It has been a while since I have been counting calories and while it was successful for me when I was counting...I have managed to gain back most of the 30 pounds I lost.

I have been thinking about this a lot lately...joining WW that is. I know basically how it works and it sounds like it will work for me. I guess I just think the regular support and accountability is what I need to kick my butt into gear?

So, what are the pros and the cons from those of you who are currently (or recently) on WW?

Thanks!

Hi there!

What a great question! I could speak for HOURS on this, but I won't bore you! So, to be concise, this is what I've found:

PROS of WW:
1. Real food! - no special diet foods, no special pills/potions/drinks required!
2. Complete dietary flexibility -- if I am a vegan, or vegetarian or meatitarian, I can eat what I want within my WW points of course. There are no "must eats" -- there ARE healthy guidelines -- but the era of 3 fish servings and 2 cottage cheese servings a week is thankfully gone!
3. Ease of managing daily intake -- I get a points budget, if you will. How I choose to spend it is up to me. The way that points are calculated is super-easy, too. There are plenty of WW cookbooks that offer amazing recipes with the points pre-calculated, too, so I don't even have to think much. I know I have a 6 point breakfast, I choose my dinner (say 8 points) from my cookbooks, and fit in a light lunch. It is emminently easier, IMHO, than trying to balance 1400 calories and to figure out my BMR and my exercise expenditure and how many calories in 1 dairy creamer, anyways???
4. Inexpensive--around $12 per meeting and weigh in. This gives me accountability on a weekly basis and has freed me from being a slave to the scales.
5. Support -- with the meeting I get in-person support and program questions answered. Support is key and although online support is great, I need the in-person support that this program provides.
6. Maintenance Program -- perhaps the KEY to this program is that they have thought out a maintenance strategy. I don't have to mess with calories and daily weighing and daily tweaking of calories based on what I do. WW has a structured "exit strategy" so to speak from the dieting phase to the maintenance phase. This is a relief because I don't worry as much now about maintaining, as LONG as I stick with the plan.

CONS of WW
1. Slow! I get on average 5 lbs a month. Not a lot. I lost almost 5 lbs a WEEK on Medifast. However, with slower weight loss comes some benefits -- my skin has the opportunity to shrink along with me, so the issue of "baggy skin" post-weight loss hasn't arisen. It usually does the faster the weight loss, IMHO. So patience is a MUST with this, and if you think about it, I am on track to losing 60 lbs this year. Frustrating in January, but in September, its not so bad!!
2. Learning curve -- for the first couple of months, you need to be familiar with the points values of foods. So it IS time intensive. However, once you get the points "down" it is easy-peasy to do. I know the points values of those foods I normally eat off the top of my head. AND the points values of foods I like to eat out. But for the first while, you need to carry your points value book (buy their extended book, which has pretty much all the info you'll ever need) and your calculator with you. It DOES become second nature, tho.
3. Weekly expense -- $12 a week can be alot for some, given their financial situation. There IS a cost to the program, but you can get all the info you need online (online points calculators, how to figure out your daily points, how to figure out how many points you earn through exercise, points counts of all foods) and you can use 3FC or other online forums for the support you may need.


Hope this helps!!!

Kira

I have never been on a "diet" before, WW is my first effort, and I am doing it online only, so I have never been to a meeting or anything.

I pay 16.95 a month for the online tools. I have no complaints about the tools, nice charts, easy to find point values, there are mesage boards but I prefer this board.

For WW in general, to me, it seems like I am calorie cycling (going up and down on calories to avoid getting "used" to a set calorie range. I also track my calories (out of curiosity) and I have a nice little up and down range.

I find that if I eat healthy, I get to eat more, junk cost me more calories per point. So I have learned that Dorito's or just not worth the points when I realize I can have a full meal of good stuff for the same points.

WW has taught me about portion control, I measure and weigh stuff now. I eat all real food. I knew I didn't want to do some weird "soup" or fruit only diet. I needed to learn to eat real food in a healthy way.

I am honestly eating in a way that I could eat forever and I am losing about 1.5# a week doing it (with very little exercise at this time ).

Counting calories is basically the same as WW. I didn't join the program, but adopted the principles and use the formula at home to count points. I have managed to drop all my baby weight and then an extra 20 pounds in one year. I love it, especially how easy it is to get myself back on track -- food journaling -- if I go a little nuts and start to gain.

It is the only diet that has ever worked for me. I read that an above poster said that she thought it was a slow weight loss -- I have found the exact opposite. I had done Atkins and South Beach and when I think about how miserable I was cutting certain foods out for a while and then the process of slowly reintroducing them back in. I was 23 when I tried it, and giving up drinking was hard. With WW you don't have to give up one single food, unless you want to.

If you have FastPass in your area, it's a little less expensive than paying every meeting -- it's a flat $49.95 per month, and you can go to unlimited meetings.

Thanks for the input!

There is a monthly plan in my area so it will cost about $40 a month...not too bad.

I have counted calories before but am struggling with motivation and accountability so i think WW would help in those areas. Again, thanks again for the info - I think I will join this week!

Oh, and I exercise pretty regularly do you have to eat MORE to make up for the exercise?

They'll deal with exercise and earned points thru exercise in week 2. First things first! Join, get the plan, get familiar with the diet, cause diet accounts for about 85% of your success. Exercise IS important, but IMHO focus on the eating plan first. Once you are absolutely secure in it and know your points tolerances, you can account for your exercise. In any event, you can ask your WW leader after your first meeting, and she'll give you the official answer (which is you can earn more points through exercise but you don't have to eat them. You will have a daily points number that need to work with, and 35 points a week to use if you see it. Exercise points are earned according to intensity and duration of exercise and you don't have to eat them. I don't eat them all cause if I do, I stop losing weight. So this is why I would focus on the daily and weekly points, get your tolerances there, and then worry about accounting for the exercise...)

Let us know how it goes!

Kira