Weight Watchers

Anonymous
By Anonymous Latest Reply at December 28 at 8:49 pm
Started November 20 at 8:11 pm

Anyone here try weight watchers?

Opinions?

Tags: type 1 type 2 diet weight loss motivation/emotions type 1 diabetes type 2 diabetes diabetes diet emotional support

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21 replies

shortysmalls
shortysmalls November 26 at 10:54 pm Report

I have been on weight watchers and had some success as well on the program. its a program that gets you to become lifetime members and follow the plan all the time…they use point now and all that stuff to help eat healthy, etc…I did unfortunately gained the weight bk…but that was when younger and before had type 2 diabetes…but its good program…and losing the weight, keeping off etc is hard work and is lifetime…which is normal…but ask others who is on program how they like it…gives a swing on things…good luck

Langerm
Langerm November 25 at 12:34 am Report

I've had some great success on Weight Watchers. The company does NOT frame it as a temporary diet. They encourage people to work towards "lifetime" membership, and they have a program for forever maintenance. At the heart of it, WW is just a calorie-counting tool, using points instead of calories to reflect the effects of fat, fiber, protein and carb. Like all calorie restriction situations, it's a pain in the tuckus, which is why it's hard to stick to. Every effective program is a pain in the tuckus, because losing weight is hard. Anyone who says otherwise is selling something.
(I did not stay on WW. I gained back the weight.)

jimLE
jimLE November 24 at 2:07 pm Report

i never tried weight watchers.but like the folks here thats tryed it.i know folks who lost the whight.then gained it back later on..my sister is on a diet,and it's working for her..so i'll ask her about it next time i talk with her…

cheetah1976
cheetah1976 November 24 at 2:48 am Report

I did weight watchers a few times , I did lose 50 pounds but gained pack plus some. The problem is you get points based on weight. You lose weight you lose points. I ended up feeling like I was starving and was so weak. Icons exercise is the best diet of all. I have been in Jazzercise for 7 years and love it. I diabetes us know under control and I can still eat a good meal plus have more energy to spare. Find something you enjoy so you stick with it.

Just Joyce
Just Joyce November 23 at 9:42 am Report

I tried weight watchers years ago and found it has no lasting results and was a waste of my time and money. I also looked into the WW meals and snacks in the grocery store and found they were too high in carbs and sodium for me and I try to avoid processed foods as much as possible.

My doctor put me on 60 carbs per meal including snacks. At first I followed this regimen. I found that to me I was eating too much food. I cut snacks to 30 and meals to roughly 50 or less. I count carbs and calories and this was far better than WW was. Adding exercise helped a great deal.

I pay no attention to weight loss ads on television or in magazines because if you read the disclaimer, it tells you not all people will get the same results. The foods are processed to preserve them. I prefer to lose weight the good old fashioned way. Which is what Lou said using your diet plan and slimming down carbs. I also slim down the carbs, cut out fried foods and add exercise. Good luck to you.

Anonymous
Anonymous November 23 at 9:31 am Report

If anyone else has opinions, I would love to hear them. I would like to hear if ww worked for you or not and any tips that might help me.

I do not want to hear what diet plan works better. I am not doing other diet plans. I am doing ww.

Thanks for any advice or tips.

FYI: I started this diet on Wednesday and lost 1.6 lbs already!

Nick1962
Nick1962 November 23 at 8:05 am Report

My wife has, several times, with no lasting results. A food plan is only as good as your ability to stick with it for life. Trouble is, WW is not a lifestyle change, but only a temporary diet. Most folks don’t get the connection of portion control the diet tries to teach. That and this is not a diet most folks can afford to be on forever.
I’ll echo what Lou said below about cutting carbs. Just taking your normal diet and slimming down the carbs works wonders, and it doesn’t cost you anything. I’m sure your doctor gave you that 150+gram/day number for a reason, so by all means follow that. I live on less than 100/day (most days) and have lost a bunch of weight (and maintained that loss for a few years now) and my numbers are considered non-diabetic.
Cutting carbs down to 150/day plus snacks for a lot of people is a huge cut. Looking back, I know there were days I was eating well over 500/day. WW is a good step forward if you learn and use the principals of the diet.

Anonymous
Anonymous November 23 at 8:12 am Report

Thanks for the info.

If you read the post, I wrote that my Dr recommends 50 carbs per meal. That would be 150 plus snacks.

Nick1962
Nick1962 November 23 at 8:35 am Report

Yes, I did see 150 plus snacks. As I say, that may or may not be a huge cut for you.
Age, current weight, overall health, activity all play into the daily carb intake level. Even though WW has the ADA seal of approval, many of us have found that even the ADA recommendations aren’t enough for us to manage our diabetes as well as we’d like. You’re taking some initiative, and that’s a good thing, but keep in mind you have to follow through for long-term results.

Anonymous
Anonymous November 23 at 9:29 am Report

Yes, I realize you have to follow through. My Endo is actually the person who recommended ww to me. She thought it would get me eating more fruits and veggies that I am not always getting enough of. She thought it would also help me make healthier carb choices.

Nick1962
Nick1962 November 23 at 10:47 am Report

Sorry, I didn’t mean to come off as condescending. WW is a great teaching tool, but you will eventually need to drop it and figure a plan out on your own. I’ve been overweight all my life and that is the only thing that helped me lose weight. I guess what a lot of us here are saying is just skip this step (and cost) and start working on your existing diet, but if this what it takes for you, I wish you nothing but success!

Type1Lou
Type1Lou November 22 at 4:35 pm Report

I have some non-diabetic friends who have successfully used Weight Watchers but for me, I'm more concerned about the carbohydrate content of foods which I don't feel is adequately reflected in the Weight Watchers point system. So, I count my carbs and find that works well for me. For my 5'3" frame, I'm able to maintain a weight of 120 pounds by eating no more than 120 grams of carb per day. By reducing your carb intake, the pounds will come off. I would advise that you calculate how many carbs you normally eat per day right now and attempt to reduce them. I religiously read the labels and use the "total" carb value vs "Net carbs". Good luck!

Just Joyce
Just Joyce November 23 at 10:02 am Report

I have friends who were successful with Weight Watchers but they didn't have a great success rate. Like you I m concerned about the carb content of foods I eat. I agree Weight Watchers doesn't have that reflected in its point system for the simple reason their plan is not geared to diabetics.

I think when it comes to weight loss people look for a quick fix. You see the ads with paid people saying they lost 80 lbs in 6 weeks or 100 pounds in two months. That is possible to do but there is nothing that tells you how to maintain weight loss. Also because those people loss xyz amount of pounds in the time frame they claimed does not mean it will be that easy for you.

Years ago there was the liquid diet fad. Oprah lost all that weight only to gain it back and it seemed it was overnight. Problem I find with WW is it requires a lot of extra work to maintain the point system and the foods may contain trans fat and higher sodium. The fruits recommended could be great for losing weight but can cause your blood sugar to rise. I prefer the old fashioned way of losing weight, diet control, perseverance and patience.

Type1Lou
Type1Lou November 23 at 4:32 pm Report

I wholly agree with your comment about easy fixes. In reality, there are none. As diabetics, we need to research what will work for us (for me it's low-carb) and then have the willpower to implement it. No, it is not easy, but when done, the rewards are tangible and lead to a better quality of life.

Anonymous
Anonymous November 22 at 5:43 pm Report

Thanks for the advice, but I already signed up for weight watchers. My Dr advised me to eat about 50 carbs per meal and 15 per snack. That is way more than what you eat obviously. I am going to follow what my dr told me to do.

Type1Lou
Type1Lou November 23 at 7:48 am Report

I find that much of the so-called "expert" advice is way too high in carbs but you will see if that approach helps you. Diabetes is such an individual disease that we all have to find and do what works best for us. I have been a type 1 since 1976. A turning point for me was reading Dr Richard Bernstein's "Diabetes Solution" in the early 2000's. A diabetic himself, he advocated the low carb approach long before the mainstream medical community adopted it and, clearly, not everyone is totally on board with his approach. If your doctor's guidelines are a reduction in the amount of carbs you normally consume, you'll see some positive results. Wishing you well!

Anonymous
Anonymous November 23 at 8:03 am Report

I've been following this approach for the last 17 years with good control. I am not looking to weight watchers to control my blood sugars, but to lose weight.

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