Hi All!

I just wanted to see if there were any former Weight Watchers out there. I started W.W. my senior year of highschool (in 1998) and eventually lost 50 pounds. For the most part, I have kept it all off, but each year it keeps creeping onto me in different places. I started South Beach before last Thanksgiving (but have since then fallen off the bandwagon) BUT because of that S.B. experience, I have really started to generally lower my carbs--and it does work. I was just wondering if there were any former W.W. in the crowd that had a similar experience. I loved counting the points and the fact that you could eat anything as long as you counted it, and this new way of watching what you eat (carb-wise) is a new thing for me--especially since you can eat a lot more STEAK and BEEF and things that I never really ate on W.W. because they were too high in POINTS.

Please Post
Erica

Yes I did Weight Watchers. I am just about the only person I know who
had to pay due's for the privledge of stepping on the scale week after week to see just how much I gained. I guess I just am one of those people who can't eat certian things in moderation. I need total abstainance. But I did love the comrodery of the group thing for support and encouragment. LCing seems to be the only thing I have found that works and I can stick to while feeling great and watching the pounds melt away.( anyone have a blow torch ?)

I did Weight Watchers about two years ago and lost about thirty lbs. I was STARVING - I don't care what they say about eating your vegies and points. I was still hungry.

I like the carb counting because at least I know I won't go hungry. There just seems to be more variety to me especially with all the lo carb variety products out there in addition to the naturals. Let's face it, I like to eat, I might as well enjoy it!!!

Charlie Girl

I did WW on 3 occassions...remember always being hungry...losing very little...and being broke (dues). The weight loss plan is very carby....I think I could do WW now but low-carb way if they offered it...but then again...why pay for something you can do on your own??

Has anyone done ww more than me??? I've been on it at least 9 times! Every year or every other year for the past 20 years.

Ericav - I'm totally impressed that you were able to lose that weight and keep it off for so long. That is quite an accomplishment! I think ww works for many people but if you are sensitive to carbs, it's NOT the diet for you!

I would lose 20-30 pounds over 3-4 months, be a complete raving lunatic ( I was cranky, hungry and mean while dieting ) Go off ww and gain 30-40 pounds. Repeat process and you can see how I got up to 300+ pounds.

I'm so thankful that I found LC. I'm never hungry, I'm not cranky and have managed to stay lc for nearly 5 months without cheating.

Oh, one more thing, you can still count something! You can count carbs! Don't know if SB has you keeping track, but if you use Fitday, you can easily measure your carb intake. I think it's really cool, I can eat steak and say that had 0 carbs! Not gonna blow my carb limit eating steak for dinner!

Good luck to you on your low carb journey.

CindyG,
I know I've gone on WW at least 30 times, so I think I may have you beat. I love all the support you get with WW. And I also love the fact that you can eat just about anything. And, as long as I stick with it, I lose weight. The problem I had with WW was HUNGER. I was always hungry. And I LOVE buffalo wings, but the points were just too high. And then everything was low fat or fat free and I have to wonder how good all of those chemicals were for me. Sometimes I feel really restricted doing LC, but at least I never have to feel hungry.
Susan

I've gone to WW at 4 different times in my life. The first time was in 1970 & it was pretty low carb then. The other 3 times were in the 90's & not so low carb, I found myself eating alot of low point junk food, especially the WW frozen desserts. Not a positive change for my eating habits, I just substituted my bad habits with "official" junk food. What a difference Atkins has made in my life!

In all fairness to WW, I was at a dress fitting the other day (standing up in a friend's wedding), and the girl measuring us said that the only time she has seen success for weight loss was when her clients attended WW or went on Atkins. I was surprised about the WW because when I attended meetings, it always seemed like it was the same people crawling along...

I did WW like 3 times. It's not worth it. My friend is doing L.A. Weight Loss Centre and is seeing results but Boy oh Boy is she being hit in the pocket. I want her to try Atkins so bad but she feels that it's just too hard. I get that from alot of people though. I know I can't stand being hungry and it's teaching me to plan and organize my life. The energy makes me want to get out and exercise.

TMD- I had the same experience you did. I paid $12 to step on a scale and GAIN weight. I did lose 10 lbs. at the beginning but it took MONTHS. It didn't help that Mom and I would go out to dinner afterwards and eat "illegal" stuff- some of that may have been an emotional response to the lack of progress.

I, too, remember being hungry, running out of points early in the day, hating low-fat cheese, salad dressings, and light mayo. I've learned that low carbing truly has to be a way of life for me. I don't have problems with my blood sugar dropping like I did on a low-fat, high carb diet.

I am waiting for the day when WW jumps on the low-carb band wagon.

(hand shoots up) Me! I went to WW!
This was many years ago, and I stuck to it ABSOLUTELY and it took me months (and months), but I did get to goal. I think I stayed AT goal for about a week and a half before I started gaining the pounds back.
But what I remember most was that it really was a WOL. I thought about food all the time. I thought about what I was going to eat at my next meal even while I was eating my current meal. And I was soooooo hungry. I felt constant deprivation, and knew I couldn't live like that forever. I think that's why I stuck to it so well, I wanted to lose the weight and go back to eating like a normal person.
Losing weight completely took over my life. So when the weight started to come back I threw up my hands in surrender. I knew I could never go that route again.
That's why I love this WOL. I never feel deprived or hungry.
I can stick with this forever.

The first time I did WW (1999) I thought it was really easy - I lost close to 30 lbs - the reason I thought it was easy....I was taking Diet Fuel (with ephedra). I didn't keep the weight off though when I stopped the Diet Fuel and stopped going to meetings - it was really starting to hit me in the pocketbook. But needless to say I signed up for WW one other time and failed within two weeks - I didn't loose squat and was hungry all the time!! I started WW 3 other times on my own and again failed in a couple days because I was just so darn hungry! This plan is just great - I can eat a whole steak or a couple burgers or a taco salad...I'm never hungry! Like patricia52 I can totally stick with this plan!!

WW and my hypoglycemia didnt mix well...I felt sick and hungry all the time

I never did WW but your stories remind me of my NutriSystem year. Talk about hungry!

I have done nutrisystem and Weight Watchers and lost weight pretty well on both of them. But I was hungry all the time and plagued with headaches as a result of that. I never felt good. Now, I eat when I am hungry and I feel terrific. And talk about expensive! Both of those plans are horribly expensive in the long run. I would rather spend my money on good food than onthe meetings!

Orchid

It was the hunger that did me in on ww too! I was STARVING! Now I'm sure it was carb addiction and blood sugar swings. Thank god I don't have to deal with that on Atkins.

What I find most interesting about myself is my determination that ww would work. For years ww was the penultimate diet plan. I'd gear myself up for a few months before hand (cause I knew I was about to be tortured). Then I would try with all my might to stay on track. It was never easy and I could never endure for more than a few months.

I saw very few people reaching goal weight and when someone did I was so impressed and hopeful that one day it would be me! Most of us slogged along week after week, praying to the scale gods that we'd be down this week.

I wonder why I was so willing to endure that time after time, when I should have figured out by maybe the 3rd or 4th time, that plan was not going to do it for me!

Trust me it wasn't the only diet I tried, just the one I tried most often. I'm glad it works for some, but I'm dedicated to Atkins now and have no desire to go back!