Weight Watchers question

[kentgirl]

I need to lose weight, and I'm thinking of joining Weight Watchers. But I have a question regarding their point system that I would like answered before I join. From what I understand, a person is alloted a certain number of "points" to eat per day. Every thing you eat has a point value. And you don't eat more than you're allowed. Am I understanding this correctly? If so, what I would like to know is do they tell you how many calories and fat grams your alloted points equal to?? I'd like to know that I'm eating a healthy number of calories, and that my fat percentages are not too low. Do they give you this information??

Thanks!!

[maccmedia]

Hi! The way it works is that every food has a point value that is based upon the fiber/calories and fat content of the food. So the higher the fiber - lower that fat and calories the lower number of points the food will be equal to. Your daily diet should also incude a required number of fruit, veggies and protein. The daily food journals have boxes to check these off. I think it's the best diet as it is very well rounded and healthy! It's also easier to follow because you can really eat anything as long as you count it. No special foods to buy etc. The diet also takes into account exercise and you can bank exercise points and get more daily points to eat. But this isn't something you would want to do all of the time just when you needed to. Plus if you attend weekely meetings the meetings can be very motivational to help keep you on track and introduce you to new foods that have low point values you many not have know about. Your daily point allotment is based on your current weight and height. You are given a range - IE: 18-23 and you would want to eat at the middle or bottom of the range to lose weight.
Hope that's the imfo you were looking for!

[kentgirl]

Thanks maccmedia, you clarified how the program works.

However--what I really want to know is how many calories am I eating if I follow the program? 1200? 1500? Even though you're not counting calories, I still want to know the number of calories. And the same is true for fat grams.

For example, if they say that I'm allowed 60 points (and I don't even know if that's reasonable - I've never tried the program so I'm pulling a number out of my head), but if I'm allowed 60 points, does that equal to 1200 calories? or 700 calories, which is too low. I just don't like NOT knowing.

Hope this makes sense. My sister says just follow the diet and quit asking questions. But I need to know.....

Thanks again!

[Jen]

kentgirl,

One point is equal to roughly 50 cal. That means if your point range is 18-23, your maximum number of calories for the day is 1150. However, it's not really that simple, because the number of points in a food is increased by having more fat, and decreased by more fibre. Therefore, I would guess that I eat more than 1150 calories, since I tend to choose low-fat and high-fibre foods. It's a bit of a trick to select foods that give you the most "bang for your buck" - fill you up for the least number of points. But once you get used to it, it's very easy to follow. And you get a good feel for whether a certain food will fill you up for lunch, or whether you should choose something else instead.

I should say that the low calorie number scared me a bit once I figured it out, but I am losing weight at a healthy rate (approx. 2 lbs per week, averaged out over the month) so I know the program is safe...and the scale tells me it's working! I've lost 30 lbs since August and am feeling fabulous! (Only about 20 lbs to go!)

I hope this has been helpful for you,
Jen

[kentgirl]

Thank you Jen for your answer. Sounds like the program has worked for you. Congratulations on your 30 pound weight loss. And you're right...losing at a rate of 2 pounds a week is very healthy.

So maybe I'll just quit asking questions, and just get off my duff and go for it.
http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[jbasil85]

Hi, Kentgirl,
I just joined Weight Watchers 3 weeks ago. I had the same questions as you did. And I'm a believer now. It's a good plan, and not all that hard to follow once you get the hang of it.
- Judy

[Gwenniver]

Unfortunately, the only way I think you could calculate the exact (or average, since it varies with fat and fiber) number of calories per day would be to try it (say for a week) and record them. That way you'd have a sample or average to use.

I have to put in another thumbs-up for the program...I've lost 35 lbs since July and having reached my weight goal am now working out the number of points for maintenance. It's very easy and I have to say pizza made a pretty frequent appearance on my menu even while I was losing weight http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif. Good luck if you decide to try it.

On a lighter note, I have to say (although WW in no way requires you to buy their food) that the WW nutrition bars (2 points!) are absolutely addictive. I'm not entirely certain there's not an addictive chemical in those things (like the white salsa at my favorite Mexican restaurant). http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

[JJeannette]

To answer your question, maintenance points are determined by adding 2 points to your daily number and trying it out--if you continue to lose to much, add another 2 points until you find a number that keeps you at a steady weight. It really is an on-going process---I've be at it since Sept and am still fine tuning--for me, staying on program during the week and allowing myself to indulge on weekends is working right now.

[TamiK]

Gwinnever--I'm just curious about how many points you are allowed on maintenance. My husband asked me last night. We've been doing the program for 2 1/2 weeks. I've lost 7 1/2 pounds and feel so much better already, not bogged down by fat and sugar! I still have 50 pounds to lose, so maintenance is a LONG way away, but I'd like to satisfy DH's curiousity!