AIBU to use WeightWatchers like this?!

[CremeEggFan]

So, I've joined weightwatchers. I've been given an allowance of 32 points a day to use. As far as I'm concerned, I can eat whatever I want as long as I stick to the 32 points.

So, for example Breakfast is a 500ml can of sugar free energy drink. 0 Points.

Lunch is a packet of Pom Bears and Two Mini Egg Cakes. 13 Points.

Dinner is Ten Quorn Nuggets and Reduced Sugar Ketchup. 9 Points.

Then after dinner is a packet of french fries crisps, a cadbury caramel cake bar, a mini milk ice lolly and a twister ice lolly. 10 points.

That's my 32 points. Will I loose weight like this as I've stuck to my points allowance?

It’s really not snobbish to say that weight watchers and slimming world are a pile of shite.

Any plan that encourages you to cheat but giving “free” foods that definitely are not calorie free is a con. These plans rely on desperate people to join, pay a load of money, lose and gain the same few lbs and never actually leave the programme.

Really not snobbish to point this out.

Yup. That’s how I ate on Weight Watchers in the early 2000s. I lost weight. Not healthy of course but it worked! I was a student, that’s my excuse

You’ll lose weight but do you not understand nutrition at all??
The cells of our body NEED nutrients to carry out all their functions.

You are what you eat. Go watch some YouTube videos explaining how our body digests food and uses those nutrients!!

This was basically my diet prior to weightwatchers but fifty times the amount.

So you are cutting you intake of food and calories. Yes you will loose weight for a while, but as you are going to be hungry, why wouldn't you try eating something that might make you feel full?
You are dropping the amount you eat - what's your plan for when you have a sugar crash and are tired and hungry? What are you going to eat then?

@CremeEggFan

This was basically my diet prior to weightwatchers but fifty times the amount. So everything listed in the OP plus a bacon and egg sandwich, lots of cheese, big bars of chocolate, sweet Popcorn, jam doughnuts, cornetto, chips, burgers, golden syrup, energy drinks but the full sugar version rather than sugar free, several creme eggs day, etc. So it's basically the same diet but sticking within the points allowance that weightwatchers gives.

It sounds as though you have an addiction to junk food and you might find the money you use to subscribe to WW is better spent getting to the bottom of that. It's not easy to break an addiction, but you will feel so much better for it.

@ShirleyPhallus

It’s really not snobbish to say that weight watchers and slimming world are a pile of shite.

Any plan that encourages you to cheat but giving “free” foods that definitely are not calorie free is a con. These plans rely on desperate people to join, pay a load of money, lose and gain the same few lbs and never actually leave the programme.

Really not snobbish to point this out.

It's snobbery on MN. I've followed the criticisms of MN and SW for years and was baffled for ages why overweight people would be so dismissive of certain things - Muller Lite yoghurts seem to be an example of the 'evil' food. I came to the conclusion that it is indeed some kind of snobbery about processed food. It's not simply health concerns if you bear in mind the complaints are coming from people who's weight is already not in the healthy range.

"These plans rely on desperate people to join, pay a load of money, lose and gain the same few lbs and never actually leave the programme."

This is where I disagree. I do not believe the plans, or any slimming diet, are created in order to make people fail. Some people fail because they haven't addressed the root cause of their overeating, but that is not necessarily the plan's fault. Same with any slimming diet.
They could go to a nutritionist and get a very well balanced plan, but they would still put all the weight back on if they stop it and start overeating again.

@peanutbutterandfluff

Yup. That’s how I ate on Weight Watchers in the early 2000s. I lost weight. Not healthy of course but it worked! I was a student, that’s my excuse

I do think some people need one goal at a time e.g. 'now I'm losing weight' or 'now I'm eating on a small budget' or 'now I'm eating healthier' and moving to smaller quantities of unhealthy food will be more manageable for some people than changing to a completely healthy way of life in one go. I don't see OP coping that well on salads every day without some kind of transition to healthier eating.

Actually now that I’ve read some of your replies I think you have some deep issues around food and you’d benefit from some therapy addressing this and helping you to understand what being healthy is.
Being healthy isn’t about being thin, it’s about nourishing your body with food that’s real, not processed artificial shit.

@ShirleyPhallus

It’s really not snobbish to say that weight watchers and slimming world are a pile of shite.

Any plan that encourages you to cheat but giving “free” foods that definitely are not calorie free is a con. These plans rely on desperate people to join, pay a load of money, lose and gain the same few lbs and never actually leave the programme.

Really not snobbish to point this out.

I lost 4st on WW in 2004, and 1st to get back to pre-baby weight in 2014. Left the programme both times, and have no need of it now.

It’s not a pile of shite for everyone.

I need to lose weight because I have a BMI of 35. I would like to eventually eat healthier and cut down on the junk food but the process itself seems so daunting, to lose weight and completely change what I eat. So, yeah, I guess I'm looking at them as two separate things. Lose some weight sticking to the same diet but reducing the amount with a view to eventually and very slowly changing my diet. I have started to cook more from scratch and have been adding stuff like grated carrot and spinach to my meals so they are in there but I can't see or taste them. But ultimately at the moment, I almost feel like if I can't have my energy drinks or chocolate or crisps, then life just ain't worth living.

What’s the point in dieting if you aren’t actually going to diet?!

If you feel like life isn’t worth living without crisps then I agree that you are probably better off spending your money on tackling the underlying psychological issues rather than a plan like WW, at least for now. Maybe once you’ve had some counselling you could benefit from being taught how to plan a healthy diet but it doesn’t sound like you’ll get the benefit from it as things stand.

OP years ago I lost 5 1/2 stone on weight watchers and then within a couple of years piled it back on because I didn't make the effort to maintain it which I regret. I went to the other extreme and used my points so carefully I simply couldnt carry on cutting out all treats. When I started them again I couldn't stop eating them.

I'm now in the process of losing it again this time by moderating portion sizes and trying to do my 10000 steps everyday. Its working but much slower. Its taken me since August to lost just over 3 stone but this time it feels like I can maintain the diet because I've been balanced with it.

I think given that you've been eating such an appalling diet (sorry but it sounds that way) up until joining WW dropping all those things at once will be tough for you.

Starting the day with no sugar drink is basically disaster. I won't give you any real nutirents and you'll soon be craving rubbishy food by 10am. Try replacing it with porridge or fruit and yogurt or just milk and cereal (weigh cereal its weight creeps up very fast indeed) or even egg on toast.

Don't cut out all the treats. One of the cakes with fruit and soup for lunch for example. 5 nuggets with beans and a small portion of home made potato wedges. A piece of fruit and one of the treats you've listed in the evening.

You don't have to give everything up really but you do need to use your points wisely or you'll feel like death warmed up pretty damned quick.

Have a piece of cake just not the whole cake. Have lots of veg ready for snacking on - I think we eat because of boredom as much as anything else.

Don't do what I did and budget every point as if it was gold dust but equally don't throw them to the wind on cakes and nuggets.

Why do you eat so badly?

@idontlikealdi

Yes you will lose weight but you won't be healthy.

Yup.

Looking at your update OP, I agree with others that you really need to look into your relationship with food.

@ShirleyPhallus

It’s really not snobbish to say that weight watchers and slimming world are a pile of shite.

Any plan that encourages you to cheat but giving “free” foods that definitely are not calorie free is a con. These plans rely on desperate people to join, pay a load of money, lose and gain the same few lbs and never actually leave the programme.

Really not snobbish to point this out.

I've lost 9 stone on WW and kept it off for 2 years - so not totally shite

PS on 15th August, my bmi was also 35. Its now 27.5 and I'm feeling much better for it to be honest so it can really be done and you'll do it. Remember not to do it in a rush and also that if you occasionally gain that's alright too because you're only human,

Also just a reminder that you can still have all that things but just less of it🤷🏻 i still have crisps and wine, I even have weekly chippy item. But it needs to be balanced by something.

I understand where you are coming from. In my opinion WW gives you a framework to lose weight. How you use that framework is up to you, but you are far more likely to succeed long term if you follow the healthy eating advice.

I agree with a PP that if you really can't do without those things then it makes sense to use your points to eat them to begin with. However, you already know it isn't sustainable or healthy. You will be really hungry and therefore unlikely to stick to it. Most fruit and veg is 'free' on WW, and there are plenty of other healthy low point options. I would combine your 'menu' with no/low point options to keep hunger at bay initially, and then gradually change the ratio to increase your healthy food intake.

For example - add a banana to breakfast, swap one of the lunch time cakes for an egg on toast and an apple, add lots of veg or salad to the nuggets. You might find you don't then need so many after dinner snacks as you will be fuller.

Good luck, I know it's tough.

@CremeEggFan I haven't totted up the calories in your opening post, and I don't know your age, height, weight and sex, so I can't tell you whether you'll lose weight. However, as long as the calories you eat are less than the calories you burn, yes, you will lose weight.

People on MN have some very strange ideas about weight loss.

I agree with your plan to eat junk, because you are eating more healthily than before (when you had larger portions of junk). This is a great start.

As you get used to the smaller portions, start looking to replace some of the junk with more nutritious food. It can be a ready meal, you don't have to make it yourself from scratch, you're just trying to eat a bit better than before.

As more time goes on, you'll find it increasingly easy to swap things out with better choices. You may find yourself enjoying making most of your food from scratch and incorporating more fruit and veg into your diet. That's where you want to end up.

You can experiment along the way with things that you like that perhaps balance out your energy levels more/help keep you fuller for longer.

But no, you don't have to do any of these things overnight. Don't compare yourself to any other people posting on this thread; compare yourself to the version of you who up until recently was eating even more junk food each day. That's your competition. Eat better than that person.

Yes, you'll lose weight. And skin tone. And energy. And hair shine. And brain cells. And teeth.

Come on, you know this isn't how it's supposed to be done. You can game the system but to what purpose? This one is supposed to offer you a bit more choice than Slimming World etc, but is this what you choose?

@ShirleyPhallus

It’s really not snobbish to say that weight watchers and slimming world are a pile of shite.

Any plan that encourages you to cheat but giving “free” foods that definitely are not calorie free is a con. These plans rely on desperate people to join, pay a load of money, lose and gain the same few lbs and never actually leave the programme.

Really not snobbish to point this out.

I 'left' the plan, i.e. I lost the weight and have stayed at the same weight - just because SW doesn't work for some doesn't mean it doesn't work for others.

WW & SW are there to change peoples perception about food. The reason most people never 'leave' the plan is because they do it for a period of time, loose the weight and actually never change their mentality. When done correctly and utilised to it's full potential both these programmes work.

Unfortunately OP, without changing your mind set after you've lost the weight you'll put it back on because you wont stick to 32 points. I addition, those points reduce when you loose weight. I for example would only be give 15 points (trust me I'd be starving! so I'll stick with SW )

Would you rather ‘cheat’ the system and eat that meal plan (and be hungry, unsatisfied and lacking nutrition), or would you prefer a homemade chilli with lean mince and lots of veg, over pasta or baked potato? As an example.
You can still fit in small treats here and there, but why not do yourself a favour and give it a real shot?

In a way it might help you as you’ll start realising just how little filling food you can eat for the points, and you might find you’re instinctively drawn towards lower point foods you can eat more of? Maybe as you go you could gradually replace the snacky foods with something decent.