I am thinking of joining. I have had a couple of friends that they are really losing weight. Does anyone here do the point system? Is it easy or stressful? Do they go by your weight to see how many points you can have for the day? What are the meetings like?

Is it worth the money?

I never went to meetings. I did the online program about 3.5 years ago and I lost 35 lb s in 3 months. It was great and I was NOT in the gym 24/7 but I did get at least 30 min of walking in a day. I was on flex points program and it was broken down like this:
weight
less than 150...18-23 points
150-174...20-25
175-199...22-27
200-224...24-29
225-249...26-31
250-274...28-33

worth the money? I STILL pay the $16.95 a month for the online program to reference from time to time and keep me in check. I think it's worth it for that and I'm not using it like I used too. I wasn't a person who needed to be encouraged or shamed by meetings (I have friends that did meetings and one said they did it for encouragement and the other said she needed to feel pressure to lose weight so she wouldn't feel ashamed at the meeting...I have never been to one). I figured if I didn't want it bad enough to do it for myself then no one was going to be able to help me...but that's my mindset.

I personally think it's the best program out there. It gets you reading labels (which most people don't do although they should) and you can eat "regular" food, eat out, etc. My cousin in on some new diet (and losing weight) but her diet is SO restricted...can't eat out, has to make separate meals for herself, etc. When I was on program, my whole family ate what I ate and LOTS of it stuck

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

I am now a lifetime member of WW, I went to the meetings and loved it!! NEVER did I feel ashamed or pressured at the meetings, everyone there was extremely encouraging! Now that I have lost the weight I can still go to meetings for FREE for EVER!! I don't know any other program that allows you to do that. Plus I am able to use all the on line tools for free as well, as a lifetime member. I think its worth the money, meetings are great since you get a lot of encouragement and helpful tips.

__________________
Chicago Bears!!!!
We are the Bears Shufflin' Crew
Shufflin' on down, doin' it for you.
We're so bad we know we're good.
Blowin' your mind like we knew we would.
You know we're just struttin' for fun
Struttin' our stuff for everyone.
We're not here to start no trouble.
We're just here to do the Super Bowl Shuffle.

I love Weight Watchers. The points are easy to figure out and you get bonus points each week to use too. You can eat ANYTHING you want. This is a way of eating healthy not a diet. I think going to the meetings, and staying is very helpful. You get encouragement, information, and accountability. If you join and follow the program you will lose weight.

All of my moms friends seemed to love Weight Watchers. All I can say is that i DON'T recommend NutriSystem. I have been on it the last 3 weeks and I think the food is pretty bad and not to mention you pay $300 for the entrees, but still need to spend money on fruits, veggies, and dairy. I would have been better off buyin Lean Cuisines and eating that with a salad. And they taste MUCh better.

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Shauna

It is very affordable and I still eat pie or cake everyday. The only thing is....I don't eat the entire pie or cake like I used to. I've learned so much about portion control and how for years I was snacking when I really wasn't hungry but just perhaps sitting and watching tv. Now when I watch tv, I always have my favorite tumble filled with water and sip during the entire show. Also it made me aware of how many points I was consumming with beverages a day. I would much prefer now to eat my points and not drink them with juices and soft drinks. It is a fantastic program and makes so much sense because it's a lifestyle and not a diet.

Weight Watchers teaches you how to eat wholesome nutritious foods made from scratch as well as having frozen and packaged foods in the grocery store. Also they use a very good support system of "regular people" doing what you're doing and using someone who has been through the program with all the ups and downs as a facilitator.

It has a high success rate as they use regular foods and teach you to eat out sensibly also.

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

i love weight watchers i am also a lifetime member i lost 80 lbs the points are now figured
different then listed above it goes by age,sex weight and physical activity. the flex plan is great
i have dessert and snacks everyday and can eat what i want as long as its in my points
there are a few things you must have daily fruits and veggies 2 dairys 2 tsp healthy oil
and protein plus 6 glasses of water 3 can come from a decaf beverage

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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

I lost weight went I tried on WW. When I quit, I gained it back.

Two ladies I work with have lost 50 lbs EACH since last spring using Weight Watchers. They love it. They look wonderful.

Bottom line: find a meeting with a leader that you like, follow the plan and you will lose in a very healthy way. If you check online, you might be able to get your registration or your first meeting fee waved. They have specials all the time.

There are wonderful web sites that can give you WW tips and points.

Also there is a wonderful free diet/healthy site at:
Free Diet Plans at SparkPeople Did I mention it was FREE? Type yourself over to there and check it out.

I should challenge you, Happy and we should drop some pounds together!

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Donna

I follow the ww plan. I got some of the materials from a relative. Its honestly an easy plan to follow. You just stay within your point value and exercise. I have lost 18lbs, but I have done it very slowly...it has taken me almost four months. I also allow myself one day a week to eat whatever I want. I have found that having one *free* day has been the key to my success. If I had followed the plan without the day off, I would probably have lost the weight quicker. But, I wanted to be able to live a little more normal life. I figured I probably saved up enough points during the week to allow for the free day anyways. The other key I believe is exercise. I am on the treadmill at least three days a week and lift weights and do the Gazelle at least two days a week. I wear a pedometer and get in at least 10,000 steps a day. The pedometer is another useful item in the battle. It makes you accountable. For me, I was able to do it without attending meetings or paying to join on line. There is so much free information out there that I couldn't bring myself to pay. Good luck...

Good for you tammyleeb!! However, they have proven that people that attend meetings on a regular basis loss 3x times more and faster then someone tries to do it alone or online. Now I know there are some people who could prove that wrong, like Smurf.....but the majority do better when attending meetings. Plus once you lose the weight, you no longer have to pay and you get all the current up to date information for FREE!!

__________________
Chicago Bears!!!!
We are the Bears Shufflin' Crew
Shufflin' on down, doin' it for you.
We're so bad we know we're good.
Blowin' your mind like we knew we would.
You know we're just struttin' for fun
Struttin' our stuff for everyone.
We're not here to start no trouble.
We're just here to do the Super Bowl Shuffle.

my schedule didn't allow meetings but I do agree that for MOST people, they are a major key to success. I wish I go my new info free LOL Oh well, it's STILL worth it! Congrats to those who have lost weight!

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

I do agree that it probably is a good idea to attend the meetings, but some people don't like the *feel* of attending meetings. Some of the woman I work with actually go and weigh in and whoever in the group has gained go to the meetings as a kind of punishment for gaining, while the ones who lose....don't go to the meetings (as a reward). I think its an odd way of looking at it, but that is how they feel about the meetings. I just didn't have the money or the time to attend the meetings, that is why I opted to do the program on my own. I needed to hold myself accountable for my actions. I guess I just wanted to encourage anyone who cannot afford the meetings, that it is possible to do this plan.....without paying the initiation fee and the weekly fees. There is a great deal of information on the WW program that is available on line for free. The only item that I actually use of the materials that I was given by my relative who did WW is the sliding chart that tells you the point value of food. Which you can purchase from WW if you know someone who is a member. I find that for the most part I just keep an eye on calories. I look for low calorie, high fiber foods. For the most part, I have found that 50 calories is one point. Of course there are some foods that fall into a higher fat catagory. Trying to find foods with more fiber helps offset it some.