Remember all that stuff I wrote about Weight Watchers and points? Well, they just changed everything. If you have a TV you might have seen the commercials, and Oprah's smiley face seems to have taken over my app and the WW website.
They've been having mass technological issues - I unfortunately had several days worth of stuff just kind of disappear. It seems to be back online, and hopefully will be sorted out once everyone is on the new system.
The point is, last night I was down another 1.4, for a total of 5.4 pounds lost in three weeks! I am really excited at this progress.
So, the changes to Weight Watchers - they've changed how they calculate points. Ten years ago, food points were calculated by calories, fat, and fiber. Five years ago, they changed that to carbohydrates, fat, fiber, and protein. Now, points are calculated by counting calories, sugar, protein, and fat.
The calories act as the baseline, and then protein can lower points while sugar makes it skyrocket. They're also trying to focus more on whole health, but honestly I'm kind of "eh" about that part.
The point is that they are really, really, penalizing sugar now. A candy bar that was 7 points is now 12. My standard breakfast, the Fage 2% with honey, jumped from 5 to 9 points! On the other hand, beans, tuna, and chicken breast went down. They adjusted the daily and weekly flexible/anytime points. Mine essentially stayed the same - my dailies went up by one, but my weeklies went down by seven. This is going to be tricky since a lot of food are higher in points now - not just sugar, but dairy - but I'm still on the same amount of points. Fruits and veggies are still free, though!
Regarding the sugar penalty - I adore sugar, and at first I was really annoyed by the changes. How can Weight Watchers have the whole "lifestyle" and "fitting everything in moderation" shtick if they make the cost of a slice of birthday cake basically prohibitively high? This I soupboxed at John for awhile.
After a bit of thought, though, I think maybe it could be good for me. I really do struggle with sugar. Maybe this could help me to have fewer treats and appreciate them more. How many times have I grabbed a 40-calorie mini Milky Way from the office candy bowl? A hundred million? How many do I remember, how many did I taste? Zero, probably. In the end it just became a habit. Maybe this will help me stop, when I realize how much it's costing me.
To my fellow, celebrators, Happy Chanukah! As someone trying to lose weight, I'm super duper pumped about a holiday that revolves around frying things and eating them.
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I've been doing SmartPoints for almost 2 weeks and like it so far. Yes, it is an adjustment. Some foods went up a lot, but some went down and many didn't change much. I still had chocolate 3 times last week...just very small portions. I love that they are really encouraging the healthy eating which is something I think they have needed to do for awhile.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely an adjustment! My leader told us the story of how she broke her ounce of chocolate in half because the points doubled, and it made her sad. But I agree that it will definitely push towards healthier eating
DeleteI always have to keep reminding myself that one amazing crafted in store gourmet donut is better than 10 probably stale donuts from the local coffee shop.... the struggle is real.
ReplyDeleteAgreed!There's just something so appealing about having a large quantity of something to eat.
DeleteI've always hated that every year they change the WW plan - part of me things it's because they can get all the people to buy all the new stuff for the new plan. I lost 70 pounds on WW back in 1999. I've gained back 30 pounds and still need to lose that - it will be interesting to see how you like the new program going forward :D
ReplyDeleteAgreed! I think it's partially (hopefully) wanting to make the best plan possible, partially to be able to continuously market their super-duper-sciency plan, especially come January - plus what you said about re-purchasing everything.
DeleteMy favorite part is that so many WW products got so much higher because of the penalization on sugar.
I don't do WW, but I do know I feel and do best when I skip sugar and things like fruits and grains. Good luck on the new plan!
ReplyDeleteThank you! This is the first time I've felt "Oh, this is doable" in a long time.
DeleteThat must be frustrating that they changed everything, just when you are getting into a groove. But if you're digging the in-person meetings, and making progress, it'll be worth the temporary hassle.
ReplyDeleteHappy Chanukah to you :)
I think I was mostly whining - I'd rather the changes be a week or two in than a month or two in. And hopefully this updated plan will be even better.
DeleteThanks! Chanukah is my favorite holiday.