Hello all! I signed up on this forum a month ago, and have not been back until today. So there you have an idea of how my attempt to lose weight myself is going! I have decided that I need a program in which I am accountable, and a friend suggested WW. I like the idea of the meetings and the support, but the only thing I know about WW is that they have a "points" plan. Can someone please tell me a little more? One thing that is REALLY important to me is that I am able to lose at least three pounds a week. Does WW put you on a plan that limits you to 1-2 pounds a week, or do you lose according how hard you work at it? What about the costs? I know that it is $20 to sign up, and $12 a week thereafter, but are there other costs? What has been your experience? Thanks so much for your time!

Weight Watchers is basically counting calories with much simpler addition.

Instead of counting calories WW has come up with a formula that takes fat and fiber into account. In essence, encouraging you to eat more nutritionally rich foods.

A rough approximation is 1 point = 50 calories, so if you get 26 points per day that is a 1300 calorie a day diet. Except that you don't count any of the calories in "0 point foods" like most vegetables, so assuming you eat lots of veggies while dieting, you are looking at about 1500-1600 calories a day for a 200 lb person.

In addition to your points per day, you get 35 "extra" points or approximately 1750 "extra" calories per week. This allows you to eat extra on the days you are hungrier or go all out occasionally if you are hanging at the pizza joint with your buddies without feeling like you have blown your diet.

For me, WW has a few advantages over simply counting calories on my own.

1) WW has simplified counting points to where it is almost a no brainer. There are books where you can look up the points, little slide-rules that allow you to look up points based on the nutrition label, and websites like 3FC that have a Point Counter that does it for you. Also, since most of us eat the same foods, after you do it for awhile, counting points is easy. I rarely need to look up how many points are in the foods I eat. I know an apple is (1), a bowl of oatmeal is (2) and 3 oz of grilled lean meat is (3).

2) Having someone weigh me each week and write it down in a book holds me accountable. Knowing Monday is weigh in makes me more likely to exercise over the weekend and more likely to eat better over the weekend.

3) Sitting in a meeting with a group of women with the same struggles and issues and discussing sound stratagies for weight loss and healthy living helps me jump start my week. With a weekly weigh in and meeting I don't have a lot of fudge room to go "off the diet". Plus, getting lots of good tips for weight loss, cooking, eating, exercising, ect... helps put me in the frame of mind to stick to the diet.

4) They give out little stickers and everyone claps if you lose weight or exercise. It may be cheesy, but the stickers and clapping really help.

5) I get to leave the house, no kids, buy a latte, and spend an hour and 1/2 with other girlfriends. It is like a mini vacation from life (or at least being a mom) each week.

They don't limit your weight loss per week, although they strongly discourage eating less than you are supposed to and losing too rapidly.

Unless you buy lots of their food products/cookbooks/ect... there are not any extra costs. I bought a $9 book that has points for a lot more foods than the one they give you for free, but I rarely use it. I mostly look up the points on 3FC or use the little slide rule.

A nice description of WW plans can be found here http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55346

Actually the breakdown on calories for each of the points is (this was put out by W/W):

20 = 1150
21 = 1200
22 = 1250
23 = 1300
24 = 1350
25 = 1400
26 = 1450
27 = 1500
28 = 1550
29 = 1600
30 = 1650
31 = 1700
32 = 1750
33 = 1800
34 = 1850
35 = 1900

But remember this can be up or down based on fat and fiber and DOES NOT include the 200-250 calories a day that W/W built into the program for free veggies.


But it can vary widely depending on the fat and fiber content of the food.

The only other thing I would add to a great post is:

W/W also has a non counting points program called Core. But you really need to learn to listen to your body because you only eat until SATISIFIED which many times is not even FULL! You eat from a list of 'CORE' foods and get some 'flex' points to eat from the nonCore food list.

You might have a week where you lose nothing, and another where you'll drop three or four at a time. In the beginning if you have a lot to lose, you could drop five or more pounds a week. Then that might taper off to a pound or less a week. The important thing is that you learn to eat a healthy diet and live a healthy lifestyle. Then the weight will take care of itself.

Also, if you lose a large amount of weight (can't remember what she said the percentage was) more than 2 weeks in a row, then the leader will forbid you from continuing without a doctor's note saying that it is medically acceptable for you to have that much weight loss per week.

There was a man last nite at my meeting that had lost 7.8 lbs. in one week, and she told him that if he did the same the next week, that she would need a doctor's excuse, but I can't remember how she worked it out...

My leader explained that losing fast is not a good idea, because it tends to be muscle and water weight - not the fat, and will make it more likely that you will put it back on as time goes on.

If your doctor is okay with it, they will let you do it, but they don't like it...

Thank you so much for all the helpful replies! I know, I know--I shouldn't be so impatient and that losing slower is better. But, I'm afraid that if I don't see progress quickly, Ill get frustrated. (I might want to work on an attitude adjustment, right? ) Anyway, I have prety much decided to join. When I go to my first meeting, will I get the information I need to follow my selected plan? I am leaning towards the points plan--does WW provide the materials needed to follow it? What do you get and is it easy to get started? I am getting excited about this--what a great feeling!

Yes WW provides you the materials you need to follow the pts. plan. If you attend meetings I believe that they give you a slider (I do WW online so I'm not positive). I lost 4 pounds in my first week but since do not lose more than 2 which I expected anyway since as others have said they encourage only 1-2 pounds per week to help you not only lose but maintain. Good luck with your decision of what you wish to do!

I get frustrated with wanting to lose faster. And actually I am losing fairly quickly at a 2.41 lbs per week average.

My mind thinks - well I am being good now, I should be thin.

When I should be thinking. Since this is not just to lose weight, but for the rest of my life, then how much I weigh or how fast I lose is not at issue. Learning healthy eating for life is the goal.

best move was joining wwers. I'm still eating the foods I always have just in small portions.

I joined WW and lost 32 lbs. The points system is very easy to follow and you can eat your own foods. The average cost, if you don't purchase several weeks at a time, is $12 and you can usually get the registration fee of $28 waived during the special registration period.

I feel the WW program is worth the cost and much more.

Wishing You The Best
Denise