49865 Fri Apr 05 20:14:00 -0800 2002 31 29 Not About Food 0 251554 I'm just curious if there are any dual citizens - Chowhound and Weight Watchers member - apart from me... Have a great weekend everyone!! I love this forum! Fri Apr 05 20:14:00 -0800 2002 0 seadrifter 1 251720 Yup, I am, for about 6 months now. Lost 20 lbs. It's been a blessing for all parts of my life...except my culinary adventures. Sigh. One can't have all things (trying to is what packed the lbs on in the first place). But I am pleasantly surprised how quickly and thoroughly I managed to incoporate good food with dieting - I know, I know, it's a "lifestyle change" not a "diet" - though rare is the occaison I indulge in a steakhouse, French, Chinese, Thai or dessert these days. Sigh. Those were the days.... :) Mon Apr 08 23:31:21 -0700 2002 251554 0 Lisa Bee 2 251721 Hee hee, likewise in terms of dining out. But somehow being on WW has caused my culinary interest to bloom. I'm hoping to somehow learn to cook my favorite (especially ethnic) foods in a low-pts way - perhaps there's a cooking school around that would do that, though I doubt it (especially with the fact that I cook for myself only -- there doesn't seem to be much interest in single person cooking). Thanks for the reply! Glad I'm not the only one! Mon Apr 08 23:38:25 -0700 2002 251720 0 seadrifter 3 251742 One of the things I have loved on Weight Watchers - which I have just "rejoined" after a 3 month hiatus -- is sushi and Vietnamese food. Sushi is 2 points for 4 pieces, and 1 cup of Pho is only 2 points! And I definitely don't feel deprived eating either one. Tue Apr 09 09:51:27 -0700 2002 251721 0 Caitlin Wheeler 4 252129 Sushi! I've become such a sushi freak thanks to Weight Watchers - it's my lunchtime luxury :) Happy chowing and ww-ing! :) Sea Sun Apr 14 01:14:56 -0700 2002 251742 0 seadrifter 5 252130 pls join us there! Sun Apr 14 01:26:37 -0700 2002 252129 0 jenniferfishwilson 1 252074 Check out cooking light, the magazine. They also have a website, cookinglight.com They have a number of really interesting ethnic recipies, unique spices are integrated into dishes and most importantly, you will learn techniques for flavorful, lower fat and calorie cooking. Another way to be a lean foodie - portion size and exercise. You really can do it all! Fri Apr 12 18:25:52 -0700 2002 251554 0 Paige 2 4700526 Just came back to WW and doing it online. I'm turning 60, graduated my second child and last from BC and it's time for me to get healthy. Man, I love to eat and have a few pops. That's not going to take me very far, for sure. Sigh. Wed May 20 09:36:38 -0700 2009 252074 182898 donnahobrien 1 4700550 I was on WW (and a WW leader for a time). It was switching to their Core plan that re-introduced good food to my way of eating. I'd become so dependent on frozen, pre-packaged, over-processed foods to keep my "points" down that I'd lost touch with real food. I'd also stopped cooking. The Core list was a great way for me to try new foods and start cooking again. I love it. While not strictly following WW these days, I do still watch my use of high point type foods. I've found that eating "real food" and paying attention to my satiety level has made all the difference for me. It did take quite a while to learn the difference between being satisfied (not hungry) and full. Wed May 20 09:42:41 -0700 2009 251554 88544 Ima Wurdibitsch 1 4700979 I've had an on-again, off-again relationship with weight watchers for a few years. I was often bothered by the reliance on fake-foods, especially the use of margarine over butter, so I modified most WW recipes to use calorie-equal but less artificial foods. After a few months of meetings I switched to online b/c the time commitment for meetings was too much and too repetitive. I've found a 3 month run of WW online is a good way to get back on track after the holidays. I still think in terms of point when I'm planing out my meals for the week and making the grocery list, but I don't think I'll go back to WW for real anytime soon. Wed May 20 11:38:00 -0700 2009 251554 135311 mpjmph 1 4703462 I've been "on" WW for just over 2 years now, and love finding new ways to make low point foods. most of the time my friends cannot tell that it's my "special" food, and what they don't know won't hurt them, right? ;-) I've lost 85lbs and I'm almost at my goal. Life is good. Love to eat, but i don't let it control me anymore. Thu May 21 08:57:57 -0700 2009 251554 65780 jujuthomas 2 4704228 Congrats to everyone who's been successful! I found WW quite effective but had to tweak it to keep from starving to death. I did it online and basically cheated whenever I was too hungry; just kept track of how much and tried to offset it by getting more exercise. I seemed to lose one pound/week that way rather than two, but that was fine. I also felt they penalized you too much for using fat so I used a little more olive oil than I said I was using. Also, instead of using those flex points, I just took one day a week to eat whatever I wanted, like it I was going out to dinner or something. Just tried to keep my food choices on the healthy side that day. I really believe the rumor that doing that gives your metabolism a little bit of a boost. Although I was barely on WW by the end, it did help me change habits in terms of eating low-points fruits and vegetables, and avoiding unnecessary fats. Oh, yes, and the journaling made it clear to me how many calories I was consuming in wine and how much alcohol seems to throw a monkey wrench in dieting, even beyond the calories consumed. Sad to say. Thu May 21 12:27:40 -0700 2009 4703462 11250 bibi rose 3 4704266 My husband has a lot of problems staying on track because he gets hungry like you did. They just started a new plan in January, which revised the focus. I think that's helped a lot, as it gave him new strategies for staying full. yes, yes. so sad what a "waste" of calories alcohol is! Every once and a while I drink a few glasses of wine, just because, and it feels like such a splurge! I agree that taking a day or more off gives your metabolism a boost, I do not track during vacations and may gain during, but have good losses soon after going back on plan! Glad you found something ww-ish that worked for you! :) Thu May 21 12:39:52 -0700 2009 4704228 65780 jujuthomas 1 4975542 I'm a pretty long-term advocate of Weight Watchers as well as a dedicated food lover and hounder. I managed to lose about 70 pounds on the program about 5 years ago and kept almost all of that off long term, as it really helped me re-focus my eating habits, get me back into exercising (nothing like earning some extra points to spend on indulgences!) and learn a lot of great new cooking techniques as well. It can be a challenge, no question about it. Like some others here have said, I refuse to use fake foods and artificial sweeteners in my diet, so a lot of "light" products are off limits to me (though I have become so used to some things like skim milk that I just can't handle the full fat versions any longer). I find vacations and work travel nearly impossible to stick to program, but I just try to work on my portion control in those cases and make sure to get right back on board once I'm back home. I did find myself slipping back into some old bad habits this year, so I'm back on the program right now to try to lose about 15 of those 70 pounds again. *sigh* But I'm 6 down pretty quickly so that's encouraging. The first week back on program was very hard, but now 3 weeks in and I'm already finding my hunger patterns and tastes getting back into shape a bit. Alcohol is definitely a weakness, but I'm cutting back on mixed drinks and spirits in favor of wine. It's all good anyway... :P Tue Aug 25 07:43:53 -0700 2009 251554 267087 sockii 1 4979214 I have been on and off for about 6 years with varying degrees of success. Love the system/points/recipes, but I could not stand the meetings. Too bad there were not more Chowhounds in the meetings! most of the ppl. "hated to cook" and quinoa was like a freaky food for them. I love to cook and I will seek out the lowest point grains! WW is great, but it got kind of expensive for DH & I both to go. Hence, I've been on South Beach since. Wed Aug 26 08:48:46 -0700 2009 251554 88683 stellamystar 1 4979585 Like Socii, I have been a long term member. I have been on WW for over 10 years. I lost 115 lbs and kept all but 25lbs of it off for about 8 It's time to go back on. I do it on line. I don't have the time, money or patience for meetings. I just have to refocus. Wed Aug 26 10:24:43 -0700 2009 251554 11701 MrsT 2 5005782 AAAAAAAhhhh....I need to refocus as well! First year of marriage and working 10 hour days has put on the "happy weight"....I lost 55 with WW...but 15 has come back with a vengeance (very noticeable on a 5'2" body!). I love to cook, and am rediscovering some of the WW cookbooks that I enjoyed using...also got a subscription to Cooking Light and am writing the point values per serving in the magazine next to the recipe. Wish I loved exercising as much as I love to cook and eat great food! Fri Sep 04 14:24:59 -0700 2009 4979585 248203 winecafe95 3 5005841 Yes to Cooking Light! I've reached a point where I only buy food magazines and cookbooks with full nutritional value listed so I can calculate (or at least eye ball) the points values. I am sometimes astonished at how not-light the recipes in Cooking Light are, they're definitely low cal/fat that the standard versions, but still much higher cal/fat per serving than I can fit into a WW points budget. I find myself scaling down the recipes a lot since I can usually get 6-8 servings out of a recipe meant to serve 4, but I'm cooking for one! I have a copy of "Healthy Cooking for Two (or Just You)" by Frances Price. It's a bare-bones book, no photos, nothing fancy, but full of basic recipes scaled for 1 or 2, plus full nutrition info. My copy is dog-eared and full of points notations and meal-combos. I love it! Fri Sep 04 14:47:26 -0700 2009 5005782 135311 mpjmph 4 5005981 Thanks for the cookbook rec....I am a cookbook addict! What are your favorites in the book? Fri Sep 04 16:05:51 -0700 2009 5005841 248203 winecafe95 5 5081560 I have every WW cookbook that isn't the 70's scary variety. I love Dining w the Duchess (Fergie era, very yummy stuff) The Take OUt Tonight Dining for Two Skip: The pizza one, the grilling one, Mon Oct 05 20:00:20 -0700 2009 5005981 88683 stellamystar 6 5086129 I love the Take Out Tonight one... I also have Make it in Minutes, which I don't find nearly as useful. I didn't know about Dining for Two - sadly it looks like it's out of print and the only used copy on Amazon is going for $60. I wish I had heard of it a few years ago. Wed Oct 07 12:50:55 -0700 2009 5081560 135311 mpjmph 7 5094804 I think the pizza one is more "common sense" - esp. if you are a Chowhound. I think some WW'rs may not think about using pesto instead of mozzarella cheese as a topping..ya get me? But, look at the used book stores ..so many to choose from. Yes, Make it in Minutes is so-so. Sheesh, maybe I should rejoin! ARGH!!! WW'rs always gets me!!! Sun Oct 11 08:04:36 -0700 2009 5086129 88683 stellamystar 6 5092896 Oh, I have the Pizza Pizza one on my list of books to keep my eye out for. Not worth clearing a space on the shelf for it, eh? I like Take Out Tonight, too. Not the most "authentic" recipes, but some of them are pretty delicious and do help you keep things under control. If you can find their Mexican and Chinese cookbooks (old) they are pretty good, too. As a general rule, I find WW recipes to be too timidly spiced. I just double the amount of all the spices, which usually works out. P.S. for those who worry about such things, this is a thread from 2002. But I say why not resume the discussion if it's interesting! ~TDQ Sat Oct 10 01:42:31 -0700 2009 5081560 12005 The Dairy Queen 7 5095910 I have "My Turnaround Program" and "Ultimate Flex & Core"...both fantastic and better with the spice and taste (although I tend to "zip it up" as well). DQ: Agreed that it's a discussion worth resuming...while WW does have it's own board and recipies, I'd rather get a chowhound's opinion on how to make it fabulously tasty AND healthy than a pre-packaged frozen option or blah recipe anyday!!! Sun Oct 11 18:03:12 -0700 2009 5092896 248203 winecafe95 8 5096561 Your post reminded me why I regained my love of food and cooking! I'd lost 30 pounds doing the Flex program but trying to keep my "Points" down caused me to eat a lot of "fake" foods; i.e., low calorie, low fat foods with ingredients that I couldn't pronounce. The program worked but I used far too many pre-made foods because having the nutritional values on the package made it easier to calculate my points. When I was in training to become a WW leader, they required all employees to try all of the current programs. I really resisted Core. I thought, "Hell, if I knew how to stop when I was satisfied, I wouldn't need WW." I was so wrong. Very few pre-made, packaged foods are on the list. I started cooking again. I discovered new grains and veggies that I'd never tried before the Core program. It's opened up a whole new world of food for me. I think they're calling the Core program Filling Foods now. My regular work schedule got so busy, I had to give up leading my meeting. However, I still cook mostly Core-style. By keeping to the whole grains and lean meats and the like, I'm able to indulge in my other favorites without gaining back all the weight I'd lost. I've discovered great ways to coax flavor without adding non-Core ingredients. I used to nuke a Lean Cuisine, Smart One, or Healthy Choice for dinner. Now, I cook nearly every night. I have guilt-free love for my food now. Mon Oct 12 06:38:16 -0700 2009 5095910 88544 Ima Wurdibitsch 9 5096708 Yes, the core plan has been merged into the flex plan and is now called the "Filling Foods Technique". WW is trying to encourage all of their members to each more "filling foods" ie., whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean protein. In addition, if you want to, you can follow the "filling foods technique" (i.e., the core plan) for a week at a time. When you follow the filling foods technique, you're supposed to focus more attention on your feelings of fullness and hunger rather than obsessively tracking points. However, you still have to do a certain amount of weighing and measuring and you still have to meet what WW calls the Good Health Guidelines (which requires you to have a certain amount of fruit or vegetables, "healthy" fat, protein, etc. per day). I personally loved core. I felt like I was just eating more heathfully instead of feeling like I was dieting. ~TDQ Mon Oct 12 07:45:50 -0700 2009 5096561 12005 The Dairy Queen 9 5114670 My wife and I (both lifetime WW members) lost significant weight on Flex (I lost over 65 pounds) and have kept it off for over 5 years by staying on a Flex-type program during the week and eating pretty freely on the weekends. We never found ourselves turning to processed or other kinds of pre-made foods; like you on Core, we cooked a lot more than we had in our pre-WW days, and continue to do so. Since we joined WW, our eating has become considerably healthier (fruits, veg, whole grains, healthy fats, lean meats,etc.) - and we never did Core. I think the WW tie-in with various food producers, coupled with their own line of prepared foods (some items sold at meeting centers), encourages the use of those kinds of items in the program - it's a gripe I have with WW, but a small one. OTOH, the excellent leader we worked with emphasized whole foods, portion control, and food control (knowing what you're eating and how it was prepared) - all of which motivated us to cook our own meals and be responsible for our eating choices, whether on Flex or Core (or the new merged plan). Mon Oct 19 11:32:07 -0700 2009 5096561 12622 Striver 10 5115247 As Striver illustrates, it's not necessary to eat processed foods on WW, regardless of which plan or "technique" you follow. Just as there are many ways to be a chowhound, there are also many ways of being a Weight Watcher. Some of them, successful. :). If I don't eat whole foods on WW, I end up feeling like I'm starving all the time. I can still lose weight, but I'm mean and unhappy. I'm sure different people have difference thresholds and limits for these sorts of things, but I pretty much eschew white breads, white rice, white potatoes, white tortillas (notice how carbs are a prominent theme for me?) ... ~TDQ Mon Oct 19 14:29:09 -0700 2009 5114670 12005 The Dairy Queen 1 5059486 I did the Weight Watchers Program, and with some discipline it works very well. I wishe there would be some more communivation between members, I also did a Marie France program, and there is a community site now where I got a lot of good tips.http://www.weight-watch.info Sat Sep 26 02:01:42 -0700 2009 251554 1112049 JennyChow 2 5087144 Weight Watchers online has a forum where members can exchange tips and support. You have to be enrolled to use it. Wed Oct 07 18:52:11 -0700 2009 5059486 10074 Caitlin McGrath 3 5087657 Enrollment is free. They don't require that you pay for the program to participate in the message boards. WW Board Travel Advisory: Some of the boards there are only superficially related to weight loss and/or food. They are more social in nature and tend to have a very disctinct community personality. I'd recommend lurking (reading and learning the culture) for a little while before jumping in with a comment; particularly on the Daily General Thread (GDT). That said, if you appreciate sharp wit and have little tolerance for whining, blame-shifting, and the like - it can be kind of fun. Thu Oct 08 04:05:11 -0700 2009 5087144 88544 Ima Wurdibitsch 1 5108115 I've been on WW since the beginning of May and have dropped 30 pounds. Went from a size 12 to a size 6 and have ten pounds to go. That said, we managed to spend a week in Paris and a week in the South of France this summer and I dropped 1 and a half pounds. I ate cheese, sweetbreads, pastries, meat, bread--drank wine every night. The secret was the portion size and the fact there was no processed foods going my way. WW has not affected my cooking for the rest of the family. I'm cooking as usual but incorporating more grains and filling veggies. Also, I'm not snacking, eating dessert nor piling the plate with food. WW, in my opinion, is not a diet but it is a way of changing the way you eat. My leader's quote "If you bite it, write it" has become a mantra. I keep a journal at all times and track what I eat. Gotta say that the meetings help tremendously. It works! Fri Oct 16 09:57:58 -0700 2009 251554 239703 jarona