What You Need To Know About Weight Watchers
http://www.starling-fitness.com/archives/2005/08/30/what-you-need-to-know-about-weight-watchers/ >viewEverything online about Weight Watchers sounds like a commercial. Let me tell you the truth about it without all that sugar coating.
Why I Stay With Weight Watchers Even Though I Have The Points Program Memorized By Heart:
It’s not about the Points. If I could follow the program by myself, then calorie counting would have worked for me. Points is actually more complicated than keeping track of calories, yet it’s the first program where I was able to keep the weight off.
It’s not about the Core Food List. There is no magic food list that would have worked for me. I tried limiting my intake of food before. I did lose weight, but I gained it right back when I “fell off the wagon.”
It’s not even about the Tools For Living. They are very powerful and helpful parts of the system, but the first time I read them, they were useless to me. It wasn’t until I sat through several classes describing their use that I was able to use them.
The meetings and the accountability are the one thing that have kept me on track week after week. I suggest finding a leader that you love. Go to the same class every week. Get to know the people at the class. Be honest when you say how you’re doing. Participate in the class. You can’t replace the accountability that you will receive when you attend the same class at the same time with the same leader EVERY week.
The Flex Points Program:
There have been three patents registered to Weight Watchers concerning the Points Program. Here are the links to the publicly recorded information about the Points Program:
* U.S. Patent 6,040,531 Dated 07-18-97
* U.S. Patent 6,436,036 Dated 08-20-02
* U.S. Patent 6,878,885 Dated 04-12-05
According to these documents, this is the formula used to calculate the Points value for a food:
Points = (Calories/50) + (Fat Grams/12) - (Fiber Grams/5)
How many Points you are allowed each day depends on your weight. Here is what is listed in the patents:
Less than 150 pounds = 18-25 Points
150 to 174 pounds = 20-27 Points
175 to 199 pounds = 22-29 Points
200 to 224 pounds = 24-31 Points
225 to 250 pounds = 26-33 Points
Over 250 pounds = 28-35 Points
This differs in the patent versus the amount that they give us in the class. There is an intricate Flex Point System that can be tailored to your needs with the help of your leader. The way it works in the class:
Less than 150 pounds = 20 Points
150 to 174 pounds = 22 Points
175 to 199 pounds = 24 Points
200 to 224 pounds = 26 Points
225 to 250 pounds = 28 Points
250 to 275 pounds = 30 Points
275 to 300 pounds = 31 Points
300 to 325 pounds = 32 Points
325 to 350 pounds = 33 Points
Over 350 pounds = 34 Points
You are allowed a total of 35 Flex Points that can be used in whatever quantity you desire each week. The two methods are essentially the same except that the new Flex Points program allows you 7 more Points a week. I personally preferred the previous system where you Bank Points to save for special occasions.
...