[Healthy]

I read that Weight Watchers has a new plan that doesn't consist of counting points. Is this the Core Plan? How does it work? Several co-workers and I are going to being WW in a couple of weeks. I need to lose over a hundred pounds an I hope the Core Plan will help. I'm not just trying to lose weight, but to develop a new lifestyle that I will maintain.

Any successful Core Plan weighloss stories?

Thanks!

[Vickie]

Welcome Healthy! Come on over and join us over on the Core Support Board. Nothing but Core success stories there! We struggle but mostly we do very well. We're all trying to help each other through the holidays right now! I had 150 pounds to lose when I started in the middle of September. I'm doing Core and have lost 21 pounds so far. An average of 1.5 per week. I can't say enough great things about Core. I tried Flex points before. It worked but I was hungry all the time because I didn't make good choices. On Core, when you are hungry you can eat as long as you consume Core foods (healthy, fresh, whole grain, nutritional foods for the most part) or use your 35 weekly points allowance. I hight recommend it. Good luck!

[aghiowa]

Yep, the no counting plan is the Core plan. And yes, it will be a new lifestyle. Basically, you eat whole foods, avoiding processed grains, sugars, etc. A lot of foods are on the core list, meaning you can eat as much of them as you need to feel satisfied. If you want something that's not on the list, you can use some of a weekly allowance of points to pay for it.

I've been on the core plan for about 7 weeks now, and I absolutely love it! I've lost around 12 pounds, and I feel so much healthier. It really is a lifestyle change. I knew that I wanted to eat healthier, and eat whole foods, but I didn't really know how before the core plan.

Good luck, and let us know if you decide to do Core.

Angela

[Kelly_S]

basically here are the basics (no specifics):

What's in the 'Core Plan'

Highlights from Weight Watchers' new program, which promotes food that's big on volume but low in calories.

— Fruits and vegetables: Any plain fresh or frozen items, and anything canned without syrup.

— Protein: Leaner meats. Ham might be OK, bacon and spareribs less so because they are processed or fatty meats.

— Grains: Mostly whole grains -- whole wheat pasta and brown rice, for instance.

— Dairy: Plain, nonfat options should be fine.

— Soups: Broth- and tomato-based items are on the list; cream-based aren't.

— Breakfast cereals: Because they're tempting as a snack, only four made the cut -- puffed wheat and rice, shredded wheat and 100 percent bran.

— Healthy oils: A couple teaspoons of heart-healthy options are allowed, such as canola or olive oil.

— No-nos (for lack of a better term but can be used from the 35 WPA): Foods likely to become nutritional crutches -- many unsweetened cereals, white rice, nonfat fruit yogurt.

Weight Watchers has unveiled a program that focuses on nutritious food that fills stomachs without packing on calories. The new program resembles certain other diet programs, notably the Volumetrics weight plan, in that it focuses on high-volume foods with a low energy density.

[Healthy]

Thank you everyone! I'm going to call WW and see about signing up. I don't want to "weight" until January 2005 to start my new lifestyle.

Okay, I'm going to really need some assistance to get going . Thanks again y'all.