Can you all tell me a bit more about Weight Watchers? Are you going to meetings or doing it online? What materials do you get starting out, and how are they updated as you advance? What was the biggest challenge to changing your lifestyle? Is it a good value? I hear lots of great things, but what are the not so great things? Have any of you tried to acclimate a family/spouse into the plan and, if so, how did it work? Are there any questions about it no one ever asks but you wish they would (or that you wish you would have asked before starting?)
Do you have any comments, suggestions... anything? I've been trying to exercise but am finding 'eating right' difficult. Part of it is the current life insanity, but most of it is just me, ya know?
7 comments:
Sure. I can share my experience. I'm doing it completely on line. My sister-in-law and her mother are going to meetings (I think). I think it's a matter of what you're most comfortable with or what you think will help you the most.
I joined back around 2003 for a little less than a year, and I did it online then, too. I had to travel a lot for work, and my hours were long, so it worked better for me. Problem is, I didn't work it -- sure I tracked points, but I ate too much (kind of the position I'm finding myself struggling with right now). When I left the program, my username and password remained active, and I could access the free parts of the website if I wanted to (I didn't until I decided to look into going back to the program earlier this year).
I can't speak for the meetings version of the program. I've never been to one, so I have no idea how that works.
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When you start on line, the website will walk you through the first 12 weeks of the program -- you'll get the basics the first week, and it will build from there. If you haven't already, check out weightwatchers.com Usually, signing up will waive the joining fee and you'll pay something like $48 for the first three months of the program. After that, it will bill you $17.95 a month unless you either cancel or change your billing to a three month plan. (I'm really glad you asked this question today, because when I went to check, I learned I was due to be switched to monthly billing automatically, because my three month plan was expiring today! Three months at a crack saves almost $2 a month over the monthly rate, so now I need to remember to check in and update that before the three months is up.) If you stick with the three month plan, cost is $16 a month, billed once every three months ($48). If you need to spread the payment out to monthly, it's $17.95 a month. Only you can determine if that's a good value for you. If you're sticking with the program, learning from it, and finding personal value in it, it's worth it. If you're not doing it, it's not worth it.
When I quit the program back in 2004, it was easy to do online, and it looks like it's still easy to do. Coming back was just as easy.
I digress a bit. If you've never done points before, it can be a little daunting, and it will seem like you're always checking points and always thinking about how to calculate your points. Believe me, after a month or so, it will get easier. You'll learn approximate points for the foods you like, and you'll learn what foods you can swap to that give you more flavor and energy for fewer points so you can continue to satisfy yourself. Familiarize yourself with the "free foods" list -- most fresh fruit and nearly all vegetables (not corn, peas, yams, or potatoes -- starchy veggies aren't free) are free. You can eat as many as you like. I find small gala apples and strawberries delicious. Bananas are also free and can be very satisfying.
The not so great things? As your weight comes down, your daily points allowance decreases. Fortunately, as you get started, it tends to work fine, but at some point, you're going to feel cramped, and that's not so fun. I'm there right now. It's not a problem with the program. It's me.
The good thing? Nothing is off limits. You can eat ANY food. Some foods come at a higher points cost than others, and that limits your options. This newer version of program with fruits and most veggies free is a good thing. Even if you're out of points for the day, there is always something you can eat -- if you keep it available. You do need to choose to eat it.
For instance, tonight, after 8, I wanted to wolf down some almonds. I've way over on points for today. That wouldn't have been smart. I should have chosen a couple of apples. Instead, I pulled out a couple of cups of applesauce. I'm satisfied with that, but it still cost me 2 points per cup. Not as desirable, but a far wiser choice than 10 points for 2 ounces of almonds -- especially since almonds don't agree with me in the evening.
Acclimating a spouse? Never gonna happen in my household. He's not interested. "Do what you have to do but don't bother me with it." You've mentioned Bill is pretty willing to eat most of what you give him. This may work fairly well, because you'll be trying recipes and maybe modifying some old favorites to make them more points friendly. There are a lot of great recipes on the WW website. People also comment on how they sometimes modify them for their families, so with some experimentation, you'll probably be able to find a stable of recipes that work for your budget and taste buds across the family.
There is a huge community and discussion group on line. I haven't found anyone I particularly resonate with at the site. That may be me, but please give it a look if you decide to join. There are a lot of groups and people available, and you may click with some of them. Or, we can continue to be our own support group.
As for exercise, you get activity points for doing stuff -- even housework or yard work. They won't start talking about that until the second week on the site. They want you to get acquainted with the plan for the first week, and the materials are designed to be encouraging and supportive.
Oh! If you decide to sign up, do the measurements the first week (I don't do dress size, because I have no idea what that is, but I do all the others). I skipped doing them until the third or fourth week, so I don't have the true picture of where I started inches wise, and there are some weeks where those measurements are the only progress you see.
I'll add more as I think of it.
Thanks, Jean!!
Did I mention it can seem overwhelming for the first couple weeks? If you're struggling with something, just ask.
If you have meetings near you, you can attend one free of charge to see what it's like -- click the link on the info page to find out about a free meeting. If it looks interesting, give it a try. Meeting leaders have ALL used the program to get where they are, so they know what it's like.
See? This is what I get for going off-line for the evening! I love the WW online. I don't know that I can add much to what Jean said, although I can tell you that once Eric saw the progress I was making, he joined too. His progress is slower than he would like as far as pounds, but he's lost a lot of his belly. He can button the jacket that goes with his kilt now, and when he bought it a few months ago, he had a good 3 or 4 inches between the button and the hole.
When I was doing it solo here, it really didn't affect my family a whole lot. I modified some recipes and added some new ones, but for the most part I just didn't eat some of what I cooked (pasta, rice, etc).
As far as activity, if you don't have a pedometer, get one. I don't wear mine every day, but if I know I'm going to be walking a lot I put it on and log my steps. Conversely, if I'm having a day when I can't seem to get off the couch, I put it on for motivation.
If you decide to go for it, let us know. Eric and I hit a wall at about the same point (about a month in), but because I'd been on the program longer, I recognized it and knew what to do to help him. We'll help you, too.
Weight loss should be easy. We dunno how we'll afford groceries with the paycut. Really need this house to sell!
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