Core vs. Points
 

I am just getting back to doing WW . I just for the life of me do not know which way yo go Points or Core.
I would like some suggestions from you on what plan you like.
Thank You for helping me out

What is best for one is not best for another. Which is best for you depends on your life and your lifestyle. Try Flex for 2 weeks then try core for 2 weeks and see which fits you better. Remember you can switch on a full week basis from one to the other and back again. THis isn't a 100% all or nothing pick of the program.

core rocks! youre never hungry and there are ways around certain things....

What do you mean ways around things? I am thinking of switching....I like most core foods anyway.

I did not like core. I think portion control is crucial and I don't think core really teaches that. I also think journaling is a big part of weight loss. I was lost without it. I felt deprived and on a diet on core. I don't like the FF dairy products restriction and trying to figure out what was core and what wasn't (it doesn't seem even WW has figured that out yet) was too confusing. I felt like I was eating the same foods day in and day out and I felt like I ate food just because I "could". I feel much happier, healthier and in control on the Flex plan.

In my opinion they do teach portion control.

They say eat until satisfied. Core foods are generally low in calories and take longer to digest. Keeping the dieter satisfied longer.

But then again, I don't like flex. To me it doesn't focus on healthy foods. To me, it focuses on whatever you want to eat, just counting the points, thus controlling portion but measuring. JUST MY OPINION

Keep in mind, everyone will be for or against a diet. All subject to opinion. Everyone has to try it for their self and not go by what another one thinks of a diet.

I don't consider WW a diet. I've changed the way I eat permanently.

There is no such thing as a "core" food. It isn't a different or special food. It is just food. Most of which has been a part of the way I eat long before Core, or South Beach or any of those things came along. WW promotes the 8 healthy guidelines for both programs, which includes fruits and vegetables, dairy requirements, consumption of whole grains and lean protein and drinking water. You can choose to eat healthy or unhealthy on either plan.

For me, "satisfied" was too abstract of a concept. I think there's a physical and psychological aspect to it and not having physical hunger didn't necessarily leave me "satisfied".

I'm not saying one plan is better than another. They are both good sound plans, it's just whatever one fulfills each individuals personal needs.

Well it is not the PLAN that does not focus on healthy foods it is the dieter or individual. If you read the plan it does focus on foods but it also allows the freedom to have that occasional not so healthy day.

I also agree with the previous poster that Core does not focus on portion control. Many of us are where we are because we don't know our satisifaction level and many confuse (even after reading on satisifaction levels) what ours is. I do mostly Core foods on Flex but when I tried flex (3 separate periods of 2-3 weeks at at time) I gained. I truly was not satisified because my mind knew I could have more.

Actually I am for any plan that someone will stick with and allows them to lose although I think W/W is best --- both Core and Flex depending on the individual. I know many that go back and forth depending on their life between Core and Flex with success, I know those who failed on Core, I know those who failed on Flex, I know those who succeeded on Core and I know those who succeeded on Flex.

Personally I think there should be a program that is a combo (at least for the first few weeks) of both Core and Flex. Which is basically what I have done since week 1 back with 1-2-3 Success.

However my personal view (and this is strictly opinion) Core is much more of a diet and less of a lifestyle because of the restrictions it places...unless you use your WPA for real foods (I refuse to do fat free cheeses because they are just tasteless, I don't like fat-free salad dressings <however adding one of my healthy oils to a serving makes them tolerable>, I enjoy eating real bread <not always low cal diet breads>) then they get used up fast and thus leaving me deprived of maybe a treat once in a while or a dining out experience. To me dining out on Core is much harder.

[QUOTE=Multi116]There is no such thing as a "core" food. It isn't a different or special food. It is just food. Most of which has been a part of the way I eat long before Core, or South Beach or any of those things came along.[QUOTE] This is true however what denotes it as a Core food is the fact that it is following (your next point) the 8 Great Health Guidelines and a balanced diet plan.

And this point is excellent because this is where most of the members fail. They want to enjoy all the junk that made them where they are. For me 90-95% of the time I am following but there are times when I just can't but I do my best.

This statement is excellent. However the psycological aspect can be dealt with many people don't know how.

Ditto and what I said in the first post.

I don't feel like core is restrictive at all. When I was on flex I was always stressing out about how many points I had left to eat, and what could I fit in to my menu for the day. I was ALWAYS thinking about food. With core I don't have to do that, it is so much simpler for me.
It just depends on what your problems areas are (why you are overweight to begin with) and what kinds of foods you like to eat.

I don't know if you were referring to my post. I didn't say it was restrictive but there are restrictions in what is core and what is not.

I don't see it in the least restrictive. I agree with septembergoals.


Sorry Kelly, I disagree with you there. It does teach portion control. They tell you to eat what you need, not what you want. Core foods are naturally more filling and take longer to digest. Thus, you are satisfied longer. I can honestly say one portion is enough for me. They do teach portion control at the meetings. And even in the booklets, they show what a portion should look like, this goes for both flex and core.

I did feel like core was restrictive.

For instance, at Breakfast. I like cold cereal. Not bad unhealthy ones nessessarily. On Core, I only had two real choices, shredded wheat and wheat puffs. But some days I just didn't feel like eating either of those. I wanted cheerios or kashi or wheaties. I could eat bowl after bowl puffed wheat and never really feel full or satisfied. Or I could eat shredded wheat and feel full, but yet feel unsatisfied. If I chose to eat a non core cereal I felt like I was being "bad". Even though my choice was usually a whole grain low sugar cereal, because it wasn't core, I had to use "extra" points for it (in my mind)

I also LOVE my sammiches :) I'd eat multi grain bread, or a whole grain tortilla or english muffin but would have to count the points. Or I'd have a veggie burger and have to count the bun, and then look up if the brand I had was a core brand or not. Or I'd eat an already mixed sf yogurt which wasn't core or "healthy" but if I mixed plain yogurt with jello powder, that was healthy and core. Didn't get that :)

So at the end of the day, I'd use 5 or 6 or more WPA's on what seemed like good healthy food and when it came time to have a "real" treat, there weren't many points left over for that. :(

I also was overweight because I didn't have a sense (and still don't) of full. I rarely ate because of physical hunger. Mostly boredom, wanting to chew something or some other issue. Even though my tummy was full on core, my mouth still wanted something to eat. I'd eat the whole pan of whole wheat pasta and bags of OR FF popcorn and a half dozen ears of corn on the cob and lots of bananas. I'd stop and ask myself if I was "satisfied" but the answer was almost always no :)

I think if the core plan works for you, that is great! Or if Atkins or SBD or sugarbusters works for you, that's great too. I'm just saying what worked for me and only me. YMMV.

Exactly!!! That is what I mean!

This thread is filled with good posts. We may agree or disagree with what is said, but we have all one thing in common. We want what is best for us and everyone here.

We all have different or same views on diets. It's a matter of what you like and what works for you. :D

Your opinion and my opinion differ and neither is right or wrong on this. You find it is not but yet I do....does that mean you are right and I am wrong or that I am right and you are wrong?

See I think you still misunderstand what I am saying. Many, many, many people have eaten what is considered Core foods and are still very overweight and obese. There are suggestions on what to do but this is not teaching in my personal opinion portion control. If you don't know what your satisifactions levels are you can still gain. But again neither of us is right or wrong on this point. Because I feel it doesn't teach portion control and you do doesn't mean one of us right or wrong.

There are times I am satisifed on 1 portion and times that I am not even on Flex.

BTW I eat 90-95% if the time Core type foods as my main choices or at least within the 8 Great Health Guidelines but to me Core is a restrictive diet because it does not allow me to feel satisified. This is just my opinion.

I decided to try core today to "mix things up"--junp start my weight loss and because I was messing up always thinking of points. I had a great breakfast and used 4 of my WPA. No problem. I made a core lunch. Awesome. Now that it is dinner time, I am looking at all the food I bought last week (healthy high fiber cereals, low fat-not ff cheese, roast beef, WW frozen dinners) and I am struggling to find anything to eat. Not to mention, it seems that most core foods, because they are all "whole foods" take much more prep time and planning. Maybe I am just frustrated, but I don't want to use so many WPA in one day nor do I want to spend so much time struggling over what to eat. In my opinion, and that is all it is, I might be going back to Flex before the day is over. (Unfortunately, my wonderful breakfast used up 10 points already!)