Ok... I am trying to figure out the difference again. It seems WW might be confusing me more then anything! I am trying to see though.

I need to know the calories for the items below. I don't have the information (package) to figure it out myself.

Carnation Coffee Mate Original (plain) Powdered Creamer
Splenda packets (everything is 0 on this)

I need to know everything if possible so I can tally this up in fitday.

It seems like WW might be a mistake and maybe I should just sit down, relax, and count calories!

Tracy - I think you're making it WAY more complicated than it should be.

Relax for now...and what you might want to do (if you haven't already done so that is!) is pay a visit to our very active WW forum and ask the gals there your questions. I'm sure they'll be happy to help!

Yup. Take it one step at a time if that will make it easier. When I first started watching what I ate, I didn't focus on counting anything. I just read labels to pick out a healthy balance, trying to keep the bad stuff low and the good stuff high. And I ate a better selection of foods such as lean meats and whole grains, etc. I didn't count calories until much later, yet I still lost weight even before that. It was easier for me to try and read labels and increase my water first, by drinking flavored waters. Then later to cut out flavored water and focus on just plain water. Baby steps.

You guys are right. Me messing with WW I think is making it so much more confusing then it actually is. I tried to tally today up and it did not match up either. According to fitday I ate 1023 calories and according to ww I ate 19 points which is 950 calories. I am only allowed 24 points with WW... which does NOT add up to 1600!! I give up on it. I am just going to continue what I was doing. I learned a lot this past week from these boards.

It's not exactly 50 calories per point, it can be less or quite a bit more. The point system considers fat and fiber content as well. So some foods may have more calories, but less fat and more fiber, which makes them better choices. It's really a good system.

You should not try to count points AND calories. Pick one or the other. If you want to follow Weight Watchers, you should join a local group, or their online service, so you get all the materials and guidelines. You can buy all of your food at the supermarket, there's nothing special required, so you can feed your family easily at the same time.

The WW literature will give you a lot of helpful information on spending your points wisely, so your diet is well balanced.

Tracy-19 WW points is not always 950 calories. A Weight Watcher point can vary from 30 calories to about 80 or so, depending on the fat and fiber content-so don't assume that you are off because your calorie counting, and your WW points counting don't "match up" exactly.

Since you seem to be confused-the first thing that I am going to recommend (opposite advise than some of the others here gave you) is to choose one system or the other. You seem to be newer to both of these systems, and if you are already confused about one, then adding a second system in and trying to keep track of it is only going to confuse you more.

Stick with one system until you are comfortable.

Aphil

I believe that prepayment is only required under special circumstances, such as starting "at work" groups. The group would only be available to a limited number of people, and not just anyone that walks in off the street, so they have to make sure there is enough interest to keep it going. Everyone else just pays one week at a time and can quit anytime without further obligation, so it's the best of any subscription diet plan.

Regarding the prepackaged foods, they are offered as a convenience in supermarkets (I think they are owned by Heinz) but are not necessarily suggested as part of the plan. The guides include menu suggestions of real food such as chicken, broccoli, oatmeal, etc. It's probably the most balanced and flexible of the popular diets.

Our mother is a lifetime WW member, and reached her goal by cooking normal foods for herself and my Dad, but she just ate smaller portions. She loved the meetings because they helped keep her motivated, which is what WW is best for.

Suzanne-I agree 100%.

WW has products, just like South Beach, Zone, and many other plans out there-they may have bars or dinners or what have you at the supermarket-but they are by no means a requirement to be on that plan-more like a "convenience" food.

Yes, I do realize that each point could be more or less then 50 calories. But I am finding it hard to decifer (sp?) what would be what through WW. Since my doctor specified 1600 calories a day, I think I should stick with the calorie counting at least for now. I thought points would be easier, but it seems like it would actually be harder. I want to make sure I eat the correct points and everything. I cannot afford to gain anymore weight. Plus, alot of the stuff I am reading in the AHA book makes a lot of since!

My mom did really well on WW as well! She does like it. And yes, she swears by it! I don't see anything wrong with the program! I would probably benefit from it more if I could attend there meetings. But all of there meetings are to far away for me. So I cannot attend the meetings.

You guys are excellent! Thank you so much again for all of your support and advice.

aphil.... I like your hair cut! I have been looking at it for a few days now. It is really cute!

Just a point - people can just as easily get wrapped up in counting calories as anything else.

And counting calories is not the same as counting WW points. When counting WW points you factor in calories, grams of fat and grams of fibre. If you are a member you are given a points counter (kind of like a slide rule) to help you figure out the points.

It's actually very easy - you just go by the nutrional information on the package of the food product (i.e. can of V8 juice) and use either the ruler or the WW points book. You get "x" number of points per day and 35 extra per week. I ignore those extra points unless I absolutely need them or have a special occasion to attend to. Then again some people use them all up every week - it's their choice.

WW prices vary from city to city so you would have to check into your local WW centre.They have discounts for seniors and students and some places have different payment plan.They frequently offer deals if you prepay - this is the route I usually go.

I am doing WW and I rarely eat prepackaged food or frozen meals or meal replacement bars as I just don't like them, and I don't drink soft drinks (diet or otherwise) Hey, we don't even have the WW products up here in Canada - I think all we can get are the bars at meeting rooms and the WW bread and jams

I eat homecooked meals everynight, eat lot's of fresh fruit, veggies and low fat dairy- I even eat real butter and salad dressing!

I no longer eat chips or cookies on a regular basis and I never buy the "lowfat" versions of junk food either.

I eat out with friends on occasion and treat myself to gelato or dark chocolate once in a while.

The thing that I have found with WW is that it has taught me portion control and about proper nutrition and it has inspired me to cook more and I have been able to incorporate healthier choices into my life. I don't really feel like I am on a diet most of the time.

I find that WW teaches people how to eat well and encourages them to eat fresh food, whole grain products and to exercise. How you spend your points depends on you making conscious choices. At the meetings the leader and other members share information and I have learned things like meal planning, better grocery shopping techniques and how to make better choices when eating out.

I have never had them try to push meals, bars or any of their products or books on me. Like any plan your success depends on you sticking to the program.

I lost 30 lbs on WW, quit and then gained 20 lbs of it back - I have 15 to get rid of right now. My DH doesn't go to meetings but he has adopted the same eating habits as I have and he has lost weight too. I also have three friends that are on WW and like the plan and have been successful.

My best advice is to do some research before you commit $ to a plan. If you have failed to do it on your own then maybe a group support system or a weight counsellor/dietician is the way to go.

mauvaisroux,

Thank you for such an awesome reply! Very explanitory! I would probably benefit more from WW if there were meetings closer to me that I could attend. There is not any meetings close enough to my house, so I am not able to go to them. I did attend meetings several years ago (winning points) for a while. But I was a different person then! I was not patient about weight loss, I wanted results fast! Boy was that a huge mistake! Anyway, I have been a member to WW online three times now I believe. I do have the point books, slider, and a cookbook. I still use the cookbook often! But I do strongly feel that if I were able to attend the meetings in person that I would be able to succeed on WW. But just online here, I am not so sure.

Also, my doc stressed 1600 points a day to eat. Not saying I am stupid or anything, but I couldn't figure it out on my own with WW points to make sure I got in 1600 calories a day. I feel regular calorie counting might be the best way for me to go at this point. I am making healthier food choices now... so that should make a difference.

I do thank you so much for your reply! I do truly appreciate it. If I lived in a populated town I would have access to more. But out in the country we are lucky to have anything here I am finding out.

That's too bad If you need any questions answered about WW just post them in our WW forum -there are a lot of helpful people there and great info and recipes.

this might be of some use to you...

Point Range (123 Success Points) Converted to Calories
(This isn't always 100% true because of fiber)

18-25 points = 1050-1400 calories
20-27 points = 1150-1500 calories
22-29 points = 1250-1600 calories
24-31 points = 1350-1700 calories
26-33 points = 1450-1800 calories
28-35 points = 1550-1900 calories

I think that puts you in the 22-29 range.

I wouldn't stress too much on either points OR calories. If you're talking a difference of 50 or 100 calories for instance, that's no great deal. Your doc said 1600. So, you eat 1550 one day and 1650 the next. Doc won't have a heart attack because of it.

I get 24 points a day. I would ask what that was in calories but it could be anything. I am picking up on that now.

How long have you been doing WW? Are you doing flex or core? I got used to portion sizes... it is just the points thing... it has not been that long, I didn't think I would have forgot that, but I can't remember how I did it lol. I only had 6 points left and I still had dinner to go! Long day.

This is very true!