I was tired of hearing all of the promises: lose weight fast and easy. After three years of starving and four fad diets later I was still in practically the same size. I was beginning to wonder if there really was a way to get the weight off – and keep it off!
The problem I’d found with all those other diets were that they were either so restrictive I couldn’t easily stay on them and continue to live and eat like a normal person; they were too expensive; or once you stopped following the plan (which you couldn’t continue forever or risk serious health problems), the weight came right back on.
Then, a relative told me to try Weight Watchers. “It’s easy, it’s cheap, and it lets you eat real food while it teaches you better habits.”
“Yeah, right,” I thought, “then how does it work?” I went searching for sites that would answer that question. Unfortunately, most of what I found was pretty bad – either out of date or just simply not helpful.
But I stuck to it and finally did find a few great sites that introduced me to the Weight Watchers food points system. And these helped me understand exactly how the program worked.
If you want to see these sites for yourself, scroll down to the bottom of this article where I made a short list of them. There are only three, so it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to check them out. And they really are essential for anyone thinking about Weight Watchers, or for anyone already on the plan. But back to what I learned on the sites mentioned below…
Weight Watchers doesn’t believe in quick fixes – maybe that’s why they are a diet plan that has been around for decades. Their philosophy involves teaching you how to eat well-balanced and nutritional foods the easiest way possible – through their well-devised Weight Watchers food points system.
According to the basic plan (now called the Flex Plan), each food is measured for its fat, carbohydrate and sugar content, as well as its fiber and density, and assigned a specific number of points.
Then, each dieter is given a weekly point allowance in relation to their size, age, weight and physical activity regimen, which gives you the freedom to eat exactly what you want, as long as you stay within your food point allowance.
Now, if you want to splurge on chocolate cake and ice cream, that’s fine, but you’ll soon discover that you won’t be eating all that much the rest of the day, but the ultimate decision is yours.
I like it because it lets me cook regular meals and dish my portions out accordingly in order to still lose weight. No more deprivation and packaged meals for me! I’m happy eating real food on this plan.
Now, for those of you who can’t stomach the idea of writing down every single morsel that touches your lips (including drinks and condiments), and keeping track of all of those points, then Weight Watcher’s new Core Plan may be more to your liking. With it, you can eat as much of the foods as you want on a predetermined list of core foods, plus you are allotted 35 extra points per week to use on any other treat that you’d like.
Just in case you’re worried that the Core Food list is filled with bland rabbit food, don’t. It contains things like scrambled eggs, Canadian bacon, cheese omelets, yogurts and fruit smoothies for breakfast; shrimp, lean steak, tuna, veggies and garden fresh soups for lunch; baked potatoes, chicken, and sirloin for dinner; as well as a good variety of extras and special treats.
It really doesn’t matter which of these point plans best fits in with your needs and lifestyle, both offer a nutritional and satisfying way to lose weight. I’ve already lost 10 pounds on the traditional Flex Point Plan, and hope to lose 10 more soon!
So check out these sites below. You’ll be so glad you did!
By: Julia DegrassiAbout the Author:
