new WW advertisement

[huggs2ewe]

Has anyone seen the WW add about their point system and the girls at the deli decides to have a chocolate cookie... because she has saved up enough points and this is her reward. :nono: :nono: :nono: :nono:
WOW this add makes me nuts, I have done WW x 2 with starvationa and aggravation and always small losses over long periods of time and have consistently gained it back.

I am so glad that I have found the WOE and the difference it has made for me both wt wise and physically. I feel so much better and people are noticing my loss. One even commented when I said that my rings were to big that I was doing a great job but that I shouldn't deprive myself of everything. I commented back that I can honestly say that I don't feel deprived, I don't feel hungry and I know when I get to goal wt in a year or sooner hopefully that I can have a little now and then of the things that I have given up, in moderation.

there was also a news story on Monday about this "FAD" again in the swing and how many people are into it. BUT once again they go to the dietician "who would not recommend it to any of her clients". They only ever talk about Induction restrictions and not about the whole concept. I was ready to shout to the TV. I have become addicted :angel: to this WOE and probably have become a guru :lol: .

[Grimalkin]

Yeah, I saw that this morning and I wondered what the heck is a "FLEX POINT". I don't know much about WW though. Is it like if you "save" up your fat and sugar points you are allowed to "spend" them on something like the cookie?

My currently-stable insulin levels cringe at the thought of doing that on a regular basis. But maybe it works for some people... who am I to judge... although I always thought that many overweight people tend to be insulin resistant so that would be a bad idea. Or are they just trying to sell their plan to sugar-junkies by promising weightloss along with cookie rewards?

[huggs2ewe]

yah sort of, you have a set number of points attached to food and dependent on how much you wt you are alocated a certain amount of points. If you keep under those points or do extra exercise you get to save them and use them for a "treat". you have to use them that week though. It is a very fat concious diet, low calorie, low fat and didn't work for me. But then you're right it does work for some people who just may not be carb addicts.

I just smile at the thought of treating yourself to a cookie, high in carbs and sugar. Mind you their muffin recipe is really good, high fiber but I think it would be still high in carbs becuase it has molases and apple sauce in it.
I have been rereading the Atkins for life and know that when we reach our goals and are on maintenance we can have a little of these treats occassionally but I think that I will always be fearful of loosing control and will always be careful. Carb addiction :nono:

[Lisa N]

I have watched one of my co-workers struggle with WW for years. She'll lose 10-15 pounds only to go off it (feeling hungry and deprived) only to gain it all back plus some and start all over, getting heavier each time.
I tried it myself for a time but couldn't stick with it for more than few months because I was always hungry!

[shortstuff]

I tried WW for two months beginning in January of this year - I gained weight. I absolutely hated feeling hungry and deprived all the time, too.

[kidee]

Yes, i have seen that commercial. Makes you wonder if that's her complete daily allotment of calories. Weight Watchers is probably the ONLY commercial diet i didn't go on.

Have you seen the new Jenny Craig commercial? It's just as ludricrous. The woman talks about eating real foods and not having to be bothered counting carbs. LOL :rolleyes: Real food? Like the stuff you buy from Jenny Craig? Frozen cardboard meals that wouldn't keep a 5 year old satisfied. :lol:

Give me THIS way of eating anyday!!

[NickFender]

I think it's important to note that Weight Watchers works for a lot of people. If you are otherwise healthy and tried Weight Watchers and did not lose weight it can only be due to one of three reasons:

1) You did not need to lose weight, (very few people will fall into this category, i.e., a 5'4" woman who weighs 122 lbs. and really wants to get down to 118 lbs.)

2) You didn't understand the program and did it improperly (lots of people probably fit into this category; just look at how many people "do" Atkins without really knowing what they're doing).

3) You cheated. I know, it's harsh, but most people fail on Weight Watchers because they cheat.

Note that I'm not saying Weight Watchers is easy, or that it is sustainable. But I am saying that an otherwise healthy overweight person will lose weight if they stick to a low-calorie/low-fat diet (e.g., Weight Watchers): There are not many "truths" in weight loss, but this is one that has been proven over and over again.

[huggs2ewe]

You're right Nickfinder some people have managed to loose wt by WW. My point was for most it was "starvation like" and felt like I was deprived. I knew how to do the points and kept to the points but I was ALWAYS hungry. I am (as well as most of us on this sight) effected by the insulin surges of carbs.
On WW I was eating alot of carbs, low fat ... well you know the story. But it's expensive weekly cost and they give you lots of moral support but for some of us it just didn't work. The cookie treat in the commercial just seemed so ironic... I would save up points and have a piece of cake, cookie or something which was usually hi carb... and be hungry, gain again and feel guilty.

This way of eating is satisfying, I am never hungry unless it is meal time and then easily satisfied. It works for me, I really feel like I have found the answer.

[Dstar96920]

What freaked me out was them "eating" in the bathroom! Ooohhh, gross! Weren't they standing in front of a mirror, talking, while the main one ate her cookie? Yuck!

[NickFender]

Actually, eating in the bathroom is the secret key to success on Weight Watchers... you have to eat every meal or snack in the bathroom, in front of the mirror, naked (of course they can't show the naked part on TV).

[Kristine]

http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/new/cookie2.gif {Me not know there such thing as ONE chocolate chip cookie!)

[Lisa N]

you have to eat every meal or snack in the bathroom, in front of the mirror, naked

Hmmm...I think they call that "aversion therapy".

The point isn't that people can't and don't lose weight on Weight Watchers. Obviously, they do or Weight Watchers wouldn't be in business or as successful as they are. However, it's not a sustainable way of eating primarily because of hunger. Nobody enjoys being hungry and when you're hungry you're more likely to grab and eat the first edible thing you can find which is usually a high carb convenience food. Now, if you have a great deal of discipline and willpower and can endure being hungry and feeling deprived, you can probably be successful not only at Weight Watchers but any low calorie plan.
On Weight Watchers, you can literally have your cake and eat it too (IF you can save up enough points to have it) but you have to eat low fat, low calories foods that often leave you feeling less than satisfied and hungry between meals and in order to maintain your loss, you need to eat this way for the rest of your life. I don't know about the rest of you, but I find the idea of being hungry between meals for the rest of my life rather depressing. The minute your calorie level goes back up, so does your weight. What's going to fill you up better and stay with you longer: a rice cake or a couple of ounces of good quality cheese?
On low carb, you have to give up sugar and high carb/high GI foods for a time, but eventually you start to work some of the higher carb foods back into your plan as your body can tolerate them. In other words, you learn to find the right balance for your body as you go through the process. You can eat higher fat foods that satiate better and keep you feeling full longer, so hunger is far less of a problem. You learn the right balance for your body so that you can maintain the weight loss without starving yourself OR feeling deprived and you also learn to eat a variety of healthy vegetables and fruits.
Yes, cheating is a problem on either plan, but I have to say that I'm far less inclined to cheat on low carb than I ever was on Weight Watchers.

[shortstuff]

Nickfender - I did WW and I did it correctly. I wrote down absolutely everything that went into my mouth and did not cheat. I know how to count points - I'm not a moron - AND I GAINED WEIGHT. I showed my journal to one of the counsellors when I would go for my weekly weigh in. I am an otherwise healthy person who needs to lose weight - not have someone dump a guilt trip on me because WW did NOT work for me.

Don't be so quick to judge others until you have walked in their shoes.

shortstuff

[huggs2ewe]

thanks Lisa N

You pulled my thoughts much better together.

I have been reading the Atkins for life, as I worry about what happens after we get to our goal. I want this truly to be a way of life and feel that looking at moderation of the higher carb/ GI foods will be acheivable for life long WOE.

But almost never that high carb cookie/ something more sustainable and worth the carb count :angel:

[NickFender]

Shortstuff:
Only you can judge whether or not a guilt trip is in order. But the calorie deficits created via weight watchers have been scientifically proven to cause weight loss, not gain. So if you gained, something was wrong with your body (that is you were not "otherwise healthy"), your application of the program, or your adherence to low calorie/low carb.

I am not advocating Weight Watchers. In fact, I think it's nuts, but it does produce a certain result when adhered to properly.

[jude]

Anyone who thinks 1 lonely cookie is a reward worth having needs their head read!

judy

[Paleoanth]

I was on the weather channel site and they had a WW ad there. It said, "Pasta is not the enemy". Then it went on to a new WW flex point thing. I just laughed. THen I went and ate some cheese.

[shortstuff]

Hate to burst your little self-satisfied bubble, nickfender, but I had everything checked and double checked not only by counsellors, but by my diet buddy. I didn't cheat - i gained weight. My body is otherwise healthy. "Science" has a long way to go to totally understand why things work one way for one person and a different way for another person. As far as the guilt trip - I don't go there. I didn't do anything wrong and got royally p'd when the weigh in counselor kept accusing me of doing something wrong. That's why SHE was one of the people I had double check what I was doing. Even she admitted the program simply was not working for me and was, in fact, causing a greater problem.

If you're so sure WW is scientifically proven to cause weight loss, then why don't YOU try it. After all, "science" has proven LC WOL causes many adverse effects. Just read all of the "scientific" researchers' bad reviews on Atkins. Doctors disapprove, nutritionists disapprove. My, my, my, I guess "science" ain't all that smart.

[ItsTheWooo]

ack, nm...

[huggs2ewe]

shortstuff
I was there with you doing the WW thing, following it as it said and I lost just a little bit over a very long period of time. I did not cheat, I exercised and felt terrible. I had a friend who made her goal wt. slowly was gaining over a few months went back for awhile and then just gave up. She didn't gain it all back but she still did most of it and feels very guilty about it.
Pasta isn't the "ENEMY" it is an empty food, with really very little in the way of nutrition. It is a great filler food, a quick food and a food that can be dressed up quickly and fairly easy. But why it is a main staple in the food triangle I will never agree with again.
I believe in the science of low carb, I think that the dieticians are not looking at the whole picture of this WOE. The life long plan does call for good fiber foods in the way of good grains in small quantities and good rich vegetables.
the establishment saying that eating this way is dangerous, as a nurse myself makes no sense. How can eating protein, vegetables, cheese and good fats be dangerous and because you are more satisfied you eventually will stop over eating (my appetite is way down). What is there in starchy veggies, bread, flour and white rice that we need so bad.
Oh I'm preaching to the converted aren't I sorry..... :lol:
ta for now :)

[wsgts]

My wife was telling me about co-workers doing this fad diet.

One of the co-workers was at her Friday morning meeting, showing her food log. The WW person said "you can't eat peanut butter". She ask why, since it was within her points, and they replied because it was too much fat.

Dietitians have always said that any diet that restricts access to any food is a fad diet. So by their own admission, WW is a fad diet.

Just thought I would pass this on.

Later,
wsgts

[NickFender]

Shortstuff:
I'm sorry I have offended you. I agree that science with regard to weight loss/management is imperfect; by its very nature diet is hard to study over the long term, and there are many biases that influence what has been studied. I do, however, believe that some hypothesis are well-supported, and one of those is that consistently eating fewer calories than your body burns results in weight loss. If that makes me "self-satisfied" I guess I can live with that.

Please note again that I am not advocating traditional low-calorie diets as a long-term solution to weight management: just as certainly as there are many studies that show low-calorie diets lead to weight loss, there are many studies that show that most people are not able to sustain the diet to maintian their weight loss.

My only purpose in responding to this thread was to make the point that bashing Weight Watchers is unproductive and generally unwarranted. Folks on this site are hyper-sensitive to criticism of low-carb diets, demanding respect from any skeptical audience. I think Weight Watchers, as a program that has delivered positive results for millions of people, deserves the same respect.

[shortstuff]

My stating that I gained weight on WW is a simple statement of fact, not a bashing. In fact, I haven't "bashed" WW at all. It simply does NOT work for everyone. You don't seem to be able to swallow that one small piece of truth.

In turn you implied I had cheated or was not following the program carefully or was not healthy. In my eyes that is much more bashing than what I said to about WW. Other people on this board have also had less than satisfactory results from WW - simply because it does NOT work for everyone.

If you are going to accept the scientific premise that WW WILL work for everyone, then you should also accept the scientific premise that LC WOL is unhealthy and will have very adverse effects on those who follow this way of life. You can't have it both ways. You either accept, without any doubts, the "scientific" approach to both ways, or you accept neither. To accept one and not the other is hypocritical, especially since you appear to be following the LC WOL.

LCing is NOT accepted by the scientific or medical community as a whole. There are exceptions, but the majority of the scientific and medical communities simply state LC'ing will adversely effect your overall well-being and issue dire warnings that it will cause muscle and bone loss, among other things.

[Lisa N]

I personally don't feel that stating that you had poor results with a program and that you were generally unhappy with it and that you know other people who reacted similarly to that same program is bashing. It's called voicing your opinion. :)

[hysteria]

I was in WW from Jan - Jun of this year. With the exception of one REALLY hungry week in January, I've been following LC since. I was losing just as much as my counterparts in WW while LC'ing. I was the pariah tho & when folks got wind of what I was doing (LC) I was shunned.
I have seen many folks do GREAT w/ WW - more power to them. I need to be satisfied & healthy. LC is what works for me. I want to ask my friends still in WW tho how often they are hungry, especially considering there are times I have to force myself to eat 3 meals a day ;)

This new program basically allows a "cheat" day, of sorts & more than a cookie. You get a certain # of pts (ie - 22) and count backwards from there (a banana is 2 pts, so 22 - 2 = 20 & so on). You gain pts by daily exercise. But now you also have a "bank" of pts that can be dipped into (I believe it is 35 pts) when you go over your limit - this can allow you that daily treat - or you can save it all up and eat 1/2 a cake over the weekend. The biggest thing is tho you have to use up your daily pts (so you reach a certain caloric limit).

Blah...I'll stick to LC thank you :) I like the fact I am not hungry and my blood sugar levels are SANE!

[NickFender]

If you are going to accept the scientific premise that WW WILL work for everyone, then you should also accept the scientific premise that LC WOL is unhealthy and will have very adverse effects on those who follow this way of life. You can't have it both ways. You either accept, without any doubts, the "scientific" approach to both ways, or you accept neither. To accept one and not the other is hypocritical, especially since you appear to be following the LC WOL.

LCing is NOT accepted by the scientific or medical community as a whole. There are exceptions, but the majority of the scientific and medical communities simply state LC'ing will adversely effect your overall well-being and issue dire warnings that it will cause muscle and bone loss, among other things.

Actually, I don't have to accept the premise that low-carb diets are unhealthy, because that hypothesis remains unproven. Certianly there is an overwhelming chorus of "conventional wisdom" opposed to low-carb eating, but the premises associated with that philospohy are not backed up by scientific study. Rather, the most exhaustive independent review of all relevant scientific studies (released by the Journal of the American Medical Association earlier this year) determined that there is no conclusive evidence that low-carb diets are dangerous in any of the ways that are often attributed to them. So, no, I will not be accepting an unproven premise.

That said, I would challenge you to show one scientifically sound study that shows that a diet that creates a caloric deficit in overweight but otherwise healthy adults will NOT lead to weight loss. Show me that and I'll take it all back. Until then, and absent other information, I will persist in my previously stated beliefs with regard to those who gain weight while engaged in Weight Watchers or similar low-calorie/low-fat diets.

[shortstuff]

Nick, since you are so sure that I am 1) a liar, 2) unhealthy or, 3) incapable of following simple instructions as given by WW, then I will bow to your superior knowledge and say yes to all of the above. I am a total moron. I'm tired of know-it-all's insisting I'm wrong and doing what they can to knock my efforts to improve myself down. Now go find someone else to pick on. I'm fed up with you inability to take a simple statement of fact at face value without finding reasons why that statement is invalid.

[NickFender]

Shortstuff:
I'm sorry you have reacted this way, I was just stating my opinion and responding when that is challenged. You may want to reconsider posting messages in a forum called "war zone" if it causes you such anguish.

[Lisa N]

That said, I would challenge you to show one scientifically sound study that shows that a diet that creates a caloric deficit in overweight but otherwise healthy adults will NOT lead to weight loss.

You won't find such a study. The question is what does the person have to do to create a caloric deficit large enough to lose weight and how will their metabolism react? Generally, the less a person eats, The more the metabolism will slow to compensate for that lowered caloric intake. It's a vicious circle with some people, the less they eat, the slower their metabolism gets and the harder it becomes to lose weight even though you ARE eating less than everyone else around you. Yes, you can eventually overcome that by dropping your calories low enough, but by the time that point is reached, there will be some not so good consequences from the very low caloric intake that person has been reduced to, sometimes well below 1000 calories a day.
There are many things that can affect weight loss, not least of which is your past dieting history. Some people have dieted to the point that their metabolisms have lowered and they would literally have to lower their caloric intake to starvation levels to lose weight which will only aggrivate the state further. Would such a person be considered unhealthy? Not by most standards. A slow metabolism is not a medical condition unless it has a biological cause such as hypothyroidism and even then it's not the slow metabolism that is the condition...it's the thyroid problem It's a variation within a range. In fact, most doctors would react to such a situation (failure to lose weight on reported low calories) very much like you did above by telling the patient that they are either cheating, lying or don't understand what they are supposed to do. Instead of investigating what's going on, they assume that the patient HAS to be just like everyone else (which really isn't the case, either since no two people are exactly alike) and that because their experience doesn't match the patient's and the patient isn't losing weight on what THEY deem to be low enough calories, the patient must therefore be wrong or lying. It's sad, really, because a lot of people fit that mold and are not helped because someone wasn't willing to admit that their experience might not be that of the patient and investigate a bit further and so the patient goes home and remains fat thinking that it's all their fault and a hopless cause when in fact, it might not be.
If you can lose weight easily simply by cutting a few calories, count your blessings. But please don't assume that it's that easy for everyone.

In fact, you are both right. Yes, most healthy adults will lose weight if you create a caloric deficit, either through diet or exercise or both. However, the calorie level to create a caloric deficit large enough to lose weight is so low for some people due to a variety of reasons that may or may not be health related that it's simply not sustainable (or even advisable) for very long.

[shortstuff]

Nick, you might want to consider that neither you nor science is always totally correct. The only anguish this caused me is that you are not able to think outside of a set box - scientifically proven - therefore it must be absolutely correct. Think Phen-Fen, HRT, and now Meridia. Think of all of the GERD drugs that people are taking that are not curing their problem at all, but simply masking symptoms and allowing some esophageal healing. What cost do we all have to pay because something is "scientifically" proven? Nothing is an exact science and nothing is ever absolute - because something, sometime will come along and prove it incorrect.

LisaN - thank you. I thought about saying the study would not exist but decided that capitulation would be a better end. I am not anguished, just totally disgusted with someone who is not able to think outside of the box enough to accept a simple statement as a truthful statement.

[huggs2ewe]

Quote:
"In fact, you are both right. Yes, most healthy adults will lose weight if you create a caloric deficit, either through diet or exercise or both. However, the calorie level to create a caloric deficit large enough to lose weight is so low for some people due to a variety of reasons that may or may not be health related that it's simply not sustainable (or even advisable) for very long."
_______________________________________________________

Thanks LisaN,

Nickfender
This thread was not started as bashing of any WW or any other plan but the advertisement itself. It started[QUOTE] some good diaolge .... I think Lisa says it just the way I feel as well. I have been on extremely low cal and have either lost little/ or non and as soon as I ate a more normal caloric diet I gained it back. The point of this is here we on this forum are all so glad to have found this WOE that although is still not mainstream, is becoming more recognized and there will be a time when "professionals" will have to support their claim that it is dangerous becuase non of us are getting sick.

Shortstuff
Keep at it, we are learning a new way of life, a new way of eating and we can overcome. We are strong and it will be proved out in the end for those of us, which there are many, metabolize differently and are healthier with healthy food and low carb.

[Dstar96920]

I was wrong. I saw the commercial again tonight. The main one was in a coffee shop. Her friend was telling her not to eat a cookie because of her diet (good friend). The main one said "oh no, I've been good all week, so I can treat myself". RED ALERT, RED ALERT. Rewarding yourself with food. Giving food the power. Bad message.

[NickFender]

Lisa:
I agree with you completely that the medical/nutrition establishment is all too likely to ignore fundamental differences in metabolism between otherwise healthy people, and that many, if not most, overweight people would fare better if the establishment would more thoroughly consider diet plans that didn't rely so heavily on plain-old calorie reduction as the primary way of creating the caloric deficits required to lose weight. I think programs that create a "metabolic advantage" (to borrow a phrase from Atkins) are much more likely to succeed.

[mind-full]

Know what I think is the key to the success of Weight Watchers? It isn't that they are all that successfully keeping people thin, it's that folks enjoy having meetings, meeting others in their same boat and having the support of others like them.

That, my friends, is the key. They've just enhanced the group-therapy approach with pre-packaged meals and catchy slogans that hook new blood now and again. Relatives recruit relatives, friends recruit friends and neighbors recruit neighbors. A group meets in an enclosed picnic shelter across the street from me each week. They look like they're having a great time ... so much I'd stop in if they weren't going to try to hook me, too!

Since you can buy WW in the supermarket it's easy to find. Can't say that for LC foods in most places.

It's all in the marketing ... and the human psyche.

---Amy

[NickFender]

mind-full --
excellent point... I think health clubs are basically the same... they "package" something with a social aspect that people seem to enjoy and are able to sell what can in many ways be had for free. In fact, that's one of the key aspects of virtually all marketing, i.e., adding value (real or perceived) to something so people will buy it.

[joanne42]

Has anyone seen the WW add about their point system and the girls at the deli decides to have a chocolate cookie... because she has saved up enough points and this is her reward. :nono: :nono: :nono: :nono:
WOW this add makes me nuts .
Did you know you can have some nuts while on low carb?? ROFL> >had to throw that in.. teeehee

[nylis22]

Hi ...just my 2 cents.. I did weight watchers and lost 24 pounds. I liked it because it gave me some structure i ate plenty and still lost weight. Many co-workers had a smashing sucess with it as well. The points did get old though...and when i left my job i went off with a vengence and slowly gained 15 pounds. When I tried to go back to ....i couldn't count points anymore..it was over. I am happy on LC but i am struggling. The one good thing about ww is that no food is bad....just count the points. and dont go over daily allotment..a calorie in..a calorie out theory.

[melissasvh]

Hello nylis22,

Why don't you think of your daily carb allotment as being points. For example, if you're on induction, you have 20 "points" (carbs) a day. You still have to pay attention to what types of food you're eating, but it might give you a way of mentally equating Atkins to an eating plan that you previously had success with, hopefully making it less of a struggle for you.

[nylis22]

Hi!

Thanks for your suggestion...but for some reason (maybe because i was so obbsessive about my points on WW) I cannot count points anymore it does not work! The thing i have been struggling with is trying to tailor this diet (low carb) for me and then running into cravings. For example allowing my self to have some low carb bar here and there and then running amok with it. Same deal with Almonds.....So I think getting my sugar under control is a major deal for me. "Hello my name is Lisa and I am a sugar JUNKIE!:~) ha! So i think it is a good thing i am doing LC cause i need to get it under control now.

lisa

[adkpam]

I have to say that some studies have shown that "a calorie is a calorie" thinking is actually not true, it depends on metabolic processes and individual reactions much more than anyone suspected.
I used to eat 1200 calories and I lost weight, but I couldn't keep it up for longer than a week.
Now I'm eating between 2000 and 2400...and losing weight. While exercising less.
At least for me, calories don't seem to make sense.

[TerryLynne]

Hey Nickfender I thought this was supposed to be a SUPPORT group???? where people can talk w/o being critiqued and judged? You come across very condisending...

[NickFender]

Hey Nickfender I thought this was supposed to be a SUPPORT group???? where people can talk w/o being critiqued and judged? You come across very condisending...

Well, my understanding is that this specific forum is open to debate about ideas, even when those ideas might not be supportive of another member. In fact the sticky at the top of the forum states:

"Active Low-Carber Forums has always promoted a supportive environment for its members. For this reason, we decided to open this special forum for those who don't mind a heated debate. For those who might be easily offended, they have the choice to not participate in this area."

Check my other posts outside this other forum and I believe you will see plenty of support offered to other members.

As to being condisending (sic), I wonder if you could point me to a particular post, or portion of a post, that you feel warrants that description?

[TerryLynne]

Sorry NickFender, I guess I didn't read the "sticky" at the top of the forum... I didn't realize this was a heated thread. I'll butt out...

[cde]

Your appraisal of why ww might not work is limited. I am an RN and a certified diabetes educator. When I put my clients on the ww program, they all lose weight. I have not and I do understand the rules and I do have 85 pounds to lose.

[Judynyc]

Your appraisal of why ww might not work is limited. I am an RN and a certified diabetes educator. When I put my clients on the ww program, they all lose weight. I have not and I do understand the rules and I do have 85 pounds to lose.


I realize that you are a new member and am not looking to criticize you....but have you looked at the dates of the above posts? These were written 3 yrs ago....and I highly doubt if the poster you are responding to is even still here.

[Caryn1961]

So WW really sucks, as when I was on it, you got 26 points a day, they push their own frozen high-carb meals devoid of nutrient, loaded with salt and generally bad for you. So who's to say I don't take my 26 points, eat a piece of celery and use the rest for cookies?

They don't encourage you to eat healthy, they are addicted to the points and are basically losing the point of the whole thing, to eat REAL food, not high-carb over-processed crap.

The last meeting I attended was an hour spent devoted to what to do with a freaking TOMATO, God Almighty, what a total waste of time!

Low-carb works for me, and I know of no one other than my sister who have lost weight and kept it off, but she only need to lose 12lbs to begin with.

[Lisa N]

I realize that you are a new member and am not looking to criticize you....but have you looked at the dates of the above posts? These were written 3 yrs ago....and I highly doubt if the poster you are responding to is even still here.

If you want to see when a member last posted to the board, just click on their name and check their profile.
According to NickFender's profile, he hasn't posted here since April 15, 2004. ;)

[JaneDough]

So WW really sucks
Different strokes and all that. It's been a long time since I did WW but enjoyed my stint, ate healthier and lost a ton. Ultimately, the problem wasn't the program but my lack of discipline with some of the allowed foods; Atkins addresses that issue better for me. But LC or LF - heck, both push product lines, both make recommendations individuals may ignore, both have people who'll do the celery-and-cookie-combo as long as they stay under X number of points or carbs for the day.

[cnmLisa]

....both have people who'll do the celery-and-cookie-combo as long as they stay under X number of points or carbs for the day.

or....my all time fav--the "kale and ale" group;)

That one will always be a personal favorite.

[KvonM]

i tried the points system years and years ago. not only was i constantly feeling deprived and thinking about what i could eat that wouldn't put me over my points and when i could eat again, i noticed that it actually triggered my latent anorexic issues. needless to say i got nowhere till i tried lowcarbing... fortunately it's strict enough that it satisfies my eating disorder/OCD mentality, but it's generous enough that i make sure i stay healthy.

[RobinB]

It bugs me that WW makes so much $$$ they can afford to use one of Cher's songs for a theme song.

[funkycampe]

I did Weight Watchers two different times about 20 and 22 years ago. Gained an average of 5# per week each time. Constantly hungry. Since I had just had a pregnancy with gestational diabetes and was hypoglycemic, I believe it had to do with kicking off high insulin levels in my system. Not good.

Oh, and when I was gaining this weight each week, I was teaching nine 1-hour aerobic classes weekly, running 4 miles/day 6 days/week, and was weight-lifting about 45 minutes/day 6 days/week. Yes, I gained some muscle but nowhere near as much fat I was gaining.

Just didn't work for me at all.

[LC_Dave]

So WW really sucks

Wow! That is teh best summation of them ever! I agree.

As someone who really know about Weight Wathcers and invested my free-time and money, and also working for them - FOR FREE! I must agree and say they do SUCK!

THEY SUCK BADLY!

But the reason they keep staying in business is that everyone 'aplogises' for them!

[rightnow]

One of my best friends is in WW. She is slowly but surely losing weight, starving all the time, exercising her butt off. I feel so sorry for her in a sense, as I feel most of her weight loss is probably muscle. But, she's been overweight since she was 9, and she's in her mid50s. By this time, she's so indoctrinated with standard diet jargon that even when tried to do lowcarb she couldn't. Her belief systems just had too many issues that contradicted it. Very sad. I wish she could eat this yummy salad with chicken and avocado and blue cheese dressing. But no....

She tells me the whole reason WW works for her is because of the 'accountability' and the 'group'. Everybody is so excited, it's like a sales seminar, everybody is in it together, it's a diet-cult.

There is some groupthink-mentality even in lowcarb of course, but WW has literally built this into an empire.

That is good as well as bad. Good because the reality is, psychology is behind much of losing weight, and 'working the psychology' is critical. Social support is a big deal, or we all wouldn't be here on this forum.

Bad only because the negative side of that can be detrimental, and there's some % of population for whom high-carb eating literally makes fatter, not thinner, plus screws up their body as well.

I hope that as more and more successful lowcarb eaters provide websites and blogs and public demonstration of its values, maybe some kind of low-carb 'social clubs' might start to form, or perhaps just a wider-spread cultural understanding that there are different approaches to weight loss and it depends on the person.

[revcharlie]

I think weight watchers works better for some than others. Personally, every time I went on WW I lost weight initially and then without a change in my calorie intake, following the plan faithfully, I started gaining weight. I dieted myself from 185lbs to 295 lbs before I gave up and finally stopped gaining weight.

[Miss H.M]

my son who is 16 tried WW and it was just plain silly stupid, although, his doctor supported it...with this said, any of us could be a doctor..making lots of $$$$$ he now just eats smaller portions of any thing he wants and is streeadly losing weight...says alot, considering he's a teen who loves to eat me out of house and home, plus he's a growing boy...
verdict: WW is sucky, really!!