Weight Watchers New Agenda

 I wanted to take a post and discuss WW new approach to weight loss.

For the record....if you need a weight loss medication or even weight loss surgery to help you on your journey to lose weight; I have no issue with it.  By all means go to your doctor and do what is right for you.  I do not, however, think WW should be prescribing medications...I just don't.  Your insurance company will either pay for the drugs or they won't; so why pay WW for that?  They can't make your insurance company pay.  Skip the extra fee and just go to your own doctor.

I do think it is nice for WW to offer a program for those on weight loss medications.  Go to your own doctor and then just join the regular WW to access the program for that.  It just makes good financial sense.  (You heard that correctly, you do not have to part of the clinical side of WW to access the plan).

I also think it is great that WW offers a program for diabetics or pre-diabetics.  Makes perfect sense.

What doesn't make sense?  Is all these TV specials and YouTube videos shows saying how we need to look at how we view those overweight and judging those on medications to help.

I am so sick of Sima for apologizing for WW as a whole because the program didn't work for everyone.  Guess what Sima?  No program works for everyone, none!  You keep saying you want to be there for everyone and yet you've done the following:

1.    Taken away access to the website for those that use it.

2.    Taken away the majority of in person meetings (even those that were successful and had a lot of attendance) for those that use it.  And the meetings left?  Times does not work for those that work.

3.    Setting up Lifetimers to lose their status (because you can't stay lifetime without an in person meeting).

4.    Changing the plan constantly.  Did you know the original point plan lasted 12 years! Points Plus lasted five years; but since 2016 WW has had 5 different plans - 5 plans in 8 years.  Make up your mind!

So, you're really not there for everyone; just those who fit your new agenda.  Apologizing for the past is a slap in the face to those who use the program successfully.

Shame on you Sima!

A Product Review

After reading about how wonderful these are; I finally broke down and paid the high price for them:

PopTarts are very high in points on WW.  These are much lower in points and are high in protein.  People rave about them online.  They are pricy, it cost me $10 for a box of 4.  I would have preferred the option to just purchase one, but that wasn't a possibility at my Walmart.  Anyway, I just had one and must say I wasn't impressed.  It was nothing like a poptart.  It was more like a soft sugar cookie with icing and a smear of filling on the inside.  I ended up taking them to work and the ladies in the office didn't like them either, so we threw them in the trash.

And for the record, yes I did heat them up.  For some reason whenever you say you didn't like them someone always comments that you have to heat them. Weird right?  Also don't tell me I shouldn't expect a Pop-Tart as these are a "pastry".  Yeah, a Pop-Tart is a pastry too, says it right on the box!  And if I shouldn't be expecting a Pop-Tart taste....it shouldn't look like one!

Don't Be Negative With Others

I was on one of my WW FB groups where a new person was asking why fruit wasn't free anymore on the plan.......  the first response pretty much told her that nothing is free and everything has calories, blah, blah, blah....

I really hate that answer and see it all the time.  Don't play the know-it-all...you know what she means "She doesn't want to count points for fruit".  The person, of course, answered somewhat confused...as she should of been, you didn't answer her question.  Immediately the person who owns the group (yep, the influencer) commented that the person who answered was telling her how nothing is free.  Alrighty....we still haven't answered the question.

I, of course, answered it as did a few others.  All she said was that she was not eating healthy at all and wanted her fruits and veggies to be on her food list.  There then was a few comments basically asking her how she expected to lose weight if she didn't eat healthy! Don't be the downers people! Answer the question, be encouraging.  There was so many ways this could be have been answered.  For example:

"Hey, you must have answered that you are pre-diabetic or diabetic; go into settings and change it and then fruit will be on your zero food list but if you are diabetic, you may want to count fruit.  Oh and FYI - zero points doesn't mean zero calories, nothing is free.  Good Luck!"

See?  It was an easy way to answer the question and give your know-it-all advice as well.

And when she mention not being a healthy eater?  Rather than berate her; a simple:

"It's great that you want to add healthier foods to your diet.  Good Luck with your journey."

Don't be negative with others struggling!

So What's Different This Time

What am I doing this time differently, then all the prior unsuccessful times on Weight Watchers?

First, I had to convince myself that I was never going to have that newbie weight loss feeling again.  I'm not a newbie, that feeling isn't around anymore.

Second, I went back to when I was successful and relooked at why.  One of the biggest things was portion control.  WW says I can eat from the zero point list until satisfied, not stuffed.  People who overeat, don't know when to stop.  I went back to the beginning and read labels for correct serving sizes.  As for fresh foods that have no label...when you pull it up in the WW app, it tells you a serving size - that's where to start. Chicken breast, for example, comes up at 3 oz., so that's what I eat.  I don't guesstimate a serving when at all possible.

Third, again back to when I was successful.  WW had guidelines to follow and I've started incorporating them into my plan.  I don't get them all everyday, but I try my best.  In case you've forgotten the Good Health Guidelines were:  2 servings of dairy, 6 - 8 oz servings of water, 3-5 servings of fruit/vegetables, 2 tsp healthy oil, daily vitamin.

Fourth, I stopped looking at food as a point value and look at it as a food.  I think one of the issues I've had with WW is trying to fit eating into the small amount of points I get (since they are offering so many zero foods, the daily points shrink).  Best choice may not always mean the healthier one (though I try to do that) but those fat free/sugar free things just are not always the best choice and something similar higher in points is.  Look at the food rather than the point value.  Use the points as a guideline; but don't let them control you.

Fifth, I stopped worrying over going over in points.  Again, I've taken my focus off of points and onto the food.

Sixth, I knocked popcorn off my zero list.  I can eat a lot of popcorn, healthy version or not and it's not a good thing to be there.  I count my points for popcorn.  I took popcorn off and added plain baked potato or plain sweet potato as my zero in it's place.  Read that, I didn't say all potatoes; just plain baked ones.  If I boil them and mash them, I count the points.  If I fry them, I count the points.  Only a baked potato is zero and if I add toppings, I count the points for toppings.

I want to add something else as well.  Weight Watchers is a low fat diet.  Trying to add another diet to it does nothing more than add a bunch more numbers that become confusing.  For example, I'm seeing a lot of "I'm going to do low carb on WW".  Yeah, you can limited you carbs on WW; but if low carb is what you're looking for; why are you paying WW???

The Healthi App

 Due to the recent changes with WW (weight loss meds, meetings being eliminated), I'm seeing members choose to give the Healthi App a try....and then I'm seeing people getting frustrated and mad that Healthi isn't exactly like WW and that Healthi is giving them a ton of more daily points then WW did and that the points of items aren't the same....  Please EVERYONE, say this with me:

HEALTHI DOES NOT OFFER THE CURRENT WW PLAN!!

Again....

HEALTHI DOES NOT OFFER THE CURRENT WW PLAN!!

And let's say this together:

ALL POINTS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL AND DIFFERENT PLANS HAVE DIFFERENT WAYS OF CALCULATING POINTS!!

Now that THAT is out of the system....

If you need a plan that is closest to what WW is now offering...the best choice on Healthi is the Better Balance plan.  Better Balance is the old Blue Plan also known as Freestyle.  This plan uses the calculation for smart points (which is not the same calculation as the current one); so some items will be off a little when it comes to points. You may also notice that popcorn is not a zero food on Better Balance. It's different, but it's the closest you'll get.

Healthi also offers Sugar Smart, which is the old Green Plan and also the plan introduced in Beyond the Scale.  Sugar Smart uses the smart point calculation also.

Carb Conscious is the Points Plus plan.  Guess what?  It's calculation is entirely different than smart points and the current plan.

Conquer Cravings is the original point plan and it's calculation is entirely different than points plus, smart points and the current plan.

Different plans, different methods, different zero point foods.  You have to know what you're choosing.

I bring this up because I was just seeing someone whining that Healthi is no where near like WW because she's getting 15 pts more in dailies.  I asked the obvious - which plan are you doing?  Her answer? Conquer Cravings.  WHOA!  Conquer Cravings doesn't even have a zero point list!  It's not even close to what WW offers now.  That's why your dailies are so high, not because Healthi is a bad app, it's because you aren't paying attention to what you're doing!

It's extremely important that you read the available material and videos about the plans that Healthi offers, and they offer a lot!  Also, it's a learning curve...don't expect WW and take the time to learn you're way around the app.  You weren't always familiar with the WW app (and it's changed a few times).

Healthi is a good app though and if you're tired of WW or just want a different option; I recommend it!

The Big 6 - 0

 So I turned 60 in January and it was pretty uneventful.  My one co-worker took me to lunch and then CC took me to dinner and movie with popcorn!  We always do that for each other on our birthdays - dinner and a movie.

CC and I had been talking about doing small trips on occasion; and since this was a big birthday for me...she gifted me a weekend trip!  We're going to Evans City, PA!!  LOL!  That may not mean anything to many of you; but it's where the movie Night of the Living Dead was filmed and we've always talked about driving up to see the cemetery, museum and the mall where Dawn of the Dead was filmed.  We'll also be close to Pittsburgh plus roadside attractions along the way.  We're heading there the weekend of June 7th and just discovered there will be a "Living Dead" convention at the mall!!  We are so excited and got tickets for that.  No HUGE celebrities but it will be fun anyway.

On the Weight Watchers front....  as I mentioned, I rejoined and have been going to meetings.  Hubby told me just to skip coming home from work and just go straight there.  He'll handle all the pets at home.  It'll put me there early, but there's plenty of shopping all around!

Another thing....I bought this:

It's a walking pad; basically a treadmill without the holding bars.  Now I have no weather excuse for walking!  In case you're interested:  Deer Run Treadmill.

2024 Hasn't Been A Good Year So Far

 2024 - what can I say? We're only 5 months in and things just haven't been good.  

The first week of the year my mom needed moved from the rehab center to a nursing home.  None of us were able to give her the 24 hour care that she needed.  However, during that time, the nursing home was saying she didn't qualify for a nursing home; nor did she qualify for assisted living.  You're reading that right, too bad for one - not bad enough for the other.  During that same week, my brother-in-law, unexpectedly, needed to have quadruple bypass.

Also in January, my one Aunt passed as well as my cousin's husband.

My parents live with my sister J and this was her husband needing the bypass.  No surprise she was very stressed.  She has my Dad, her husband needs serious surgery and Mom's in limbo. Naturally the rest of us-myself and sisters E & S, jumped in to help with Dad.  Brother-in-law came through surgery perfectly and has healed nicely fortunately.  

I got the flu in January....which led into my 60th birthday....which meant really no celebration.  Though my sisters did take me to dinner.  They went out afterwards, I went home to bed.  For my 60th year I decided to invest in me by rejoining Weight Watcher meetings and buying a walking pad...neither has gotten much use 😞.

Because my sister hired an Elder Law Attorney (if you have the money, so worth it) we did get Mom into a nursing home.  Mom had her good and bad days.  I never seemed to catch her on her good days and several times she didn't know who I was; sometimes I couldn't get her to wake up.  It was sad and the mother I once knew, was slipping away.  I hit a point that I didn't want to visit her anymore; I knew I had to, but I didn't want to (E felt the same).  I started going over during my lunch hour; it limited the time I could stay.

Unexpectedly in February, my dog Dexter needed put down.  We knew this was coming due to a tumor by his liver; but it just was another thing to happen in an all ready stressful year.  I miss my Dexter Doodle Noodle. 

The end of February my Dad turned 90!  A celebration finally! Not a big one, but we took him to his favorite diner and that made him happy!  (by the way, he and mom celebrated 70 years in 2023).

Then March started.  At 1:30 a.m. on March 7th, I was awakened by a phone call from J letting me know that Mom had passed away.  We knew this was coming; but you're never truly prepared for it.  And also, once again, I was 7 days in with a flu! (no meds as the doctor says it was viral).  My work is very good with bereavement leave, so I didn't have to worry there; but we had all the preparations, contacting family and such and it just seemed so whirlwind.  We went through a lot of photos, reliving the memories.  My Dad kept insisting the photos of him in the younger days weren't him.  We told him that that must be our real dad - the mailman (inside joke, my Dad was a mailman 😀).  

We get through that.  And then, Dad is in the ER with an UTI....he was very ill, but doing much better.

The day after the funeral I went to Urgent Care and finally an antibiotic for my flu!!  It's gone, but I've been left with a dry cough for a very long time.  And of course, allergy season started.....

We spent our first year without Mom on Easter.  There will be a lot of firsts this year.  Mother's Day was hard.

Last week, Dad was back in the ER with an UTI again!  He was there a week and they just moved him to a rehab center; but things are just not going well.  He has several medical issues that affect his mind and we just don't know if the craziness (for lack of a better word) is going away this time.  More than likely he'll end up in a nursing home.  J can no longer take care of him as he can do nothing for himself anymore; we're not sure he'll be able to walk again.

So 2024 hasn't been a good year.

Welcome Back!

I have a long history with Weight Watchers.  It started in September 2010 when CC and I walked into a meeting.  At that particular time, WW had the original point program.

My mindset was in the game and in the first 12 weeks I had lost 20 lbs!!  Then they switched on me and presented Points Plus.  I liked Points Plus though and by August 2011, I was down 40 lbs and a Lifetime member.

Once lifetime always lifetime....well sort of.  You'll always be considered a Lifetime member but you're membership will only be free if you stay within 2 lbs of your goal weight.  Yeah, I didn't last at goal for long but I did stay within 6 lbs of it for a while (but 6 lbs means I had to pay).

Since that time I've never been back at my goal weight, ever.  But I have been back to WW many many times.

The last rejoin was when they introduced Smart Points (the first one).....all I seemed to do on this one was maintain.  Where was the loss I had experienced with the prior 2 programs?  Then it became Freestyle, then it's 3 colors.  I'm not losing but I continued to pay WW that monthly fee.  I knew WW inside and out - I could help all the other members with their weight woes.  I assisted the leader with things she didn't even understand.  I'm all knowledgeable WW....but I was no longer WW successful.

Personal points didn't work and the current didn't either.

I'll admit, my head wasn't in the game as it was when I originally joined and no one could tell me how to get it back there.

And for the record....I do believe that WW is a good program.  I learned a lot through WW, so if you're thinking of joining, by all means do so!  As a WW you'll fall into one of these categories:

 1 - the person who loses on WW and keeps it off and continues to do WW for life.  (this is a very small percentage as most don't want to count points forever)

2 - the person who loses on WW and keeps it off but weans themselves from WW and just continues the healthy lifestyle.  (another very small percentage but this should be the one you aim for)

3 - the person who gets to goal, regains and keeps going back looking for the result you had that one time.  And you'll do this one OVER AND OVER, AGAIN AND AGAIN. (this is the most popular category)

I'm in the number 3 category.

Before I go further, I want you to know that there are a lot of successful Weight Watchers out there.  If any happen to come across this post, you'll see comments similar to this:

If you do the program like you should, it will work.

I've lost (insert number here) lbs on WW; it's the best program ever.  You must be doing something wrong.

You just want to eat unhealthy.

You've got to be willing to make the lifestyle change.

You can't expect to eat junk food and lose weight.

You need to learn to weigh and measure and get portions under control.

How do I know this?  Because when I was WW successful, I was one of these people!!  Yes, when you're successful - you want to tell everyone; you don't understand why if it is working for you, it isn't working for everyone!!  You're all knowing, all critical...and often giving unwanted advice.

I've left, determined to never go back; but always ended up back.  Why?  It was what was successful for me one time.  

A couple of weeks ago, I went back to WW in-person meetings.  I needed that support.  I was unhappy with my weigh in weight; but in the two weeks since I've brought my weight down a little and I've been happy with that.

 Finding My Laura is currently being revamped.  I'll be back soon!