Printable View
Hi all,
Since we've moved I'm thinking of starting up on Weight Watchers instead of finding a new dietician (for weight loss purposes). Just wondering what your experiences with WW were like.
Was it useful? Did you lose much weight? Did you keep it off? Were the meetings helpful? What did it do for your motivation levels over a longer period of time. Any other comments (or warnings hehe)?
Weight Watchers is fantastic. I am on it. I have been on it for many years on and off but recently joined online. I think they have a special going at the moment if you join online. I can eat WHATEVER I want within reason. There are no restrictions. I have lost 4kgs in 4 weeks and have 7kgs to go!
I like online because I just set up my laptop on the table each day and record what I eat as I go. I don't find it time consuming at all. I can save up points every day to use on something special at the end of the week.
It is excellent and not a diet, it is virtually healthy eating. I find that because it is not a diet, it is a complete lifestyle change, it is not like I have food delivered and then when I have lost the weight, I don't know what to make for myself and quite easily would no doubt put it back on. It may work for some but definately not for me, I like to cook my own foods and know that everything I eat is healthy.
Good luck, if you need any help, PM me, I love WW!!!
So what do you actually "get" as an online member?
The website isn't really too clear on what you're paying for, kwim? As far as I can tell it costs more to go to meetings, but if you choose that model you also get all the info online as well? Is that right?
yes you have support online, it is excellent, you have a points tracker, weight tracker etc. they have forums also where you can talk to other people. they have a load of recipes. it is definately more expensive to go to meetings however in saying that, some people need that motivation to weigh in every week at a meeting place and have support face to face. i have been to meetings years ago and i must say, they are excellent. but online suits me better as i have a little one and very motivated this time to do it myself.
I did it for 2-3 months until I found out I was pg with this bub and found it really good.
I did the unlimited membership which I think is around $50 a month, includes all online access and unlimited meetings - I find I do a lot better if I go to meetings than just online.
I will be joining back up once I have my 6 week check after bub is born as they have a b/f points plan that I can do, and Im hoping to convince DH to join up as well.
QB - thanks very much, you're very helpful!
Just another Q - did you lose weight every time you were active in the program? Was it just as good every time?
ETA - Rayray, did you go to weekly meetings? What was the best thing about them?
Marydean, I always lost weight on the program, it is excellent.
I joined end of December for $89.95 for 3 months! They had a special going save $24.95 (one month's worth) - hopefully they still have the special going!
Good luck and any questions, feel free to ask :dance:
yep I went to weekly meetings. For me its more about having to face up to the scales every week (and knowing they are calibrated and not wrong like ours). A lot can depend on the leader - we went through 2 and the second one was a lot better than the first one, first would just read from paper through the outline, the second one was a lot more personal and interested. Its good to see people in the same position as you who are all going through the same thing.
Rayray, that's the same reason I want to go to meetings! Having a person to face when you step on the scales means you can't really make any excuses LOL.
I must admit, I've been a bit anti-WW all these years after a colleague was doing it at work. She would eat these tiiiiiiny quantities of food, it just didn't seem normal. Who eats only half the tub of yoghurt or half an egg, for crying out loud?! Plus she didn't actually need to lose any weight at all in the first instance, to look at her. Since then, I've been eating some of the WW brand food to keep my gallstones under control, most of it is actually quite good and substantially lower in fat than comparable brands, kwim? Made me think twice about the whole WW experience.
Hi i have just joined, i joined and am doing unlimited so i can go to as many meetings as i like in a week and i also have etools which is the online stuff ( communitites, recipes,trackers etc)
I have done weight watchers before and lost 30kgs , hmm then i feel into bad habits, just as i got back into shape i fell pregnant so here i am again. I am doing the breastfeeding program so slow and steady is the aim that way im hoping to avoid upsetting my milk.
Can you set your own pace for weight loss? Ie if you only wanted to lose 1 kg a month would that be ok or do they try to get you losing more than that?
Tan was it harder losing weight - I see in your ticker you have insulin resistance iss-ewes?
Hi Marydean.
Yes you set your own pace , there is no set amount that you have to loose, you do it your way. i am setting myself 500grams a week. sometimes i will loose more and sometimes it may be less but it doesnt matter either way.
Losing weight is hard work for me no matter what i do. I figure that i better do it now as i know it will only get harder for me as i get older.
I dont want to get diabetes and i am in the high ratio of getting it, i have family history, PCOS and i am insulin resistant and overweight. So i am doing it
to avoid this.
I have been to WW a couple of time and my mum has been numerous times. It may work for some people but not for me because it is unsustainable for me. I am having more success now by myself just increasing my exercise and cutting out some of my really bad habits but not going too far with cutting back food. I think it is easy to lose weight quickly for the first month and then to put it back on because the food is cut down so much so quickly. If I did it again I would give myself more points then they give with a view to possibly to cutting down later when my body has adjusted.
Hope I have given a slightly different viewpoint.
It was great whilst I was on it, but my body would store as soon as I stopped, and both times I did it I gained more weight afterwards and not from doing anything badly. I know now its not right for my body as I have metabolic issues but I do know it works for some people. I think the most important thing is not every diet works for everyone, and if it works for you great, if it doesn't try something else ;)
Thanks Krysalyss, what you're saying is they just didn't allow enough food! That's something I learnt from the dietician, you can't just say x calories = a weight loss. Other factors such as activity, height, starting weight - all mean that you may need to eat more than someone else attempting to lose weight. At the end of the day, it's got to be able to fit in with the rest of your lifestyle or it's not worth it.
i've done the online version twice - once with success and once without!
the first time i lost a bit of weight and was going well but then i moved back to australia from the uk & at that time they didn't have the online version here (i don't think).
last year i decided to give it another go because i knew i'd done alright the time before. unfortunately this time it just didn't work for me. maybe it would have been better if i'd gone to meetings - i know of a few people that have had success this way.
as you say, it needs to fit with your lifestyle & be something that works for you. while boundaries are sometimes a good thing, as soon as i feel like i'm being restricted, i want to rebel :lol: i'm better setting myself targets - i.e. to eat x amount of protein, x amount of fibre etc because that motivates me & i end up eating more healthy food by default!
Hi mary dean ww worked for me I was overweight as a teenager and joined ww and got down to a healthy weight and maintained that for 5 years until I fell pregnant with dd1. I then rejoined ww online after I couldnt lose the baby weight on my own, it worked for me again but then I fell pregnant with dd2 and have once again joined ww to lose the baby weight. I am breastfeeding and find I am not hungry on the plan and have lost 3.5kg in a month (they reccomend around 500g a week loss if you are bf to maintain supply)
I find I didnt put weight on once I stopped tracking my points (similar to calorie counting) if I just tried to eat healthy and doing ww helps you get into good habits. Like queen bee with little ones I find online useful because all the food info is at your fingertips and you don't have to worry about finding babysitters to go to meetings but each to their own
wether you join ww or not good luck with your weight loss
I lost 15kg on weight watchers in 14 weeks. I found it really helpful in losing weight.
As a way of life though, i don't follow it any more. I find that calorie king is much better and means that I eat healthier. Counting points for me became tedious and annoying and not something I think can be done for life.
Healthy diet and exercise works every time!
Good luck!
Every time I"ve done it I've lost weight and kept it off. The first time I joined I was 19 and lost 20kg. I never, ever put all of that weight back on, perhaps 3-5 kilos at times, but I always lost it again.
I've had lots of friends do it too, and every one of them has been successful.
I definitely agree that going to the meetings gives you a sense of accountability and I've always been more successful attending meetings.
I found that even after I stopped counting points, I still didn't put on weight. It teaches you to make the right choices and after a while, you just know the points of most foods.
Fantastic.. cant say enough.. lost 4.3 kg in just over 29 days! soooo easy
Yes! I agree, I know many foods points already and those times where I haven't been on it, I just KNOW what is good and bad. So....it is really a lifestyle choice, definately not a diet :dance::
hi there , i just joined WW last week and this is day 6 for me , i dont know how , if any much weight ive lost , but boy has it opend my eyes to what i eat ..
I am BF and have 28 points a day , i find it hard to eat all that but i make sure i do ! there are sooo many 0 or 1/2 or 1 point foods that i eat when im hungry !!
and i am actually HUNGRY !! my body is finally eating ! i just ate small bits of junk here and there and then would pig out on other days .. i feel better eating more and often !! i feel pretty good !!
I love it.. so simple and easy to stick to!!
Hey Charmalea, good to hear! I'm thinking of joining - plan to call them up tomorrow... so you've given me extra motivation! Thanks :):
I officially started 4 wks ago, and have lost 2.5kg (in that 4wks). The two weeks and a bit weeks before (so, since New Years) I lost another 2 kgs, just following my mil's old books. Some of the points values have changed, but not by much. Last year, following the same old books, I lost 8kg.
I found now when I look at food, I know exactly how many points are in something and I know I shouldn't eat it.
I like too, that I know the scales at WW meetings are more acurate than mine. Mine are just stupid. The second week at WW, my scales told me I lost 500g. I lost 1.6kg.
My meetings are in the mornings, and I take ds with me (however, I don't get to sit down for long, coz it's in a leagues club and he just runs off anywhere). But it's good to see others that have lost already. The WW Leader has been there done that and lost a lot of weight and is there to motivate.
Good luck!
I was a member before I fell pg - went to meetings and really loved it. I didn't have a whole lot to lose and had most 5kg before I had to stop.
I love the little WW calculator which uses nutrition info off the packet to give a points allowance - I still use it every time I shop to "compare" foods - it can be really eye opening!
Unlike some others - I never felt like it cut down my food intake - I had 19-21pts and found I had plenty of options - esp since most veges were point free foods and it was easy to add lots of these and never be hungry. Yes I ate less bread/potato etc but it still featured in my daily intake most days - just not usually at night. I usually had room/points for a treat each day (eg mini paddle pop or glass of pink jewel champers - low cal) and if I exercised - would actually struggle to eat those points and save a lot. I also used "The Symply Too Good to Be True" cookbooks by Annette Sym (ex WW member) as they had lots of "normal" foods with ways to make them low points - her meatloaf is DIVINE!!!
I actually miss going to the meetings - I also enjoyed the social aspect - I am looking forward to going back when bubba is 6 weeks to lose the rest!
In short - I loved it - it worked and kept me accountable!
I have just started the on-line version of WW - today was my weigh day actually & I lost 2kg in the last week. I've done WW on & off for years, the first time I lost 10kg but it was more to do with my being scared of weigh-ins than actually learning to eat right.
I was bulimic in my teens & right up until a few years ago - WW ask you when you join if you have any eating disorders but I can't imagine anybody actually admitting it - it's hard enough to admit to yourself let alone someone running a weight-loss meeting. I shouldn't have been on it then as I would just do the usual binge/purge thing with the novel addition of not eating at all the whole day before my weigh in, which was at 7.30pm, then, after the weigh in I would go & stuff myself with fast food. It was an issue because the praise at the meeting for having 'a loss' would fuel my terrible behavior & validate my choices so I really would advise anyone with even minor eating disorder issues to steer well clear until you've sorted yourself out.
This last week I have just followed the plan as I should. Early days still I know but I am actually starting to think about the nutritional value of things as opposed to just the points, I want to be healthy, not just skinny.
I think doing it on-line has taken a lot of the pressure of for me. No disapproving looks or uncontrollable nerves before I jump on the scale.
As far as weight loss programs go I think WW is one of the better ones. You don't have to buy special food, you can eat your favorite things in moderation & they try to address all the aspects of why you are overweight in the first place, which has to be a good thing.
Good luck with your weight loss journey, I hope it works for you.