Hello! I would love to find a copy of the Weight Watchers 1988 (?) plan-the one wiith the boxes that you check off. That version worked so well for me, would like to try it again. Anyone know anything about that plan? Thanks!!

I don't have the 1988 plan, but I follow an exchange plan much like it. I chose a lower carb exchange plan (called the high protein plan) that I adapted from the hillbilly housewife website (I'll try to post the link. They changed the website and things aren't as easy to find).


Here it is!

http://healthy.hillbillyhousewife.com/foodplans.htm

Here's a list of the basic exchanges

http://healthy.hillbillyhousewife.com/exchanges.htm






Another similar plan is the one found on the tops.org website (in 1200, 1500, and 1800 calorie plans).

They have a printable weekly food log with the boxes to check off with a main box for the 1200 calorie plan and then the additional exchanges for the 1500 and 1800 below that.



http://www.tops.org/TOPSTools/TOPSTo...dFoodDiary.pdf



I had to make my own worksheet with my spreadsheet program, because I couldn't find one online that was low-carb. I also borrowed a concept from the old WW plans and added a few "optional" exchanges that I can use intercheangeably between milk, protein, bread, and fruit exchanges.




And here's a printable one-page review sheet of exchange values (I printed this at half size to stick in my dayplanner)


http://www.tops.org/TOPSTools/TOPSTo...angeGroups.pdf





if you go directly to the tops.org website and select tools, there's a bunch of other helpful exchange plan documents too


The great thing about exchange plans is most are interchangeable (most use the same exchanges as those first developed in the 1950's by the American Dietetic Association and the American Diabetic Association).

I collect exchange plan cookbooks and any Weight Watcher cookbook before 1997 can be used, as well Richard Simmons Cookbooks, Joanna Lund's Healthy Exchanges. The only one that I've found that is a little different (but still easily converted into standard exchanges) is the DASH program.


There's quite a few of us exchangers on here, but we don't post regularly enough to get our own forum.

I don't have a copy of it. It was the plan (or close to it) when I originally joined in 1989 and got to goal in 1991. It was an exchange plan. So many breads a day, so many proteins, fruit, veggies, fat and milk. I think you got a certain number of floating exchanges that you could use for bread, protein and maybe fruit. I almost always used those for extra bread. Then you got a certain number of optional calories a week.

Truthfully, I still think that exchanges are a great plan since it really helps you to eat in a more healthy way.

The WW plan was similar to diabetic exchanges and I think TOPS does an exchange plan.

What made it work for me though with WW were the floating exchanges and having the optional calories so I don't know if TOPS or diabetic exchanges have anything similar.

Kaplods

I'm curious. How does TOPS or other exchange programs handle foods that aren't really exchanges? That is, one of the things that I liked about the WW exchange program at the time was that if I was at a birthday party I could eat a small piece of cake which didn't fit into any of the exchanges but would count against optional calories. Or I could occasionally have a piece of candy and count that as optional calories. I remember once looking into some exchange programs and they didn't seem to allow any of that at all. I didn't mind the exchanges and mostly eating healthy but didn't like the idea of never being to eat a piece of cake or candy at all.

Does TOPS have some mechanism to allow for that?

I also found two books on my "exchange plan cookbook wishlist" that might help you find the 1988 plan (or one very close to it).


The Weight Watcher cookbooks don't always include the program information (which I find annoying), but according to Amazon.com listings these both have the program basics and food lists as well (and the prices start as low as .01 plus $3.99 shipping. There are even a few used sellers who qualify for the SuperSaver free shipping on orders of $25 or more).

These are books I don't have yet, so I can't guarantee the information, but usually the amazon reviews are pretty accurate, especially if you can find at least two reviewers saying the same thing.







Weight Watchers Quick Success Program Cookbook (Plume) by Jean Nidetch (Paperback - Jul 1, 1990)


Weight Watchers Quick Start Plus Program Cookbook (Including Personal Choice Food Selections) by Jean Nidetch and Weight Waters International (1986)

Joanna Lund's Healthy Exchanges (if I'm remembering correctly) has both optional calories and floating exchanges (although I don't remember if she calls these floating exchanges or something else. It might be flexible exchanges).

But at any rate, there's no magic in exchange plans, so you can tweak any of them to fit your own needs (especially if you're only making relatively minor "trades" rather than for example deciding that you want to eliminate an entire exchange category - say deciding you don't want to eat any vegetables).

In diabetic exchanges, they often don't allow "optional calories" or "floating exchanges" because the carb counts have to be more precise to control blood sugar.

But if you're not diabetic there's no reason you can't tweak any plan to fit your needs. That's what I did. I took the Hillbilly Housewife's 1500 calorie plan as my minimum exchanges. Then I added another category for "Flexible exchanges" and gave myself 6 "optional exchanges" (I could spend those exchanges on fruit, bread, protein, or milk exchange or 2 fat exchanges, essentially on 60-80 calories of just about anything)

I could just have easily chosen the 1500 calorie plan as my minimum and given myself 300 optional calories - or the 1200 calorie plan and 600 optional calories.



As I mentioned, TOPS and diabetic exchanges don't, but I also really liked that aspect of the program, so I added it into my own program as I mentioned above.


I do have a WW program book around here somewhere (from the 1990's, I believe) and the one thing I'm glad that I did not incorporate from the WW plan is the slow roll-out of food choices (the first week you were only allowed certain foods for each of the exchanges, and you had to wait until like the 6th week to get the full food choice list). I don't think there was any benefit to that except making sure new members attended at least six weeks of meetings (a practice WW still does. You can't get the full program on your first visit, they drag it out to keep you coming in).





Another book I highly recommend is the book Exchanges for All Occasions
(the 4th edition if you can find it, because this edition gives you instructions on how to calculate exchanges from nutrition labels).

I have a copy of the 1988 WW plan. How can I get it to you?

Here is the check list. I re-typed it because I had so much success with it I wanted to keep it forever. I go on/off whenver I need to get back on track.

1988 was the year I first joined WW. I looked at your plan and it was familiar to me but I recall that you also got some floating exchanges and optional calories. Do you recall what those were?

I'm sorry. The only information I have is the plan that was posted.

So, was it like Richard Simmon's Deal a Meal? I saw a DAM kit on ebay recently for about $15.

I really would like to have a copy of the ww 1988 plan it really worked for me can you e-mail it to me or send it to me at 28 wing st new bedford ma thanks

City54 - The above person had attached the plan to her post in a Word Document that you could easily save and print out.

PS - This is an open forum and you may want to remove your street address from your post.

I, like most of you were looking for the old "Exchange" program and I also lost weight on the plan in 1988 and became a lifetime member. I searched for and found the book "Weight Watchers Quick Success Program Cookbook", Every thing you need is in that book except the planner worksheet that you write on each day. I have also tried the Points Momentum plan, Great plan but, I don't really like the new Points Plus. I gained some weight back. Hope this was helpful. CandyRun (sugarless)

Hello,

Are you still interested in having the 1990 copy of weight watchers plan? I think what I have is the 1990 - I'm not sure though. If you are still interested, I could type a few things, and you can see if that is what you want.

It is about exchanges - it might be the one you need.