As posted in another thread, I've started using Weight Watchers online, so I thought I'd post my experiences here.
Website:
http://weightwatchers.ca
Cost: ~$80 for a 3 month subscription.
What it offers:
- full access to the website, including articles, recipes, message boards, but most importantly, the "Points Tracker".
How it works:
Once you've signed up and paid for your subscription, you start out by filling out a short form that determines your daily alotment of points. Points are analagous to a calorie count, although they factor in things like fat and fibre. This is based on your sex, age, weight, and height, as well as your activity level during the day, amongst other things. You are also asked to pick a target weight (your goal). The only problem with this is that they use something called the "Masters Tables" to determine your "ideal weight", which is now known to be out of date. Either get someone to calculate your BMI targets for you or find a website that uses this method to figure out what your ideal weight is. It is much more accurate and is what most doctors and dietitians will reccomend. (My sister is an RD and did mine for me.)
Once you're set up, the system basically works by using the website to keep track of the points you use for anything you eat or drink during the day. You have a daily set of points available for the day as well as a set of weekly flex points that gets reset on a weekly basis. So, for example, when I started, I had 35 points I could use each day, and 35 weekly flex points that get used if I go over that target on a given day. The website is well designed and easy to use (for the geeks, it's all been done in Flex). For a lot of foods, you can just type in the food you ate, and it will give you a list to choose from - select the amount you ate, and it figures out the points for you. If the food isn't in the system, you can use the online calculator to figure it out based on the calories, fibre, and fat content.
It might not sound like much, but it actually makes keeping track of your points fun. I know if I was just keeping track of points on a piece of paper (which is possible, if you want), I wouldn't still be doing it. The website also allows you to save "favorites" and build up recipes that you can store and save as well so keeping track of points for things you eat the most just becomes easier as you use the site.
Physical activity is rewarded as well, and much like your food is caclulated into points. If you have exercised during the day and go over your food points, you exchange your exercise points before going into your weekly flex points.
Each week, you have a weigh in day where you put in your new weight and you can recalculate your daily points alotment. You can also look at graphs of your progress, and you get awarded "stars" based on your achievements (kind of silly).
Does it work?
Well, I'm about a month and a half in and have lost 22lbs, so I'd definitely give it a thumbs up. At the same time as starting this program, I also started hitting the treadmill, so overall I've lost weight and my energy levels are great. I find it really easy to follow the program with the website. I know Weight Watchers offers non-online options as well, and I've never tried them, so I can't comment.
Besides being easy to follow from the website perspective, following it from the "cravings" perspective isn't too bad either. The weekly flex points are more than enough to cover days where you break down and have to have that something extra or for when you're out with friends and stop for food. Since starting, I had a week away to Ottawa for work, and kept track of all the points, even with eating out a fair bit, and still lost weight.
So, the only down side is the cost, I suppose. $80 for 3 months seems a little high to me, but it has been worth it to me. My wife has been doing it at the same time (they don't offer a family or couples plan, either, which kind of sucks, so we've paid $160 for the 3 months for 2 accounts) and she has had similar results to me.
I started the program at 222lbs. I'm now down to 200lbs, with about 15lbs to go before I hit the ideal weight. I'm pretty confident I'll actually hit that by this summer, which is awesome considering I had given myself a year to get to that goal.
Review: Weight Watches Online
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