3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community (https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/)

- Weight Watchers (https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/weight-watchers-18/)

- - New WW Program (https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/weight-watchers/218292-new-ww-program.html)

OH! I thought you meant the old program.

Dawn

Quote:

Originally Posted by kk344 (Post 3588032)

40 calories (or 36) is to figure out the new points. The old points were roughly based on 50 calories per point (with more for fat and less for fiber).

The actual calculation for the new points is something like: (Fat)(9/35) + (Carbs)(19/175) + (Protein)(16/175) – (Fiber)(2/25), according to one post I saw. In other words, you can't figure it out accurately based just on Calories/Fat/Fiber any more.

If you read the new materials, you would know it is not just calories in versus calories out that makes you lose weight. It takes more calories for your body to process protein, then fat, and finally carbs are the lowest. If it was just calories in versus calories out, we should all be thin by now. I know when I chose most of my foods from Filling Foods, now Power Foods, I lost more that week.

A point can be anywhere from 50 to 100 calories so using 50 was probably too little.

We got more points because a point is now fewer calories.

Why not give it a trial before condeming it.

More people like the plan and WW is used to diehards wanting to stay on the old program and it isn't going to happen. They have gotten new members and returning members and January around the corner so they won't miss you. They have been in business nearly 50 years, have had this occur with every change, and continue and the program works better and better.

If you go to a computerized center, you will be required to weigh in and your purchase will be recorded on your computer file. Members are only allowed to purchase one calculator. If you are an online member, take some proof and you can purchase this week.

Wow. I went to my meeting this morning. It was crowded and people were so very enthusiastic. I bought the beg pack of stuff for $45.00, might as well start out "right". But, there is so much to read and so much has changed. Where to begin even?
I know one thing, there is NO WAY enough room on the daily tracker to write all the food in for me. Going to be a problem unless I put more things on one line.
I may erase today's food and officially begin it tomorrow as I am so confused to be truthful. I think it could work well for me, though. We shall see.
Of course, of all days, I have a pot luck lunch/holiday party, but you have to start someplace.

Dawn, I think you should go to at least one meeting and bite the bullet as they say. I know some people want to do it at home as they either can't afford the weekly meetings or just don't want to do that kind of thing, but you have to be there to buy the calculator and the materials are so important. I think your total cost won't be too high unless you are crazy like I am and buy the entire $45.00 thing. But, I got the calculation, a handy zip thing that holds everything, a cook book, a 3 month journal, both the big food companion and the dining out companion and a whole bunch of other stuff.
I was so confident about this new program that I actually recycled all my old stuff. Now, that is commitment!!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by QuilterInVA (Post 3588433)

I agree. Weight Watchers knows what they're doing. They wouldn't be in business this long if they didn't. Trust what they've come up with, they wouldn't have pitched it if it didn't work.

I am realizing that I am eating way too may carbs. All my regular foods went up quite a bit. I ate all of my points by lunch time. I ate what I would have normally eaten on the old plan and would have still had points left over. I really need to re-evaluate what I am eating.

Holy Cow! I didn't have time to journal during the day and write down and figure out points.... now I still have 8 points left and I'm done with supper???? Wow.
But, a WW ice cream cone dessert that was 2 points is now 4 points. But, I could eat that and still have more to eat. I held off on most carbs all day as I was too worried. But, this is kind of cool.
Dinner was sirloin tips with stir fried pepper, onion and mushroom in soy sauce with garlic salt, ginger and about a tsp of sugar (whoops, have to journal the sugar- there goes a point I forgot) and summer squash boiled with onion. I didn't add rice, pasta or potato to the meal as I didn't dare until I sat with the paperwork and figured out how many points I actually ate today. I can go a bit easier but this is exciting that I ate all day and that I did so well.
Lunch was a salad of mixed spring greens with about 2 oz. sliced chicken, grapes, pear, Gorgonzola cheese (tiny amount) and a citrus vinaigrette dressing that I only dipped in. I had a tiny piece of bread along side.
I had a fruit cup as my "dessert" and didn't have to count it. : )
I had one egg cooked in non-stick spray with 2 slices of WW lite bread toasted with butter spray and 1/4 cantaloupe for breakfast.
I was not starving all day and was on the go.
Lunch was eaten out by guessing, based on what I heard beforehand and in the meeting. I did OK.
I have lots to read and learn but thought I'd report all of this.
No "flex points" (or whatever they are called right now) were necessary in my day. I'm glad about that. I could go out to dinner on the weekend and have wine and bread before the meal, etc. and not be too worried.
Tomorrow, I am going to buy fresh fish (haddock or swordfish) for dinner and have carrots (no longer having to count as 1 point) and some brown rice. Will work the rest of my day around that.
One tricky thing is that the points values on all the current WW products that are in the house are now inaccurate. It will take some time to work them through. Sad to read that the WW English muffins that were only 1 point before are now 3 points, but with 29 points in a day instead of 21, I could probably work with it - or just have 1/2 of an English muffin? Milk worries me and a few other things. Have yet to figure out that calculator and how it works... not too good with electronics, but tomorrow is another day.

I sat down yesterday after I went to the meeting and went through my cupboards and my favorite recipes and recipes for leftovers I had in the fridge and calculated the new points values for everything. Yes, it took some time, but I had to get oriented again. I can say one thing, my old breakfast plan has gone out the window. But I followed the new plan today and I am not hungry now. I actually feel quite good, for a change. I think I was eating too many carbs and that was making it hard for me to not nibble and such. Eating more protein as I did today seems to work out well. I know I'll be eating more protein than I did today in the days that follow. I'll be switching out some of my "regulars" like my daily bran muffin (was 4 pts, now 6 pts) for yogurt (only 3 pts for a cup of Greek yogurt). I'm certainly liking the plan so far.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kk344 (Post 3587540)

I'm not a regular poster here, I'm a lurker at best, but I needed a place to voice my opinion on this change.

I do not disagree that this plan might, in fact, be better for weight loss than the old plan. The weight loss under this new plan might be faster and it might be healthier. But what it is not, is easier.

I, like many people trying to lose weight, have been on diet after diet after diet. Weight Watchers is the one that I was able to stick to and finally lose 30 pounds (still have a long way to go!). NOT because it's the best, most scientifically-sound diet out there... but because it was the easiest. Because I could fit it into my lifestyle. Because, since it was so easy, I had NO excuse NOT to follow it!! It gave me a framework for counting calories, basically, which is what I needed.

Well, with the forced change to the new program, that's all out the window, and I'm really upset. GONE is the ability to look at the calorie information alone and estimate the points. So when I go to a restaurant and ALL they give me is the calorie information (as MANY restaurants do), what am I going to do? On the old Points program, I'd estimate 1 pt per 50 calories, maybe pad it a little bit for fat, and be done with it. Now, I have NO CLUE what to count for the points. I don't find this encouraging at all! I find it frustrating.

And it is so gut-wrenchingly frustrating to feel like I have finally found a program that works for me, to have it, literally, TAKEN AWAY.

What I don't understand is why they didn't make this an optional change, as they have in the past when they've introduced new programs. Or at least given online members like me the *option* to continue to use the old tools. How dumb is it, that if I want to keep counting the "old" way, because its easier and better suited to my lifestyle and approach, that I have to do it myself... and therefore, might as well cancel my subscription and stop paying them?! If they had just left us access to these tools, they would keep getting my money... seems like a no-brainer to me.

The old plan *worked*, it may not have been based on the "latest scientific research" or whatever, but it worked and it was easy. And even on weeks when I didn't lose 1-2 pounds, I stuck with it because it was simple and I knew I could do it.

To be honest, I really wonder if they did this *because* the old method was too easy, maybe people were dropping their memberships and just doing it on their own. They had to make it extra-complicated so we'd be dependent upon their tools.

Anyway, I am frustrated. To say the least. I do not know where I am going from here. Until yesterday, there was no question in my mind that I would be doing WW for pretty much the rest of my life, it had become second nature to me and my weight was going down, maybe not quickly, but constantly and that is what is important. Now... I don't know. Maybe I'll cancel my subscription and keep doing regular Points on my own... though I really wish we still had access to the tools and ALL THE INFO I HAD STORED AND SAVED ON THEIR SITE!! ARGHHH.

I think forcing everyone into this new system is a very bad move on their part. I'm sure there are others like me who used WW as a simpler framework for calorie-counting, who will bail now that calories are out the window completely (by the way, I saw the tip to divide by 40... that is definitely helpful! But still not nearly as good as 50 calories per 1 pt... which makes much more sense and is easier to do in my head...)

*sigh* Anyway, thanks for letting me express that here. I'll go back to lurking now. ;)

don't feel defeated. if you love the 'old' program stay with it...i am~ at least for now. i just started a couple months ago and i'm seeing great results. i am not a fruit addict, but i do get in my healthy guideline foods, i'm not loading my body with only carbs. i don't see the appeal of the new program...maybe i will eventually, but i don't believe the new program is all about new research. i think it has to do mostly with $, can't blame them i suppose. i'm sure i will have a lot of people disagreeing with me, but that's just my opinion. i like the program and i'm sticking with it as of now.

Time will tell but I think we all have to give this a chance. My leader is a woman I have known for a very long time over several years and her relief and joy was genuine. She said she felt like she was giving each of us an incredible gift with this program, I could tell it came from her heart to say that, it wasn't some canned thing she was reading from WW International.
Her spirit and joy is infectious. I think that will help me as I redirect my weight loss journey. I'm thinking that I could actually succeed. I found myself daring to think about my "skinny jeans" that have not fit me in more than a decade that I had refused to get rid of with interest. I doubt they are in style, but if I can comfortably get back in them again (the only one thing I kept) I would proudly wear them. I actually was driving in my car and allowed my mind to travel to those jeans again and I actually thought of getting them over my hips and even zipped up. Wow. Now, that would be exciting.
I'm committed. I know it's going to be hard, I know it's going to be work, and I know there are going to be tough times as I've been in this for years. But, I think this plan could be it for me.
I needed something new, fresh, to revive me efforts.
I'm in this for the long haul. But, just maybe that "haul" won't be as long as I envisioned it to be?

My problem is more about location and time. The only one I can go to is 30 min. each way and Dh's work schedule is such that going without kids is very challenging and I never know if I will be able to go or not until last min. There is no way I could commit long term under those conditions.

Dawn

Quote:

Originally Posted by derrydaughter (Post 3588451)

So, Dawn. Go and pay for one meeting, get the materials and then go it on your own. You can be here to get daily support. I hope you can stay motivated!!!
I really have so much to learn about this new program, it's pretty overwhelmed to have to look up all the points values and I'm not really keen on the calculator, seems clunky and slow to me.
Sometime soon, I shall begin to memorize points values.
Also, a good tip is to figure out points and take a Sharpie Pen and write the points values on packages of things you use. This way, you only have to figure it out once.

I think the new plan is really great. But it's not just about fruits. I think everyone needs to give it a chance before they condem it.

again...Weight Watchers is not going to create a program where we'd all gain weight...because no one would stay. Give it a shot...for at least a month...and if you don't like it then...do something else. But try it out first before you shoot it down. Yes, they are a business and make a profit...but they aren't changing things to nickle and dime us.

I don't understand all the fuss ... you can still eat exactly what you were eating before, just track it differently. I know change is difficult, especially when you've had success with something, but perhaps you can just give it a chance, and if not, stick to what you were doing.

WW is the most reasonable of programs (in my personal opinion), because it allows you to eat your normal foods (no supplements, no fake proteins, no shakes, no premade meals, etc.) with portion control. The new plan, based on the latest available weight-loss scientific research encourages you to eat more fresh fruits and non-starchy vegetables, more lean proteins and fewer "white" carbs, but you certainly don't have to--just make sure to track accurately. I know our center has "open hours" where you can just go talk to a leader (not meeting times) ... maybe you can express your concerns there and get some good input about what direction you can take.

If you're worried about it, at the center they sell a beginner pack (the food points book, the dining out book and tracker for $14.95, and you can add the calculator for $5.95 if you want. Since they aren't charging a registration fee right now, it's a pretty good deal. I understand the frustration with the slider being free, but there was no way to make a slider work with four variables. They are also selling a deluxe pack for $35. (includes a cook book, coupon book, 3 month tracker and a zipper notebook along with the food points book, dining out book and a calculator)... also not a bad deal for a one-time investment.

Weight loss journeys are emotional and I'm sorry for the stress this is causing some people.

Personally, I'm very excited. We got the new program at the Sunday meeting and I've been doing it all week and feel great, am not hungry and am loving it so far!!

We all must find a program that works for us, weight loss is a very personal thing, and many of us have been on this journey more times than we care to count. It's all about finding a good fit fo you.