I posted a similar message over on the Core boards; I'm looking for some info on why we choose Flex over Core or vice versa.

I chose Points because the last time I did WW, it was the only system they had available and I'm somewhat familiar with it. I like the accountability of counting, and that you can eat whatever as long as it's figured in to your daily total.

BUT, I get really anxious through the day as I - mentally or on paper - see that points tally going down. And sometimes I just throw in the towel if it's supper time and I've got 2 points left. I've been trying to look at the weekly allowance as an extra 5 per day, but then the weekend comes and there's no wiggle room for a glass of wine etc. Consequently, the weight loss is slow - 2.6 lbs in 2 weeks.

Core looks interesting in that there's no counting, but it seems to be lowcarb. I've had lots of success on low carb in the past, weight loss wise, but it always comes with hair loss and I'm not prepared to go there again.

Anyway, long story short, I just wonder how you decided to go for Flex over Core?

I chose Flex because I am in university and don't have as much time as I'd like to worry about making sure I am only eating good things. Sometimes I eat take out or get a sandwich at school and Flex lets me do that without feeling guilty (I just try to figure out the points for what I've eaten when I get home). Also, I have quite the sweet tooth, so being able to have the things I enjoy, but in smaller portions, is great. Tell me I can't have something and I crave it even more! I'm not looking for a quick solution, I'm looking for a long-term one, and the Flex plan seems to be reasonable in that it doesn't deprive me of something that I will inevitably return to after being on a "diet", things that could just pile the weight back on my body. It's really taught me to consider what I'm eating and how big my portions are, and if I really need dessert, etc.

Also, sometimes I find the Flex program sort of challenging in a pleasant way. I like adapting recipes and finding new ones (because I love to cook) and finding ways of meeting my daily points while still have well-rounded meals and whatever little snacks I might be able to factor in throughout the day is sort of like a puzzle, adding piece by piece to reach the overall total. I know it's a weird way of looking at it, but I am not very organized in most aspects of my life and this keeps me wanting to write the points down and helps me focus!

Don't worry, your weight loss isn't that slow. I think the recommended amount of weight to lose is about 1-2 pounds a week, so even though you're on the lower side of the spectrum, you're still going in the right direction!!

honestly, it's just easier for me... eating off the core foods list was more difficult than it probably should have been... lol

yes, i have to make the effort to make sure I'm not spending all my points on junk, but somehow, it just works out better :-)

I don't like being told what I can & cannot eat. I enjoy being able to make the foods I want to have and simply count the points. When I joined I knew that having a "no-no" list wasn't going to work. I'm happy with the progress I've made so far However, I've always said that if I had a plateau I'd give Core a good 2 week try to see how it works or as a "break" from points.

If you're having problems with having enough points throughout the day, why not plan each day ahead of time? Or... begin your daily points with dinner. This sounds weird, but it helped my mother out, she's been doing it for a long time. She starts her 24 hours worth of points at night at dinner time. She counts down her points, and then is able to split them up successfully for breakfast & lunch the next day. For whatever reason she's finding it helps her, it's a very mental thing, because you still get the same amount of points per day. *shrug*

Core is not really completely low-carb, as there are plenty of whole fruits available for eating, and whole grains for munching on. It is a nice, healthy list of foods, but again, it comes down to being told what I can/cannot have on a daily basis. Just not for me, although, I see a ton of maintainers using Core when they get down to the weight they want. I'm not sure if that's just the meetings that I attend or what.

About your weight loss, it's not really slow. It's actually quite average. Seems like you're right on track with that.

Hey, Faerie, your mom sounds like she's come up with a great idea! I always find that I have a huge problem eating too many points at dinner/in the evening. Perhaps if I start my day in the evening and not in the morning, like normal, I will find it easier too! I am very excited about this new idea! Thank you so much for sharing!!

Like freedomreins, I love to cook and it's always quite fun to try to make old recipes healthier. I like flex because it's kind of like a puzzle -- I have this category of foods that I want to eat, and how should I best fit them in to meet my points guideline? Not all of the foods I make a regular part of my diet are on Core, so it wouldn't feel as natural to me as Flex does. Yeah, Core foods are all really healthy and great for you, but I eat them anyway on Flex!

Besides, I *really* like the portion control aspect of Flex. I'm not so great at turning away cups 2 and 3 of a 3-cup pasta dish. I'm not so good at noticing when I should stop eating. So if I only put a cup of pasta on my plate because that's as much as I've the points for, then that's all I'm eating. Easy.

Exactly. If I was good at portion control w/o points, I wouldn't be this size in the first place.

Every one of your replies "spoke" to me, I can see myself in each one.

Faerie, I love your mum's idea, I can see that working out for me.

I also have an issue with being told what I can or cannot eat, usually guaranteed to send me running for the forbidden item. As for portion control, that's why I originally chose Flex - I need that.

I went to a meeting today and one of the areas touched on was that some people on Flex spend their points unwisely - there was an extreme example of one lady with 25 points to spend; she used 20 of them on BEER, and the rest on food! Now, I'm not that bad, but I think I did go a bit wild on things - Fudgiscles, 1-point cheesecakes etc. Now that I'm on week 3 and have settled in somewhat, I think I'm ready to make better choices.

So... I'm thinking stay on Flex, with an emphasis on Core foods.

Thank you all for the input, this is a great board. And I can't wait to get my ticker back!

Fressca, I am the same as you. "Flex" was all that was available the first time I did WW (we had the points range system) and it worked for me (until I stopped working the program and gained the weight back). So when I went back to WW, I did what I knew worked. I like the portion control aspect of the Flex plan as well. Also, I think if I did Core I would feel like some foods are "off limits" even though you have those 35 points to use for them.

I suppose you can say that I emphasize a "core foods" list throughout my day. I eat whole foods. I only have 1 processed food item a day (usually a Fiber One bar), so the rest of my food probably exists on the core food list (except my homemade bread - yum!)

Excellent work, going over your food choices & seeing where you can improve! That's what this is all about ^^



PS - I didn't mean to make it seem like my mom invented the idea. She just picked it up at her meeting! (Meetings are great resources ) Eitherway, if you try it out, I hope it helps make you successful!

I don't normally poke my head in here but hey the general board is sooooooo slow.

I actually bounce back and forth depending on how my week is. I've always ate pretty much what are now Core foods and sometimes I like the idea of not measuring and counting however I find I tend to enlarge my portions and thus doing Flex eery now and again keeps my 'eyeball portions' in check.

I like the flexibility of dining out with points and find if I have a lot of dining out Flex works better for me.

20 points on BEER? I can understand that if she was using her flex points... for like, a special occasion... but to only eat 5/day because of BEER?? Wow.

I don't see anything wrong with fudgecicles or little bits of cheesecake or any kind of treat that helps you maintain your sanity, as long as you fit it in your plan. (I guess that's all the beer person was doing?) I love my evening fudgecicle or square of dark chocolate... and I definitely don't feel like it means I'm spending my points unwisely when I have trouble getting up to 28 some days in the first place. It's really all about what you want to eat, and making sure you keep yourself accountable for what you want to eat. Which is why I love it. It's awesome.

I too do Flex with a Core flavor. I eat alot of whole foods, love all the Core principles, getting in tune with your hunger level, are you satisfied?, etc., but until I have a better handle on things, I'm sticking with Flex. Right now I'm weighing and measuring everything I can. Like, Kel, it's helping me get back on track with what 3 oz. of this looks like, 2 oz. of that, 1 cup of cereal.

Last year I was happy with really slow progress, for some reason this year I want to really work the program and get to my goal weight again. I think last year I didn't really think it could happen, now I feel like it's just a matter of time!

Yes!! I have always look at core like- if I ate what i was supposed to and the amount I was supposed to I wouldn't be here in the first place. I need something that I can count to make sure that I am doing it right. I need it written down in black and white or I KNOW I will sneak stuff here and there.

I generally eat pretty well (even before starting WW), like a lot of the Core stuff, whole grains, brown rice, vegetables etc, but I agree, if I didn't have the points there to tell me just how much of it I could actually eat, I would (and did) go overboard, having two or three pieces of toast instead of one, way too much whole wheat pasta in one sitting, and so on. Having the points to total up keeps me from eating too much and getting that really gross over-full feeling.