Anyone doing Weight Watchers? I am thinking about joining and trying to decide whether to do the meetings or the online version. Any pros/cons of each?

I did weightwatchers on line-worked for me-I hate going to meetings! And with the price of gas, anything that would save me from having to make a special trip is good! There is a calculator for points right on the website, which is a good thing, as well as lots of recipes and hints. You also do your food journal online.

I've been doing the Weight Watchers program online for a year. I've lost 66 pounds.

I think it depends on you, your needs and your lifestyle, whether you will do better with meetings or online will be enough.

If I start to falter with just online support, I can go to meetings. It's my failsafe support.

Good luck to you.

online is working for me. I don't like crowds ;-)

My friend is on WW online. She showed me the site and let me read through. She needs lots of support and I knew I wouldn't use the site much at all but I did like the program. The WW points plus is a great way to eat for the whole family not just the dieter. All fresh vegetables and fresh fruits are 0 so you fill up on those and have your points to eat what you want. The other foods went up in points so it equals out from the old WW plan where vegs and fruits had a point value. I bought the WW new points plus calculator from Ebay and not eating more then 26 points a day is the main thing to know.

I did WW online a few years ago and it worked for me but the price turned me off. I'm now using www.sparkpeople.com which is free. It has everything WW has as far as tracking nutrition, exercise, weight, recipes. The only difference is that it gives you a calorie range rather than points. I find that easier anyway as you don't have to calculate points.

I must say when I did WW, I gained 10 pounds!! They kept saying "you have to eat so many fruits/veggies/grain etc each day" and I kept telling them that I had never eaten that much food in a day my entire life. They said I had to stick to the plan and eventually it would kick in and I'd lose. Well, I kept gaining a pound each week and they said I was doing something wrong -that I wasn't following 'The Plan'. After a 10 lb gain, I quit. Or I should say, I TRIED to quit. They said I would have to pay a penalty for backing out early. Never never again with these programs!

there some other reviews in this thread: http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-111518-1.htm

I like it. I'm losing about 1-2 lbs per week which is good. I have a group at work & we support each other. The meetings work better for me (I'm treating as a food addict anonymous sort of thing)

I've lost about 15 lbs per week (and I don't exercise)

Correction .. not all the other foods went up in PPVs

Plus keep in mind that with the new PPV calculations, you really can't compare old Points with the new PPVs. Also the minimal DPPT is NOT 26. It's higher!

WW stuff on eBay is highly priced ... just go to a meeting location and you can purchase it there, member or not.

Fifteen pounds per week?

I would never have had any success if I had gone the online route ... I need the accountability of meetings. That being said, I do know of others who have done well, via WW online.

It really depends yourself and your commitment as to how well you can do online and on your own.

It's kind of like doing a correspondence course ... some can follow thru easily. Others are not so successful.

The basic fact is ...
... whether a meetings or online member, WW works if you work the program!

And if you don't ........ well, you know the story! :)

Well I filled out all the info and it came back my points for the day was 26 for WW Points Plus. And the other poster is right it's more food then what I was eating! I knew I'd gain weight. I use the calculator and my points are never over 13 a day by regular eating, DH falls about 21. Our meals consist of 80% fresh vegetables or root vegetables, meat and maybe carbs in the form of whole grains. I go the calculator for $8 on Ebay with free shipping. Saved me having to go to a meeting across town. It's a good program if you are over eating now or not eating the right foods. Signing up for three months is a good way to check it out and get on track.

i joined a couple weeks ago..on line. i find the on line site confusing. i signed up for the 3 month deal. i did it years ago, with the old points. which to me, was easier.
my DIL has been using it, and has seen a steady weight loss..1.5 or 2 pounds per week. she is in the service,and has to keep in shape, she started running every evening.

I did the meetings for quite some time and then they changed the time of the meeting to one hour later which doesn't always fit into a night workers schedule!! After WW moved the class I did on-line, which works well for some people, but I need the accountability of face to face!! I lost over 25 pounds on WW, but now I am a member of Curves and am doing their weight management program which I have also been successful at.

I just joined WW last week. I feel I need the accountability of weekly meetings. I have found the new points plus program to make a lot of sense and works well within the lifestyle of my family. I have belonged to Sparkpeople for several years, which is also a great program. I just need to look someone in the eye and have the structure right now! The two programs are very compatible. I have the monthly pass, which is a combination of on-line and meetings.

I have done WW in the past and I have to say that weighing in, in front of a person at meetings, sure keeps me accountable. I did lose...both times I participated but, alas, did not keep it up. I did keep all my materials. At my elem school, we are doing a weight loss challenge...we recieve pts for lbs lost and exercise. I am doing an hour of Zumba fitness three times a week (and absolutely love it) and watching what I eat and I am losing inches and just a few lbs. I am going to pull out my WW materials and try to follow the points system for awhile. That should help with my weight loss goal.

I also joined WW on line last year and lost 25lbs. Till last oct then I just couldn't keep on track. So i would gain and lose the next five pounds. I just quit WW on line and went back to Calorie counting from About,com its the same as WW only counting calories. It does all the work for you. Tells you how many calories you can have and what the calories of what you have eaten are. I just got bored doing WW. Was time for a change. I am happy to have stayed the same for the last few months .. Shows if you just watch you can maintain. Oh and it helped that I got my new puppy Boomer. I walk him everyday rain or shine.

someone posted this link on a thread i started a few weeks ago.
http://www.fatsecret.com/

i must of fell off the wagon,( i know i did, it was the pizza's fault!) i gained 1 pound back this week.. :thumbdown:

Just checked out sparkpeople. Thanks!

I'm a lifetime member, but I am the world's worst dieter. I think part of it is that I'm too lazy to measure and weigh stuff. currently i am over goal. it really is a good program, I have a couple of friends that have lost over 100lbs. currently I'm on an anti-inflamatory NSAIDS and it's harder to lose while taking meds. I've been on them for 3 years about the same amount of time I've been at WW. I'm pretty much a sugarholic which doesn't help. I haven't given up though b/c I know I'll just go downhill.

You're welcome!

I really like their eating plan and have been doing the Points Plus program for about six weeks. Have lost 15 pounds. I went to three meetings but didn't really get much out of them and was annoyed that you have to pay for meetings you can't attend so I just decided to go it on my own. Truly, I can't see much difference. Good luck, whatever you do.

I will check into this free site. I can handle free - :thumbup:

I joined four weeks ago. I have lost 8.8 lbs. If you can do it online I guess it is okay, but the reason I join is for the support group. I have joined before with great success...I just need to keep going to maintain. Once you reach goal, it is free anyway. Please join the group....people are so supportive! Good luck....keep us posted.

I like Spark people too.

WW has online member boards, for those that are interested ... another community forum.

I joined the online program 6 wks ago and have lost 15lbs so far.
I started out at 190lbs and the points \day are 29. Plus there are 49 extra points that can be used in a week for special occasions. I don't use too many of these. I also go t the Y mornings M-F for aerobic swim and deep water jogging. So moderate exercise helps too.

I do both online and the meetings. I find that the live meetings are informative and I need the accountability of stepping on the scale. Try several different meeting times or places until you find a leader you really like. I've been going since Jan. 4 and have lost 20 lbs.

I've been doing WW (at work) for almost 2 years - I lost 25 pounds & have been holding steady with that loss - need to get a kick in the butt to lose some more though

Been on WW several times over the years. Got lifetime about 25 years ago. Joined again several weeks ago, but I guess I'm just not motivated enough, because I kept trying to figure out how to have more chips and cookies, and I DON'T think that's the idea! LOL! Maybe I'm too old now and would rather eat than be thin!

I want to thank you for introducing me to Spark people!!
I find it to be a great website. I belong to WW online, but I will not be renewing when my 3 months is up. I did join Sparkpeople. Thanks again

I love WW. I have lost 25 pounds so far. Tons more to go. I have done online and going to meetings. Meetings work best for me because I feel it keeps me on track having to weigh in every Saturday. When I did online I found myself hiding from the scale on weeks where I knew I had gained.

I am doing weight watchers and have lost 25 pounds since January. I go to the meetings because I need to be accountable. Just online would not work for me. PointsPlus is a great program and I highly recommend it :thumbup:

I was on WW for over a year. I've lost 53 pounds. That being said, I gained weight when the switched to the new Points Plus plan. So I quit and went back to the old points which was obviously working. I'm right now back to my pre-Christmas weight which is 53 pounds down. So I'm not paying anymore but still following the "old" plan.

And I also use http://myfitnesspal.com which is free and still makes me feel accountable.

I planned on joining WW in January and then Broke my ankle, so rather than sit on my butt all winter eating bonbons and expanding I joined WW online. Since February I have lost 16.5 lbs :) I will continue WW online for now, I like the Points calculator and recipe
program that converts your recipes to Points Plus values. My husband has been cooking this whole time and it helps to know how much of something I can eat. I am hoping that once I can be weight bearing (I am just starting) that I will lose the pounds faster than the 1-2 per week, but i am happy with that. I will also look into Sparkpeople. Good luck!

I liked weight watchers but when I tried online I found with my dial up it didn't work. I loose weight when I do the program but right now I have no motivation.
Lynda

Weight Watchers is a great program. It really helps us to tune into eating right and still enjoying things we like to eat or drink. I forget that I must eat to loose weight. If you are not eating right you will NOT loose. It's best to eat something every three hours-fruit, vegies something. You have to keep your system working. Your liquid intake and eating enough protein are all so important specially on this program. I have been a lifetime member for over 27 years. I've done good over the years but now as I'm getting older my body needs to be reshaped or restructured!! We get comfortable when we get older but if you really don't want to be thin at least watch what you eat, eat healthy and get up and move! The goal is 15 min a day that's not much. You'll be amazed how much more you can get done in a day and how much more energy you'll have!! This week I'm increasing to everyday 15 min. I'm so determined! We can do it! We really can. :thumbup: :thumbup:

I have always just done the online WW membership. I have done many diets in the past, even lost 50+ pounds doing low carb back in 2002, but the day I started eating carbs again I started gaining it back.

WW works for me because even when I do go off the "diet" the weight doesn't come back nearly as fast. I started back on WW in late February. This time is different for me. I know that to lose the weight and keep it off I have to continue to monitor what I eat and exercise. WW is the only eating plan that I can do for the rest of my life, because I can eat the things I want as long as I do it in moderation.

You should check it out. If is so worth the investment.

PS I get 29 daily points and 49 weekly points, but that is because I want to lose another 45 to 50 pounds.

pps - I have lost 18.2 pounds since February, DH has lost about 22 pounds and even my 11 year daughter has lost her little belly. Her only complaint has been "let me guess, we are having chicken for dinner again."

Same thing happened to me with the new plan, I went back to the old one and started to lose again...the dont like to hear that at meetings....they insist that you arent tracking correct and not giving it enough time....I stopped going to meeting also but follow at home.