No one said you can't have your "extras". They are going to cost you more points because they aren't very nutritious but you can still eat them.

I really believe Quilter is entirely right! Those 100 calorie "1 point" treats will be a thing of the past, but you can still have them. I'll bet they'll at least double in point value. It will be interesting! But the good thing is you can still have them!

...like for example the Vitatops everyone (including me) is nuts about. I really hope that just because something has a lot of fiber pumped in, the point value will no longer be artificially low.

I hope points will finally be a true representation of actual calories in a food. It looks like it will be!

And don't forget to go into the official WW U.K. boards on 11/7 or 11/8. They are unveiling their plan that day and speculation is that ours will be quite similar. Finally! It will be fun to lurk and get info.

I think a whole new plan is a really good idea. I am a serial rejoiner, and when I go back to a diet I just fall back into the bad habits that stopped me being successful in the first place. If it is new it will force me to perhaps go back to the basics and learn some new skills for success.

Gail

its gonna be similar to the slimming world plan! thats the plan I do now, its super and it works. Ive been in weight watchers for years, it never worked, i was always hungry. If i was still in WW now i would be annoyed at them changing the plan, after all you have been hungry for so long....why all of a sudden is fruit free? Because slimming world is a threat to them!

There was no need for you to be hungry on WW if you followed the plan as written. It is about more than just staying within your points.

We don't even have slimming world in the US so why would they be a threat to WW. If you followed science, you would know that the field of nutrition is evolving constantly and WW is changing the program for the first time in 13 years to reflect these changes.

WW or Slimming World don't work. YOU work at following them. I can tell you didn't follow WW so I hope you are doing better with slimming world.

I am completely that people are saying that the current WW plan is simple! I never really went anywhere near WW because I couldn't understand the plan, that you had to go through reams of paperwork to figure the points in your food because calories are printed on the box by law, points are not.

Not sure it's such a good idea if all fruits are free, OK so fruit is "good for you" but I could eat pounds and pounds of grapes! One cup of grapes says it's 62cals, if I sat down with 300g of them and didn't count them towards my daily intake at all then that's 202 "free" calories in grapes alone from one sitting.

It's funny. I've read this same exact post on other sites (mostly UK) about the new plan. It's almost like Slimming World is threatened. And FYI, the current SW plan is a lot like the old WW Core plan. Just sayin'.

The free fruits are supposed to be within moderation.

The theory behind ProPoints in the UK, Germany, etc. (and there's really no reason to suspect the plan will differ in the US/Canada all that much) is that Points are based not on calories, but rather the components of a food (what makes up those calories) and how your body processes those foods. Hence the addition of protein to the calculation, for example. Because your body works much harder to break down and process foods high in protein and fibre, the Points for such foods will be less than the Points for a more readily processed carb or sugary food...EVEN IF the calories are the same. The example I was shown was pita bread - whole wheat pita vs. white pita. Both the same calories per serving, but the whole wheat pita was 2 Points less than the white version. In the past, the Points for rice were the same whether you opted for white or brown...now brown will be fewer Points.

I'm actually really excited about the new program! I agree that people could "abuse" the fruit rule, but really, the potential exists for anyone to "abuse" almost any rule of any weight loss program. You're only truly accountable to yourself, and in taking the effort to work around the system you only really cheat yourself in the long run. The reality is you will still have a minimum number of Points to eat each day, and healthy guidelines to meet - if you're following the program correctly, the odds are you will enjoy snacks of fruit and veggies without going overboard. There's not really room to eat masses of fruit if you're eating everything else you're supposed to!! (have you ever tried to eat a ton of grapes?? Your body won't thank you later!). Foods that don't offer a lot in terms of satiety will cost more now, so there's definitely going to be a push towards selecting more wholesome, healthful foods as the foundation of your day.

This is for the UK version of the program, but odds are that the basics are going to be very close here (if not the same):

http://www.weightwatchersmediacentre...ess%20Pack.pdf

It explains the basics of the "new thinking" better than I can!

The thing for WW, though, is they have to have in mind those people who actually don't know. Believe it or not there are people out there who are genuinely entirely ignorant of nutritional advice apart from "sweets and chips bad" - that's as far as it goes for some people. If these people are told that fruit is free then they will not be abusing the plan by overeating it, they will be following the plan. If people find new information very difficult then the subtleties and nuances of the plan will be difficult to grasp, they are looking for hard and fast rules and mantras - I can eat as much fruit as I like, OK let's get 12 bananas then. They will get very frustrated with the program if it says you can have as much fruit as you like but actually not really, you can't have that much fruit. They are looking to follow the absolute letter of the black and white, and if it says free fruit then free fruit it is.

Not sure that many in the UK will easily forget the Audrey Chawner moment:
Nutritioni advisor: What foods do you think might be low in calories
Audrey: I dunno, um, trifle?

If that's your level of knowledge then you can't be told fruit is unlimited and be expected to know there should be a limit.

Hello to everyone..

I just joined weight watchers last night!! I was given the week one information but told the plan will change on November 30,2010. Our leader said that it was the biggest change that WW has ever gone through and he thinks it is great. So I am going to do the best I can for the next 4 weeks before the new plan is implimented.

amym

No, but you'll learn. The materials WW provides are very clear about what comprises good nutrition, and how to enjoy things in moderation. I agree that some who join may genuinely be lacking in nutritional knowledge, but even from the Week 1 booklet alone, they can no longer claim to be completely in the dark.

Can you tell I'm a big proponent of personal responsibility? There truly is so much information available these days...in not too hard to find places....that I'm not really willing to give anyone a pass in terms of "not knowing". Perhaps some slack before joining a weight loss program of some kind....but certainly not after. So much information and so many tools are made available right from the beginning.

And, honestly...we're all so different. For me, if I'm eating 12 bananas a day, I'm not eating a lot of other things....I find bananas really filling and sometimes struggle with finishing one. So in my case, if I ate all those each day I likely WOULD lose weight...because I wouldn't also be eating all my regular meals. Fruit doesn't automatically become a barrier to weight loss, so in regards to that part of the new program it will be all about determining what works for YOU and being honest with yourself. My main point was that people will find ways to get around anything if they have a desire to - at one point, someone was bragging about adding flax or something to ice cream to up the fiber, therefore rendering the ice cream lower points! I'd honestly rather see someone eating a little more fruit each day, if it means that they won't be filling up on 100 calorie packs - at some point, the satiety of fruit due to the fiber will kick in (which it rarely does with those small packs - how many people have commented that they can eat a whole box?)

I am wondering if they will take back the books I spent $20 on and give me new ones if they make them. I like the food companion and dining out companions.

Hey everyone, well since I am living in Germany i checked out today the new program... but it basically what everyone said the "Fulfilling factor" , because carbs are digested much faster and so on... But now i am not sure.. I lost a lot with WW when i was younger and I am back now... with my old material at home... and thinking about to change .. what do u think??