Its been a while since I posted this and while my opinion hasn't changed, I do agree with a lot that has been said here.

I do not mean to "do a disservice" to WW, truly I don't. It's just that the last meeting I attended I literally counted 5 different programs being followed. I do love the fact that WW does seem to be up to date and that is a plus and good for those that like the program.

Maybe I was just getting frustrated because like someone said in an earlier post, the meetings could get a little childish with all the "stickers". Also being in Arizona, we here, for some reason never get the JOIN FREE special. Just pure frustration.

I had a stroke on March 16th, so that is why this reply is late in coming. I have restarted on my road to weight loss with the added "kicker" of recovering from the stroke.

I wish everyone success in whichever method of getting healthy they choose and truly did not want to step on any toes.

I happen to agree with you and know and have known many ppl in the same boat b/c i originally joined after they rolled out fat and fiber so i was around for 123 and WP and was still on F and F and to be honest, still would be if theyy hadnt into'd CORE(sft whatever) i say if ir aint broke dont fix it:)

WW has one program. That is the one that the meeting is based on. Old plans are not supported by WW.

who cares they still work. Not every version of WW works for everyone.

If the people in your meeting want to follow an old version of the program, that is their decision, that's nothing to do with WW.

I have been doing WW on and off for over 10 years and it always worked when I made the effort to follow the plan.

WW teaches portion control, chosing healthier foods etc.

I stuck with it this time and lost 55lb and am now a Lifetime member.

I love the program and I actually would LOVE to work for them.

Many people blame the program when they don't actually follow it properly.

Also would you prefer a company to never update it's information and plan?? Giving outdated information? No one has to buy ANY of the products. If you have eTools it's all available online. I have never bought any of their books.

Originally Posted by electrongirl:
If the people in your meeting want to follow an old version of the program, that is their decision, that's nothing to do with WW.

I have been doing WW on and off for over 10 years and it always worked when I made the effort to follow the plan.

WW teaches portion control, chosing healthier foods etc.

I stuck with it this time and lost 55lb and am now a Lifetime member.

I love the program and I actually would LOVE to work for them.

Many people blame the program when they don't actually follow it properly.

Also would you prefer a company to never update it's information and plan?? Giving outdated information? No one has to buy ANY of the products. If you have eTools it's all available online. I have never bought any of their books.

Agreed! :)
As stated before, WW supports only the current plan. If other people are choosing to follow old plans, that can't be blamed on WW.
As for the stickers, if you consider them childish, that is your opinion, and you are welcome to it. However, a lot of people like the stickers. When I used to attend meetings, I loved getting my 5lb stickers. It is a small thing done in the hopes of motivating people, and rewarding them for small successes.
Obviously WW isn't for you, and that's fine. It's not for everyone.
Very sorry to hear about your stroke. I hope you have a speedy recovery.

I too love getting my bravo stickers and rewards. I cherish all my 5lb stars and my 10%, 25lb and 50lb charms. I worked hard for them and they are a reminder of how far I have come.

Originally Posted by lynnien:
I more so agree with tiniree than all the posts following for the following reasons. I strongly believe that WW is way overrated. I also wouldn't be surprised if loveley is employed by them. I also don't believe WW's statistics that the majority of their members have achieved and maintained goal weights for years. WW is annoyingly complicated and a lot of hard work - following this program WELL is much harder than the WW employees will admit to. After 13 years (6 or so of these on WW) of struggling and making attempts at losing weight, I finally reached my weight goal NOT on WW, but succeeded with a food delivery program. No counting, no frustrating meetings involving strong amounts of jealousy, no cooking, no grocery shopping, no thinking pretty much, no cleaning dishes :carrot: . It does do a ridiculous disservice to WW members to change their plan every year :dizzy: . It sends out the message - 'you can't succeed on this plan...so here's another one' and 'this plan that you've gotten into the habbit of...now you have to readjust to another plan.

The food delivery weight loss system you like, is definitely not what i like. I wouldnt last 3 seconds on that plan. I do not eat processed food if i can help it, i dont even eat WW meals... everything i prepare fresh. Which i learned from WW. Have lost 75lbs so far with the PP program and wouldnt change my way of eating now for the world. So.... some things will work for some people and some things will work for other people. To bash one or the other is silly, as long as it makes people healthier. At any meeting i have ever been to, WW only endorses their current program. I am glad they make changes... because some people feel like their way of eating becomes "stagnant" and they want to change things up a little in the way they eat to make it more exciting, renew some fun in cooking etc. Following a new improved plan keeps me on track. Just like how fun the first week of starting WW was. I am such a happy person now. Much praise for WW. WW has been around since the 60's, so if it didnt work all these years, it would have been long out of buisness by now.

While everyone is totally free to follow whatever plan they like, I feel for those who don't want to put in the work themselves and learn how to prepare healthy meals and what foods to eat.

I often want to ask people who eat already prepared meals what they plan on doing once they stop getting them? What have they learnt about food preparation?

I much prefer to have complete control over what goes in my mouth. Also fresh food tastes SO much better than frozen, over processed junk. But that's just me.

Not everyone who is on food delivery is ignorant of healthy food choices, or unable to prepare healthy meals themselves.

Not all food delivery is processed foods, either.

For that matter, not everyone on food delivery is trying to lose weight. There are all sorts of reasons to choose food delivery.

There are several fresh food delivery services, such as Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating.

I used SSHE several times over the years, usually when I was working 50 to 70 hours a week - or working full time and going to graduate school.

I didn't suddenly "blimp out" when I was able to return to preparing meals myself. Although for some people, in some income brackets, they NEVER have to transition to preparing their own meals (though they may have to transition to one of the meal delivery plans that aren't designed for weight loss - or supplement with additional food).

For example, SSHE has a 2,000 calorie plan for women who do not want to lose weight, or men who do. The food is fresh, and delivered twice a week. The menu is on a four week cycle (so you only repeat dishes once a month - most home cooks can't say that).

You do have to pick the food up from a delivery point twice a week, or pay extra (considerably more - I think almost an additional $100) for delivery.

The biggest downside of the plan is that most of the food is spiced for the average person (so I find it a bit bland and lacking in ethnic flavors). Also, the fruit tends to be a little unripe, so you have to take all the fruit out of the individual boxes and let it sit on the counter to ripen (and some fruits just don't ripen well this way).

If I were living alone (or if my hubby were willing to go on witith me, so we could keep non-plan food out of the house) could find a fresh food delivery plan that was a bit lower in carb, (that I could afford), I would have no qualms about using it/them indefinitely except for the fact that I like to cook and eat out occasionally (so I'd probably take off a week here and there to do so).

People make a lot of assumptions about what is and isn't sustainable. I've had friends and family tell me that my TOPS group meetings (and Weight Watchers when I was a member) weren't "sustainable" because I wouldn't be able to "do it on my own" when I didn't have the "crutch" of the meetings.

I'd reply "who says I'm every going to stop going to meetings?"

And some would argue with me that even many alcoholics didn't continue to going to meetings every week, and that I was substituting one addiction for another... yada yada yada

There is always going to be someone telling you that what you are doing to succeed is unsustainable and can't be done forever.

I'm finding that lower-carb paleo eating is amazingly wonderful for my health as well as my weight loss, and people are constantly telling me it won't work forever, because I "have to" eventually eat "normally."

But eating normally got me to almost 400 lbs, so if I have to eat freakishly forever, I'm willing to be a freak. If I were fabulously wealthy, I'd probably be a freak who had a personal chef/dietitian. If I were moderately wealthy, I'd probably utilize one of the fresh, whole food delivery services (lower carb and paleo-friendly services are cropping up).

Like I said, everyone is totally free to do what they want. I, myself however, prefer to prepare my own food.

Whatever works for you is great.

Originally Posted by electrongirl:
Like I said, everyone is totally free to do what they want. I, myself however, prefer to prepare my own food.

Whatever works for you is great.

My point was not that we all can't or shouldn' do whatever works best for us as individuals, or for any other reason.


Rather I was responding to what you said about often wanting

Originally Posted by electrongirl:
to ask people who eat already prepared meals what they plan on doing once they stop getting them? What have they learnt about food preparation?

My point was that if you were to ask, you might be quite surprised at the answers. Not everyone who chooses meal delivery is ignorant of nutrition, food preparation, or are unprepared for transitioning to other lifestyles.

Healthy meal preparation and private chef services are cropping up at more and more affordable prices (well at least what some people of middle incomes consider affordable), so they're becoming practical for more and more people, and it doesn't necessarily reflect ignorance, nor lack of ability or planning.

Locally we have a dietitan who offers private chef and healthy meal preparation and delivery services for families and individuals with specific health issues and dietary needs. She also provides classes in healthy cooking and grocery shopping.

Awesome idea, although only affordable for the upper middle class (though a few years ago, such services would be available only to the very wealthy).

Agree with Kaplods. Right now I am eating a lot of foods from My Fit Foods. These are pre-prepared meals and they are carried at the local grocery store I go to. It is possible to actually eat these for all meals and snacks. I don't do that because I want a little more flexibility than that. That said I do eat them for most of my lunches and dinners. They are much better than typical frozen food and I don't like to do a lot of from scratch cooking. The food is good and it has greatly increased the amount of fish I eat each week. I tend to focus on the salads, the fish and the lower carb meals. I don't see it as being any more unsustainable than eating frozen foods or any other packaged foods.

Yes, yes, I'm sure I would be more perfect if I cooked everything from scratch but I don't really like doing that so this works well for me. I do eat out several times a week and I leave a couple of meals free to eat something else if I choose to.

Originally Posted by kaplods:
But eating normally got me to almost 400 lbs, so if I have to eat freakishly forever, I'm willing to be a freak.

Amen, sister! :)