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Hi Drina!

Congrats on those 50 lbs so far! Wow

I can give you my experiences with WW. I joined last April, basically because I had NO idea about nutrition, exercise, food intake... anything. I was a clueless person. I knew that I needed to lose weight, and I knew that I was going to need some help to do it. I also was interested in WW, because of the group atmosphere. Having some people to chat with each week who are all going through similar situations with weight loss has definitely helped me out.

I would worry about me gaining back the weight after stopping meetings, but... that's why I never plan to stop going. Ever. Even when I hit goal. Even when I've been at goal for five years. I've made a commitment to WW, and I plan on going once a week for that 1/2 hour meeting for the rest of my life. It's helped me to lose the weight, it'll help me to keep it off. (I also plan on being a member of 3FC for the rest of my life... so that shows you how much I rely on the group support system!)

WW isn't any more time consuming than most weight loss programs. You do have to track what you eat (they even suggest it on the "Core" program), but all that takes is a moment to jot down what you've eaten or plan to eat on your tracker. Same thing that some people do with calorie counting. The first two weeks are a crash course in how the point system works (if you choose points) but you'll quickly learn the points to your usual foods. You don't have to cook any differently, but you may want to in order to make foods healthier. There's no right way to cook anything in order for it to be on plan, since the points allow you to eat anything as long as you control the portion size. (I say "anything", but like with any other program, we do somewhat have to watch what it is we eat... can't just consume fries all day!)

Here's pretty much what happens at meetings. I show up about 30 minutes before the meeting starts so that I can get weighed in & settled down. You don't have to show up this early, but this is just something that I like to do... my own time, ya know? People come in and sit down in the room... sometimes people chit-chat, but you're under no obligation. The leader will start the meeting, sometimes they'll ask if anyone has any celebrations or perhaps disappointments they'd like to discuss. (This depends on the leader.) They'll then go over the weekly... "lesson"... for lack of a better word. Basically it's an idea to focus on, related to weight-loss & health... and mental health! For example, this week we talked about the importance of tracking what we eat. How it keeps us accountable, and helps us down the road to figure out what we're doing if we're at a stall in our weight-loss.

The meeting ends, everyone goes on their way No one need say anything if they don't want. It's often just nice to know that others around you are changing their lives, too. Just like 3FC. We know, because we're all going through it.

At your first meeting, the leader will ask you to stay for an extra 10-15 minutes in order to properly go over the plans. And that way you have some individual time to ask questions/voice concerns etc.

Either way, I've been very happy with the program. I found it upbeat, and doable. Very real life food, too. I didn't want to have to live off of only prepackaged foods, so I don't

Let us know if you have any other questions. We all love to help out!

Best of success!

Drina,
I am new to this site but have been doing WW since June of last year. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I am now below my goal, and therefore free, but I continue to attend meetings almost every Saturday. WW and any other plan that works can not be seen as a "diet" that you will get off once you lose your weight. I truly plan on staying with WW forever. It is just a different way of cooking and realizing that some foods I thought were healthy weren't really. I cook delicious meals that happen to be healthy. I also eat smaller portions than I used to, but I am not hungry.

The program is easy to learn and follow. What goes on at meetings? You get to the meeting a little bit early (up to 30 minutes) to weigh in and register. You weigh in with a receptionist (it is private and they don't announce your weight!). Then, when the meeting starts, the leader has a topic for the week that she/he discusses. This past week the topic was the importance of keeping track of what we are eating (writing it down). The week before it was having "bumps in the road"-- when our weight loss journey doesn't progress smoothly. Some people like to share stories or experiences but you certainly don't have to (I am shy and I have spoken maybe twice).

At the end of the meeting awards are given to those members who have lost particular amounts of weight or have reached goal.

The meetings are amazing if you have an awesome leader. There are often many different leaders at a particular center (depending on the size of your town), so if you don't like a particular leader you can try another day/time.

The program isn't difficult or time consuming. It took me a week or so to get the hang of it and now I don't really have to think about it. I enjoy cooking much more than I used to and my family loves what I cook for them.

Hope I answered your questions.

Well! All I can add to what the other ladies have said is I have tried other ways/programs to loose weight! NONE of them have worked or have I stuck with except for WW. When consulting my doctor about loosing weight she said the only thing she would recommend is....WEIGHT WATCHERS! One of my really good close friend today is someone I met at weight watchers meetings! GO! you wont regret it!

Congrats on the weight loss!!!
I definitely lost weight on WW. I lost 40 pounds, but I was lazy and gained some back. Had I even made a half-hearted attempt to stay on track, I'd be fine, though. Don't look at me gaining some weight back and think that happens to everyone. Like I said, I was LAZY! Other than the ritual goat sacrifice, the meetings are pretty cool! (I'm kidding about the goat thing). I did it as a full time college student, with a full time job, and very little money.
I think you will do great on it. Plus, you can go to one meeting for free, according to their website. I did that the first meeting, just to make sure it was something I could get into.
Hope this helps!

Wow thanks for all your input guys! I think if the first meeting is free I'll definitely go and check it out. Like I said in my first post my two biggest concerns are time and potential relapse.

Faerie, first congrats on your weight loss (you and I are on the same plane now!) I like the idea of having other people going towards a similar goal with me, and that's partly what attracted me to WW... plus I know I can use the weight loss tips given at the meetings. If it's easy to track points I guess I can do that. I'm still a little worried about relapsing though, because I know I won't be able to afford WW meetings forever. My sister-in-law did WW a few years ago and lost some weight, but later gained it back (and then some). I know lots of people who have done WW but none who have kept it off after leaving.

Michele et al, thanks for all of your help answering my questions. I'll let you know what happens

If you need to leave WW for whatever reason, I think that it's important to remember to get group support elsewhere. Even if it's around 3FC, even if it's a local, low-cost weight loss group like TOPS. Points and Core aside, I believe what makes WW run, what always made it work (while people work the program) was the group. For people who need that sort of push, it helps. It really, really helps.

So, even if you can't afford $40 a month, don't go it completely alone! Have people around that you can talk to about it. That you can be healthy with.

And just because other people have gained back weight, does not mean you will! In fact, a small healthy dose of that fear might help you from gaining anything back. I can't help but admit that there are times when my fear of gaining is what keeps me going. Not that I fret all the time, but that it is still there... I've lurked around the Living Maintenance area enough to know that maintainers still have that "fear". Their constant vigilance is what seems to separate them from those who have gained back much of what they lost. I know, it's daunting to think "Gosh I have to be vigilant forever?!" But, it's much better than the alternative isn't it?

And remember, you're making these changes forever. You truly are! You're not on a diet. You're changing your life! So, if you're changing your life, there's absolutely no going back, is there?

Shhh!!! You know we're not supposed to ever mention the animal sacrifices outside of meeting!

I've finally come to terms with the fact that I personally need a regular, preferably weekly weigh-in witnessed by someone I don't live with, in order to lose weight.

I've lost weight under a doctor's supervision, on Nutrisystem, Weight Watcher's, Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating (when I weighed in every time I picked up food), and TOPS (taking off pounds sensibly, a non-profit weight loss organization). And the common denominator has been not wanting to look like a fool at weigh-in.

Weight Watcher's is an excellent program, though I have a real bias towards TOPS, because members can follow any plan they wish to, and (not insignificantly, as my husband and I are on disability and a tight budget) it's much cheaper than Weight Watcher's (averaging less than $5 per month each for my husband and I). I think the key is that the plan you choose is affordable and doable for the long haul. TOPS and WW both let you visit meetings before you decide.

Congrats on the weight loss! I am currently doing WW, it is my 3rd time back! It is the only thing that works for me - I now know that I can not do it on my own. That is awesome that you did so far! I highly recommend trying it - I started January 5th and have lost 33 lbs since then, I couldn't have done it without the support from the gang at the WW meetings. In the meetings, I have learned so much, including recipes, snack ideas and the importance of drinking milk and having oil everyday. I am currently 17 lbs away from my goal weight and am loving the journey. WW has taught me that it is a lifestyle, not a diet! I hope you try it, let us know!

So I went to my first meeting today. There were a lot of new sign-ups, though a few of them were repeaters. At my official weigh-in I was a few pounds heavier than the weight my scale gave me, but I was also wearing shoes, jeans, and hooded sweatshirt at the meeting (while at home I weight myself before I jump in the shower). Everyone was really nice, though I'm a tad bit overwhelmed with all of the booklets and sheets and pamphlets and counters and trackers and guides.

I think I'm going to do the core plan because I don't think I can weigh and record every morsel I eat, and keep track of all of the points. That's just a little too much for me. I like that the core plan is a little more intuitive and it models the way "normal" people eat and think about food. That's pretty much what I've been doing the last year to lose 50 pounds... I just haven't been as careful with my choices of foods as I will be now. The most important piece (I think) will be the accountability.

I still have to look through all the materials I got to make sense of everything. Thanks all for your help!

Hi,

While trying not to sound disrespectful, I always thought WW was silly. I pictured it as this slow weight loss plan that would be a drag with silly meetings where you got up infront of a bunch of people to get weighed in. Then of course in my head I figured they would annouce your weight.

How ignorant I was! It was not until recent that I decided to give it a try. Every quick weight loss diet had failed and it was time for a change. I LOVE IT! It as so easy to follow and I love the structure and online tools. They make it so easy. As far as the meetings, they were fun! They weigh you privately, and the only one who knows your weight are you and the lady weighing you. At the beginning of the meeting the leader asked a few people their weekly progress and then she talked about the days topic. It is very laid back. Everyone chimed in and shared their experiences.

I love it. I truley wish I would have joined a year ago. I wish I would have went and found out how great it is instead of assuming (you know what they say about assuming ) I have been so motivated and do not feel like I am on a diet.

Whatever you go with I wish you the best!