My first experience with WW was the 1-2-3 Success program back in the late 1990s. You had a set amount of points, you had to exercise at least 20 minutes per day, and you could earn a point for each 20 minutes of exercise above and beyond that. No "flex points," but you could save up to ten points from a week's eating to spend on a "splurge" like a piece of birthday cake. I lost weight pretty effortlessly. My weight loss stalled when the plan was tweaked, tweaked again, and now it has morphed into something very complicated. I particularly hate the new Points Plus calculator, where you have to punch in so many particulars of a product to get the points. I missed the ease of the sliderule.

I find the Points Plus plan, and Momemtum before it, makes it too easy to cheat. You can delude yourself into thinking that a light exercise is moderate, and give yourself more points.

I decided to pull out my old 1-2-3 Success materials and give it a try again. What a refreshing change! I remembered why I liked it so much. You eat your points and are done. You do your 20 or more of exercise, no excuses. I lost two pounds the first week, even with a birthday party in the mix.

I am curious to know if there are any other retro weight watchers out there who follow older plans and what you like so much about them.

Obviously you didn't follow Points Plus accurately or you wouldn't be making these statements. The slide rule was not nearly as accurate as the calculator and if you follow directions you won't be calculating exercise more than it is. The 1-2-3 Success plan allowed for too many poor food choices. Now the emphasis is on power foods, not junk. 20 minutes of exercise is not enough to even be healthy (that takes 30 minutes). WW recommends earning a minimum of 14 APs now. More than 20 minutes a day. There is a reason for changes and it is to make us healthier.

I do more than 20 minutes of exercise. The point is that the old plan actually required some exercise, instead of giving you a choice to just do it to be able to eat more. People often overestimate the effort they put into their workouts. It is human nature.

I personally don't care for the new calculator that you have to punch in so many different facets of the food you eat. It is tedious and I also resent the fact that I had to buy it as an extra item.

I am loving eating fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and high-fiber foods. I don't want to play games with points and figure out ways to eat extra food. I feel like I'm on a budget, and I have to stay at 29 points or fewer.

I have read the Weight Watchers boards, and there are plenty people who are not doing as well as they'd like on the new plan. I was only curious about people who might have some anecdotes about things they liked from older plans.

I am glad you've been so successful.

Different things work for different people! We are all individuals. I tried WW 3 years ago after my last baby and OMG I was so hungry all the time. I like the PP plan. I get more points and feel encouraged that I can eat an orange without cutting into points for a meal.
I also like the calculator but it does suck that it's an additional purchase. I think it should be given to you when you sign up.
But I say do whatever works for you! Good luck.

I have been doing the flex plan this is my second go round with it and I do fine. I was turned off by the ppts program only because I did not want to re-learn all the point values of the foods I ate. I do make better choices and get in all my veg and fruits..as a matter of fact I average 6-8 serv of veggies every day and a fruit or two, my dairy and fat so it all balances out for me. My weight loss has been very slow but I don't have much more to lose so I am ok with that. Sometimes I eat my exercise points sometimes no I now listen to my body and most times I listen right LOL

Thanks for your input, ladies! You're definitely right about how weight loss is a very individual thing. I had tried WW in the late 1990s and early 2000s and did very well on 1-2-3 Success , but kind of hit a brick wall after they tweaked it a bit. Then I joined LA Weight Loss, which was great until all of the centers closed. I licked my wounds for a while and tried the newer WW programs, but they just didn't click with me. I honestly think another problem was how my meetings did not have a truly punative policy for missed meetings, which made it easy to skip one if you thought you'd have a bad weigh in. You only had to pay a maximum of what the current signup fee was, plus the next meeting's fee. I usually joined when there was no signup fee, so I was "punished" by just having to pay a regular fee for the next meeting. I know it all sounds like so many excuses, but I finally decided to go back to a plan I enjoyed and give it a try. I am at my best when I can cook my own food from wholesome ingredients. So far, so good.

It sounds like you enjoy the more structured nature of that program, and it makes total sense. If it works for you then go for it!

Personally, I haven't tried any retro WW programs since I only first joined in 2007, but I would guess that even an older WW program is healthier than many other modern programs, such as those requiring you to cut out entire food groups.

I love my WW meetings but I'm not in love with the plan. I know certain posters might jump back in and tell me I'm obviously a failure at life because I like to think for myself, but I'm working toward just eating intuitively. I just can't see myself counting PPs for the rest of my life. Except I know I need some accountability so that is where my weekly weigh-ins at WW come in. I say just do what is working for you! Despite what some may say, you are welcome to be a member of WW even if you are not following the WW plan as written.

If the current mode of WW were truly all about being healthy, it would stop selling so many faux foods. End of story. Sure, it pushes more fruits and veggies but there are still plenty of frozen foods, sugar-free products, and stuff that just isn't food being sold.

Good luck!

Amy, I agree with you. I think that's why I went "retro." I can calculate points with the slide rule in seconds, whereas with the new electronic calculator, you have to punch in a bunch of information and it takes a long time. In my humble opinion, there is too much emphasis on calculating everything. I know it sounds silly, but I don't want to have to think about so many facets of weight loss. I just want to get in my allotted dairy, fruits and vegetables and when my points are gone, stop eating.

I've been doing WW since 2004 and tried all the various programs. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I fail. They're all pretty much the same, just different semantics and playing with the #s.

When I first tried Points Plus in 2010, I hated it and could not get on board at all. I went retro and did the flex program for awhile, but kept falling off the wagon. Finally decided to give PP another chance a few months ago and am LOVING it. I don't really think it's the program, but just I was finally mentally ready to incorporate the structure.

I have a difference of opinion. I did follow the momentum and simply filling plans to the letter. It just didn't work for me. I work in the healthcare industry and I get more exercise then ever. I even exercise additionally out side of work. The one two three success program just seems to work better for me. I initially lost 80 pounds on this program. I initially lost 80 pounds on this program. After I went off the program and gain back most of the weight I tried to go back into Weight Watchers but the new programs just didn't work no matter how hard I tried and how diligent I was.