I recently lost 30 lbs and the first 20 or so were done with weight watchers. I loved it. I had a completely unhealthy relationship with food and WW taught me how to view food and how much food I should actually be eating. During the early stage of weight loss it was very helpful to be surrounded by people who were experiencing the same emotions and feelings as me. They had been where I was.
I eventually got tired of counting points and just wanted to transition to living a healthy lifestyle on my own terms. I lost 10 more pounds after WW through just eating well and running/yoga and I’ve kept all 30 off for 6 months. I think WW is definitely a great place to get your start if you’re like me and just need a complete attitude adjustment when it comes to your health. I definitely wouldn’t be as happy as I am today without it.

I found Weight Watchers really helpful as a starting off point for becoming more aware and conscious of my eating choices and portion sizes. I was able to lose 70 pounds on the program, and over time I was able to change the way I used my points to focus more on whole foods rather than just what was the lowest point value, regardless of the nutrients and value. I think it is a great starting off point, and I often go back to looking at points values if I start to feel like I’m not eating the best way I know how. I hope that helps!

I did WW years ago and lost 30 lbs. It’s a good starting point to learn portion control and get used to adding more vegetables, fruit, and water to your diet by tracking those. It can also help in getting you started with an exercise routine because you earn points through that. It can also be eye-opening to see just how awful some restaurant foods are when you look at them in terms of points. I did the online program, so I didn’t take part in the support groups, but it was nice to have message boards available for questions, ideas, and support.

The program also helped me keep going with my weight loss because I was tracking it and paying for it – wanted to get my money’s worth!

That said, I wouldn’t be able to go back to the system again. It was a great starting point, but counting points can become exhausting once you have the basics under control.

I agree with many of the posts ahead of mine, WW is great for teaching you about portion control as well as teaching you about the types of food you should be using to fuel your body.

I’m currently a WW member, but struggle with the concept of weighing myself on a weekly basis. I don’t want the number to start defining me or my body but I want to have some measure of my progress. I also think WW forces you to keep a food journal and if you are honest, you are able to pinpoint opportunities for improvement.

For me, WW was just another diet. I think a lot of us read magazines, blogs, books, etc and are pretty aware of what healthy eating looks like. I’ve heard from a few people that WW helps them recognize correct portion sizes, but that’s about it.

My experience is that diets of any kind don’t work. I don’t want to count points my whole life. I ended up getting bored and switched to all their pre-packaged, processed diet food options they would push at every meeting.

Also, any “diet” that doesn’t distinguish between margarine and olive oil isn’t right in my book. I don’t want to be restricted to exactly 8 almonds, no thank you.

Besides, I realized that the meeting I attended was more of just a support group for overweight people. No one ever lost weight, they just kept meeting to lament the fact that they ate too much at last weekend’s barbecue. That’s not the right environment for me to be healthy. I need to surround myself with positive, inspirational examples, like Caitlin!

I have been a proud member of Weight Watchers for almost 2 years. I am proud to say that I have lost 84.8 lbs so far and I am only 7.2 lbs away from hitting my goal weight!! 😀 Also thanks to the encouragment & confidence Weight Watchers has given me, I became a runner last summer and I will be running my very first 1/2 Maraton in September!!
As corny as it sounds, it is true what they say; Weight Watchers isn’t a diet, it’s a lifestyle. You dont eat “special” foods or any of that nonsense. You learn how to make healthy choices and how to handle some of the “unhealthy” ones. I would not hestitate for a second to recommend Weight Watchers to anyone, of any size.

YOWZAH!!!! Now that’s some feedback!!!

Part of my weight loss journey was becoming a vegetarian. This is very easy for me to maintain, I love all veggies and it’s easy to whip up a yummy recipe. I’m certainly aware of what healthy foods are and what to limit to moderation or not even touch (hello fried dough!?). I absolutely do NOT like ‘diet’ food. The bars, the shakes, the fat free sugar free artificial flavor with too much sodium. I just can’t do it.

Sounds like the biggest benefit of WW was portion control. In my area, meetings at $44 a month, it’s a little pricey for me on top of a gym membership, yoga classes and boxing classes. I do keep a food journal and count calories, and I already don’t like that. I can imagine what its like to count points?? I’d go bonkers!

I wonder if making an appt. with a nutrionist AND purchasing the ‘portion control’ plates might help me? http://theportionplate.com/enlargedplate.html

I have done Weight Watchers for years. I recently just had my second baby, and though I focus primarily on eating ‘real’ food and being a vegetarian, I use Weight Watchers as my core. It has always worked well for me. BUT, if I feel like I need more than the 20 points a day that is allotted to me, I go for it. I don’t follow it religiously, just as a general guideline. I have learned how to listen to my body. Some days I need more food than other days.
Since having my baby almost 1 year ago…I have lost 50 pounds. I’m in my healthy weight range, but I would like to take off maybe 15 more pounds. (Which would still be in my recommended range). I intend to utilize WW. But, again, I focus mostly on eating wholesome foods, vegetarian foods. WW simply helps me control the calorie intake of said foods.

I just wanted to chime in that I also joined Weight Watchers and lost 50 lbs at my lowest weight and have kept most of that off. It is a good starting point to learn proper portions and healthy substitutions.

For me, it actually triggered some of my first instances of disordered eating, guilt, and binging. I had no idea I was even at risk for an eating disorder, but joining Weight Watchers and not reaching my “ultimate weight loss goal” has morphed into something really negative and damaging.

Just be careful that you maintain your self worth and don’t let the scale or your points allotment dictate who you are as a person. I never thought that would happen to me, but it did.

Now I turn to healthy blogs, the operation beautiful movement, and will be starting to attend a support group for disordered eating in the coming months. I want to get back to loving myself again.

Save yourself the time and money, and join SparkPeople. We’re free. Can’t beat it! If you don’t like it, then join WW, but I think you will be happy with SparkPeople.com!

I did WW, too, several times. It’s a great program, and it had changed every time I went back. I agree with those who say it teaches portion control and mindful eating, but it can make you obsessive if you’re not careful. I eventually move over into calorie counting and deciding to eat higher calorie healthy foods instead of 100-calorie treats. Like, you might not eat nut butters or avocado because they’re higher in points, but instead you’ll load up on Dannon light’n fit yogurts or use sugar-free syrup because they have less points. I realized that it was much more important and better for my body to eat real, whole ingredients instead of fake, manufactured ones.

Honestly, my life changed more and more for the better when discovered healthy living blogs. Made me feel better about a lifestyle change. Oh, and Sparkpeople ROCKS—made a world of difference for me.