weight Watchers

For all you people that use WW like I do I just wanted to tell you about the blueberry muffins, they are so good and would never realize they were WW. THey are only 3 pts and def worth it. Also the carrot cakes are only one point, I am going to see what else is out there for the WW brand when it comes to junk food.

Thu. Sep 22, 2:11pm

Thanks for the tip. Also, I love the WW cheesecakes, I think they are only 3 pts and worth it!

Friday, September 23, 2005, 12:49 PM

Ok just had the WW cheesecake and oh my god! They could be dangerous! So far I am amazed at how easy the program is and the pounds are just dropping even though I am eating sweets again. The WW ice cream sandwichs @ 2 points are great as well as the gaint fudge bars @ 1 point

Friday, October 7, 2005, 12:53 AM

The pounds are dropping even though I'm eating sweets

Well, if you think about it, it makes total sense--the kind of sweets you used to eat probably had ten times the fat and calories as the WW sweets do. That's why I love WW; you can still eat the kinds of foods you want but they are replacing much more fattening choices, so you do lose. Works for me!

Friday, October 7, 2005, 8:56 AM

I have been doing WW for almost 3 weeks now and lost 5 pounds. I think the program is great! I wished I had done it sooner. Its good to know I don't have to deny myself of a treat if I want it.

Friday, October 7, 2005, 12:03 PM

I just started WW and found it to be the easiest to follow. I like their fudge bars, they don't taste like low fat at all.

Thursday, January 26, 2006, 9:25 PM

Silly question...

I'm not on WW so please forgive me if this is the dumbest question ever. :o)

Is their line of food sold in grocery stores or through their centres? Is it only available for members? I live up in Canada and I don't think I've EVER seen weight watcher foods in our stores...I'm not sure if a) they aren't sold in Canada b) they're sold only from WW centres or c) I'm completely blind when grocery shopping.

Option C could very well be the answer as I usually only hit the produce, meat & dairy and bakery sections at my grocers (much harder to crave packaged cookies if you never see them!!! lol)

Thursday, January 26, 2006, 9:42 PM

The WW chocolate cake and carrot cakes are 1 point. They are wonderful.

Thursday, January 26, 2006, 9:51 PM

There seems to be 2 lines of WW products.
Okay, three.
Smart Ones, in the red packaging. Frozen desserts, like cheesecakes, chocolate caek (friggin decadent), etc. Frozen dinners.
Then the WW brand frozen ice cream treats, which are also extremely yummy. I like the Enlish Toffee bars and the Cookies n Cream Bars. That same WW line then also has the snack cakes, and the breads.
Then theres this other line of WW stuff that I think you can only get at the meetings. "candy bars", shake mixes, snack crackers, etc. Never tried that line.

I agree, WW is the best. IT's a change for life, not a temporary diet. AND I can have these decadent desserts that one could never have on say, Atkins (cause I hate anything retail thats "atkins approved", its too chemical), Zone, etc etc.
AND I can still have starches. Important for me too.

Thursday, January 26, 2006, 11:34 PM

The only WW brand food I've seen in Canada is the bread! We don't seem to get the sweets, sadly...

Friday, January 27, 2006, 12:07 AM

Just Curious,
how long do you have to be on the WW program? I've heard of the points thing through my friend, but I was wondering if you could just join for a few months or does it have to be a long contract?

Friday, January 27, 2006, 12:37 AM

this is why I don't like wieght watchers... it's not like that food is exactly "healthy." The OP is looking for "healthy" junk food... why not just decide to find healthy food that is yummy?? The idea should be to find ways to eat healthy and enjoy it- not find lower calorie versions of bad food.

Friday, January 27, 2006, 1:46 AM

I agree with the most recent poster. I did WW and got tired of hearing about their products - we are paying for a meeting after all, not to hear a commercial. I don't think they are really teaching or emphasizing nutrition, and I think the points recommended for me was too drastically small, I felt starved. I'm glad you all like it so much and if it works for you that's great, but I have a lot of problems with WW.

Friday, January 27, 2006, 5:46 AM

Sorry your leader was more of a commercial than a motivator. I guess it depends upon who you have for a leader at which meeting you attend. Ours will tell us about new products but actually only spends about 30 seconds to a minute telling us and that if we want to know more about it she'll tell us afterwards or we can go look at it on the counters up front.

WW is easiest for me because I'm not interested in going to WholeFoods or natural grocers for my sweet fix. I don't need to watch my sodium or sugar intake and don't have a health condition that requires me to maybe eat differently or fix my food differently. I go to the regular store, by packaged foods along with my fresh foods, go out to regular restaurants, have friends over for food that doesn't necessarily have to be specially prepared and that they like. It all depends on what your goal is and what your lifestyle is. If you want to cut out certain things or if you have a certain condition that requires you to have a more specialized diet, I could see how WW might be difficult to follow.

It's the only thing that has ever worked for me, but I can see how it wouldn't work for others.

Just my two cents!

Friday, January 27, 2006, 9:56 AM

I go to the regular grocers for my sweet fix too- cadbury or lindt chocalte, strawberries, sugar cover dried mangos (soooo addicting...)...

I was an almost perfectly healthy person when I started my diet, and I would never have thought that the two problems I did have (seasonal allergies & exercise induced asthma) were related to what I ate. However, cut out the prepackaged junk, and other certain foods, and all of a sudden, I am in perfect health.

I have friends over for dinner, and as they always have, they rave about how good it is. I go out to friend's houses for dinners. I'll got to restaurants with friends- but not too often because I don't want to eat at restaurants.

It doesn't depend on your goal, and it doesn't depend on your lifestyle. It depends on whether or not you think the stuff mass produced with long shelf lives, full of chemicals and processed frankenfood, is good for you, and whether or not you value yourself enough to cut it out. WW doesn't recognise this- it makes processed food to sell to desperate people who aren't willing to make big changes- only little ones. I won't argue, WW can make you slimmer; but it doesn't make you healthier.

Friday, January 27, 2006, 12:18 PM

Wow, I've never heard a pitch for WW products at WW meetings. In fact, I hear the opposite - people bringing in labels from their favorite foods and telling us how many points they are worth. Also, our leader tells us about a "fruit or veggie" per meeting. It's always something random, and she gives us the history of it and then different ways to cook it. It's very informative actually.

As for not teaching nutrition, I have to disagree. Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, etc. they all give you pre-packaged foods which are fine and healthy but you aren't learning how to guage portions and prepare them on your own, you aren't learning how to comprise a healthy meal on your own - you just eat what you are given. Weight watchers takes it to the next level by letting you use every day foods, having you prepare them, teaching you how to portion things correctly. While yes, technically, you could eat 25 points of "bad food" (ie, you get only 25 pts a day to use)...they highly stress NOT to do this. The literature, the meetings, etc. stress the importance of eating healthy, all the way around. They tell you to eat X number of fruit/veggie servings out of your points, tell you how to balance how much carb/starch you take in a day, how much water, etc. So then you learn how to use your points AND get all the servings/meals you are supposed to get to eat a BALANCED healthy diet, without depriving yourself of the things that you love.

It's actually very similar to the diet that doctor's give diabetics. That diet keeps you limited to X amount of calories and then shows you how to do it (ie, breakfast: 1 startch, 1 milk, 1 fruit) and then has the list to show what equals one startch. Weight watchers does the same thing.

Friday, January 27, 2006, 12:34 PM

Regardless of whether or not Weight Watchers pushes their food in meetings right now, the fact is that they make it really easy for people to eat crap. And they sell this stuff in my grocery store in Manhattan. One great way to test the quality of their food-- would Whole Foods sell it? Does anyone know if Whole Foods sells Weight Watchers food?

Friday, January 27, 2006, 12:48 PM

My mother is diabetic, and her doctor has not put her on anything like wieght watchers. Her new doctor gave her a healthy diet that has allowed her to drop her insulin intake in half- and it isn't 1 starch, 1 milk, 1 fruit for breakfast.

"doens't deprive you of the food you love" Translation: doesn't try to change your view of junk food. It's called "junk" food for a reason... I don't like Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem either- but I don't think weight watchers is any better. "eat x number of fruit and veggies out of your points" if they have points, then someone may cut out their fruit intake for the day because they had that pizza at lunch- that is ASININE. By constricting your points, you permit people to indulge in the unhealthy at the expense of the healthy. May be great for weightloss, not so good for health.

All that stuff about portion control, balancing carbs with protien, etc. etc., can be learned and taught without giving food points and people point limits, and without packaging poisons in little low point packages.

Friday, January 27, 2006, 1:06 PM

interesting take on Weight Watchers from the above posters...

I'm looking to see if I can get the book without going to the meetings. My hubby and I stay away (as much as possible) from processed foods, that are full of "natural flavorings" (translation - natural MSG), and other chemicals. My thought is that if nature intended it to be in our food, it would have been there to begin with.

That is also a major reason why I steer clear of nutrasweet, splenda, saccharin, etc. I'd rather have a LITTLE sugar than a TON of the fake stuff. I just don't think that those kind of extra chemicals should be in my body!

Yes, Whole Foods and health food grocery stores ARE more expensive, but the extra expense is worth it! For instance, I used to use "Pet Ritz" pie crusts for my pies and quiches (not that I make many, but when I did, I used them). Over Christmas 1 year, I tried the Whole Foods All-natural pie crust--1 was whole wheat, the other was regular flour. I was astounded at how much better it tasted than the Pet Ritz... AND there are no hydrogenated fats in the crust at all! I won't buy the Pillsbury or Pet Ritz pie crusts any more-- they have no flavor and cannot even compare in texture and taste...(again, I don't make many pies, but when I do, I want quality, not quantity).

I'm actually interested in seeing their "points book" just as a reference. I don't like "diet' foods and much prefer creating my own "diet food plate" by controlling the portion size vs. eating a box of chemical-laden foods, I'm just wondering if the WW works well, even with my strategy...

Friday, January 27, 2006, 3:18 PM

WW will work for anyone, to lose weight. It won't "force" you to be healthy though. Just b/c WW allows for "treats" that may or may not be full of bad chemicals doesn't mean that you have to eat this way. If you only want to eat natural foods, it's very easy to stay within the allotted points for WW. There aren't any candy bars that I know of that don't have any artificial flavors or colors.

On WW, there are a number of vegetables that are 0 points. You can eat as much of them as you want any day of the week, no matter how many little 1-point chocolate bars you've had. Maybe someone will cut out some meat or starch b/c they had too many treats, but I don't think they're cutting out the fruits/veggies for that reason. Besides, an excess of calories will make you gain weight, whether the extra calories are from fruits/veggies or not.

Bottom line, if you want to be healthy, and you think that means cutting out processed foods and chemicals, you can do that with or without weight watchers. And if you want to do weight watchers, you can do it with our without cutting out processed foods. The arguments are mutually exclusive!

Friday, January 27, 2006, 3:31 PM

Whoops!!!

The arguments are NOT mutually exclusive! haha!

Friday, January 27, 2006, 3:31 PM

But the cool thing about weight watchers is that you really can eat anything you want. You can eat healthy foods and count the points or you can eat the chemical ridden ww desserts and count the points there too. It's really up to you. I think you have to use several different resources to learn about health. Weight watchers is only one resource.

Friday, January 27, 2006, 3:39 PM

That you can eat anything you want isn't a great thing. When the selling point is you can eat whatever you want, that just reinforces that you don't have to change your bad habits- just the frequency of them.

Again, what is the point of being skinnier, if you're not healthier for it? Losing wieght doens't instantly make you healthy- skinny people get sick too.

Saturday, January 28, 2006, 12:01 AM

Um, you can get fat on natural foods, too

I know enough fat vegetarians and vegans.
Weight Watchers does two things very well:
it teaches portion control to people who never had it.
it introduces healthy foods to people who never ate them.

Now, my food politics are like many of the folks who posted here - natural, unprocessed foods 99% of the time. I don't really like the WW products for the same reasons - chemicals, fillers, etc. But for some people will never really learn to read a nutrition label or understand how sugar gets hidden in foods, these WW products are a good thing. Plus, it can take years for your tastes to change to where you start preferring healthy food over junk, so it might not be so bad to have these products in between.

I don't eat Sara Lee cakes, but for someone who made it a habit and they start having WW brownies instead, well, I think it's a great start for them.

Saturday, January 28, 2006, 9:09 AM

To the person who slammed what I said about the diabetic diet. I'm sorry your moms doctor didn't put her on it. It kept my grandfather alive for a very long time (and he had the worst type of diabetes). I kept that diet, because it reminds me of my grandfather, and I would be more than happy to send it out to anyone who wants it. It takes the food pyramid and recommended servings of the different food groups and spaces them out to make a balanced diet based on the number of calories you need to eat (they have 1800, 1500 and 1200). You can find it on the AMA website too I believe. Then the inside shows you exchanges so that you don't think 1 starch = one bagle, it shows you 1 starch = 1/2 bagle.

That is what WW is modeled after. You get 26 pts lets say. then it shows you that 1 pt = this much of that food. And for everyone saying WW allows you to eat crap...so does ANYTHING, so does ANY plan, ANY real life situation. You have to be DISCIPLINED. Just because someone puts a cigarette in front of you doesn't mean you have to smoke it, and just cause someone gives you free reign to eat 26 BAD points, doesn't mean you have to! That's why they show you the best way to USE the points you are given...(ie, have 6 veggie servings and then you know that those servings are = X number of the points you have). You have to teach yourself how to do it...that's why its a lifestyle, when you grasp it..it changes your entire eating habits...you find you use your points more wisely...you eat healthy natural foods, not processed foods, and that includes junk food as well...there is ice cream made from organic milk, etc.

the main point is....do whatever works for you!! Why is everyone so HOSTILE in this thread? If someone is 100 lbs overweight, and WW helped them lose the 100 lbs and saved them from heart disease, etc. who is ANYONE to say that wasn't a good choice for them? Everyone needs to do what is right for them, and others should focus on their own health, lives, etc.

Saturday, January 28, 2006, 9:25 AM

Here is a link to what I was talking to about the diabetic diet:

http://www.ndep.nih.gov/diabetes/MealPlanner/en_intro.htm

It's not the official one...the print version doctors give out, but it explains it the same way.

Link

Saturday, January 28, 2006, 9:29 AM

To the 3 above poster, I echo that sentiment. For someone who is replacing a high fat cheescake with a weight watchers dessert, that is a good start. I think most diets will do that, give you a way to start choosing different, more healthy foods in a mindful way. I think ww is great for some, not so good for others.

Saturday, January 28, 2006, 11:47 AM

I'm poster #13, and it's important not to assume that the other comments come from just one person. If you are happy with WW, that's great for you! I just didn't like some of what they do, including the points system, but that's ok. Everyone should do what works for them.

Saturday, January 28, 2006, 6:54 PM

Wow, there are a lot of negative comments about weight watchers. I belong to WW and I have been very successful with it, I find it easy. They try to teach you portion control more then anything. They never push their food products and they don't require you to eat them, there is no contract and you can stay as long as you want. I think they do have a lot of products that people would call bad for you but they are low calorie and low fat, and although they aren't as good for you as a piece of fruit or something else it is an option to have something sweet when you want it with out feeling the guilt of maybe say eating a real donut or piece of cake. So the point of having some low point junk food is not that you can pig out on it but that you can have something junky once in a while that you don't end up hating yourself for. They do stress eating healthy and good food as well, as anyone who does WW can attest to.

Saturday, January 28, 2006, 8:38 PM

I went to WW and they hardly talked about portion size. Mostly people talked about their food cravings and what diet products they had found. We got in this ridiculous argument about the virtues of nuts, which I think are a wonderful food, but the point value is so high that most people avoid them. This is why I don't think they teach good nutrition. And yes, they spend far too much time talking about their own products.

Sunday, January 29, 2006, 4:25 AM

I have felt like WW was becoming a 30 min. commercial before. I switched to a different meeting leader and now it's great and informative. If you're unhappy with it, try going to a different center or a different time. A new leader could make all the difference.

Sunday, January 29, 2006, 10:21 AM

I think your experience with WW really depends on your meeting leader. They are all different and approach the meetings differently. If you find one meeting leader not to your liking try another meeting. I have had 3 different leaders and quite frankly none of them pitched their products. Also keep in mind the reason for these meetings, support, support for you and the other members. By allowing members to talk about their experiences and sharing whatever it is on their minds is helpful to a lot of people even if you don't care about it. It lets others who experience the same feelings know that they are not alone. Ultimately we are all there for one thing and that is to lose weight. They stress the importance of exercise, healthy foods and water. Its up to you to make it what you want it to be. And its up to you to make the right and healthy choices as far as food goes. I mean after all, fat or thin we all know how and what we should eat to be as healthy as we can but we choose not to eat like that all the time. People should stop knocking WW or any other sort of program for that matter, because if it works for someone thats all that matters. WW is cheap, no contract, you don't have to buy their products its basicly a support system and it works for a lot of people as long as you are committed and you work the system. I have been doing WW for 6 months and have lost 39 pounds and yes I am glad to know that when I feel like having ice cream or something junky it is there in a portion controlled size and not many calories and low fat. It is what it is and you get out of it what you put into it. And if you aren't happy with one leader find one you do like.

Sunday, January 29, 2006, 11:48 AM

Regarding the "diabetic diet" bit- my mother started on the usual, whole wheat, low carb/starch diet prescribed diet first- then it got worse and she had to go on insulin. She saw a different doctor, got a different diet, and has had her health improve dramatically. Don't be sorry my mom isn't on your diet- she'd be in the hospital if she was, and I like her at home.

Sunday, January 29, 2006, 6:53 PM

If you eat 'fresh' fruits and vegetables, you are still consuming pesticides. Who knows what's in the soil that they were grown in. Chemicals are everywhere and you consume them daily without knowing it. Unless you buy organic and can afford to, you are ingesting chemicals. Even then, there are a small amount of chemicals involved. If you breathe, you are ingesting chemicals.

Some people don't have the means to buy as healthy as possible, so let them find their own way to weight loss. To slam someone for eating processed food is unkind and uncaring on a board where it's supposed to be encouraging. Unless you are walking in that person's shoes or buying their groceries or cooking their meals for them, there is no place for criticism. Eat what you want and let the rest of us do the same.

Monday, January 30, 2006, 11:46 AM

WW and new here

Just found this site. I have been doing WW on and off. I have lost 43 lbs .
So tomorrow will be a new day for me.
Have had some illness for a year and had radiation treatments. So now I am ready to get started with my points again.
This is a wonderful site.
Am enjoying myself .
Hilde

Wednesday, February 1, 2006, 1:11 AM

WW glean what you need from it.

I lost 35 lbs w/WW back in 2002, I went for about a year and it has been a great base for me. It was easy & fit my lifestyle . In the last year or so a few lbs have crept back up. WW teaches you the basics you need to loose the wt & the bad habits, consistantly, while not feeling like your on a diet but eating like a normal wt person. I did try LA WT loss & found it to restricting & costly, but I did learn a few thing from them that WW didn't push hard enough like eating enough protein to sustain your body throughout the day and really pushes the fruit & veggies. So this time around I am taking the best info from both of them & it seems to be working. I heard a lot in my WW meetings about portion control & of course, everyone brought in their favorite low point finds but only shared this at the end of the meeting. Your talking about sugar/carb addicted woman & the game is to find the largest amount of best tasting food for the least amount of points & when we find that, it's like winning the lottery or a drug fix so of course there is a focus on this part. It's why a lot of people choose WW, because it allows you to cheat & still not blow your diet.

Saturday, April 29, 2006, 1:10 AM

I swear they must pay you WW lovers to come to this site and never let this thread die! I'm tired of hearing how "WW teaches portion control and this and that" Well, maybe your meetings did, but I got sick to death of listening to people talk about their favorite diet dessert products.

Monday, May 1, 2006, 5:00 AM

WW Cheese Cakes

Where can you fiind these cheese cakes? I live in Surrey BC Canada Area and hard to find WW's stuff

Thursday, October 18, 2007, 8:37 PM

WW Products and meals

got really ill after eating WW Meals und all products from WW after 2 years. It was so easy. I din't miss anything...BUT after 2 Years I got very ill.. I'm from Germany, I'm looking for people in the USA to sue them. Do you know anyone, woh get ill too from the WW meals und other MM stuff? I got CFIDS and more. I think in der Products of WW is nor enought ensaturated fat. It mak you really ill.
Mail to

Anisimov-Schulze@gmx.de

Friday, May 2, 2008, 5:04 AM

WW Products and meals

this is my opinon, I would lieke to proove it

Friday, May 2, 2008, 5:36 AM

the program has been changed a lot fyi:

Link

Thursday, January 29, 2009, 10:18 AM

weight watchers

I did weight watchers a couple years ago, and lost about 40 pounds. i only went to the meetings for a few months, then i just followed the program on my own at home. I don't recall our leader talking about the products too much, so i suppose it depends on your leader. i'm thinking about starting back at the meetings again, as i've gained about 10 pounds back.
As far as delicious diet snacks go- those 100 calorie hostess cupcake snackpacks are only 1 point! That's right, only one freakin point! The other 100 cal packs are all 2 points. Love those things.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009, 1:38 PM

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