I would appreciate input I'm thinking of trying WW because it has been around for so long so it must be doing something good. Plus which the points idea is more appealing to my mind than counting calories (urgh)
BUT...
1 - I looked at the WW website and I couldn't find anything about the - uh - $ bottom line$. What kind of financial commitment am I looking at? Looking for costs in Canadian $$ (GTA/Ontario). Are there "extras" in addition to basic sign up?
2 - Does the plan cover "ethnic" foods? We regularly eat food from Middle East/Indo-Pak/sort-of-Chinese/sort-of-Italian cuisines as well as regular good ol' Canadian/American/British food.
3 - Are there substitutions in the plans/recipes for folks who have to avoid certain foods due to allergies or religious concerns? If this ends up being yet another diet plan that keeps telling me I must eat nuts then I think I will go - well - nuts.
1 - I looked at the WW website and I couldn't find anything about the - uh - $ bottom line$. What kind of financial commitment am I looking at? Looking for costs in Canadian $$ (GTA/Ontario). Are there "extras" in addition to basic sign up?
There is nothing required other than the membership. If you do online it is about $15 a month (US). In some regions there is a 'Monthly Pass' option which includes meetings and e-tools (online access to materials but not nearly as much access as total online) for about $40 a month (US). Meetings usually have a registration fee and a weekly fee which varies. If you click on FIND A MEETING on the W/W page it will give you the specials in your area. You have the option to buy things like the Dining Out and Complete Food Companion but they are not necessary.
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2 - Does the plan cover "ethnic" foods? We regularly eat food from Middle East/Indo-Pak/sort-of-Chinese/sort-of-Italian cuisines as well as regular good ol' Canadian/American/British food.
Yes why wouldn't it? It is a lifestyle not just a deprivation diet.
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3 - Are there substitutions in the plans/recipes for folks who have to avoid certain foods due to allergies or religious concerns? If this ends up being yet another diet plan that keeps telling me I must eat nuts then I think I will go - well - nuts.
You choose your own foods and what you want to eat. It is very compatable with dietary needs (diabetics, allergies, etc).
Hi there! As a fellow Ontarian, here are some answers to your questions:
1. The financial commitment is minimal. You don't have to sign up for a year, like some programs, or pre-pay for any period of time. You DO have a registration fee (I think it is around $25) and you pay approx $15.00 per weigh-in. You can pay this on an "as-go" basis. If you decide NOT to go after two weeks, just don't go! You will have no financial commitments if you pay weekly.
If you miss a meeting, you will pay for it at the next one - for example, if I go on week 1, I pay a registration fee (I think it includes the first weigh-in, but I'm not sure) and weigh in. I miss week 2. I go week 3, where I pay for week 2's missed meeting and for week 3's current meeting. If you miss 2 meetings in a row, you can go back and sort it out with them. Often, they won't charge you for the missed meetings and you won't pay for a new registration fee.
The concept is to make you accountable for going in to the meetings - but I think the cost for a missed weigh-in is to cover the costs of the published materials you get each week.
You can buy packages (i.e. 12 weeks worth of weigh-ins), where you get a reduced price per weigh-in. BUT these are not refundable and have an expiry date, so if you aren't sure if the program is for you and just want to give it a try, you can pay weekly and stop any time without financial penalty.
There are 2 plans - the CORE plan (where you eat based on your assessment of fullness, and the foods are spelled out for you) - and the FLEX plan. The Flex plan assigns a point value to each food. For example, a chocolate bar is worth 8 points; 8 oz of skim milk is worth 2 points. You are given a points maximum based on your weight. Mine is 22 points per day. I can spend the points any way I like. If I make, for example, a curry, I count up the points value of each componenet (chicken, vegetable oil, curry paste, etc.) for the recipe, and divide the total number of points by the number of servings. Say the ingredients total 24 points, and serves 4. My serving is worth 8 points. I have 22 points to spend each day. 22-8=14 points left for the day. This way I CAN EAT ANY TYPE OF FOOD, as long as I account for it.
2. Ethnic/Asian/Italian foods are no problem, as long as you account for them. You can get a food points guide, too, that includes the points value of ethnic foods, which is most useful when you eat out (i.e. Fettucine Alfredo at a restaurant is something like 16 points a cup !!!!! because of the fat/cream/butter/cheese involved. If you make it yourself, you just add up the values of the ingredients and do the maths!) As the plan is self guided, you decide what you want to eat. If you don't eat, for example, ham, you don't have to. There is no "list of foods, recipes and no-nos". It is completely self-directed and self-planned. I personally am allergic to shellfish. So I don't eat it. I also don't eat pre-packaged convenience foods, even though WW sells them. The NICE thing is that, in my experience, these products aren't pushed at meetings. I eat what I want, calculate the points, and spend my points budget AS I SEE FIT!!!
So, in short, there is NO set time frame for financial commitment (unless you choose to buy something like a 12-week plan, but that is simply YOUR choice - the staff really doesn't care!); the costs are reasonable, you set your own diet and food preferences, and you are responsible for the results.
I've been really successful with it, and I'm sure you can be too!
Go to the website, because right now there is free registration at meetings.
That will save you some bucks. I like WW and do it online with help from 3FC.
Thanks you for all the input - you guys are great!
Another Q - are there any 'free foods'?? I remember pigging out on cucumber and radishes when I did the Curves diet - but that was a diet and I really need lifestyle training and portion control, which I think is what WW does?
wannabetiny = thanks for the heads-up, I'll toddle over there now
Hi there!
While I think that the online idea is great, you might really benefit from face-to-face meetings. You can deal with program issues with someone in person, and meet lots of really motivated, great people. Studies also show that those with support in the form of meetings (personal, vice online) actually do better with weight loss/control over time. Just a thought!
As for "free foods" - there are a number of foods that count as 0 points, but you still need to eat them in moderation (eventually, things DO add up!). These are mostly fibrous, non-starchy vegetables, and diet drinks (watch the sodium!).
Best of luck!
Salam catsnhorses,
I hope you're well. I'm doing it at home... but I dont even use it online. I bought my books from ebay and use my husband, family, friends and the great people here at 3fatchicks for moral support. I wasn't sure whether I would be able to stick to it but since I've started it I've lost four pounds. Great Hay. So far I think I'm doing well... I love it and love to feel accountable. I would really recommend it... try it out for a couple of weeks and see how you do. I also monitor myself on fitday.com this really helps me break down my eating... how active I am and how much water/cola i'm drinking. I think it's a fantastic plan... and extremely effective when you follow it properly. Its best to have things like food scales and absolute honesty with yourself.
Hi there!
Just a quick note of advice - still be careful about your points even if the foods listed are given zero points. One of our members last week pointed out that 10 baby carrots = 0 points. BUT, 11 baby carrots = 1 point. SO, if you eat 10 baby carrots for breakfast (0 points), 10 (0 points) for lunch, and 10 (0 points) for dinner, you have actually eaten a TOTAL of 30 baby carrots, which equates to between 2 and 3 points of food, as opposed to 0 points. You do need to be careful, and this is where meetings and contact with a leader is helpful. Doubling up portions may also mean more points than you think. One of my tapioca puddings is one point each, but if I eat 2, and type in the total calories/fat/fiber counts for 2 servings, I will consume 3 points and not 2. These things do add up. Just a word to the wise to keep in mind...
My leader always says 'you didn't get fat eating baby carrots' and yes while W/W for a few reasons on the higher gylcemic foods such as carrots and onions give points for the most part zero point veggies are always zero points.
W/W allows 200-250 calories a day for zero point veggies and since most servings of zero point veggies are 5-15 calories per serving that is a heckofalotta veggies and if you may have more problems than just the excessive eating of serivngs.
If you think about it that is between 13 and 40 servings of veggies based on the caloric intake W/W allows for them.
However going back to the W/W 'rule' on eating foods your
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SO, if you eat 10 baby carrots for breakfast (0 points), 10 (0 points) for lunch, and 10 (0 points) for dinner,
statement is a bit incorrect (according to my leader) .... different times different points. However I see your concern.
Again my leader (and many others) aren't really concerned about the 3 separate 0 point servings for veggies...as much as they are the say 3 separate servings of something like 2 Tbsp Cool Whip Free w/1/2 cup of Sugar Free Jello. The veggies provide nutritients that your body needs whereas th Cool Whip Free and Jello are empty calories (25 calories for both total per serving).
Another rule my leader advises is for each 0 point NON ZERO POINT VEGGIE you eat put a tickmark in your journal and for every 4-5 add 1 point to your food total for the day.
This is just another objective outlook on the program.
Also in the member books is says nothing about 11 baby carrots being 1 point (nor in the leader manual)...the only place it does this is in the PointTracker on the official website and we have been told since it totals cal/fat/fiber for the items for use in the Recipe Builder it CANNOT distinguish between what is a zero point veggie and what is something like Cool Whip Free.
Ok, so without getting hung up over carrots, I think the principle is valid. If I consume x number of calories/fat grams/fiber grams in a day, it will equate to y number of points, whether I eat them all at once, or spread them out. And I know that I can't fool my body into eating more calories in a day without a corresponding reduction in my weight loss success! Best of luck, however you account for calories and points...
Really dim WW Qs - please read
I'm thinking of trying WW because it has been around for so long so it must be doing something good. Plus which the points idea is more appealing to my mind than counting calories (urgh)
What kind of financial commitment am I looking at? Looking for costs in Canadian $$ (GTA/Ontario). Are there "extras" in addition to basic sign up?
