For ppl who have done or are doing WW About This Page:

[Courtney892]

I would like to hear what you'd advise me to do. I used to be one of those people who never gained weight no matter what they did partly due to metabolism and partly a fairly active lifestyle I'd guess.

That changed once I hit my 30s a few years ago, and now I find myself up almost 2 sizes and desiring to lose 30 lbs.

I've been working out in preparation for the EE 5K in Sept for 3 weeks & had seen only a .5lb weight change...though last measuring was down 3.5 inches The lack of weight movement made me desire to watch portion control and food eating much closer, so this week I've done a personal WW program since my research says it's a healthy way to lose weight as well as a process to learn a healthy lifestyle now that I apparantly can no longer eat like a teenager without consequence

I have the quiz for points allotment, the starter kit with the food companion and dining out guide, & a points calculator. I made some nice little cardstock food journalling bookmarks for my organizer and have been faithfully marking my water, vitamin, veggie, & dairy intake as well as food & points for this week and I got the MasterCook program to help me to calculate points in homemade meals.

Keeping within the points has not been much of a challenge (on whopping week 1 ), & so far support has been fabulous both here and at home & we have some rewards set up for goals met; so I am not feeling real motivated to join WW officially. I sincerely doubt I'd ever have time for meetings, and while online seems much more suited to our lifestyle, I am not sure that for the money it offers enough that I can't get elsewhere.

With a Disney trip coming up, I'm being careful with extra expenses.; but if it will help me meet my weight/health goals it is worth it. SOO how valuable did/do you find being an official WW member?

I was thinking maybe the race coming up might be enough of a focus to keep me on track through the end of September, and perhaps join at that time if I struggle to keep up the habits without a Disney goal ahead. What do you do in this situation?

[wheatenwalker]

You probably havent learned about Core yet ( or whatever they call it now) but following something like that is easier than pts while at WDW-
Make choices as healthy as possible, dont eat the entire meal, eat only a bite or two of any sweets-

[jlmoore91]

I started WW 5 years ago. At the time, I joined meetings because I knew I needed the accountability of weighing in each week. After I got going, the online portion was enough to keep me on track. I reached my goal and still following WW.

If you can stay focused without the accountability of someone else checking your weight each week, I say use the materials you have and skip the rest.

[*Pixie*Dust*]

Originally Posted by wheatenwalker

You probably havent learned about Core yet ( or whatever they call it now) but following something like that is easier than pts while at WDW-
Make choices as healthy as possible, dont eat the entire meal, eat only a bite or two of any sweets-

The renamed program is called "Simply Filling" and its easy to follow at WDW. I'm sure your online program has info about it.
If you have support at home, then the online program should work for you. I needed the support of the meetings and the accountability of getting on the scale each week. I lost 85 lbs with WW in 2005 and now work as a WW meeting leader.
Also, our research has shown that people who attend meetings lose 3x more weight than people who go it alone at home. Something to think about !
You should be able to check out a meeting in your area for free. Then you can see if its something for you or if you will stick with the at home program. I can't tell you the cost to join since it varies through out the country.

[Dawn in Scotland]

I'm attending WW here in Scotland - I'd guess it's the same as US WW. I know from experience that I need to keep going to the meetings or I eventually lose focus - that's just me though you may cope well without the discipline of the weekly "check up". The most useful thing for me about the meetings is having someone else appreciate my achievement face to face when I lose weight - the cheerleading effect works for me.
I've just come back from Paris when I allowed the diet to go out of the window - all that great food. I've only put on a pound - did a lot of walking - but it's really hard to get back into the diet now.

[tkm1005]

I didn't do WW but I did LA Weight Loss a couple of years ago. For me I just needed the guilt and accountability to finally really focus and lose weight. I honestly didn't buy any of the food supplements they recommended, only used the outline for the food to eat and did my food diary to go over with the counselor for my weigh ins. I personally didn't want to be discussing things in a group setting which is why I opted for LA Weightloss over WW but it seems to accomplish the same thing. I have known people who have done the online version with limited success. But it was easier for them to fall off plan without having someone bugging them to stay on. I think if you have a strong support system and a strong will/desire to lose the weight you can do just fine on your own.

[boston_manda]

I did WW with success about 5 years ago. I lost 25 lbs in just a few month! I felt healthy and looked great...I only had 12 lbs to go to reach my goal... I did not go to meetings. I had co-workers also dieting with me and found my accountability there.

Then I found a new job. A job at a doctor's office. A very very popular Doctor who was greatly loved by pharmaceutical representatives who brought us yummy fattening lunches each day. I was no longer with the same WW co-workers...and I fell right off the horse. My family and friends have always been the "oh eat whatever you want!" sort....very few of them have any weight problems, so they don't "get it". Without the accountability I gained the weight back and THEN some...

Since then I have been yo-yoing with WW on my own. I'm happy to say I have finally caught on and will be starting meeting this coming Sunday. I NEED the accountability.

So, that being said... if you have the accountability at home, you can do it without meetings. I did. It worked. But, I lost the accountability...and now instead of losing 37 lbs I'm trying to lose around 80. Eeek. But, only you really know what you can or can not do. I completely understand wanting to save the money! Especially now! But, if you don't think you'll find the accountability you need at home or with friends, definitely consider the meetings.

Also, is anyone else here on WW that might want to start a sort of support group? I am new here...I do see the challenge which looks great.... but, it might be nice to have a group of people who specifically speak WW, ya know? I really want to be down to my goal weight by next July (for my WDW trip!) and can use all the support I can find! =)