Frustrated with Weight Watchers ProPoints

grey_lady

Whether it's SW or WW or SS or Atkins or Slimfast - all of these diets have been proven to have a long term failure rate of between 95 and 98% in every study I have come across. If I paid a driving instructor £20 a week and he said - according to my usual pass rate chances of you passing your test and still being able to drive in two years time are 2% I'd think that's a bit of a rip-off. WW/SS don't mention that out of every 100 people who join up only 2-5 will have managed to keep the weight off in two-five years time, because they want the other 98 people to come back in the future when they've regained the weight and keep on paying them.

Interestingly the last WW meeting I went to, there was a leader, two more people weighing and two helpers taking money - all four helpers were morbidly obese and it was interesting to be 'advised' by the person weighing me when they obviously hadnt been following it themselves - I went back a good few months later and nothing had changed and these are the people that are motivated to stay for the meetings and help out. Another meeting I went to before that one in a different area had a 'diamond' leader who I would say was overweight / obese, I didnt even think that leaders were allowed to continue if they gained to much weight?

So as someone else previously mentioned it's being motivated to apply a dietplan every day for ever which would mean that these diets work - and that doesnt seem fesible to me unless your one of the lucky few that can motivate yourself enough to do this or find an alternative. The couple of people I've known keep a large amount of weight off have done it through very drastic lifestyle changes and not slimming clubs, one was read the riot act by his doctor which may have helped with his motivation. Just because WW or SW say it's fine to have a cadbury's cream egg a day as a treat doesnt mean that you wont get type 2 diabetes or high Cholesterol, so I think that the long-term motivation for change has to be more for health reasons than weight loss like giving up smoking.

Although I've lost weight with WW in the past, as soon as lifestyle changes kicked in the tracking went out of the window and the weight came back, I was able to lose some by making healthier choices at mealtimes but still found it difficult not to slip - I'm also reading that 'End of overeating' book that Jenniewb recommended, finding it quite hard going though :-(

p00

I joined WW three weeks ago after doing SW for a year but then putting the weight back on when I stopped going which was my own fault. The reason I went to WW is because my daughter prefers the structure of the points rather than basically eating as much as you want on red or green although I liked the system myself.

Ive lost 6lbs in three weeks. On SW I was losing 1/2lb a week. I do have an undreactive thyroid but as I am on medication wont use that as an excuse.

I can honestly say that on either plan I have not been remotely hungry, done without anything I like to eat or even felt I am actually dieting.

At both clubs it has seemed that SOME members have an endless amount of excuses for not sticking to the plan. The whole point of paying to go is to encourage you to stick to whatever one you choose surely.

Everyone just need to pick a plan they are happy with and stop whinging

Ettenna

I have done Slimming World in the past (many years ago) and found it good. I am currently doing WeightWatchers ProPoints plan. I find it great I have lost 13.5 lbs in 3 weeks. I have made a total change to my diet. I thought the old WW plan was confusing, with having to count fruit, etc. It is much easier now not having to count fruit and most veg.

Skintslimmer

Slimming world, faddy?

Weight watchers forcing you to eat healthily?

Slimmers on slimming world not being able to eat out, or not eating if its not exactly at certain times?

Pull the other one love, its got bells on.



Do whatever diet works for you and your lifestyle, just don't slag off the ones which you don't know much about. I've tried both SW and WW, and a balanced healthy diet is possible on both. Its also possible to eat unbalanced choices following either plan.

*max*

Lil_Me wrote: »

In a nutshell you're looking at this -

Most Fruit
Most Veg
Salad

Eggs
Quark
Peas
Baked beans

Lean meat (no fat, sausages/burgers)
Fish

Potatoes
Pasta
Rice
Noodles

Healthy Extra A - these are limited amounts
Milk (e.g 250ml semi skimmed milk)
Cheese (e.g 28g cheddar)

Healthy Extra B - again, limited amounts.
Wholemeal bread
Cereal
Cereal bars

There are 3 plans -

Extra Easy - you must make sure that 1/3rd of your plate for every meal is superfree then you can eat as much stuff in the free,the red and green lists as you want. Plus 1 HEA and 1 HEB.

If you don't like fruit/veg or can't find a way to fit it into a meal then you can do these plans -

Red/Original - superfree and free is all free, and anything in the red list. Then you get 2 HEA and 2 HEB. Things from the green list become a HEB, but they are portion controlled.

Green - superfree and free is all free, and anything in the green list. Then you get 2 HEA and 2 HEB. Things from the red list become a HEB, but they are portion controlled (e.g 85g of lean meat = 1 HEB)


On top of this every day you get 15 syns to use on whatever you want and these can be carried over for a week so if you want to go out and have pizza then you can, but you have to stick to "free" food once you've used all your syns.Everything on the red and green lists has a syn value so if you want to eat more then you can, but you use your syns. A bar of dairy milk is 12.5 syns (I said 14 earlier, but got it wrong oops) so if you want to eat all free foods and then have a bar of dairy milk every day then you can and you will still lose weight.

You'd really struggle to eat 2000 calories of free food, hence why it's not limited.

Wow! I think it's the first time I've actually understood the SW system! Fantastic explanation, thank you so much.
I might give it a go now. I never considered WW because of all the point counting.

I hope I'm not annoying others, but I just have a small question if you would be so kind...When you said "Everything on the red and green lists has a syn value so if you want to eat more then you can, but you use your syns"...Does it mean it has a syn value, but only in the opposite plan? Ie: green has syns in red plan, and vice versa? And does it mean the portion of it you have during your meal comes out of your daily syns count?

Sorry, I hope I'm not intruding!

Lil_Me_2

*max* wrote: »

When you said "Everything on the red and green lists has a syn value so if you want to eat more then you can, but you use your syns"...Does it mean it has a syn value, but only in the opposite plan? Ie: green has syns in red plan, and vice versa? And does it mean the portion of it you have during your meal comes out of your daily syns count?

It's a little complex but generally what you're saying is right. Green list is free on green, but syns and/or HEB on red.

Let's say you're doing a green day, but you want to have some meat with your meal.

So the pasta/potatoes/rice etc is all free, and then you have the choice of either counting your 85g of meat as a HEB, or you can use the syn value and have less syns. You only get 2 HEB so you need to decide what you want to use these for.

An example menu for a green day could be -

Breakfast
2 Weetabix (1 HEB)
250mls semi skimmed milk (1 HEA)

Lunch - Creamy tomato pasta bake
Pasta (free)
Tin tomatoes (free)
Fat free fromage frais (free)
Mushrooms (free)
Garlic (free)
28g cheddar cheese (1 HEA)
[Cook the pasta, chuck it all together in a dish grate the cheese on top and cook for 20 mins]

Dinner - Chicken curry
85g chicken (1 HEB)
1 level tbsp pataks tikka masala paste (1 syn)
Tin tomatoes (free)
Onion (free)
[Fry onion, add paste and chicken and cook for 5 mins, add tomatoes and simmer for 20 mins]
Rice (free)

Dessert
Mullerlight yoghurt (most varieties are free)

So that's a whole days meals for just 1 syn leaving you with another 14 to do what you want with. If you need to snack then fruit is free, or you can use your syns. If you want more meat then chicken is 1.5 syns per 28g on a green day.

If you want more information (and to stop cloging up this poor thread [sorry!]) then please head over to the SW thread where there are lots of people who can help you. A lot of us post our meal plans for the day so you can get a feel for what we eat on a typical day.

CheeseCat

I feel the need to add that I hope nobody actually thinks I ate 6 creme eggs a day during my time on propoints

(I am not really fussed about chocolate all that much!)

Lil_Me thats a fab colour coded post for SW - thankyou for taking the time to type all that up!

sarah*a

CheeseCat wrote: »

I feel the need to add that I hope nobody actually thinks I ate 6 creme eggs a day during my time on propoints

:rotfl::rotfl: Why do I get the feeling that's been causing you some sleepless nights

happy35

today is my firstday on WW and know that I am goingto find it hard work.

I need to lose aout half a stone, have never really dieted before as I haven't needed to and am struggling with the urge to nibble can see I will be in bed by 8.30

Glad

new Weight Watchers 2011 HERE