Originally Posted by tiniree:
It's just that when I went to this last meeting and came home with yet another set of info on yet another program, my husband's first reaction was, "So let me get this straight. You would have to purchase yet another set of "guide books" and another calculator?"

...But you do realize that you don't have to buy that stuff, right? You don't have to buy ANY of the products displayed at your WW meetings. They're just there for those people who want them. And even if you have already bought a points calculator before Points Plus 2012 came in, that still doesn't mean you have to replace them. The Points calculator is essentially the same (the only difference, from what my leader told us, is that the new calculators will allow members to go as low as 26 points, where the "old" calculators wouldn't let you go below 29.)

The point is...WW changes their program every so often because of research. In terms of the changes between Points Plus and the new Points Plus 2012...they're really quite negligible. The only difference that I've noticed, personally, is that my daily target points dropped from 29 to 26 (but, I chose to stay at 29 points. That was low enough for me.)

I guess I just don't understand why, if some people have an issue with all the "changes" WW makes (and, realistically, they don't change the program THAT often), then...why are you following the program? If WW doesn't make you happy, or doesn't give you the results you want....well, first of all, as someone else has already said, what we do and what we put into our bodies is ultimately OUR responsibility, and we can't really blame WW for that. But if you are following the program to the best of your ability and you're not getting your desired results...then don't do WW anymore. If you feel like you're pressured into buying the WW products (because none of them are necessities in any way for following the program), then maybe WW isn't for you.

What I didn't like about WW was the babyish tone in the meetings I attended. The leader would walk around the room saying stuff like, "Boots, boots, who gets a boots sticker for activity this week?" Over time it started to seem really silly to me.

I did lose 55 pounds on WW (which I gained back a few years later), but last year I lost just as quickly and easily on my own, just counting calories. The key is to have some accountability, whether to a WW group or to your own scale, IMO.

Freelance

Originally Posted by QuilterInVA:
No one is required to buy anything after paying the meeting fee and they can still do it.

THIS. I am so sick of hearing people whine about "having" to buy WW products when, hello, no one's putting a gun to your head and making you buy the stuff. If you don't want it, don't buy it. How difficult is that? And as you say, a person can succeed perfectly well without any of that extra stuff. I've been in WW for over a year and the only thing I've ever bought was a pedometer (and that was only because, hey, I needed a new one anyway and that one was right there.)

Originally Posted by :
You are doing WW a great disservice because you don't understand the plan, what is required, or how it works.

I totally agree. Just because one specific person doesn't think WW is working for them, there's no need to claim that WW is "selling us all short" or whatever. Plenty of people have great success with WW, and to claim that the program is fundamentally lacking in some way really sort of seems minimizing to those of us who are succeeding.

Originally Posted by :
I also wouldn't be surprised if loveley is employed by them.

...So, because someone is having success with WW and has good things to say about the program, they must be employed by the company? You have *got* to be kidding me. Do you think *everyone* on this board who has had success with WW is also employed by them? I think that's the most inane thing I've ever heard.

Originally Posted by :
WW is annoyingly complicated and a lot of hard work - following this program WELL is much harder than the WW employees will admit to.

But see, here's the thing....that's YOUR opinion. *You* may find WW "annoyingly complicated", but that doesn't necessarily mean the program is the issue. It may just be that it isn't the program for you, and you know what? That's fine. But that's no reason to bash the program as a whole...there are plenty of people who *have* had great success with this program (myself included). Obviously, then, not everyone finds the program as complicated as you do. Like I said: finding the program complicated is fine, but that's just your experience.

It almost seems like you're trying to convince everyone else here that WW isn't worth following, based on your own personal opinion...and that's not cool. If you don't like WW for whatever reason, then the answer is very simple: don't follow the program. But don't knock those of us who do, or try to convince us that the program is lacking.

addressing your curiosity
 

Originally Posted by tessendicott:
Please don't take ANY of this the wrong way, I'm merely curious.

First of all sorry that you feel so negatively about WW. If it didn't work for 6 years, why keep using it? There had to be something that kept you there or you wouldn't have stayed.

I have seen literally hundreds of people just in my meeting alone reach goal weight with WW so I don't know why you would think their statistics aren't real. Millions of people have reached goal weight. WW is a lifestyle change, not a diet. It's something you have to do for the rest of your life, as it should be. WW is not some new fad diet that people are jumping on, it's been around since 1963.

Are you still eating pre-packaged food or have you come off of it and how is that going with maintenance? I've just known so many people (at least 5 or 6) who have used the Nutrisystem diet and who have come off of it and failed because they don't know a. how to cook healthily and b. eat normally because now that they aren't eating meals that are prepared for them they have no idea what to cook or even how to go about what caloric intake they need to stay under. (Yes, I know this has happened to people on WW as well, because they cannot control the way they eat when they're off the program, but that's a whole different kind of problem because the people I know who haven't stuck to WW are usually eating what they know they shouldn't be.)

I don't understand why all you lovely ladies leaders would have some people doing one program and some doing the old program. When we switched over to PP our ENTIRE group switched, unless someone was not paying for meetings and sneaking in with their old materials there should be no reason why everyone wasn't on the same page. Or unless someone was attending PP meetings and being resistant to the change, which I could see would cause issues for them.

What was complicated for you about WW and what did you find such hard work?
I think WW is incredibly easy and cannot understand why people have trouble with it, but that's just me. I've never had any problems with tracking. I guess if you're tracking on paper it could get frustrating because it takes time, but any weight loss is going to take time.

I personally have lost 34 pounds in 4 months with WW and fully plan on reaching goal and sticking with it the rest of my life.

I stuck with WW for so long because I put my faith and belief into the reputation of WW rather than considering and take a close look at how this plan was not a good fit for me. I hopped on the band wagon and got caught up with falesly believing that it's popularity must mean that it's the best program for me. There was good support from a lot of other members, and as I said before I learned some good habits.

I have no doubt millions of people have reached goal. Again, I don't believe that most of their members have reached and MAINTAINED goal for many years.

Yes, I am still eating pre-packaged meals mostly daily. The type of plan I've chosen allows 12 of my own meals per month. I am still at my goal weight, and have maintained this consistently for approximately 6 months.

Maybe "complicated" was the wrong word. Tedious is more what I was thinking of. To have to journal and count every day ACCURATELY was very hard. Self deception and tricks were very easy to do with WW, which was a big part of why it didn't work for me.

Gotcha. Thanks for explaining.

Originally Posted by lynnien:
I have no doubt millions of people have reached goal. Again, I don't believe that most of their members have reached and MAINTAINED goal for many years.

Many people have reached and maintained their goal for many years. I've seen dozens who have in the meetings I've been to. I'm sure there are tons of people who didn't reach their goal, or did and didn't maintain, but that's no different than any other weight loss program out there. There is no program that will have a 100% (or near 100%) success rate.
You are certainly entitled to your opinion, and if Weight Watchers didn't work for you and something else did, I think that's great, congrats on reaching your goal. But just because it didn't work for you doesn't mean it doesn't work for lots of other people.

Originally Posted by PinkLotus:
You are certainly entitled to your opinion, and if Weight Watchers didn't work for you and something else did, I think that's great, congrats on reaching your goal. But just because it didn't work for you doesn't mean it doesn't work for lots of other people.

I agree whole-heartedly. It's the same for ANY weight loss program. Like I said before, it's been around since 63, I'm pretty sure millions of people have reached goal and maintained.

Originally Posted by QuilterInVA:
First of all, Points Plus was the first change of plan in 13 years. They slightly tweak the plan every year but not a new plan.

This.

WW does not change their plan all the time. In fact, I thought the change from Momentum to PP was overdue.

They do each year tweak things but usually you don't need to buy new materials. (For example, the new calculator this year is slightly different but I didn't really need to buy a new one so I didn't).

As for the post saying that most people on WW don't get to goal. My first thought is....so? I mean we all know - surely we do - that most people who try to lose weight don't succeed in reaching their ultimate goal and many who do regain (I am a lifetime WW member who regained).

Weight loss is hard. Many experts say that most people can't get to a healthy weight and stay there permanently. Efforts frankly are best spent on trying to prevent obesity in the first place.

That said -- there are exceptions. There are people -- plenty of them here -- who beat the odds and lose weight permanently. We all want to be one of those exceptions. Some of us will achieve that and others will not.

WW is not a magic bullet. It is a good program and, if it suits you, can be followed to lose weight in a healthy way and maintain a weight loss. It won't appeal to everyone. I find counting points easy and I like how it structures my week. But....not everyone will like that. And, that is fine. Try another program. But, WW works for those it works for.

Originally Posted by Somni:

People need different things to stay engaged, on track, motivated. Lynnien thinks no cooking and grocery shopping of meal delivery is wonderful, but to me that wouldn't appeal at all.

These days there seem to be folks who never or rarely cook, they eat take out or eat out all the time. (Remember the guy who lost weight eating from subway all the time?) I can see that a food delivery system would be ideal for such folks, as a way to lose weight, and they can stay on it, or just add to it with some other take out foods.
Not what I would want, but we are all different!

I have had much more success with the PP program. I was in WW before and fell off, but this time seems to be much better.

I did the original points plan five years ago and lost 11kg. So now since having a baby I'm following it again. I'm grateful I have the points books. What annoys me about WW is the website has the recipes in the new Pro Points only - so what about people who are still following the old points? I guess they want us to come back, pay and start being confused by the Pro Points until they change again to something else. The old points are working for me, I'll stick to them.

Originally Posted by Samanthia:
I have had much more success with the PP program. I was in WW before and fell off, but this time seems to be much better.

Yep, me too. I was in WW in 2004, but it didn't stick for me for some reason. It was the Points system, but obviously not Points Plus. Then when I joined last year (January 26, to be exact), they had *just* rolled out the Points Plus program. And I'm not sure why, but it seemed to work a lot better for me. Now, mind you, I lost weight a lot *faster* with the old Points program, but I couldn't make it stick, so what was the point?

I guess this just all goes to show: the old Points program works for some, Points Plus works better for others, and for some people, WW just isn't the right program for them at all. And that's perfectly fine. I just don't see the point in anyone declaring that WW isn't right for *anyone* for whatever reason.

Well I for one am glad they changed it. I am a diabetic and last year I couldn't manage my diet on the old WW due to there was no way to calculate sugar in a food. The new one this year lets me calculate carbs which include sugars so I can manage my foods much more easily. The addition of Fat, carbs, fiber and protein make it healthier for all of us. Kudo's to WW for helping me live longer. Two weeks in and 6 1/2 lbs off so far. Before I joined I bounced back and forth from 272 to 270 for 6 mths. I'm on 2 medications that make me gain weight so for me to lose this much in 2 weeks is a wonder!

I am new to the plan, but honestly, I can't find anything NOT to love. I find it just the OPPOSITE of complicated - in fact I find it extremely easy to follow. I have the e-Tools, so not sure if that's what helps make it easy for me or what - but it's easy. I find that it encourages me to make healthier choices - and I am certainly learning about portion control - and not having to give up foods I love is fantastic. To me, that's real life, and it's what will make me succesful over the long term.