Does wieght watchers work!

Hey guys i need some support. Although i have been using the toos provided here to count my calories I've also heard that Weight watchers works.  I have already been to a meeting and got the tools to count the points but of course i quit out partying and so on. But not this time i am determined to lose wieght and i thought maybe it would be a good tool to aid with the calorie counter provided on her. i was wondering if anyone could provide some insight. thanks

 

Weight Watchers seems to be good for people who want  to be "accountable" in person with group support. I did it for awhile...but, since I have a baby it was hard for me to make it to the metings, and I would rather spend an hour of "me time" at the gym (ect) I did lose weight with their plan. It is similar to what we do here. Account for the calories and don't eat more than you burn, basically.

 I found that I like this web site for the boost in support and that is all the "push" I needed...but, if you want to have more "in person" support...I would say to go for it!

My mom did weight watchers and she is doing amazing! its not at all about dieting, it's about a healthy lifestyle. She started at 245 lbs and started to lose anywhere from 1-3 pounds a week. Although she was really devoted she also feel in love her new life. She know weighs 143 and looks amazing!

Now if I could only fall in step with her...haha

Good luck!

My aunt-in-law (almost) does the weight watchers thing and she did lose, I think 70+ pounds on it but ended up gaining some of that back because she did learn to count points, but never learned to live life away from points.  She's still following weight watchers, but I don't think she goes as religiously as she used to.

I've only ever done Calorie-Count so I'm not really much help.

Pretty much everything where you restrict the amount of food you eat and excersize will work. Like team_malone says, Weight Watchers is good to keep yourself acountable to a group of people, so if you think face to face contact is going to help then go for it!

Is also handy because it emphasises healthy eating, because lots of vegetables are "free",so you don't have to count the calories in lots of salads, or steamed veggies for example, which is handy. Also they produce really good cookbooks which can help you stay on track and encourage you to eat home coked meals!

The down side is because its points, you can't look at the back of the packet to find out if its "allowed" or not, though I'm sure they have info on popular brands to help you. Also, i you go to the meetings or join online you do have to pay.

I know my mum and dad lost weight with WW, it just depends if its right for you or not, but if you like the sound of it, give it a go!

Hey thanks guys the only thing is i gave a small child myself and i am unable to attend the meetings and quite frankly i don't want to pay either lol. it does get frustrating looking up all the points on the scale but maybe with the aid of that and here i can make it happen. thanks for the support guys

You know, Calorie-Count is free, you can log on whenever you've got time, and you've got tons of support in the forums. 

Just sayin' ;]

I'm on weight watchers.  It's the only thing that has ever worked for me.  The reason why it works is because it takes all of this calculation stuff out of your hands.  At first it is a bit of a chore figuring out how many points are in your food but you get used to that fairly quickly.  The point thing really isn't a mystery.  Essentially, 50 calories is one point.  But if the food you are eating is high in fat, the points increase and if it's high in fibre, they decrease.  So if you get tired of always checking how many points, you can use 50 calories per point as a rough guide and just watch the fat.

 What it has done for me is show me how much I was overeating.  It is obscene how much more I ate than what I really should have.  I knew I ate too much but I didn't realize how much too much.  Weight watchers is very good for helping you to understand what a reasonable portion of food is.  It's working for me because I know that I only have a certain number of points.  If I want to indulge in a large meal with lots of fat, I can do that but I know that I will end up starving for the rest of the day because I don't have any points left.  So I don't do it.  I space out my meals and make them as low cal as possible so that I can eat more and feel less hungry.

 I think people who get wrapped up in the meetings and all of the weight watchers 'low point' foods can chain themselves to it.  If you can't get away from that you may not learn how to live a healthy lifestyle.  I am still counting points but pretty loosely and I'm still losing weight.  I'm quite confident that I'll be able to move away from the points in the future and know how much is reasonable for me to eat.

 I don't go to meetings.  I did to start with but I found that a lot of people were obsessed with weight watchers and weight loss.  I don't want to be that way.  I just want to know in my head what I should be doing and just do it - not think about it every minute of my life.  I come to boards like this and another one I use for info. and support from time to time.

Yes, weight watchers works. I use to be a huge fan of weight watchers... if you are going to do it, pick the Core program over the Flex points. You get more food, after learning how it works (which can be confusing at first) it's much easier since you don't have to weigh your food or count calories. I have some great cheat sheets on this if you want me to email you a copy of them just let me know at (email address removed by moderator)

I personally like The YOU on a Diet diet better although it's actually a lot like Weight Watchers core plan, it's free, and I like the support on this website.

I dunno, I considered starting with Weight Watchers, but I'm incredibly shy & wasn't into the whole "group meetings/weigh-in session" thing they have going for them.
Just counting calories works for me, it's free, & I don't need to bother with any meetings.
I guess if you're a real people person & you like the accountability, go for it. group settings just never appeal to me.

A group of my friends got together and started their own group. We get together every tues eve and weigh ourselves on the same scale every week. We pay $10 every week which goes into an account we keep. If you go up weight at the weigh in you pay an extra $5. The $10 you pay every week at weigh in you get back at Christmas... it's a great way of saving. The $5  you pay if your weight goes up goes towards a night out with the group. I find it great for motivation as you never want to be the one handing over that extra $5!!!! Once you reach your goal you only pay the $5 if you go back up. We share tips, stories, etc. We only give our weight to the same person every week as well, so it stays private if you want it that way. We have handed out the point system from weight watchers but you can do whatever you want as regards to losing, maintaining, gaining etc. After weigh in some of us usually go for a walk together.

Just another option for you....... 

Bosenberries, what a superb idea....

Yes they all work.

WeightWatchers, LA weightloss, Nutrisystem, Herbal magic. They all work on the same level. You have to monitor what you eat.

Here you get support from so many people, great advice, and you also get to do what they are charging you for at those programs, which is to monitor what you eat through your account. If you do it dilligently, you will see results almost immediately. But you have to be very dilligent at keeping up with the data input. It's amazing how much it has helped me recognize how much I eat and how little by way of excercise I do, so I'm trying to balance that out.

My sister did LA weightloss and it worked for her. She lost 45 lbs and looks incredible. They have an incentive program, where if you meet your target goal you get your money back. But it is extremely expensive.

Bottom line, you know what you are like. So if you feel comfortable doing a group environment and interacting with live people then weightwatchers is definitely a good choice.
Good luck in whatever you choose! :)

 

Weight Watchers definitely worked for my wife.  Once she got the hang of calculating the points, etc. she did great.  The thing that she found most helpful about weight watchers was the meetings.  There was healthy peer-pressure there, which she used as motivation to lose weight.   She was able to reach her weight loss goal of 25 lbs.  She doesn't go to meetings anymore, but she has a points counter in her brain now...

I think it was Jack La Lanne that stated it best when someone asked "What excercise do you think would work best for me?"  His reply was "The one that you'll do"...

For me the one that "I do" is calorie-count.com.   For my wife, it was Weight Watchers.  I believe you'll get results from whatever you do consistently...

It worked for me, up to a point. I lost big the first time, gained it back; lost some the second time, gained more back; lost little the third time, gained it all back.

I'm also very shy and hesitate to speak up in a meeting, I felt uncomfortable broadcasting my weight loss, and many of the meetings seem to be more of a sales pitch for WW items.

So, CC works better for me.  But WW can work for many people -- and WW in conjunction with CC can really help you learn healthy eating habits. 

(I haven't read any other responses, so I apologize if I'm repeating myself)

For me, personally, I feel that weight watchers is not the best option because it's so easy to abuse.  The problem comes when you discover that you can save all of your points for one huge, VERY unhealthy meal. For that matter, you can eat all unhealthy foods, every day, and stay within your points. Basically, if you can spread out your points correctly, it works very well. It's just difficult for people like me, who have very little self control. =) 

I like WW but I have to agree with the above post.  Soo easy to abuse.  I would do my points 6day and have a free day forgoing my extra 35.  Not only that, too little points.  Mine was 24 and thats about 1200 cals.  Not enough for me.  Imagine those at the minimum with 20 points!

I used to be on WW, and it worked for a time.  But, as the previous post stated, it is so easy to abuse...  I came up to a point where I didn't lose weight anymore -- this is why I switched to CC.  It's free, and roughly comes to the same, but made me lose these extra 30lbs I needed to lose.

I'm now 5'8'', 136-138 lbs :p  But WW helped at first.  :)

I am a retiree of WW. Why? Here it goes...

I am 23, 5'4" and currently 140lbs (down 6.5lbs since joining Calorie-Count in mid-December).

My history: I was very active in HS (track, soccer, dance, horseback riding, ect.) and suffered from an ED which was compounded by a very rare illness. I was a healthy 125 but from the ED and illness I plummeted to 100lbs. Passing out during games, you name it, the hair loss, it all came crashing down on me. My doctor gave me the ultimatum to either be hospitalized for both problems, or be bed-ridden for 3 weeks and get better on my own. I chose the later. I eventually went back up to 125 (struggling all 4 yrs to not to turn back to the ED) and entered college at 125. By the end of freshman year of college I had gained 40lbs (yes, up to 165) and was bordering turning to the ED again. I tried the diet pills - they didn't work and go me very sick, I was almost hospitalized from them. One friend (now my boyfriend of 4 years) took my hands and said "I will help you through all this but only if you throw these pills away and promise never to take them again." So I did. I stopped making excuses and joined WW the summer after freshman year. My mom and I did it together. It was easy to go to the meetings because I was home from college. We made veggie soup every weekend together and that helped keep us on track. I also was very fortunate and had the WW national best spokeswomen at my local meeting place. AND SHE WAS AMAZING! I dropped 30lbs in one summer (working 4 jobs helped keep me active too). I returned to sophomore year a comfortable 135 lbs (my goal had been 125 but i reassessed it after i realized it wasn't realistic for me anymore since I was no longer an active athlete). I set my lifetime goal at 132 but struggled to maintain that in college. I found myself practically starving myself before weigh-in day because I was embarrassed to get on the scale and see that I went over the +/- allowance. I tried to do it when I returned home and started commuting to my job in NYC, but that in itself made it impossible to go to meetings, make weigh-ins and get the motivation i needed.

What went wrong with me and WW? I noticed, the meeting place by my college was nothing like the one in my hometown. Your success at WW has a lot to do with your spokesperson and the people participating (along with the support of those close to you). If you cannot relate to them, and they are not supportive and positive, it will be hard to succeed. I recommend, if anyone is doing WW or considering quiting, stick with it and consider finding a new location - maybe you will find a more complementary spokesperson or group of participants. 

What am I doing now? I joined Calorie-Count. Why? Because it is everywhere I am and it is there whenever I need it. With my lifestyle now, I cannot commit to weigh-ins and meetings. The users on this site are knowledgeable, caring, supportive and all working towards the same thing: a healthy weight and lifestyle.

 

In the end, it is all about finding the right fit for you. Just because it works for one person, doesn't necessarily mean it will work for you. Pay attention to what your needs are and what your lifestyle is.

Maybe try a mix of a few - each option out there (WW, Jenny Craig, NutriSystem, ect.) has something to offer to someone, it just may not necessarily be for you. Trial & error - give it a go! Weight loss doesn't happen overnight, so as long as you keep working towards your goals, you will eventually find the perfect fit for you!