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I have broken down my explanation of the Weight Watchers program into the following subjects. Feel free to click on one to jump to it, or just scroll down to read through the whole page.
Weight Watchers is rated as one of the most successful weight loss programs by researchers. It is based on no secret method, just eating fewer calories than you burn each day. No food is off limits, but one motto is "if you bite it, write it". WW states that you should be logging everything you eat and adding it to your daily total when on the Flex Plan and logging Non-Core Items when on the Core Plan – Flex and Core are the two weight loss programs that Weight Watchers has to offer on their Turnaround Program.
Weight Watchers has various locations around the US. These locations are comprised of a weekly confidential weigh-in to track your progress and weekly meetings that follow. The weekly meetings are a 30-45 minute group discussion held by a Leader. The leader and group share tips, recipes, and help guide you through the program. The Weight Watchers at Work meetings are generally only a half-hour long to fit into a lunch schedule. Those uncomfortable with meetings may prefer to weigh-in and leave, or to use the Weight Watchers Online program instead.
My thoughts: The weekly meetings are the best aspect of the program. The leaders are instructed on the class that they will teach each week, so the meetings are very similar from one leader to the next. The most important thing, however, is finding a leader that you like and respect. Each leader adds their own personality to the classes that they teach and getting a leader who is a good fit will help you greatly. My leader Marianne is like no other. She has a very energetic personality that helps me stay in a positive frame of mind, week after week, even when I don’t want to. The accountability of weighing each week in front of someone who isn’t there to judge you, but there to help you through this process is incredibly helpful.
The Flex Plan is based on the POINTS Weight-Loss System that allows you to eat any food as long as you keep track and control how much you eat. You can enjoy the full range of food options. You can manage any meal occasion at home, on the go, or when dining out. With the Flex Plan, tracking and controlling your food intake allows you to lose weight wile having the entire variety of foods available.
How many Points you are allowed each day depends on your weight:
Less than 150 pounds = 20 Points
In addition to your daily Points, you are allowed a total of 35 Flex Points that can be used in whatever quantity you want each week.
How to figure Points values are easy! You can look up foods in either the Complete Food Companion or the Dining Out Companion. If you are trying to find the Points value of pre-packaged items, use the Points Finder (provided by WW when you begin the program). When reading the pre-packaged items Nutritional Value label, you will need to find the Dietary Fiber, Calories and Total Fat Grams.
This is the formula used to calculate the Points value for a food: Points = (Calories) + (Fat Grams) - (Dietary Fiber)
Use the Points Finder slide to calculate the Points of foods. Find the Dietary Fiber, Calories and Total Fat. Move the slide up or down until the Dietary Fiber and Calories meet. Locate the Fat Grams on the Points Finder slide. In the Points Value Window, is what that specific pre-packaged items Points Value is per Serving.
My thoughts: I like the Flex Plan. I like having to track my foods and write everything down that I’ve eaten. It gives me the accountability that I need to see how and what I really eat. It’s a great plan for someone who likes organization.
The Core Plan controls the calories by focusing your eating on a core list of wholesome, nutritious foods without tracking. The list is comprised of foods from all the food groups: vegetables and fruits; grains and starches; lean meats, poultry, fish and eggs; and milk products. You are supposed to eat these foods until you feel satisfied, not full.
Core Plan Food List (in part, not in full detail):
For that occasional treat, you can also eat foods outside of this list in a controlled amount, so you are also allowed 35 Flex Points a week to fit in foods that are not on the Core Food list. Those items need to be tracked in your food journal. With the Core Plan, focusing on a core list of foods allows you to lose weight without tracking.
My thoughts: I haven’t tried the Core Plan. The thought of eating until you’re Full, not Stuffed wouldn’t cut it for me. I’d binge on Brown Rice and Lean Meats all I wanted and not know when to stop. The Flex plan isn’t for everyone, which is why WW came out with the Core Plan. My leader Marianne does Core and she’s thin. You have to figure out which plan is right for you and go with that.
The Eight Good Health Guidelines:
As a Weight Watchers Member follows the Turnaround Program, whether it be Flex or Core, it’s important to use these guidelines to boost your health while losing weight.
My thoughts: I try my best to follow the Good Health Guidelines daily. I’ve never been one to take a multi-vitamin pill unless directed by my doctor, so I’m not starting now. I know there are all sorts of good things to come out of vitamins, but I’d rather get my daily nutrients from the food I eat. I do think it’s important to consume fruits and veggies. I make sure that I bring fruit with me to work and have salads and veggies with dinner every night. I’m bad at dairy – that’s something I know that I don’t get enough of and I try to make due during the week by having it in cereal and coffee or eating some cheese products. Water, I can’t get enough of. I’m always drinking Poland Spring or Crystal Lite Iced Tea. I’m not a sugar person or alcohol, so those two aren’t a problem for me to limit. I find in following these guidelines, I’m able to eat healthier.
The dictionary defines activity as a natural or normal function we participate in by virtue of being alive, liveliness, movement or energetic action. This means that activity could range from a normal household activity like vacuuming to a more energetic outdoor activity like jogging.
Activity also has tremendous health benefits. Being active for 30 minutes or more on most days of the week can:
. My thoughts: Exercise has been EXTREMELY important in my weight loss. I have tried WW in the past and have not lost much weight because I wasn’t exercising. I’d walk around Juniper with Lisa, but that was the extent of my physical activity. This time around, I’ve bought a treadmill, changed my life around and have successfully lost weight, thanks to exercise.
There’s no question about it. To succeed at weight loss, you need to make changes……
Not only in what you do but also in how you think and feel. That’s because there’s an “inside’ and an “outside” to weight management; what you believe (on the inside) about your ability to lose weight is linked to what you do (on the outside).
Weight Watchers Tools for Living s a powerful set of techniques hat deals with the “inside” of weight management – the thoughts and feelings that influence your weight-loss behaviors.
There are 10 Tools for Living:
Winning Outcome: To achieve your weight goals, you first need to know what they are. The Winning Outcomes tool helps you identify exactly what you want to accomplish at Weight Watchers.
A Winning Outcome is a goal that is:
Winning Outcomes can be short term or long term. Do you want to fit into your favorite outfit or look good for an upcoming event? That’s short term. Do you want to improve your health or feel more confident? That’s long term.
Develop your Winning Outcome when you start your weight-loss journey. Then review it from time to time to see if your goal has changed. BE sure to write down your Winning Outcome – it will boost your changes of achieving it.
My thoughts: My Winning Outcome Short Term was to lose my first 10%. My Winning Outcome Long Term was to reach my High School weight, fit into my Prom Dress again and finally wear a Bikini!
Empowering Beliefs: Our beliefs are the ideas we think are true. Beliefs strongly influence what we do because they tend to live in our hearts, as well as our heads.
You’re much more likely to succeed if you believe that:
My thoughts: It’s easy to change the actions and harder to change your thoughts. I couldn’t just follow the WW Flex Plan, I had to change my thoughts as well. That’s the only way I’ve been able to lose. I’m maintained a pissed off attitude that I am capable of losing this weight and that’s what helped me through it.
Anchoring: You’re a successful person! Anchoring is a way to get in touch with your resources any time you need them.
Here’s how to tap your resource of “determination”:
My thoughts: I’ve used this technique a lot……”determination”. My reminders have been clothes that I wore in High School that I became too big to wear. I’d lay this one pair of size 12 Limited Pants on my treadmill, so that I was more motivated to use the treadmill so I could wear those pants again. They not only fit in no time, but are now too big. My current “determination” are size 10 jeans and a new cute blue Bikini that I’d like to wear on the cruise I’m taking in January.
Storyboarding: “What should I do first, second, third, etc. to get closer to my goal weight?”.
Let’s say you want to lose 30 pounds. Here’s a storyboard you might use:
A storyboard is a plan that uses rough drawings to show action changes in a film, cartoon or TV show.
My thoughts: I didn’t use storyboarding quite like it’s listed above. I didn’t quite number the way or order I wanted to do things throughout my weight loss, so much as I had specific short and long term goals that I wanted for myself as explained in Anchoring above.
Mental Rehearsing:
Practice in your imagination. Mental
Rehearsing helps public speakers, actors and athletes prepare for a successful
performance. It can help you achieve outstanding weight-loss results.
My thoughts: Again, I’ve used Mental Rehearsing, but not as they’ve said above. I’ve told just about everyone and their mother that I’m on Weight Watchers. I’m a bold person and if I can’t eat something, I just come right out and say that I can’t eat it. The part of Mental Rehearsing that I use when I go out is more that I have in mind what I’m going to eat and what I won’t. While in the eating situation, I use this mental rehearsing to keep me from not eating – “Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels”.
Motivating Strategy: Gain the
inspiration to keep moving toward your Winning Outcome. Use Motivating Strategy
Tool daily or just when you need an extra boost. It’s a powerful Tool that can
help you get the results you want.
Take a moment to experience the good feelings that come from having reached your goals. Perhaps you’re feeling more energetic, more comfortable in your clothes or more confident with your appearance. Remember those good feelings as you continue to move toward your Winning Outcome.
My thoughts: I used my sister Lisa’s success and Marianne’s success on Weight Watchers be my motivation. I’ve also imagined myself wearing my old clothes from High School and being thin wearing a bikini. Those motivating thoughts have kept me going. And to have 2 people in my life to have been successful on WW, it’s been a real big help.
Reframing: Every behavior gives you something you want. That’s true even for behaviors like overeating. Reframing is a strategy that helps you find better ways to get what these negative behaviors give you. Use reframing any time you want to change a behavior that stops you from achieving your Winning Outcome.
For example – If you want to stop snacking while watching TV at night:
My thoughts: I eat the most at social situations. So when I find myself reaching for snacks, I always have a large glass of iced tea or water to keep my hands and mouth busy.
Positive Self-Talking: How can you do better than you think you can? By turning negative thought into positive self-talk. You’ve probably heard it said, “You are what you eat”. Consider that “you are what you repeat”. When the words you repeat to yourself are positive, you’re more likely to reach your Winning Outcome.
Try these Positive Self-Taking Ideas:
My thoughts: I use this ALL THE TIME. Positive Self-Talking really works. I’ve noticed that when I keep in a positive frame of mind, I’m more successful in my weight loss. I focus on my goals and it keeps me going.
Asserting: You improve your chances of succeeding at weight loss if you know how to ask for what you need, while keeping in mind the other person’s needs.
For example:
My thoughts: I do this all the time. Being married, it’s not just about you; it’s about the other person too. Since I did most of my eating as a “couple”, I had to change my behaviors as well as ask Jeff to change his too. No, I haven’t asked him to join WW or anything; he doesn’t have a weight problem. But as stated in example number 1, I have asked him to take me out of the equation when wanting to order appetizers or dessert when we go out to eat. Jeff’s great about it too. He chooses to eat take-out foods and such for lunches at work, instead of asking me to go out to restaurants. This way, he can have what he wants and I don’t have to put myself in that eating situation all the time. Hence, we both get what we want out of it.
Switching: A habit is something you do without even realizing you’re doing it. It’s as if you’re on autopilot. Do you have a habit that you’d like to change? Try Switching! Identify the habit you want to change.
My thoughts: I’ve do this frequently. There are so many times that I’ve eaten on autopilot and not even realized that I was binging. I’ve switched my behaviors from binging on foods while watching TV, to keeping my fingers occupied by playing on my laptop instead.
Weight Watchers Online eTools:
The eTools on the Weight Watchers website are available to Weight Watchers Online subscribers or as an extra fee for other Weight Watchers members. The online food and exercise diary is a full-featured tool that includes calculators, food search, and recipe builder and analyzer and more to make tracking what you eat easy. For food and meal suggestions they have meal ideas and recipes, including full day plans and shopping lists. There are also message boards for mutual support.
My thoughts: I LOVE using eTools!!! Every Sunday when I come back from my meetings, I log online and enter my weight in their Weight Tracker section. There are so many wonderful recipes that I’ve put into my weekly cooking rotation because of it. It’s definitely worth $12.95 per month (there is also a three month subscription option for $29.95).
Weight Watchers is a healthy program that has helped me get the weight off. WW is not some bogus weight-loss “Drink a Shake a day and lose 50 pounds in 2 weeks” plan. WW doesn’t limit the foods you can eat. If I want Pasta or Potatoes (Carbohydrates), I can eat it, just in moderation. If you think about it, it is basic common sense – using Portion Control and Exercise. The reason that I keep up WW and not go it alone is that I need the structure of a weight-loss or weight-maintenance program to keep my on track. I need the accountability of getting on the scale week after week. I need to be a part of the meetings where I can talk about my trials and tribulations; listen to others talk about theirs and gain advice from my leader and other members. As you can read in My Story, it is a lot of hard work and dedication to lose the weight and only you know if and when you are ready.
Bottom Line: If you’re not willing to really commit yourself to a healthy lifestyle, then Weight Watchers is not for you. Weight Watchers is NOT a diet, it is a lifestyle.
* Most text borrowed from Weight Watchers Turnaround Getting Started Week 1 Booklet received upon registration at Weight Watchers. For the “My thoughts” portions are as stated – they are my thoughts.
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