Weight Watchers Question

chelle

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I wanna join Weight Watchers cause i put on 20 pounds since
November
And i was wondering if anyone who's
a member there can tell me how the point system work
Any info would be much appreciated
 

raggiekitty

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I did WW online a few years ago and did well on it (gained it back though...but ya know...). They have changed the program since then,but you can read their message boards and learn quite a bit from the members there.
 

kluchetta

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The points system is a way to assign values to food using calories, fat, and fiber. At the beginning you are assigned the amount of points you can consume in a day. They make it pretty easy because there are a lot of labeling systems (like on Lean Cuisine) that tell you on the boxes themselves. Also, when you join WW you can use their online tools (in some cases for a price) and input foods and your own recipes to see how many points in each serving. There's also a website that has points for restaurants as well.

I'm starting on January 8. Maybe we should do a Cat Site WW group.
 

swampwitch

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The best way to lose weight and get healthy is to go back to the basics. Stop eating refined and artifical foods. Say no to breads and anything containing artificial sugars, flavors, or colors. Start refusing anything containing refined sugar which is hidden in almost all convenience and packaged foods and goes by many names.* Give up cheese and get ready to start preparing the foods you eat.

Treat food as fuel for your body

Eat only vegetables, fruits, eggs, meats, nuts, seeds, and whole grains like oats and brown rice. Have nonfat milk and nonfat cottage cheese if you want, and nonfat yogurt (unsweetened of course, you've got the idea). If eating this way - if you can't wash it or rinse it, you rethink if you should eat it.


You will lose weight, feel great, get sick less often, have great CBCs, etc.

*sugar, corn syrup, molasses, sucrose, maltose or malt sugar, glucose, dextrose, maltodextrin, brown sugar, turbinado sugar, crystalline fructose, high-fructose corn syrup... they add up.
 

butzie

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Okay, I can claim to be the WW expert on this thread because I have been on WW since I was 15 and I am way older than that now. Back then, I lost 51 lbs. in 52 weeks. I had to eat liver 1x per week back then. Yuck!

WW has 2 programs now, core and flex. Core is that you eat healthy, natural foods and you can eat until you are full. Flex is the points program where you count your daily points. Kluchetta described the point system very well. If you go to the website, WW tells you the difference.

I could never use the core plan because I don't think I would know when I am full. Flex works fine for me.

Besides the WW cookbooks (good recipes), Cooking Light Magazine is a great source of recipes because they list all of the things that you need to calculate points. For core, I recommend starting with Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson. I reviewed this cookbook for our newspaper. It really tells you how to change the way you eat. By the way, turbinado sugar is just fine.

20 lbs. is not a lot to lose. My suggestions are to set reasonable goals in increments. Say to yourself that you want to lose 5 lbs. this month, which is a reasonable amount. Then lose the rest in the same increments.

If you eat too much 1 day, don't get discouraged. Go back to the plan the next day.

For me, the on-line program works (I am a life-time member) but I strongly suggest that you go to the meetings. You will get valuable support and a number of tips.

All that being said, you can PM anytime.

Rosemary
 

katachtig

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The points plan is a way to do calorie counting. It encourages high-fiber, low fat food.

The core plan is similar to what SwampWitch is describing where you don't count calories. Instead you stick to whole natural foods and not processed. The key to the core plan is eating as much as you want but identifying the idea of feeling full.
 

twstychik

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Originally Posted by kluchetta

I'm starting on January 8. Maybe we should do a Cat Site WW group.
There's actually a free 1 week trial for WW online right now. I'm signing up right now! I'd love to have a group/thread here for support. There was a general weight loss support thread (I think catsarebetter started it) but I haven't seen it active in awhile.

Originally Posted by SwampWitch

The best way to lose weight and get healthy is to go back to the basics. Stop eating refined and artifical foods. Say no to breads and anything containing artificial sugars, flavors, or colors. Start refusing anything containing refined sugar which is hidden in almost all convenience and packaged foods and goes by many names.* Give up cheese and get ready to start preparing the foods you eat.

Treat food as fuel for your body

Eat only vegetables, fruits, eggs, meats, nuts, seeds, and whole grains like oats and brown rice. Have nonfat milk and nonfat cottage cheese if you want, and nonfat yogurt (unsweetened of course, you've got the idea). If eating this way - if you can't wash it or rinse it, you rethink if you should eat it.


You will lose weight, feel great, get sick less often, have great CBCs, etc.

*sugar, corn syrup, molasses, sucrose, maltose or malt sugar, glucose, dextrose, maltodextrin, brown sugar, turbinado sugar, crystalline fructose, high-fructose corn syrup... they add up.
This is part of what WW teaches you to do. You can still splurge on cravings but it's a great tool for learning portion control and healthy eating as good foods are lower in points than bad foods. I know I could never cut out carbs or chocolate/sugar completely so WW is a way for me to learn control.

Originally Posted by butzie

Okay, I can claim to be the WW expert on this thread because I have been on WW since I was 15 and I am way older than that now. Back then, I lost 51 lbs. in 52 weeks. I had to eat liver 1x per week back then. Yuck!

For me, the on-line program works (I am a life-time member) but I strongly suggest that you go to the meetings. You will get valuable support and a number of tips.

All that being said, you can PM anytime.

Rosemary
Rosemary... you look fantastic for it too! (saw your NYE pics) I happen to like liver myself... but it's very high fat and I only have it as a "treat" every once in awhile. I'm very excited about starting again... I've never actually joined in the past.
 

greenvillegal

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I am on WW and love it! I just do the online thing too because I don't have time to go to meetings weekly, but there are great support groups there (I am on a message board for SC residents, for example) and it's SO easy to follow! The only plan where I have actually seen results!
 

u8myufo

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There is only one way to lose weight. I agree with Swampwitch to a certain degree, but may I point out that natural sugars, salt, and fat are three things our body needs in moderation, always has done and always will do. Have you ever noticed when putting salt on some foods that you tend to put more on some days than others? and sometimes you dont even bother, that is a natural thing, your body automaticaly asses how much salt you need to replace lost salt. As for losing weight, a sensible diet and excersise.
 

butzie

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The other thing I forgot to mention is to exercise, too. In moderation. Actually gives you good vibes and you are not eating. WW has a plan to calculate the trade off between how much exercise and how many points.
 

u8myufo

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I worked in a warehouse a few years ago, we picked orders for CD`s and DVD`s. A rought estimate the floor was about twice the size of an english football field. You could actually watch the weight fall off of the new people after about four or five weeks. Now I dont work there I have put on a few pounds
 

theimp98

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Originally Posted by u8myufo

There is only one way to lose weight. I agree with Swampwitch to a certain degree, but may I point out that natural sugars, salt, and fat are three things our body needs in moderation, always has done and always will do. Have you ever noticed when putting salt on some foods that you tend to put more on some days than others? and sometimes you dont even bother, that is a natural thing, your body automaticaly asses how much salt you need to replace lost salt. As for losing weight, a sensible diet and excersise.
lol very true, normaly i dont eat much salt at all. but sometimes i get that feeling for chips for french fires, then i just load up the salt.

i am one of those cursed people i see food, i gain weight.
the only way i can keep weight off is, one semi normal meal, a weight watches dinner, and maybe a salad during the day, with swimming 4 or more times a week.

for the last couple of years my normal cal intake as been 800-1200 at day. if i eat more then that , i start putting on weight. /cry and i love food.

they have tested me several times, i am just on the low end.
 
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chelle

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Thanks for the info...Because we have Blue Cross/Blue Shield
insurance,i get 2 vouchers worth $109.00 !!
Our insurance is working with Weight Watchers to insure
the health of its members..pretty good deal huh?

I'm joining tomorrow...I'm so excited!
I'm still drinking my Green Tea but not as much as
i used to,gotta start drinking more.My Doctor told
me that drinking 3 cups a day can burn off 90 calories.


Yes i think a WW support group would be great!!!!!
How about using this thread? we can all use the
support of others who are going through the same thing
 

jellybella

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The thing about WW is you have to "work the program for the program to work", meaning you really have to follow the letter of the law. Write everything down (and watch for those liquid calories too!), get some exercise and be mindful of not just the quanitity, but also the quality of what you eat.

If you only have 20 lbs to lose, you may find that the WW flexplan doesn't give you a lot of food and you will be hungry. I've never done the core plan, personally I need to have some limits set for me.

With the flex points you get to eat more of the healthier foods (they have a lower points value) so if you're like me and you want to eat frequently, you quickly learn that you can have a boatload of veggies for the same points as one candy bar or snackfood.

The best thing that WW did for me was to make me really look at what I was eating and how much. I lost more than 60 lbs, but I got sloppy and put a few back on, so now I'm back on the WW wagon again.


I also can't stress the role of exercise enough. You can lose the pounds, but for both reasons of aesthetics and health, I don't think you can understate the benefits of getting in some exercise. I took up weight training and it helped me firm up and feel strong --I actually wore smaller clothes than others who weighed the same and didn't exercise.
 
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chelle

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I join today and im starting my points tomorrow.
I'm really excited about it...I even made a friend today
at the meeting.
This is going to be a lifestyle change not just to lose weight.
 

kluchetta

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Originally Posted by chelle

I join today and im starting my points tomorrow.
I'm really excited about it...I even made a friend today
at the meeting.
This is going to be a lifestyle change not just to lose weight.
Cool! So, how many points do you get? What are you gonna eat? LOL
 

theimp98

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it really is about a lifestyle change.
i will admit there are times i really feel like banging my head against a wall when all i really want is really tall glass of ice cold milk
 
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chelle

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I'm allowed 20 points..I already have my shopping
list ready...I couldn't believe the variety of food you
can eat!! I love it!!
 

twstychik

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Well, after a few days of having access to WW online I think I'm going to cancel at the end of my week trial. I'm finding I have to look up a lot of foods at sites other than WW and it's almost too much work. Instead I'm borrowing their formating and tracking my points myself. I have some books, a calculator, and a Dell PDA that I can write an excell sheet for to track my points. I'm also going to pick up a little notebook to keep a food journal in. This way, if I don't know the pts. value of something I can write it down and find it later. Now I just have to figure out how they do their activity points.
 
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