and error is necessary (often even within the same type of plan) to find the best match

I just wanted to clear this one thing up.

Fruit is not "free". Fruit is zero points. That being said there are rules that come along with that. We all still have to keep a mindful watch of our hunger levels. If we ate zero point fruit until we were stuffed, that is not following plan. We all have to still watch SERVING sizes of fruit. A serving of fruit to help fulfill the Good Health Guidelines is half a cup. So just as an example ONE banana is often TWO servings of fruit. A certain number of servings of fruit -and- vegetables is built into the daily system, so if a member consistently goes over that allotment (about 5 servings a day), then they should likely start counting points for the extra.

Zero Points fruit was implemented to encourage members to choose fruit over something like a 2-Point snack. Back on the old plan, an apple could've been two points and the same as a two point bag of chips.

Still. Most of our zero point produce is supposed to come from vegetables. Not just fruits. It's up to the member to find the right balance and keep an eye on it.

Again, even that being said WW isn't the plan for everyone. I just wanted to get that out of the way, since it tends to be a confusing point even for people who are following the WW PointsPlus plan.

Wow, WW has changed! When I did WW, there were points for fruit. This is an interesting experiment! I haven't done the experiment myself, but, I can tell you that I lose better calorie counting than when I did WW.

I tried WW off and on a bit. I never paid for the stuff, I just tried to do it on my own. I found that I didn't lose too much weight and that calorie counting was just as good. My hubby's parents swear by it. It is how my MIL lost about 40lbs and has maintained it. When I told her I was calorie counting she was "skeptical" since calorie counters don't keep track of nutrients just calories. I said some do, but if you use the FREE tools online then they do account for everything from energy nutrients to vitamins to minerals.
Anyhow, some things work for different people as mentioned. But, I find calorie counting to be the most flexible of "plans" and the cheapest! There are no off limit foods

When i was in high school i did WW for about 2 month. On WW i lost around 5 pounds the first week then the next week it was .5 pounds after that it was nothing. I stuck to the plan and still didnt lose weight

Years later i hit my high point and wen to the doctor, she put me on a calorie diet plan and made me write down everything i was eatting. I thought to my self this is going to be so much work, but it made me really look at what i was putting in my mouth. I would eat fast food almost three times a week but after looking up the information on the foods i loved to eat at these places i cut it down to fast food to maybe once a month. In 2 months i went from 160 to 130 just by looking at what i was eating and working out a little everyday.
I have more faith in calorie counting because for me now it is a way of life

I appreciate this post...I'm still figuring out which plan I'll be joining and am starting calorie counting on my own while I do that. Once I have more of a WW knowledge base I may mix it up within the points system, I'm not sure yet.

For me it's the support and connection of the meetings, since I live 30 minutes away from nearest cities (lucky enough to be on a mountain near a lake) and am hoping to get a support buddy as well. Both the PP and CC strategies are ones I plan to use, so thank you for sharing this!

Sounds about right. I've never trusted WW, especially because of the whole "free fruits" thing. I've known a number of people who have been on WW, and they never seem to lose nearly as much as the calorie counters (although that's just the people I know, I'm sure it's different for everybody). I'm more of a science girl, so I like the simplicity of just adding up the calories of what I eat. It's simple, free, and has less room for error.

I've never done WW and don't know much about it, but zero point fruits seems like a pretty bad idea. Heck even veggies. I could easily eat 200 cals of veggies if you let me. IDK, I would be careful and I think you're smart to start counting, fruits add up fast and can easily put you over your allowable cals for weight loss. Good luck!

I just wanted to give an update of my progress from switching from WW Points Plus to counting calories. I've been eating pretty consistently about 1,400 calories a day. One high day was 1,800 but never under 1,250. I started this Monday July 25th and weighed in at 175.8, as of this morning I'm 170.0! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to look for the 160's forum!

Woo Hoo!! Congrats!

I do calorie counting too but I will say one thing I did adopt from WW, when I did it years ago, that I still do today as a calorie counter is free veggies. I allow myself to eat as much cucumber, lettuce, celery, bell pepper, and broccoli as I want and I do not count those cals. I've always done this, each time I've lost weight. I do not eat starchy veggies that often, and if I do, I will count the cals.

Great idea Christine123! As my former WW leader used to day. "No one gets fat because they eat too much broccoli!"http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/smiles/broc.gif

I used to be a weight watcher and counting calories was cheaper, freeing and easier. However to each their own.

Wow that sounds just like me!!! I lost 30 pounds and then stalled when the plan switched. I posted this on another thread but so I will copy and paste it here, because its some stuff that I have done since stoping WW hope it helps !

Go to WebMD they have a calorie calculator that seems to be accurate that is tailored to your height, weight, age and activity level (kind of like WW). You can keep track of your calories on there and even your exercise, if you have ever done Weight Watchers online it is alot like that except its FREE!!
http://www.webmd.com/diet/food-fitness-planner/

I personaly don't keep track of my calories online, what I do is use an idex card thats blank on one side and lined on the other, on the blank side I write down everthing as I eat it, and on the lined side I keep track of how many servings of fruits, vegetables, dairies, protiens and water I eat so that I am not lacking anything. Kind of like Weight Watchers without the points or the expense =P!