Yay I've gone bronze and no tanning bed in sight!!
Thanks to everyone for your ratings and comments...
Yay I've gone bronze and no tanning bed in sight!!
Thanks to everyone for your ratings and comments.
I always try to return all ratings and if I promise an E and don't get back to you feel free to give me a poke.
Sue
I first made a hesitant step into a Weight Watcher meeting about 35 years ago. In those days the plan was completely different you had to eat certain foods at certain times. I stuck to the plan rigidly, I filled in my tracker every week and was the star pupil week after week. In less than a year I had lost 8 stone, in fact I struggled not to loose too much when I was on maintenance. I kept the weight off for several moinths and then I started working full time, in those days there was only one Weight Watcher meeting in our town and the evening meeting corresponded with the night that I was 'Brown Owl' - consequently the weight slowly began to creep on. Ironically just a month after starting work I was approached by Weight Watchers to become a leader, if this had happened prior to me starting work I would have done it and probably still be a stick insect today!!
As the years went on I followed different diets and my weight went up and down ( mostly up!!), then about ten years ago I got a leaflet from Weight Watchers - I still got post from them as I was a gold member - and decided there and then I was going back, I talked my daughter into coming with me and off we went. Once again it came so easy to me, week after week we were the star pupils, again within a year I'd lost all the weight - going from 19 stone to 10 stone - I felt great.
Then I was diagnosed as having gall stones, I had an awful
time until I was taken into hospital to have my gall bladder rempved and from that day on I struggled enormously to keep the weight down - it just piled on. Looking at the photos after our holiday in Spain at New Year, 2006, I was horrified to see how much weight I had put on. It's funny how just looking in the mirror you don't see it the same - but a photo ( or worse still a video !!) really brings it home to you !!
So , despite still having mega amounts of naughty food in the house from Christmas, I signed on for Weight Watchers On-line, I paid for 3 months to make sure I stuck at it and read and re-read all the info. By then Weight Watchers had started the Switch plan which meant you follwed either Points, the traditional Weight Watchers plan, or No Count - I opted for the No Count plan, from the reading I did it soiunded a good healthy plan. Bread was not included in the plan - unless you used some of the extra points you were allowed - and I seriously doubted that I could manage without bread, but I did, and really loved the plan. I never thought that I was on a diet o, just eating really good food and plenty of it, I ate three really good meals every day and didn't feel the need at all to snack .
In January 2008 Weight Watchers changed the name of No Count to Core but it was basically the same plan. Then in January 2009 they changed the whole aspect of their diet to the Discover Plan and No Cpount or Core seemed to disappear. I know a lot of members who were very dissapointed in this but it seems that Weight Watchers had a little plan tucked away, one which for some reason th didn't want to share, and this plan was called Simply Filling - again this was basically No Count or Core.
THE DISCOVER PLAN
Just what is it ? It seems to me that the Discover Plan is really a combination of Points and Core. It tries to encourage ahealthy approach to food but still counting points. You're encouragd to eat more of the foods that you ate on Core - ie less packaged foods, and foods that help keep you fuller longer, and to eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full. It is is based on the Weight Watchers POINTS system and you are given a points allowance a week, worked out on sex, age, height and weight and you aim to meet a this allowance allowance and to select the best food . It is the Points system which does put a lot of people off and I find that a lot of people 'waste' their points on empty calories like crisps, chocolate, cakes etc. The old Core plan allowed you to eat any meat, fish, poutry, eggs, extra low fat cheese, fruit, veg, plain cereal, pasta, rice and potatoes but only at meal times. You ate three good meals a day and ate until comfortably full. This plan taught you how to eat sensibly and healthily and to stop the need to snack outside mealtimes.
For some reason Weight Watchers ( although it was them who devised the plan) seemed not to want to publicise this plan - the sceptic in me wonders if it was something to do with the fact that we wern't buying Weight Watchers ready meals etc!! What they have done is to say that If you want to continue following the Core plan to follow the Simply Filling technique - but this techniique is hidden away on their website and has to be searched for, it is not promoted at meetings and the old Core forum on the Weight Watcher site has not been replaced with a Simply Filling one, it has just dissapeared. It is though just the old No Count/Core plan - but under wraps!
MEETINGS AND ALTERNATIVES
The weekly meetings are anintrinsic part of Weight Watchers - and not a bit like Marjory Dawes Fat Fighters of Little Britain fame ! The first meeting started over 40 years ago a housewife in America , Jean Nidetch, met up with her friends to discuss their weight loss. I doubt for one minute she realised just what an institution it would become.
The meetings provide support from both the leader and fellow Weight Watchers. Their will be guidance and advise from the leader and lots struggle and success stories from the fellow members. The class cost is £5.50 a week or you can sign up for a monthly pass which costs £17.00 a month. Of course what most people look for is the weigh-in. The idea of meeting and weigh-in is to help keep the members motivated.
The On Line alternative. Follow our weight loss plan completely online, at your own pace, on your own time If meetings are not for you Weight Watchers Online is a good alternative. The cost of this method is £39.80 for the first 3 months, £9.95 for each additional month ( this is the 3-month Savings Plan) or the Standard Monthly Plan is £34.90 for the first month then £9.95 each additional month. It is easy to sign up to this on line and the idea is that you can access the site at any time - from home, work or on the go. there are lots of recipes availble, all the points, exercise choices and workout demonstrations more. Interactive tools help you to monitor weight and you can access the message boards.
Another alternative is the Weight Watcher At Home plan, where you follow the plan from your own home.
There are two kits available for this.
The At Home Standard Kit, this costs £59.95 For this you get te booklets FastStart, Food in Full and a Food List Also a shopping guide, a eating out guide, and journal and pen, a £5 off POINTS Kitchen Scales voucher and a POINTS Calculator.
The At Home Premium Kit costs £89.95
This contains everthing in the first kit plus a POINTS Pedometer , the cookbook - Delicious,and a 3 monthWeight Watchers Magazine subscription. The cheapest alternative is to 'Do It Yourself' - you can get free access to the message boards on the Weight Watcher website and gets lots of tips and inspirations from there.
As for me I am going it alone now, still following the old Core plan and keeping in touch with other members on the message boards of the Weight Watcher website.
Weight Watchers is a tried and trusted way of losing weight, but at the end of the day you have really got to want to do it and to work at it. Good luck to anyone whois going to give it a try.
Summary: If you work at it it does work.
I HAVE ADDED PICTURES OF SOME OF MY MEALS FOLLOWING THE CORE PLAN ==
These are on dinner sized plates ===
Pictures of Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
I'm always interested to hear what life is like for those who do the "other" plan (I am a Slimming World member) and your review has given me a fair deal of insight into how it works. Nicely done 8^)
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May 30th, 2009
(Sep 24th, 2009)
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