Can ya'll tell me the good and the bad? I know a lot of you are on it.

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Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle

I went to one meeting a few years ago and bought all the 'info' -- the points calculator, kit, etc. I wasn't that impressed with the meeting. All they talked about was FOOD!! Really! It was recipes for dips and cassoles and all sorts of stuff. By the time I got out of there, I was craving everything!!

But it was worth going just to get all the kit. Now I do it at home and it works if you put the time into it. Once you get used to it, you sort of know how many points something is. You keep track of what you eat in a 'journal'. We used a three-ring binder. You get so many points per day according to your weight. My DH and I did WW together and it was actually fun. We'd compare and try to save up points for the evening so we could have a nice snack watching TV!! Plus you get extra points for exercising, drinking water, etc.

I'd say at least go to the first meeting and get everything. After that, IMO, I think paying dues every week just to sit and talk about food is a total waste of good money!!

You can find WW recipes online. There's lots of websites if you'll Google it.

GOOD LUCK!!

I have not gone to WW for over 20 yrs but it is a good program and I agree with mom2twins2 above.

It is kind of expensive you have to pay every week whether you attend or not. So it makes sense to get the materials and do on your own. But remember one of the pluses is the support so you may want to do it with a couple of friends.

The thing about WW is that it teaches you to eat regular everyday foods, it allows you fats, desserts, etc in moderation and it allows you make your own food choices using their guidelines. There are NO gimmicks, fancy foods to buy or schemes of any kind. You can take the info and use it your whole life.

I think it's a the best so called weight loss program I have ever been aware of.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

i go to ww weekly i am a lifetime member i love it
any questions just ask.

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Tim
My Husband, My Love....Best Dad
You Were Taken From Us Way To Soon
Forever In Our Hearts
We Will Always Love You
2-18-69 TO 12-23-03
http://www.freewebs.com/mcgrathville/index.htm

DH went to weekly meetings at his office. I did it at home just on the info he was bringing me and of couse all the great websites out there on it. You can do it all on your own by using Dotti's weight loss zone but it really helps to go to at least one meeting. DH managed to lose 70 lbs on WW and more than a year later he hasn't gained it back. It really taught us about food portions which was our biggest problem.

Good Luck!

I love it. I am a lifetime member returning to goal.

As far as the meetings go, some leaders are better then othere. The leader I had when I was on program the first time was just ok and often I did not bother to stay for the meeting.

Now, I have a GREAT leader who makes it so much fun I look forward to the meetings

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Nutella,....
proving some of the best things in life come in a jar.

I'm very torn about whether or not to go to the meetings. I don't have a whole lot of money. Someone gave me the week 1 booklet today. What are some good websites to look at?
Thank you all for your help!

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Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle

I just joined Weight Watchers today. I have been a member before and going and staying for the meetings is very helpful. It gets you fired up to stay on the progam for another week. They talk about so much more then just recipes, though they usually have a few posted around the room. The first time I joined was in 1975 when I was just a teenager. I did really well but quit when I was 5 or 6 lbs from goal thinking I could do it my self. I couldn't. You need the meetings to keep you on track. The program is so much better now then back then. One thing that surprised me last year was that you didn't pay for missed meetings. Money was tight so I went every other week. I don't know if it is the same thing now.

I just joined and tonight was my 3rd meeting. My DH is doing it with me but not attending the meetings. It works well because we journal together and support each other. He mentioned the other night that prior to WW we must have been eating an incredible amount of points. I was never a big water drinker but now I have to make a game out of it. I have a 12 oz bottle that I fill when I walk out the door in the morning and I must get it drank before I arrive to work which is about 10 minutes. When arriving to work, I refill and sip on it over the next hour or so. So, before 10:00am, I have 1/2 of my water in for the day. WW's is a wonderful program and it will work if you are faithful. I like the idea of not being deprived of anything. It's all about portion control.

If you have the self-discipline and are cheap like me, try this site:

www.sparkpeople.com

A neighbor introduced me to the site when I was at my heaviest. The site is free (e-mail addy required), but it has excellent tools, tons of recipes and forums for discussion and help if you need it. I've dropped nearly 30 pounds since September and am still doing great. The site also has a database w/ caloric information & once you enter the info, it calculates everything for you.

Good luck!

I just reached goal at WW in October - and so now going to meetings is free!!!! I am required to weigh in at least once per month, and if I'm over 2 pounds more than my goal, I have to pay.

We NEVER had extra money for $$, which is probably why I did so well on it - the extra incentive was that I wouldn't have to pay anymore once I reached goal.

It is WELL worth it - the information I got at the meetings is always helpful to me even now. And, yes, there was plenty of talk about food at the meetings - but in my case, that was what got me to my higher weight!

Someone earlier mentioned that you can add points based on exercising as well as drinking water. You DO get to add for exercise, but not water, unfortunately!

Here's a little tip that one of the consultants there told me - when they ask you what your "goal weight" is, you should give them a weight that is slightly higher than your personal goal. The reason - once you reach goal weight, you don't have to pay. Therefore, you can continue going and working on your own REAL goal weight for free! The requirement is that your goal weight has to be a minimum of 5 pounds from your weight when you joined WW, and it has to be within the normal range for a person of your height/gender. But that is a large range, so you are free to give a higher number!! I'm so glad I did that - since it took me several more months just to lose those last few pounds, and I didn't have to pay.

Thank you all for your help! I've lost 10 lbs since Jan following another plan but I'm bored and really need to not stop!
I think I've decided to try to do WW on my own and if I am waivering I will then join. As Oprah says, THIS IS MY YEAR!!

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Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle

Last year I joined WW and the Gym. I lost 50 pounds with hard work. I found that after 16 weeks they repeat the same meetings again. I didn't sign up since I was just weighing in and had quick meeting and left. I use the WW etools and have the books. Good Luck with your weight loss!!!!

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Carolyn
At the Jersey Shore

Well, that's definitely not true of all locations.

I wasted $140 for a series of meetings and the ONLY thing we did at the meetings was COPY DOWN recipes

Check with your Health Insurance Company. Mine gives a discount when you join Weight Watchers.

That's insane!! What kind of place was this? I think I'd call WW headquarters - you could have bought a recipe book for less than $140 - bound and all!

Seriously - I've been to WW meetings all over the place - I like to try them out. Yes, they're all somewhat different, but these people are TRAINED regularly, and offer so much more than what you experienced. I would absolutely want my money back.