Weightwatchers..

LegacyUser

Not sure where to post this, sorry if it's in the wrong place. I was just reading another thread where a few people recommended Weightwatchers. I was just wondering if anyone can tell me a bit about it, what the meetings are like, etc. I want to lose a bit of weight and I was thinking of using Weightwatchers but the thought of it is scary!

Thanks*

koneko

I personally think WeightWatchers is a bit of a waste of money. They take the standard eating plan (cut calories) and put numbers on it. I used the web to find out more about how you gain and lose weight, how metabolism and weight gain work, those type of things. I lost a lot of weight, and didn't use any plans or centers (that ask for a lot of money).

Check out www.howstuffworks.com and look at How Diets Work and How Calories Work. Armed with that information you can work out how many calories you should be taking in to lose weight (and don't forget to excercise!). Based on that you can check how many calories are in the food you buy or can buy, and work out your own eating plan.

The key is to stick with it. Don't cheat, don't give up, the end result will make you happier than that pack of cookies or takeaway. It's all about the willpower

Imposter

The biggest advantage of WW is the motivation and support side that being part of the group gives you. Other than that i'd completely agree with Koneko.

ravenhead

WW is very very good - I've tried lots of these fad diets & nothing worked aswell as weight watchers - it's the motivation & support that you get the really makes a difference, it's quite hard for the first couple of weeks but it really does work - I have lots all the weight that I wanted to lose but I still go to the meetings, just to keep me on track ..... Best of luck with it

Corksham

My sister started going to them after she had her son and she lost a fair bit of weight, it works on a points system. Not sure of the exact details but say ya have 20 points a day to eat then every item of food has associated points (basically calorie control), not sure what they recommend in terms of % protein, carbs, fat and the variuous sources, but I think the whole social aspect i.e motivate yourself so others in the group can praise you may also be a help.

I personally recommend excercise as the whole notion of "dieting" is a joke, you need excercise and a reasonable diet which ammounts in many to a lifestyle change but this is what is often needed

Best of luck

GuanYin

As far as dieting goes, WW is probably the only system out their that most doctors will approve of. Too many people take unhealthy crash diets that starve their bodies of important nutrients or (more often than not) simply cause loss of water.

Thw WW group tries to ensure that healthy balanced meals are eaten and while you won't shed off weight immediately (compared to other systems), you will actually be losing fat and provided you don't go binge later on, the weight will stay off.

As Imposter said, the biggest plus is the motivation and support that WW gives you (I've never been, but I know people who lost their weight but still keep in contact because they like the people). Their pamphlets and information (which I have seen) are excellent and they do stress the importance of exercise.

I'd be wary of using the net for any medical decisions. Even ones as trivial as dieting. The body's metabolism is a tricky and very individual thing, cutting out the wrong food could inadvertantly cause lethargy, intestinal issues or even poor health (all in extreme cases).

The key point though, is exercise. Healthy eating is all well and good, but exercise is very much as important. Even a walk every day, and that where WW may be advantagous, because you are meeting like minded people who are after the same thing (hence you may find exercise partners, and new friends are always a good thing).

Good luck with it!

Xterminator

I'd reccomend goig to WW, simply because they will educate you about the you eat, and what a more balanced diet should be! They have practical ideas on changes you can make, and stick too! No food is banned either.

Also they promote the one day/one week at a time, as a large weight loss can seem un-achievable, thus breaking it down into manageable targets makes 'getting your head around it' easier,

Finally if you fall off the wagon, your far more likey to get back on, if you have the support of a weekly class.

X

MF2HD

i joined WW about 10 weeks ago, totally agree with Xterminator, has worked so far for me 1 stone gone already. I've found it's the easiest way round to re-educating yourself about what you eat. Take-aways etc just have no appeal to me now and my former cravings for chocs and sweet stuff is gone! I''d say go for it, the people at the meetings are all in the same boat, the leaders themselves are past members so know exactly what you're going through etc.

At your first meeting you're taken aside to enrol, weighed in private and then the leader will sit with you after the talk (about half an hour of gen tips/motivation etc) and go through the whole system with you so you know exactly what you're doing.

Best of luck
L

climaxer

I lost 1.5stone around 6 years ago following WW and I'd highly recommend the programe. Its very healthy and easy to follow and you get plenty of choice. It encourages slow and steady weightloss and excercise and allows you to have treats too. I never went to classes but ordered the At Home Programme on-line from http://www.weightwatchers.ie/WWI_Wrapper.aspx?SiteId=12&Page=1017022. I kept at my target weight and even after my son was born 2 years ago I only had around 9lb to lose and lost it in around 2 mths and have kept it off. Its a bit hard at first counting the points but once you get the hang of it, it just becomes part of your daily routine. Your points allowance is based on your height, weight and sex. I'm allowed 18 points a day but I tend to save 3 each week day and have only 15 per day so I can have a few drinks and a kebab or chinese at the weekend. Best of luck and if you have any questions just ask. Also the books you get give some great recipes - my fav no point recipe is the no point curry or soups which are great to fill you up during the day. You could buy the WW magazine which would give you a taster of how the programme works. It has great recipes and real-life weight loss stories.

ven0m

I could never get together with weight watchers, or Atkins or any of them - dunno, they never worked for me.... up to about 11 weeks ago I was 22st 9lbs, & am now down to 18st 9lbs & it is still going down steadily with some solid CV training & a balanced controlled diet.... I tried them all before & never stuick with them or felt they worked, but when my Dr gave me the ultimatum of getting fitted for a big wooden box or smaller clothes - I knew which one to take... it's been f****n' hard & cutting out booze sucked for the first while - but I dig my Cranberry & Soda now..... there is hope out there... sometimes it takes a little push, sometimes it requires a 'death threat'

To anyone looking to lose weight -I wish u best of luck & hope it works out.... remember, do it for yourself & bugger everyone else....


::: venom0us :::

aphex™

Several members of my family went to WW meetings loads of times, they never lost much weight. I think it's a bit demeaning tbh, they weigh you infront of everyone. It's like an AA meeting, they try to get a bond between participants and celebrate small successes. You may need a strong personality for this.

The points system is a bit of a gimmick. If you're a woman you should only be eating 2000 calories a day, 2500 for a man. Simple.

So some advice, even if you decide to join or not:::

If you've got a sweet tooth, try cutting down on the chocolate etc you eat. Chocolate is highly addictive. 56% of chocolate is eaten by women,probably because they just "burst" out of diets, in my opinion. I was drinking those cadbury's hot chocolate things lately, "sure they're only 70 calories"- i became addicted to chocolate in a matter of days.

I lost weight last summer simply by walking a mile a day, and cutting down on sweet food to one portion a day then about 1 a week. You go into a newsagents and theres only a few items there that won't make u too fat. These are diet drinks, winegums (not with sugar on them!) and Fry's turkish delight. Simple.
Now whenever the ex-weightwatchers types of the family ask me to get them something in the shop, i can get something thats OK too, while they scoff the fatty stuff.

Good luck anyway.

Chinafoot

aphex&#8482 wrote:

I think it's a bit demeaning tbh, they weigh you infront of everyone.

well in the meetings that my mam goes to they weigh you away from the others, and im sure it would be the same in all meetings. nobody will be able to hear or see what your weight is.
my mother lost 2stone in 4 months on WW and she has kept it all off.

Stark

If you've got a sweet tooth, try cutting down on the chocolate etc you eat. Chocolate is highly addictive. 56% of chocolate is eaten by women,probably because they just "burst" out of diets, in my opinion. I was drinking those cadbury's hot chocolate things lately, "sure they're only 70 calories"- i became addicted to chocolate in a matter of days.

I lost weight last summer simply by walking a mile a day, and cutting down on sweet food to one portion a day then about 1 a week. You go into a newsagents and theres only a few items there that won't make u too fat. These are diet drinks, winegums (not with sugar on them!) and Fry's turkish delight. Simple.
Now whenever the ex-weightwatchers types of the family ask me to get them something in the shop, i can get something thats OK too, while they scoff the fatty stuff.

I can so identify with being addicted to chocolate Has lots of other consequences besides simply weight gain, being an addiction it totally messes up your brain chemistry Are Turkish Delights actually low in sugar? I haven't had one in years but remember them being very sweet. Didn't know you could get sugar free wine gums, interesting. Diet drinks aren't great either to be honest, aspartame can be just as addictive as the sugar it's replacing and it also leads to weight gain and low blood sugar.

snickerpuss

I go to weight watchers, and i think its pretty good. I know lots of people who've lost a lot of weight and i dont think i would have the motivation to do it by myself.
And whoever said they weigh you in front of everyone, thats rubbish. You are weighed but certainly not infront of everyone, you're weighed before you take your seat. No one would know what you weigh.
I think its good, you can still have whatever you want, and i like it cos i know exactly how much everything is, how many points are in it, whereas if you were doing it by yourself you wouldnt.
The support in the meetings and stuff is always really good as well.
Id recommend it to be honest.

koneko

snickerpuss wrote:

and i like it cos i know exactly how much everything is, how many points are in it, whereas if you were doing it by yourself you wouldnt.

Packaging for food labels exactly how much is in it (calories, fat, carbohydrates, etc). For food with no labels, a lot of it is low in calories (like fruits and vegetables). Anything else you can find out by looking, either on the web or by asking the people that produce/sell it.

seamus

koneko wrote:

Packaging for food labels exactly how much is in it (calories, fat, carbohydrates, etc). For food with no labels, a lot of it is low in calories (like fruits and vegetables). Anything else you can find out by looking, either on the web or by asking the people that produce/sell it.

It does, but people don't find it so easy to quantify the things. To do it correctly, you'd have to make a note of how many calories and saturated fats are in each meal, and make sure you don't go over a predetermined limit. Most people wouldn't know where to find this predetermined limit, nor even about the things in general.

WW gives a simple quantifiable measure for each foodstuff. You have x points. Don't eat more than this, and don't eat much less than this, and you'll see the weight come off. That's their message, and it works. You need to keep things simple for people. It's all well and good to say, "well go look at this, then find out that, then ask him this" - most people won't bother. They'll give it up as too much hard work. As syke said in another thread, dieting isn't about eat the right foods, it's about eating the right amounts of foods. WW still accomplishes the healthy eating part of dieting (i..e eating less fatty things, and more healthy things) but on a level that makes people feel less like they're dieting, and more like they're controlling themselves. If you use a diet that says "No chocolate, no cakes, only skimmed milk, only vegetables", most people will give up when they start to feel like they want a biscuit with their coffee, and this diet won't let them. WW allows people that biscuit with their coffee, but also forces them to sacrifice something in it's place.

It's all well and good to say "you can find all the information you need on the internet", but remember that half of this country doesn't use the internet, and of the half that are left, how many really have the ability or the foresight to find the correct information for their purposes?

climaxer

aphex&#8482 wrote:

The points system is a bit of a gimmick. If you're a woman you should only be eating 2000 calories a day, 2500 for a man. Simple.

I find it MUCH easier counting points than counting calories and the points system take in account the calories and saturated fat content of the food. Also once you get used to counting the points you get to know most of the points value of your favourite foods. Somehow I'd doubt you'd remember that a Mars bar has 545 calories and 12g saturated fat - would be much easier to say a Mars bar has 5 points. I know most foods now without having to refer to the books.

As for weighing in front of people - its done in private and you don't have to go to the meetings you can follow the programme at home.

I guess its each to their own with regards dieting and exercise but the original poster asked about WW and I would honestly give it 10 out of 10!

Sleepy

Honestly, you're wasting your time unless you combine it with exercise. Regular exercise incresases your metabolism, therby ensuring that you continue to lose weight (because your body is burning more energy faster) whereas virtually any diet (including WW to my knowledge) will actually decrease your metabolism (because in principle, eating less requires less effort from your system). So take up some form of exercise instead of paying fees to what's little more than a diet club.

From personal experience I'd recommend cycling to work if that's a viable option for you. I started doing this about a month and a half ago and I've lost about a stone in that time.

koneko

I'm not saying WW is a bad plan, I'm just saying I personally think it's a waste of money, but to each his own. If it works for people more power to them.

I lost 3 1/2 stone after making up my own eating plans and doing research. All it took was to stop being lazy, get off my ass and start doing something. And excercise definitely works, helps generally tone up the body aswell and you'll burn off more calories after you build up more muscle in general.

I think in all these things willpower and motivation are the key. If you can't resist that burger or chocolate bar, and can't be bothered get off the couch to do the excercise, there is no plan out there that can make you lose weight.

climaxer

koneko wrote:

I'm not saying WW is a bad plan, I'm just saying I personally think it's a waste of money, but to each his own. If it works for people more power to them.

I lost 3 1/2 stone after making up my own eating plans and doing research. All it took was to stop being lazy, get off my ass and start doing something. And excercise definitely works, helps generally tone up the body aswell and you'll burn off more calories after you build up more muscle in general.

I think in all these things willpower and motivation are the key. If you can't resist that burger or chocolate bar, and can't be bothered get off the couch to do the excercise, there is no plan out there that can make you lose weight.

Fair play to you losing 3.5 stone and I agree the willpower and motivation really are the key. And exercise is just as important as reducing your calorie intake. Even going for a brisk walk for 1 hour each day can really make a difference.

As regards willpower when I'm really tempted to eat a tonne of junk and know I've already eaten enough that day I ask myself would I prefer eat the junk, be miserable and feel guilty afterwards and not fit into my size 10 or whatever jeans or would I be better to have a piece of fruit and feel slim and sexy and healthy. Works most of the time.

Bottle_of_Smoke

Join a gym, they'll help you with nutrition and your training.

I heard a statistic that 9\10 people re-gain the weight they lose in points programs within a year, don't know a link so I've no proof but it makes sense because people doing this are only dieting, therefore not conditioning their bodies to burn fat, the one in 10 are probably doing a good routine on top of diet.

Weight trainings the best way to get in shape, and if you're female dont worry about bulking up cos you dont have enough testosterone to do this!

Good luck

MF2HD

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote:

I heard a statistic that 9\10 people re-gain the weight they lose in points programs within a year, don't know a link so I've no proof but it makes sense because people doing this are only dieting, therefore not conditioning their bodies to burn fat, the one in 10 are probably doing a good routine on top of diet.

Weight trainings the best way to get in shape, and if you're female dont worry about bulking up cos you dont have enough testosterone to do this!

Good luck

The whole point of the points (ahem) is to re educate yourself about food and the portion sixes you eat. You can eat whatever you like on the points system but you can't have huge amounts like you maybe would before. So its no a diet as long as you do it properly, you will eat this way for life because you are not deprived or forced to eat vile foods to fit with the system..WW is not for christmas its for life :cool:

Plus some people are not self motivated and might need a !witness" at the scales every week, whatever works to get the weight of this overweight country down sooner rather than later!!

I do agree with the exercise though, no good just cutting back on the food without actual physical exertion.

snickerpuss

Yeh of course you can do it by yourself but the points make it easier to see what you can and cant have. Which i find much easier then trying to count fat and calories.
Obv weight watchers recommend that you do exercise as well as follow the program but its really more for people who would benefit from having the support of a group, and thats why i go. I dont think id be able to do it long term on my own.

Stark

I don't like the way it counts fat as well as calories. Fair enough if they just counted saturated fat. The only reason why low-fat diets are supposed to work is because fat is higher in calories, in that case it would be much easier to simply count calories themselves. In fact a diet deficient in unsaturated fat and cause quite a lot of health problems including causing your body to cling to what fat stores it has and refusing to burn them.

Good article here: Part 1: http://www.totalbeing.com/news_archive_24_08_04.asp
Part 2: http://www.totalbeing.com/news_archive.asp

(PS: Part 2 isn't a permalink, so you might have to navigate to it from Part 1, using the links bar on left).

snickerpuss

It does only count saturated fats.
There was a whole thing i read from weight watchers about fats that are good for you.

Stark

Ah that's cool. I just saw an interview on the Late Late Show with a guy who dropped from 37 stone to 16 stone using Weightwatchers, so obviously they're doing something right It's just that often I look at foods branded weightwatchers and they often have labels like "only 1% fat!" and stuff branded all over them. Also it would be nice if they made basic enhancements to their products like using wholemeal rice/pasta instead of white rice/pasta (I try to avoid those because your body metabolises them the way it metabolises sweet foods, ie: straight to the waist). Adding some fibre makes a huge difference. The new Uncle Ben's fast cook wholemeal rice is delicious and has a much nicer texture than typical brown rice.

snickerpuss

Yeh the guy who was his leader is my leader too. He was telling us all on wednesday that he was gonna be there.
Hes lovely, a really nice guy.

blorg

I've never done WW myself but it looks like a good system; as other people have pointed out it takes calories and saturated fat and comes up with a simple point rating for portions which is quicker and easier to deal with (and thus more likely to be observed).

The support may or may not be worth it for you - weight loss really is about willpower and the meetings may help - but note that you *can* just go to the first meeting, pay your first meeting fee (€15 I think per meeting?), and get all the support materials - the handbook, food point wheel, etc., and then go off and do it yourself...

Ultimately it's about eating less and exercise - the exercise in particular will give you lots of energy and make you feel a lot better completely independent of the metabolism increase / weight loss benefits. Pick something that you find enjoyable so that you will be able to stick with it.

angeldelight

Not sure about the classes and stuff but I do find that their food stuff is handy if you're looking for low-cal soups/pasta etc. Saves trawling through all the labels

ven0m

angeldelight wrote:

Not sure about the classes and stuff but I do find that their food stuff is handy if you're looking for low-cal soups/pasta etc. Saves trawling through all the labels

God damn right it does!!!! Although it is pretty funny when I roll into Tesco Maynooth on the Harley & have a basketful of healthy stuff like some Tesco 'Healthy Living Stuff' & 'Weight Watchers' stuff - pretty priceless, even I can't help getting a laugh out of it .....


::: ven0mous :::

LegacyUser

About to go to my first WW meeting tonight, never dieted or even thought of what I was consuming and always just aet what I wanted. I don't even own a scales and have no idea what I weigh but I noticed lately I have to start getting larger sizes in clothes. WW is the only plan that anyone talks about that actually works. I'm not looking for a "diet" and won't consider going on one. My aim from WW is to re-educate my eating habits and I am hopeful it will help do this.

Wish me luck....