I'm unsure if I'm going to join Weight watchers but a meeting is coming to my work so I thought I'd investigate. I noticed the website has a free trial for WW online for a week so I decided to try it this week. It seems pretty cool so far.

My question is I read that if you go to meetings, you get access to e-tools. Is that the same as everything you'd get with WW online? What is the difference?

Does anyone know?

Hi Nellie,

ETools is basically used to help a WW member between meetings. With that, you get helpful tools to use, such as personalized charts, recipes, food tracker, fitness demos, and such.

WW online is similar, in that you get tools to use, but there are no face-to-face meetings. You track everything online at your convenience.

Hope this helps, and that you decide to go with WW!

You only get etools if you buy a monthly pass for meetings.You get unlimited meetings per month and etools.Around 39 bucks which is a really good deal.

It's pretty much the same thing, except for meetings.

With regular WW, if you do the monthly pass (instead of paying each week separately), you get to use the online Etools as part of the membership (as well as being able to go to meetings).

With WW Online, it's basically just using the Etools & the website.

The website's features are referred to as Etools.

The at work sessions do not offer etools as part of the program but you can purchase etools separate if you wish. I did do that for a few months before we were able to do monthly pass in our area. I like etools

I think I decided not to do the at work meetings. I'm not sure if I want to do meetings and it is actually more expensive at work for some reason. Since I like the online stuff, I may try that out for a while. It also looks like there are 2 weight watcher centers near me (I didn't even know weight watchers had centers) so I can always try meetings if I change my mind later.

This is not entirely true. Many regions don't offer monthly pass but offer the e-tools. My region is this way. I pay $12.95 a month for e-tools plus my $12 a week meeting fees.

Yep, what Kelly S says. We didn't have monthly pass and I paid for etools. I think that's what I meant to post. But our franchise was bought by national so we now have monthly pass and I love it

My mom knew I was planning on doing weight watchers. I'm poor, seriously in the poverty level. I work full time at an elementary school and I still qualify for state medical care and food benefits. I don't get much and I often have to decide between healthy food and cheap food. Eating healthy is expensive. I have been more conscious of the deals and coupons which is almost a second full time job just to afford healthy, fresh food. It is seriously not a good thing that my mind is almost always on food after I get home from work, tracking down food deals, cutting coupons, checking advertisements,...etc. It adds to the stress, which adds to the stress eating, which adds to the weight gain.

Why is weight watchers not poverty friendly? Other systems works out without charging for absolutely everything until you're spending your paycheck (in my case its not too far off) just trying to lose weight and not be obese.

Online only - $12
Monthly pass - $43.00
Monthly pass + etools $43 + $12
Active link + $5

So I can track calories for free with My Fitness Pal or pay WW $12 a month

I can buy a fitbit and pay $7 a month to keep track without have to pay for the website in addition.

I can go to free meetings here and there but always as an outsider or I can join message boards like this one for free and be a member.

I'm not trying to be to hard on weight watchers. I really love the idea. The concept is great, but my son (with his grandmother's help) just got me the WW activelink for Christmas. They thought it was like fitbit, $5 a month no extra cost. I've been wearing it around so my son thinks I'm using it but I can't pay for $17 a month just for an online subscription and the active link tracker, but I can't make him feel sad over buying me a gift I can't afford. He was really sweet when I unwrapped it, and I was excited, too...until I realized all the fees I'd have to shell out. So here I am with an Active link wearing it around having to pretend I love it whenever someone asks me about it around my son. I guess I'm mad about that too. Wear it or hurt my son's feelings.

What do all of you think about the price? Is there a way to get around it?

PS: I just realized this post was from 2008, but its still around so...I'm reviving the conversation.

One reason I don't like the ActiveLink is the monthly fee. Fitbit by the way has no added cost. You buy the device and then it is done (there is a yearly premium membership you can get but it is truly optional).

Frainkly, I love WW but I'm not a huge fan of online only since I don't the plan itself is worth paying for. I'm a big Monthly Pass fan since I think the in person meetings and weigh ins and accountability is what makes WWs work.

By the Monthly pass + etools is NOT $43 + $12. You get etools as part of the Monthly pass so that isn't an extra change.

Monthly pass gives you in person meetings PLUS etools. (Online only is etools Plus the program materials that you would get at the in person meetings).

That said, I know that not everyone can afford the $43 for monthly pass. I really do. One way to try to thing about is maybe by joining I will lose weight, eat less, make better food choices, get recipes ideas for low cost meals and so the $43 may end up not being that much net out of pocket.

But, that also said, I realize that even so it may not affordable. The reality is that WW is a for profit company. Their reason to exist is to make profits for their shareholders. So, they charge a price that will enable them to make a profit.

As a parent myself, though, if I absolutely couldn't afford the WW meetings and if you haven't activated your Active Link, then I would look into seeing if it could be returned or perhaps sold and would explain to my child why I couldn't use it. And maybe then buy an equivalent priced Fitbit that doesn't have a monthly fee (probably the Zip).