Weight Watchers Beyond the Scale Program
 

Weight Watchers new program is coming out 12/6. There is some general stuff on the Australia WW page. Also, if you change your computer date to the first weigh in date for you after 12/6 you can see info about the new program and go through the assessment and play with the calculator. Don't know how long people will be able to do it. I posted a longer thing about it on my blog, but here are the high points.

Called Beyond the Scale. 3 parts. SmartPoints (for food), FitPoints (seem to be the same as Activity Points), and feel (trying to help people be happier so they do healthier things). You go through an assessment to get your daily and weekly points.

I was at 26 daily (minimum) and everyone had 49 weekly points. Now I'm at 30 daily and 28 weekly. That is a net increase of 1 point per day when considered together.

I am not sure but I think that 30 may be the new minimum.

You are also going to get a goal for earning FitPoints each week (I don't have one so I don't think it is on the website yet).


However note that the point calculation for some foods is wildly different. A few foods went down, mostly foods that are high protein and low fat. For example, for a 180 calorie chicken breast it went from 5 PointsPlus to 3 SmartPoints. For a fish fillet (Gorton's) it went from 3 to 2.

Some foods didn't change. For example, the pistachios I eat every day are still 5 points. Some snacks I eat are the same.

I would say that most restaurant foods that aren't super high in saturated fat or sugar have gone up 1 or 2 points.

On the other hand, foods that are high in sat. fat or sugar really got hammered.

For example, nonfat chocolate frozen yogurt from Tutti Fruitti (120 calories) was 3 PointsPlus (40 calories a point). It is 6 SmartPoints (20 calories a point).

So the chicken breast that is 3 SmartPoints for 180 calories is basically 60 calories a point. But something high sugar like the frozen yogurt is 20 calories a point.

The Cinnamon Crunch Bagel from Panera was 11 PointsPlus. It is 17 SmartPoints. Not going to eat many of those.

Anyway, I really like this. They are really encouraging you not to eat high sugar food or foods with lots of saturated fat.

Koshka
 

Thanks for posting that info!!!

Very interesting, thank you! I'm not too worried about the changes, but I know a LOT of people are. Hopefully people will be able to go with the flow and adjust to the new system.

I've done some more posts about the new program. I honestly think it will be awesome. BTW, SmartPoints are going to be based upon calories, saturated fat, sugar and protein. Basically the more sat. fat and sugar the higher the points. I am really excited about trying the new program.

When I click on the link for your blog, I'm getting a database error.

Try again now. My host was having problems with MySQL and so a bunch of their websites were down. It is fixed now (really annoying to have them happening when lots of people are wanting to find out more about the program).

Thanks for posting this information, I've been dying of curiosity!
I note that my iPhone update has changed some stuff and I have been worried that my fit point exercise point I have earned may not count anymore. I wonder if have to do other forms of exercise now in order to achieve activity points?

As far as I can tell it is the same exercise. I am not sure though yet if you earn the same number of activity points (now called FitPoints).

From what I gather, though, the points values of certain foods (sugar and fat) have gone up as well. So, you need to really think about what you want and if it's worth it.

Food high in saturated fat and food high in sugar have gone up. Food higher in healthy fat is either unchanged or gone up a minor amount. A lot of foods with saturated fat have protein in them (think beef) so the protein mitigates the fat a bit. The real problem foods are those really high in sugar. A 20 ounce Coke is 22 SmartPoints. A non-fat frozen yogurt I ate last month was 3 PointsPlus and is now 6 SmartPoints.

On the other hand, chicken breast or turkey with no skin and fish is generally lower in points value. A high protein Chocolate Brownie Quest bar was 5 PointsPlus and is now 4.

I think we will find more weightloss, due to the awareness of less sugar.. the old versions of ww allowed lots of cakes and things at moderation.. but that allowed us to eat cake for breakfast lunch and dinner.. i think this new plan will help with more weightloss.. going back to weightwatchers myself.. long testimony of my struggle :jig:

We shall see. I look forward to my meeting on Friday. In the meantime, I am already watching sugar a bit more. I love candy... I have a hard time going a day without my "fix" after lunch each day.
I also am drinking my tea without sugar these last few weeks, I miss it very much. I think the sugar enhances the tea flavor so much. I have tried Stevia in the Raw (o calorie and points) sweetener and it's not too bad. I hate artificial sweeteners for the most part as they leave an aftertaste and seem to always taste terrible to me.

Very smart and know we will see better results and losses.
I was doing a low sugar high protein diet before rejoining Weight Watchers and had great results. Just got bored w limited food choices and support.
Thanks so much for this update. My weigh in date is not until Friday so guess I'll have to wait :(. (Online subscriber)

i rejoined again last night. spending today going over all the material and getting my plan together. figuring out what is replacing the higher sugar foods. this plan fits perfect into my life at this time. i am going to love the more personal meetings. less of scale numbers and loss/gain numbers. we aren't just numbers. figure we stand on a scale, yet we are afraid of what they might tell us.
have a great day ladies.

I wont begin this new plan until after my regular meeting on Friday.
Can one of you share a typical day's menu/food that is on program?
I'd like to see if I can mirror that for the next couple of days.

I am going to miss my ww ice cream treats at night on the new plan!

I rejoined last night and they set my weigh in for Friday. I poked around a couple facebook groups and someone mentioned changing the date on your phone to your weigh in day to see what your new points will be. I looked around a few minutes and liked most of the changes.

I think from what I gather that it's pushing people to choose more healthy options. You can still have whatever foods you want but you have to decide if they are worth the extra SP.

All I can say is people were up in arms about it all at my meeting today... 30 smart pts is the new minimum btw... My leader kept saying "30 is the new 26" lol... BUT A LOT of the "treats" people really like to eat every day went UP... So people weren't happy about that... for instance a low fat ice cream that I like went from 4 to 7 pts because of the sugar... But I'll deal with it.

I'm more annoyed with the app problems... I haven't been able to track with it... AND that's a BIG PROBLEM... So far they've given me a free month for the hassle.... But I'm not sure how much longer I can deal with all the "issues", I might wind up canceling and getting a full refund...

I've heard that the reason that WW is doing all of this now is so they can hopefully have the app fixed by New Years when WW's normally gets an influx of new members with their newfound determination to stick to New Years resolutions...Lol... Unfortunately, that makes us the Guinea pigs... Who are paying for the privilege... :dizzy:

I've been following SmartPoints for about a week and a half and I hit a new low weight (unofficial at home) on Tuesday. I've lost about 3 pounds since starting it which is really good for me.

Yes, some foods have gone up a lot in points. Nonfat frozen yogurt went fro 3 to 6, for example. But, I can still have some of that kind of thing, just not a lot of it. Last week I had 8 SmartPoints left after a week (I have 30 daily points, and 28 weekly). Even so, I had dark chocolate on 3 days. Yes, it was a small piece and it was 4 points instead of 3. But, really, the small piece was enough and I really didn't need to eat more.

I am being more aware of the foods that I eat.

Lots of foods haven't changed. And, many of them only change a point or so. I was gone all day today and I had Taco Bell for lunch (yes, junk food but I rarely have it and I had only 15 minutes to eat). I had a Bean Burrito which is now 11 points instead of 10. I had a chicken soft taco which was 4 points and is still 4 points.

Later I had some rotisserie chicken breast which was a point less than before. I had some full fat cheese with it that was a point more. So the meal was unchanged.

I had a Quest bar for breakfast (unchanged).

I had pistachios as a snack (unchanged).

Honestly, the hardest part for me on the plan has been getting to the minimum of 30 points on days that I don't go out to eat. I don't have trouble getting to 26 on Points Plus (I still dual tracking to see how they compare), but that usually ends up being 27 or 28 on SmartPoints.

Boy, this is interesting. I truly can't wait to get my own take on this after Friday's meeting. I'm eating all the 3 point WW triple chocolate fudge bars I have this week as my desserts as I figure that they are probably going to be something like 6 points and my most loved WW product will maybe be something I won't have due to the points.
: )
I love those darn things and I'm probably better off without them....

I wonder if there will be some new WW cookbooks with low smart point desserts of some kind?

Can someone who already has SPs tell me what the WW peanut butter ice cream bars are going to be? I need some time to process the new numbers :)

I can calculate it if you give me the calories, sat. fat, sugar and protein.

Derrydaughter - my husband told me we should get cookies last week at the grocery store since they were on sale (that is, the points would never again be so low.

What I have found is that I don't have to give up any food, but I may not eat some of them as often. My 3 point Vitatop is now 4 points. I can still have it, but probably best to eat it only a couple of times a week.

If you're talking about these, they are six points now.

wegmans.
com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=667295&storeId=10052&lang Id=-1

My favorite treat is now 8 points. I am going to need a lot of help accepting this new plan.

Food is to fuel your body. not a treat. Sugar has no nutritional value so why eat much of it?

Yep, I'm with ya!

Generally I've liked the changes. When I'm eating well, the plan is easier on the points than previous versions, it seems. When I'm not eating well, it seems harder on the points. Ack! Today is day 2.

I've seen a few complaints about "I used to be safe eating this (list) with PP but am way over on SP, what gives?" but for the most part people seem happy with SP.

It has changed the "game" hasn't it?
I examined one of my favorite side dishes last night, the ordinary baked potato. The medium size one is 5 points, I think? Or was it 4?
At any rate, butter has jumped drastically in points and I love my baked potato with butter.
I had frozen steak fries in the freezer last night and decided to check the points on those. A strange thing to examine but the points were LESS if I just ate these as they are baked vs. fried and a light coating of canola oil is on them. The interesting thing to examine about all of this is that while I have viewed these as a less "healthy" choice, were they really better all along? I can make my own oven fries as well that are much better for me than the frozen ones and I might start doing that kind of thing.
I have a real problem with substitutes that are not real butter when it comes to a baked potato. I'd rather have something else.
I'm worrying that I might run out of points by the end of the week and as today was day 1 for me on this new plan, I didn't want to take such a "hit" and have butter the first day. I'll wait to see if I have extra points for that later in the week.
Interesting that ketchup is now a point for a tablespoon. I made a concoction of 2 tsp of ketchup and 2 tsp of balsamic vinegar last night but 2 tsp of ketchup is STILL a point when I scanned it. It was tasty though and maybe I'll find sugar free ketchup at the market this week or start making my own ketchup?

I love baked potatoes with butter. I got some light land o lakes butter to try. I figured on a potato it might do fine.
I've found that most of the changes are not life altering for me. I now use half the amount of creamer in my coffee. I mix my plain oatmeal with a homemade fruit compote instead of brown sugar and peanut butter. I'm planning my meals more around protein and vegetables. I'm using cooked fruits with some whipped cream, from a can, as a dessert. How I'm eating now with the Smart Points is in line with the advice from my doctor. He wanted me to cut down on processed foods and in particular those ones with a lot of added sugar.

Lots of things have changed and I'm working on adjusting. Last night my family was kind of laughing at me (but they understand my devotion and have seen me lose my weight and appreciate what I have done). We went out to dinner and I was playing with all sorts of scenarios on my iPhone about what was a better choice for my dinner and sides.
I am gluten free as well and that makes it extra hard to find selections I can eat.
It's a challenge to figure out what is good and what is "not good". I know I can have anything I want, truly, but what is worth spending the points on? I had haddock with gluten free pasta and marinara sauce and fresh baby spinach with lemon and garlic. It was good and it was healthier than so many other things I could have had.
I chose non-fat milk over my usual fat free coffee creamer this morning, for example. 2 T of the coffee creamer I usually use comes out to a point, but they add sugar to that stuff to make it taste better, I guess. It used to be 0 points. So, I think I'm just as happy with non-fat milk. Let's face it, we live in a world of flavored this and that and some people have to have all sorts of stuff in their coffee all the time. I say those folks are probably not true coffee drinkers. They are in it for the "dessert" aspects of it I think? I might start my day with milk and then go to black coffee each day?
I have foregone my after lunch chocolate that used to be 1 point and now is probably 3 points (I chose not to check and have this) and had a piece of bubble gum instead after lunch. I like a sweet taste after my meal.
I also went with stevia instead of sugar in my afternoon tea. That was awfully hard for me as I have enjoyed my tea sweet for a long time.
I'm OK for now with these changes. They take away, a bit, from my enjoyment of the things I've been used to. But, do we live to eat or eat to live? I can live with this, at least for now.
However, I will have some Christmas treats. But, I am lecturing myself that it is not the "season" where I need to be overeating, it is the few days surrounding this occasion. People have gotten so out of control with food and holidays.
Yesterday, my husband and I chose a ramdom act of kindness. We are so fortunate and we bought a sweet Christmas card and put a 20 dollar bill in it. We wrote "You are our random act of kindness today, Merry Christmas" and chose a car in the parking lot that looked like a person who could barely afford much. It even had a spare tire mounted on the front wheel, as if the person couldn't afford to fix a flat and was driving around with it. There was an infant seat in the back as well. That person, to me, signified what my holiday should be like. Luckily, the car door was not locked and I put the card on the driver's seat and quickly ran back to my car and got in.
We looked at that car and noted all sorts of wear and tear and it was an older car. That person got a special "treat" and we didn't indulge ourselves in junk food at the mall that the $20 could have been spent on. We took the money and helped someone. We kissed and drove home with smiles and a warm feeling. I tell you, truly, that feeling will last longer than any cookie or fudge I could have tasted.
Remember that when you want to indulge!

I finally got switched over yesterday (my weigh in/meeting day). I've been under the weather so really haven't gotten to play around with the new app much. The new points program is really in line with how I've chosen to eat, so I'm not too worried about the changes. I am sad that avocado went up to 11pts for a whole...going to have to get used to just eating half or setting aside extra points for the days I want to make guacamole :)

I was thinking that drinking my coffee black might resolve a few points issues in my day, but then again I'm seemingly always shy a bit on my calcium intake. I'm going to use non-fat milk for now but the fat free 1/2 and 1/2 has more points in it due to sugar.
I grocery shop today and will be looking for non-fat and low fat dairy choices. I'm also interested in trying Almond Milk (unsweetened) in my coffee as well. I like Almond milk, but I need to check the calcium in it.
It's funny, I have been "on program" these last few days but I have felt out of control a bit, meaning that I am eating a few things I might not have had on the points plus plan.
I know sugar is now an issue and I think I am going to check points on certain sugar free products, including candy, at the market today. I don't know what I will find, but I also hope that WW has some new ice cream kind of treats available that might be lower in points. I look forward to dessert each night and I did use up some of my extra points on one of the WW triple chocolate dessert bars that I love. I think I really appreciated it more than usual as I was spending many points points on it than in the past.

good ideas!
 

Great ideas!
I might try to mix my own butter/sour cream "product" to see what I can come up with. If I were to use whipped butter (which is less points) and blend it with some FF sour cream, maybe the points value will be less and it could work with a baked potato.
Shopping today with this new program in mind will certainly be interesting!
Linda in NH

@koshka Are you still double tracking with MFP as well... I'm just curious how many calories 30 Smart Points is adding up to? For me it hasn't been anywhere near enough calories to fuel my workouts.... AND now of course all I get is the canned response to just eat more "fruits and vegetables"...That doesn't work for the amount of running and weight training I do.... AND don't get me started on how completely useless "Fit Points" are now... Well about as useful as getting a "Bravo" sticker a meeting.... I mean people are now "earning" like 40...50... EVEN a 100 a day! I mean it's really a bit ridiculous...

I hear you on the Fit Points! However, I think you should be safe eating them if you track really carefully and err on the side of less. The advice to not eat FitPoints applies to the majority of members who do little to no exercise, so not eating their FitPoints will just be a little extra deficit, not enough to affect hunger or recovery.

But for someone who is more active, and/or is extremely careful about tracking honestly, well, I'm going to eat mine for now. If my losses aren't what I think they should be, they'll be the first to go.

Linda, you truly represent what Christmas is all about. It's not about food and gifts, its about kindness and helping others who are less fortunate. I am not giving any gifts this year. Instead I donated the money to the food bank. Christmas Day I'll be serving dinner at the Salvation Army homeless center.

Susan, I commend you!

Yes I am. For me, 1 SP equals about 38 to 39 SmartPoints not including the calories I get from 0 point food. I caution you that I eat lower in sugar and not a lot of sat. fat. For last week for example, I average 26g of sugar a day, including fruit/veggies. I did eat dark chocolate a couple of times, but not much else that had more than a few grams of sugar in it.

If you aren't getting enough calories for the exercise you do, I think that is a valid reason to swap FitPoints. I would be caution eating all of them, and would probably not eat more than 1/3 to 1/2 of them. You can go into settings and choose to eat FitPoints.

I've done that. Thanks!

I am struggling as introducing this plan right before Christmas makes it more difficult to follow, but as the old saying goes. Quitters never win and winners never quit! So, there you go, and this is my new motto!
Here is a little chuckle I thought I would share:

I signed up for an exercise class and was told to wear loose fitting clothing. If I HAD any loose fitting clothing, I wouldn't need the freakin' class!

Too funny!

I do think it is hard to make such a big change in eating right before Christmas. I know some have decided to wait to the new year to tackle it and I can understand that as well.