Weight watchers, Dukan, atkins, biggest loser club... Your experiences

[Life is Good]

I have done WW and it is great as a guide to portion size and lifestyle eating. I lost a bit whilst doing online WW after the birth of DS. I still found that I would get so hungry and have really bad cravings in the afternoon. This would make me moody etc. when dealing with a feral kid at the same time - not good! That was my experience and I am sure that it works differently for different people. I do believe in WW principles and if it works for you then that is great

I managed to lose heaps more weight seeing a dietitian privately (yes it costs more, but it is great getting a tailored plan to suit your needs). She put me on a low carb, low fat diet and the weight just fell off (well, until I fell pregnant again!!). What worked for me was the way it helped stabilise my blood sugar levels and resultant cravings but cutting out carbs. I didn't have cravings and I certainly didn't have the afternoon exhaustion that I have had on other diets. Weighing in once a month was enough for me to remain accountable. DH went on it with me and he lost heaps without even visiting the dietitian! I will definitely be going back on the same diet she put me on after this bub is born.

[mellybelly81]

Have to agree with Astrid, CSIRO was good for me too. I found it easy to follow. My only problem was when I started living with (now) DH and since he's a bit picky it became more difficult, but if you have a family open to eating most foods (or aren't as lazy as me in making a few adjustments for yourself) then its good. (And I like my meat so the higher protein worked well for me!)

[buliej]

WW really does work - but you have to be "good" about weighing and measuring and then calculating the points. However, if you are like me, and tend to repeat what you eat often, then it's really only a hassle the first couple of weeks - after that, you can just weigh out the portions and take the points from a prior day's list. Also, the weigh-ins do keep you honest - where I go you need to be scheduled (no meetings) and I try to schedule them on a Monday so that I behave over the weekend. WW is a great program because it really forces you to learn what is good for you and filling vs wasted food (lots of points and not filling) - it also teaches you a great deal about portion size which for me is the main thing that needs to be reinforced over & over. I'm doing it now to lose my post-baby weight plus the weight I gained during the 2 years I did ivf cycle after ivf cycle and like others have said, my only complaint is that it is fairly expensive. I did it 6 years ago in the US and reached my lowest weight in 15 years on it - I was thrilled - but I don't remember it costing as much as it does here.

I've also tried Body Trim - my suggestion is that if you pick this method, look on ebay rather than paying full price for the dvd's etc. It does work, but it doesn't really teach you how to eat when you go off the program - in fact, you are never suppose to go off the program. I guess the same is true for WW but the program isn't restrictive so you really do learn.

I personally think Atkins is gross - it doesn't really teach you much about healthy eating and the side effects (from what I've heard) are nasty - bad breath, gas, etc. You would be much better off doing South Beach or CSIRO as I understand both focus on healthy protein, low GI carbs and good fats. Dukan sounds similar to these from what I've read but I don't know it first hand nor do I know anyone who has tried it.

The Michelle Bridges program intrigues me - it sounds great - the shopping list etc. would work for me but I'm going to stick with WW for now.

OH - and I thought of going to a private nutritionist as well but when I really thought about it, a program like WW really teaches you the same thing, it's just not customized to the same level as with a private nutritionist.

[Astrid]

I personally think Atkins is gross - it doesn't really teach you much about healthy eating and the side effects (from what I've heard) are nasty - bad breath, gas, etc. You would be much better off doing South Beach or CSIRO as I understand both focus on healthy protein, low GI carbs and good fats. Dukan sounds similar to these from what I've read but I don't know it first hand nor do I know anyone who has tried it.

If followed properly it is really very much like South Beach and CSIRO. Most people think they stay on the first 2 weeks the whole time and it does not work that way. Basically you end up swapping bread for salad and pasta for veg. Just like any other way of eating you can twist it to be unhealthy. I am sure there are those on WW and similar diets who rely a lot on the prepackaged food, rather than cooking fresh.

[lilmisspositive]

Oh my goodness. You guys rock. Thanks so much for all your info. I am now really swaying towards ww as there is a meeting down the road and I can walk there. I did go last week but got kicked out as ds is 4 weeks and no clue I had to wait till he was 6 weeks. How embarrassing! I am a new stay at home mom. Never done this before and really love hanging at home so maybe ww is a great idea as I have to get out of the house.

I tried the 12wbt with Michelle but did not enjoy it. I was in the first group though and a great deal needed sorting out because it was new. Myself and a few others got our money back.
My girlfriend finished up in Jan I think and she did really well. : )

I think I am now at a point where I need to have someone in person, I think. So in two weeks.... I am off to my first meeting. Thank you ladies and wish me luck!
By the way, do you suggest for those that are on it, should I buy the books from the meeting or on Ebay? I am looking for the pro points pack. *The newest one, I believe.

Thanks again ladies! xx