Very well done-and you are 100% correct. I was apart of weight watchers for over 20 years, I was also a lecturer. I’ve seen weight watchers evolve through the years, and sadly had to reconcile that Weight Watchers like any other, is just a business. A business to keep you hooked...period. You pay a fee, you buy this, you buy that and you add to their bottom line. There had been more long term failures, than there are successes...and that is not by mistake. I am a macro girl. I am also a hardcore fitness chick, who had to learn from scratch on how to create my own macros to fit my body as it progressed. I get it, when you say people become depended. That is true. If people spent more time on researching on how to create their own macros ( or at the very least keep a good journal), the companies wouldn’t be stealing billions of dollars from people who are desperate to be lean and healthy. Weight watchers is a racket, like it or not. Anyone can challenge me on this, and I can guarantee that anyone who reached “goal”, will not be at that goal in five years. Like I said I was a lecturer, met hundreds of people who’ve “rejoined”, more than once, more than twice...etc. it’s heartbreaking. My experience and advice to you is: Everyone can start by keeping a food journal (there are FREE online apps) monitor a reasonable calorie restriction. Once you become more familiar with structure, then move onto Macros (there are also FREE apps to calculate those). Get to a gym or walk in a park/neighborhood every day. Do not use food as a “reward”. Change your bad habits, rather than trying to incorporate bad ones. Such as “how many points for this pepperoni pizza?”...bad habits will yield less success, which is where I jumped off this “program”. I am not saying not to eat a slice of pizza, I am saying eat, 90% clean, all the time. Incorporating junk because it may fit into your “points” is poor habit thinking. Change your old habits, to get new and better results. Do your research! If you want a great and successful weight loss and not be hungry, start a High Starch Plant based diet (which is already on this diet but called something else-I don’t know what color). There are thousands of RUclips successes (long term), on a High starch Plant Based Diet diet, rather than weight watchers, which is designed for you to fail- After all, the more you spend, the richer they become. Great video, thanks for being honest.
I’ve never used weight watchers, but with a little research I’ve done I can already see that it might work, but it’s not teaching people the full truth. It’s almost like they use the point system so that you’ll have to keep using WW, instead of teaching people to eat the correct macros and calories so that they can live life on their own after they get it
Yes omg thank you! This is what I've been saying forever! it's like they rebranded macros into this color system so they can charge people when you could actually do it yourself if you studied a bit of nutritional science - great business strategy but sucks for those who are struggling and trying to find a solution. This industry can be pretty twisted sometimes
I don’t like “zero points” food. All food contains calories. On the blue plan, for example, a medium banana has zero points. But if you ate, say, four medium bananas in a day (which I could easily, as I love them!) you have actually consumed around 300-400 calories. Also eggs have zero points, although a large egg is about 90 calories. I understand that WW is trying to encourage us towards healthy food choices, but at the same time I think they’re trying to market a “diet that is not a diet” - ie, eat as much as you want and still lose weight. And who doesn’t want to do that?! A lot of people have success with WW, and good for them. But with my mindset it doesn’t work for me. I gained weight on my first blue plan week, and resented the implication that I must have cheated, or not worked the plan properly. I had followed it to the letter, even clocking up fewer than the allocated 23 points on several days.
WW wants people to use more of the zero-point foods. They aren't zero calories but depending on which plan, they could be zero points as the zero-point foods are things people won't binge on. Green is mainly veggies and fruits. Blue is veggies, fruits, and lean meats. Purple is veggies, fruits, lean meats, and some grains. They have done workshops about why you eat and ways to deal with your emotions. The thing is that people have this mindset of "Once I get to that shape, I'm done." When really the effort becomes maintenance. You have to be willing to work hard to keep it off and you can't slack. Whatever someone does, they have to do for the rest of their lives.
Yes totally agree with you Veronica! people have to maintain it in a way that makes sense for their lifestyles and their understanding about nutrition. It's definitely hard work to learn and understand but it shouldn't be seen as a rigid lifestyle that you have to force yourself to maintain and I feel like most people struggle with finding the best way *for them* to enjoy the foods they eat while maintaining balance. Thanks for watching the video!
@Susan Webb did you eat the zero points whenever you felt hungry? I'm asking because I know my coach mentioned eating zero points if we felt hungry and to also tap into the weekly and fit points.
I tend to agree with everything you're saying I quit weight watchers it's because it wasn't working for me after all this time and I learned that weight watchers is not for everybody
Ive been on WW for 6 months. I honestly just stick to green (which is the same as the old WW where just fruit and veges are free). If I wanted to count the calories of any day I’d add up the KJ of each item and then use an online calculator to convert to kcal. Most days when I calculate I end up with about 1300 calories consumed. Sometimes I worry that that’s quite low, but this is the first time I’ve properly lost weight and stuck to a diet so I honestly don’t know what’s normal. The other thing that worries me is that coaches cheer me on when I lose like 1.5 - 2.5 kg in a week (3.3-5.5 pounds), and always tell me it’s fine when I ask whether it’s too much.
hey megan! it's hard to know whether 1300 calories is the right amount for you without knowing your size, activity level, etc - at a minimum i do want to make sure all my clients are above 1200 but most women do well around the 1400-1600 calorie range. I would say a good guide to pay attention to is losing about 1-1.5 pounds per week on a consistent basis - anything more than that means your calorie deficit may be too large. usually when you first start losing weight, it's easier to lose a lot very quickly due to bloating and inflammation but if you're averaging 1lb -1.5 lbs per week you're in a great place! keep pushing girl! so awesome :)
I find weight watchers an awesome alternative coach program. It's the grandmother of all diets and it respectfully adapts with the trends . I agree its not for everyone. However, with any weight program "rather losing or gaining" will require a mental reset (a.k.a. Self-Control). Benefits of the various color s (💚 💙 💜) each caters to various lifestyles. I needed more restrictions/accountability with certain foods. So 💚 help me. Had 💜 and it's 200+ Zero foods been my only option ..I'd had problems..and wasted money. End point: Any program that caters to natural and non process foods as well allowing some indulgements is worth a try. And the investment is very feasiable to start or to end.
thank you so much for your thoughts! i think that it can be a great tool as long as you're learning along the way. The biggest issue comes when people feel so reliant on any type of program that when they "fall off" they feel like a failure and then its a huge mindset shift to get them to a good place again. I do love that it allows you to incorporate foods you enjoy and not just "healthy foods" because then there is a balance! thank you so much :)
@@RiseWithCris Weight Watchers, as far back as I can remember (on/off since 1993) has always emphasized it as a "lifestyle change" not a "diet" which is a good mindset to have, and I am pretty sure they were saying it long before anyone else, now it is everywhere. Falling off can happen with any diet/program/technique/lifestyle change etc. And since you really didn't stick with it, you didn't realize that the end goal in WW is to reach what is called "lifetime" status. At that point, as long as you weigh in at least once a month and are within +/-2 lbs of your goal weight (you choose your goal as long it is within a reasonable range based on height/BMI), you can go to as many meetings as you like...it is completely free, AND they have many more options now, virtual meetings, you can sign up for 1 to 1 coaching for a little more if that works for you, you can sign up for the app only if you feel like you can mostly do it on your own....I appreciate you wanted more information about macros, etc. but you yourself said you are pretty much counting macros on WW AND there is nothing that stops you from counting calories/macros with an app to see where you are at if you want while on WW. They have a chat function now that you can ask a question anytime about the program and get immediate help. You don't have to wait for a meeting or your coach to get back to you. I don't think you are serving yourself very well or anyone who has a weight problem to not consider WW because "it doesn't work" as the title of your video says. Weight Watchers has literally helped thousands of people over many years to lose weight in a safe/healthy/doable for the average person and their goals/accessible/affordable plan. How many people have you helped lose weight? and at what cost? you yourself admit it is much more expensive to go the 1 on 1 coaching route, and some people really don't want a complicated (like you said about WW), hard to follow, feel like a failure because you can never get the right macros, or you not very athletic and don't chose to be all buffed out, etc, etc. And I believe that most people are smart enough to realize that counting points, and learning about portion sizes, and tracking your foods regularly are a visual and numerical way to learn what a healthy plate looks like. And to answer your question, in the beginning a point had a basic calorie equivalent, about 40 calories as I recall. But they have added in the macro data into the equation to steer you towards making better choices and because of this there is not a specific point=a certain number of calories anymore. Plus 23 points (blue plan) does not include the weeklies or additional points you may earn by exercising if you choose to use these added points. So if you felt hungry on the plan, you should have talked to your coach, to possibly adjust your points/or look at what you can eat that satisfied you longer) that is what you were paying for! That is what is called working the plan....There is a saying in Weight Watchers, "let your weight loss be your guide" to adjust your points (which is .5 to 2 lbs a week, but this is an average, you may lose 0 .5 one week and 5 pounds the next, but as a study of my own data, over the course of about 6 months my average came out to be 1.6 pounds weekly loss, including the weeks where I gained too, on WW). And once you get to maintenance it is probably easier to add a point or 2 gradually to see when you start regaining again, versus trying to figure out an exact calorie amount to add back in. If you had ever "worked the plan" appropriately you would have intuitively gained the information about appropriate macro balance--which is much easier than trying to calculate the percentages, and there is so much controversy about what the percentages should be...that is why they now have the different color plans---green is a moderate carb/ protein, blue is a low carb/focus on protein plan, purple is a higher carb plan. Which at first glance I guess at first this is more complicated, but again I think people are smart enough to look at the zero point food selections on each color and realize the differences and what works for them and they can take the assessment too. And you said yourself you didn't take the assessment so you literally know nothing about it. And you can switch plans anytime if you are curious to see which may work better for you- with the caveat you should give each plan at least 2 weeks to see if it is working for you. Probably the most important thing I can enlighten you about is THIS (after such a long rant): I see you are peddling discounts on proteins and supplements. I have tried this route as many people have, at great cost $$$, to get the allegedly perfect macro mix, the perfect protein, etc. and they dont work!!!!!!! I think a lot of people like to eat REAL food, which has much more satiety than a pill or a shake/bar/protein supplement.. This is the biggest GIMMICK of all in my opinion (and misleading and expensive and IMO not that healthy). Most people have the sense to eat actual real food...if people were meant to eat protein supplements, wouldn't they grow on trees? But I'm like you --as long as it is reasonable and healthy diet/fitness plan that you can follow and lose weight, you do you. So I have NO idea why you would post such a bold statement as to say that WW doesn't work in the title! Probably so you can just say something controversial and negative to get more views on your youtube channel. AND i forgot, even though most people may not like vegetables, pretty much everybody else in the diet/fitness world knows they are full of nutrients/low calorie/filling/good for the digestion, etc, etc and WW watchers also gives tips and tricks to dress up your vegetables because most people don't like vegetables because they do not prepare them correctly....I could go on and on about how misguided this video is...but you get the point if you have read this far. BUT you did ask people to comment if they knew more about the WW plan...so I did in a big way.
Sounds like you’re no familiar enough with WW to be reviewing it. I’m all about counting macros but honestly not many people are going to want to devote the time to do that. WW is amazing for thousands of people and takes the guesswork out of overall wellness especially with all the new offerings. Yes WW is a business but sounds like you’re in business as well....
Very well done-and you are 100% correct.
I was apart of weight watchers for over 20 years, I was also a lecturer. I’ve seen weight watchers evolve through the years, and sadly had to reconcile that Weight Watchers like any other, is just a business. A business to keep you hooked...period. You pay a fee, you buy this, you buy that and you add to their bottom line. There had been more long term failures, than there are successes...and that is not by mistake.
I am a macro girl. I am also a hardcore fitness chick, who had to learn from scratch on how to create my own macros to fit my body as it progressed.
I get it, when you say people become depended. That is true. If people spent more time on researching on how to create their own macros ( or at the very least keep a good journal), the companies wouldn’t be stealing billions of dollars from people who are desperate to be lean and healthy.
Weight watchers is a racket, like it or not. Anyone can challenge me on this, and I can guarantee that anyone who reached “goal”, will not be at that goal in five years.
Like I said I was a lecturer, met hundreds of people who’ve “rejoined”, more than once, more than twice...etc. it’s heartbreaking.
My experience and advice to you is:
Everyone can start by keeping a food journal (there are FREE online apps) monitor a reasonable calorie restriction. Once you become more familiar with structure, then move onto Macros (there are also FREE apps to calculate those).
Get to a gym or walk in a park/neighborhood every day. Do not use food as a “reward”. Change your bad habits, rather than trying to incorporate bad ones. Such as “how many points for this pepperoni pizza?”...bad habits will yield less success, which is where I jumped off this “program”. I am not saying not to eat a slice of pizza, I am saying eat, 90% clean, all the time. Incorporating junk because it may fit into your “points” is poor habit thinking. Change your old habits, to get new and better results.
Do your research!
If you want a great and successful weight loss and not be hungry, start a High Starch Plant based diet (which is already on this diet but called something else-I don’t know what color). There are thousands of RUclips successes (long term), on a High starch Plant Based Diet diet, rather than weight watchers, which is designed for you to fail- After all, the more you spend, the richer they become.
Great video, thanks for being honest.
I love everything you say here! That advice is gold thank you!
I agree
I’ve never used weight watchers, but with a little research I’ve done I can already see that it might work, but it’s not teaching people the full truth. It’s almost like they use the point system so that you’ll have to keep using WW, instead of teaching people to eat the correct macros and calories so that they can live life on their own after they get it
Yes omg thank you! This is what I've been saying forever! it's like they rebranded macros into this color system so they can charge people when you could actually do it yourself if you studied a bit of nutritional science - great business strategy but sucks for those who are struggling and trying to find a solution. This industry can be pretty twisted sometimes
I don’t like “zero points” food. All food contains calories. On the blue plan, for example, a medium banana has zero points. But if you ate, say, four medium bananas in a day (which I could easily, as I love them!) you have actually consumed around 300-400 calories. Also eggs have zero points, although a large egg is about 90 calories.
I understand that WW is trying to encourage us towards healthy food choices, but at the same time I think they’re trying to market a “diet that is not a diet” - ie, eat as much as you want and still lose weight. And who doesn’t want to do that?!
A lot of people have success with WW, and good for them. But with my mindset it doesn’t work for me. I gained weight on my first blue plan week, and resented the implication that I must have cheated, or not worked the plan properly. I had followed it to the letter, even clocking up fewer than the allocated 23 points on several days.
WW wants people to use more of the zero-point foods. They aren't zero calories but depending on which plan, they could be zero points as the zero-point foods are things people won't binge on. Green is mainly veggies and fruits. Blue is veggies, fruits, and lean meats. Purple is veggies, fruits, lean meats, and some grains. They have done workshops about why you eat and ways to deal with your emotions. The thing is that people have this mindset of "Once I get to that shape, I'm done." When really the effort becomes maintenance. You have to be willing to work hard to keep it off and you can't slack. Whatever someone does, they have to do for the rest of their lives.
Yes totally agree with you Veronica! people have to maintain it in a way that makes sense for their lifestyles and their understanding about nutrition. It's definitely hard work to learn and understand but it shouldn't be seen as a rigid lifestyle that you have to force yourself to maintain and I feel like most people struggle with finding the best way *for them* to enjoy the foods they eat while maintaining balance. Thanks for watching the video!
Oh no that’s dangerously low! How did you feel? Did you feel ok throughout the day or lightheaded/hungry?
@Susan Webb did you eat the zero points whenever you felt hungry? I'm asking because I know my coach mentioned eating zero points if we felt hungry and to also tap into the weekly and fit points.
I tend to agree with everything you're saying I quit weight watchers it's because it wasn't working for me after all this time and I learned that weight watchers is not for everybody
Ive been on WW for 6 months. I honestly just stick to green (which is the same as the old WW where just fruit and veges are free). If I wanted to count the calories of any day I’d add up the KJ of each item and then use an online calculator to convert to kcal. Most days when I calculate I end up with about 1300 calories consumed. Sometimes I worry that that’s quite low, but this is the first time I’ve properly lost weight and stuck to a diet so I honestly don’t know what’s normal. The other thing that worries me is that coaches cheer me on when I lose like 1.5 - 2.5 kg in a week (3.3-5.5 pounds), and always tell me it’s fine when I ask whether it’s too much.
hey megan! it's hard to know whether 1300 calories is the right amount for you without knowing your size, activity level, etc - at a minimum i do want to make sure all my clients are above 1200 but most women do well around the 1400-1600 calorie range. I would say a good guide to pay attention to is losing about 1-1.5 pounds per week on a consistent basis - anything more than that means your calorie deficit may be too large. usually when you first start losing weight, it's easier to lose a lot very quickly due to bloating and inflammation but if you're averaging 1lb -1.5 lbs per week you're in a great place! keep pushing girl! so awesome :)
I find weight watchers an awesome alternative coach program. It's the grandmother of all diets and it respectfully adapts with the trends . I agree its not for everyone. However, with any weight program "rather losing or gaining" will require a mental reset (a.k.a. Self-Control). Benefits of the various color s (💚 💙 💜) each caters to various lifestyles. I needed more restrictions/accountability with certain foods. So 💚 help me. Had 💜 and it's 200+ Zero foods been my only option ..I'd had problems..and wasted money. End point: Any program that caters to natural and non process foods as well allowing some indulgements is worth a try. And the investment is very feasiable to start or to end.
thank you so much for your thoughts! i think that it can be a great tool as long as you're learning along the way. The biggest issue comes when people feel so reliant on any type of program that when they "fall off" they feel like a failure and then its a huge mindset shift to get them to a good place again. I do love that it allows you to incorporate foods you enjoy and not just "healthy foods" because then there is a balance! thank you so much :)
@@RiseWithCris Weight Watchers, as far back as I can remember (on/off since 1993) has always emphasized it as a "lifestyle change" not a "diet" which is a good mindset to have, and I am pretty sure they were saying it long before anyone else, now it is everywhere. Falling off can happen with any diet/program/technique/lifestyle change etc. And since you really didn't stick with it, you didn't realize that the end goal in WW is to reach what is called "lifetime" status. At that point, as long as you weigh in at least once a month and are within +/-2 lbs of your goal weight (you choose your goal as long it is within a reasonable range based on height/BMI), you can go to as many meetings as you like...it is completely free, AND they have many more options now, virtual meetings, you can sign up for 1 to 1 coaching for a little more if that works for you, you can sign up for the app only if you feel like you can mostly do it on your own....I appreciate you wanted more information about macros, etc. but you yourself said you are pretty much counting macros on WW AND there is nothing that stops you from counting calories/macros with an app to see where you are at if you want while on WW. They have a chat function now that you can ask a question anytime about the program and get immediate help. You don't have to wait for a meeting or your coach to get back to you. I don't think you are serving yourself very well or anyone who has a weight problem to not consider WW because "it doesn't work" as the title of your video says. Weight Watchers has literally helped thousands of people over many years to lose weight in a safe/healthy/doable for the average person and their goals/accessible/affordable plan. How many people have you helped lose weight? and at what cost? you yourself admit it is much more expensive to go the 1 on 1 coaching route, and some people really don't want a complicated (like you said about WW), hard to follow, feel like a failure because you can never get the right macros, or you not very athletic and don't chose to be all buffed out, etc, etc. And I believe that most people are smart enough to realize that counting points, and learning about portion sizes, and tracking your foods regularly are a visual and numerical way to learn what a healthy plate looks like. And to answer your question, in the beginning a point had a basic calorie equivalent, about 40 calories as I recall. But they have added in the macro data into the equation to steer you towards making better choices and because of this there is not a specific point=a certain number of calories anymore. Plus 23 points (blue plan) does not include the weeklies or additional points you may earn by exercising if you choose to use these added points. So if you felt hungry on the plan, you should have talked to your coach, to possibly adjust your points/or look at what you can eat that satisfied you longer) that is what you were paying for! That is what is called working the plan....There is a saying in Weight Watchers, "let your weight loss be your guide" to adjust your points (which is .5 to 2 lbs a week, but this is an average, you may lose 0 .5 one week and 5 pounds the next, but as a study of my own data, over the course of about 6 months my average came out to be 1.6 pounds weekly loss, including the weeks where I gained too, on WW). And once you get to maintenance it is probably easier to add a point or 2 gradually to see when you start regaining again, versus trying to figure out an exact calorie amount to add back in. If you had ever "worked the plan" appropriately you would have intuitively gained the information about appropriate macro balance--which is much easier than trying to calculate the percentages, and there is so much controversy about what the percentages should be...that is why they now have the different color plans---green is a moderate carb/ protein, blue is a low carb/focus on protein plan, purple is a higher carb plan. Which at first glance I guess at first this is more complicated, but again I think people are smart enough to look at the zero point food selections on each color and realize the differences and what works for them and they can take the assessment too. And you said yourself you didn't take the assessment so you literally know nothing about it. And you can switch plans anytime if you are curious to see which may work better for you- with the caveat you should give each plan at least 2 weeks to see if it is working for you. Probably the most important thing I can enlighten you about is THIS (after such a long rant): I see you are peddling discounts on proteins and supplements. I have tried this route as many people have, at great cost $$$, to get the allegedly perfect macro mix, the perfect protein, etc. and they dont work!!!!!!! I think a lot of people like to eat REAL food, which has much more satiety than a pill or a shake/bar/protein supplement.. This is the biggest GIMMICK of all in my opinion (and misleading and expensive and IMO not that healthy). Most people have the sense to eat actual real food...if people were meant to eat protein supplements, wouldn't they grow on trees? But I'm like you --as long as it is reasonable and healthy diet/fitness plan that you can follow and lose weight, you do you. So I have NO idea why you would post such a bold statement as to say that WW doesn't work in the title! Probably so you can just say something controversial and negative to get more views on your youtube channel. AND i forgot, even though most people may not like vegetables, pretty much everybody else in the diet/fitness world knows they are full of nutrients/low calorie/filling/good for the digestion, etc, etc and WW watchers also gives tips and tricks to dress up your vegetables because most people don't like vegetables because they do not prepare them correctly....I could go on and on about how misguided this video is...but you get the point if you have read this far. BUT you did ask people to comment if they knew more about the WW plan...so I did in a big way.
Sounds like you’re no familiar enough with WW to be reviewing it. I’m all about counting macros but honestly not many people are going to want to devote the time to do that. WW is amazing for thousands of people and takes the guesswork out of overall wellness especially with all the new offerings. Yes WW is a business but sounds like you’re in business as well....
Not every program is for everybody hun
Everything you said is TRUE! 🥴🥹😔