Want to know if WW might be for me?

[nmhermione]

Hi,

I'm currently pregnant with my second (and last) child, so obviously I'm not planning to go on a strict diet at the moment, but I've heard from many women that the weight is even harder to lose after the birth of your second child, and I've already struggled so hard to get the weight off after my first child (and even before ever being a mother) that the thought of it being even harder makes me feel so defeated. So I'm thinking ahead to how I'll get back on track with my weight after the birth.

I've never tried Weight Watchers before, and here are the reasons I'm considering it:

• I absolutely hate calorie tracking. I've done it many times, and it's been super effective for me, but I dread having to enter everything I eat and it just becomes this massive burden.
• I am not good at self control. I need really specific rules, and I know that if I allow myself a bit of freedom (like going over my calorie goal by 50 calories every now and then) it can easily escalate. So I set myself some cheat days (because of birthday parties, Christmas, etc.) but on most days I need strict rules where there are consequences of going over my calorie or points goal (for example, I'll have less calories/points the next day).
• I really like the idea of zero points foods. When I was counting calories, I wasn't necessarily eating healthier. I was often making sure to leave enough calories for a bag of crips or a chocolate bar at the end of the day. Also, knowing the amount of calories of an apple or a banana, often I'd choose some chocolate or crisps over these healthier options, because they were similar in calories anyway. With WW, I like the idea that there are some foods I'll be able to eat guilt free, without having to log them or track them, so all I have to track are the foods that aren't as healthy. That way I'll hopefully fill up on the healthy foods. Of course I do know these zero points foods have to be eaten within reason and I can't just have 3 bananas and 6 eggs for breakfast!
• I love food and would hate to cut anything out of my diet permanently. I like how on WW you can still have the occasional glass of wine, piece of chocolate, etc. I would never be happy on a diet that would completely cut out pasta, bread etc. I love cooking healthy meals for my family and it just wouldn't sit right with me to make a healthy pasta dish and not eat the pasta.

I'm just looking for general advice, success stories or stories about it not working, anything really, before I invest in the app and pay for a plan (I've never before paid for any sort of weight loss plan, so I want it to be worth it when I do!).

Thanks in advance!

Weight Watchers is really just calorie counting but by another name. Instead of tracking calories you track points and to do it properly you’ll need to track your food in the app. The zero point foods are (from memory) things like eggs, veg and fruit. If it’s a choice between Slimming World and WW, I much preferred WW as I think it teaches better portion control.

I’m now on Mounjaro but I use the WW app (there’s a setting just for people who are on weight loss injections) and I still follow the basic principles. I’ve lost 3 stone since May - obviously with my willpower helped along by mounjaro.

Im thinking of signing up for 3 months. In the 90s and 00s I lost so much weight on it, but haven't enjoyed the recent iterations. Are they still doing the weekly points on the new plan? I have to admit that going to classes was the biggest bonus for me but there is nothing in my area now.

I’ve done WW various times and although it is a form of calorie counting I much prefer it to straight calorie counting which has always driven me insane. There are lots of zero point foods (all fruit and veg and lots of other lean proteins) so you have a lot less that you need to weigh/ track and there’s always something you can eat without guilt and without thinking too much. I always felt really healthy doing WW because of how much fruit I was eating!

I also liked the weekly points as it meant I could be a bit more relaxed at the weekends which gave me much more staying power. And the ability to earn activity points which you can add to your weekly points gave me an incentive to exercise.

It’s what I used to lose weight after both my children, and various other times. It’s particularly good if you are cooking and preparing meals from scratch - harder if you eat out a lot or often grabbing ready made food on the go. I found it easy to get consistent 1-2lb losses each week.

The only cautionary note from me is that I have always put the weight back on sooner or later. So I am now on the jabs. But other than the jabs it is really the only method of weight loss that has worked for me (and regain can also be an issue with jabs so I wouldn’t necessarily blame WW for my own regain!)

If you hate calorie counting WW isn't for you, as they just use points instead of calories - it's equally annoying / obsession inducing.

Maybe use portion sizes plus NH guidelines

Can you afford the jabs (Mounjaro, etc)? WW was I'm sure a slightly useful approach as much as anything was before these were invented. It's pretty much obsolete now, though.

I've done both WW and SW (like so many), so a few thoughts

1. WW - the first group I went to was ok, I was motivated to lose the weight and as my first slimming club experience it was ok
2. The second one WW club I went to (post first kid) was great because the leader was truly motivational. Yes she had the WW script but she led by example and she made a big effort to get to know you, she always did the scales, and her groups had a real positive vibe.
3. The third WW (I moved) was like a funeral wake. Leader read the WW script and nothing else. I lasted 2 weeks

So for me finding a group I could relate to really helped.

1. SW - I would the rules harder. I know we are all human but the leader was off partying every weekend and put on weight for the time I was a member.
2. SW - absolutely hated the sitting around clapping everyone. But the group wasn't full of people like me

Both programs can work but I would try and find a group with like minded people you can relate to.

Totally agree with this. WW was my favourite way of following an eating plan - my issue was that I couldn’t stay on it long term as I just kept getting over run by food noise. I’m on MJ now and I’m hoping that once I get to my goal weight, I’ll be able to use a version of WW to help keep my weight in check.