Weight Watchers: Eat All the Fruit You Want

[Jane1966]

I've lost 30 pounds on the new points plus WW plan. I'm at a plateau now though and would like to lose 20 more pounds. Fruit is a healthy snack, and the WW plan teaches healthy eating over all. The WW leaders tell you that free fruit does not mean eating 20 bananas in one sitting. It means that when you are hungry you can grab an apple or banana and not worry about it. Different diets work for different people. WW though uses the word "lifestyle change" instead of "diet." It's a permanent change in the way you eat. The plan allows you to eat whatever you want (within reason) and includes all food groups, which in my opinion is the only reasonable and healthy way to change your eating habits for life. In order to lose more weight now, however, I will have to change the points allowance lower (which the plan lets you do).

Sincerely,

Less Chubby

[DocWeezy]

I agree that one needs to use sense. However, in some cases and for some people, fruit DOES cause problems--I'm one of them. Carbs can and do cause problems for a lot of people with metabolic syndrome--even "healthy" carbs like fruit. It seems odd to say that fruit is "free," although in the more detailed instructions it doesn't seem to be quite as "free" as that one article alluded.

Also, dietary fat does NOT cause cholesterol problems. My numbers are great (and it really irritated the doctor).

There is a lot of science backing up the fact that eating fat does not raise cholesterol. Check out Gary Taubes' two books: Why We Get Fat (an easy read with all of the citations to look up the studies) and Good Calories/Bad Calories (more detailed with more science in it).

What we see in the media and what is currently given as dietary advice is not necessarily accurate according to recent studies and studies done in decades past. Taubes' books are a great resource because he dissects and analyzes diet studies and gives references so you can go look it up.

Weezy

Not everyone is diabetic. Weight watchers recommends healthy eating and if followed appropriately, shouldn't cause any health problems. If all you eat is fruit, it will probably screw you up. I hope your cholesterol is okay and that the fats you choose are healthy ones. Doing weight watchers right does require a tad bit of sense!

Yikes! Obviously WW has never heard of fruit causing blood sugar spikes/issues either....

Yup, low carb is it. In my case, it took low carb, high fat, and moderate protein.

I am now officially NOT a borderline Type 2 diabetic anymore, but I had to eliminate all fruit from my diet (in addition to all grains and other carbs except some green veggies). It's well worth it and maybe someday I'll be able to have a little fruit without my glucose monitor reproaching me.

Weezy

[jnk]

Losing weight by making choices that damage health in the long run is foolish, but that's what many people do when the stress is on weight alone instead of on overall health.

Judging the "success" of any system of food choice on the amount of short-term weight loss alone seems to me like a very silly thing to do. How successful an approach is at making someone healthier decades later should be the yardstick, since short-term loss of weight is as likely to be an indicator of damage to health for any individual as it is to be an indicator for improved health for an individual. Depends on how and why it happened and how long it happens for.

Seems to me the WW point system is designed to try to keep people from damaging their health, so I applaud the concept of it, even if it slows weight loss. It should keep people from getting so caught up in looking healthy that they forget that the point is to actually BE healthy. And since too many Americans seem to make the unhealthy choice of avoiding fresh fruit completely, whether "dieting" or not, I am glad WW takes that fact into consideration when wielding their considerable influence on people's food choices.

I hope they get it figured out and settled in a way that helps people live longer, healthier lives instead of in a way that makes the approach appear to be more successful at that goal long-term than it really is. If people can only hit their weight target by missing their overall health target, they have won a minor battle in the process of losing a major war.

[Buggstzer]

I think my food intake with myfitnesspal.com is pretty similar to when I did Weight Watcher's the first time around and lost a LOT of weight. I think the food make-up is actually pretty similar too. I have lost weight on low carb in the past, but find that I have to have higher levels of fiber (for digestive reasons) in my diet than I was getting when I did low carb. I guess it all comes down to eat less, burn more..... lose weight.

[ChicagoGranny]

(Oh, and I'm back to pretty well hungry all the time.)

I have been told that is a sure sign of a diet that will fail at some point.

[Lizistired]

I lost 65+ pounds 10 years ago on the old Weight Watchers diet. I was ALWAYS hungry, but lost that 65 pounds in 6 months. I have tried their new "Points" and "Points Plus" now that 40 pounds of it are back and have failed at both because they just simply give you too much to eat. My adult kids introduced me to http://www.myfitnesspal.com which tracks calories and is free. I'm at 1600 per day and now finally, the weight is starting to slowly come off. (Oh, and I'm back to pretty well hungry all the time.) I cannot eat "all" I want of anything (except maybe lettuce and pickles) and successfully lose weight. I don't think most people can either.

Well, they can't afford for you to not need them anymore, can they?

[jnk]

. . . My adult kids introduced me to http://www.myfitnesspal.com . . .

Thanks for that. Just downloaded the Android App. I like.

[Buggstzer]

I have been told that is a sure sign of a diet that will fail at some point.

Last time when I lost 65+ pounds in 6 months I was hungry all the time. It's a mental hunger, in that I "want" more, not "need" more. Can't really hardly remember a time when I "needed" more food.

[Kairosgrammy]

What bothers me about this whole discussion is the blinders some people are wearing. If fruit bothers you, don't eat fruit. Unlike all other plans, weight watchers accommodates them all. It encourages fruit and vegetables, not because they want to make your sugar spike, but because for the vast majority of people, that is healthier than eating potato chips and ranch dip. For you, fruit doesn't work but as long as you stay within your points, doing high fat, low carb, moderate protein, you should lose weight. It works fine with weight watchers.

Weight watchers is basically 2 things, a food management plan and a support group. It does teach healthy, sensible eating habits but the fact of the matter is you can eat burritos if you want to but you end up eating all your points in one sitting. Makes the rest of the day rather sparse. However, you can have lean chicken, a healthy, complex carb and veggies and still be able to eat the rest of the day. It's similar to managing money. If you have $500 to spend on clothes and you buy a dress that costs $475 dollars, the shopping trip is over, whereas if you buy a dress for $80 than you can buy several more outfits etc. All in all, WW is one way of managing food just as spark people, south beach, atkins, or other fitness programs are ways to manage food. I've used spark people which is basically, a calorie counting program quite affectively. Counting points is just easier for me. And when I meet with my ww group, if I do well, they cheer for me and if I don't, they commiserate and encourage me to do better.

I personally have stopped, for the most part, eating simple carbs, i.e. white rice, white potatoes etc. When I have a carb, it is butter beans or black eyed peas. Fairly expensive point wise but healthy and worth spending the points on. I use smart balance light margerine or olive/canola oil to cook with or a spray if I'm just trying to keep something from sticking. Yup, those are fats but they are healthy fats. And once in awhile, I eat a piece of cake. The world doesn't crash in on me, I count the points, do some extra exercise or eat lighter meals.

It's not so much that I think the way anyone else here eats is unhealthy, it is the supposition that because others do weight watchers, they've lost their minds or they're not facing reality. We'd all be a lot happier if we'd quit critisizing anything that doesn't fit our mindset, food or any other issue. I think sushi is nasty but I don't begrudge others who enjoy sushi. I think climbing a mountain is risky business but if you want to, I admire you. I'm not going to tell you, you are crazy and out of touch with reality.

When I've followed WW, I've always done very well. Yes, I've had points where I've plateaued or not done well, etc but when I've kept on, keeping on, things get better. When I've failed, it's not because I was doing WW, it was because I quit eating within my points, quit exercising and I wasn't really doing WW. That is true of any plan. You will fail if you don't follow the plan.

I agree that one needs to use sense. However, in some cases and for some people, fruit DOES cause problems--I'm one of them. Carbs can and do cause problems for a lot of people with metabolic syndrome--even "healthy" carbs like fruit. It seems odd to say that fruit is "free," although in the more detailed instructions it doesn't seem to be quite as "free" as that one article alluded.

Also, dietary fat does NOT cause cholesterol problems. My numbers are great (and it really irritated the doctor).

Yikes! Obviously WW has never heard of fruit causing blood sugar spikes/issues either....

Yup, low carb is it. In my case, it took low carb, high fat, and moderate protein.

I am now officially NOT a borderline Type 2 diabetic anymore, but I had to eliminate all fruit from my diet (in addition to all grains and other carbs except some green veggies). It's well worth it and maybe someday I'll be able to have a little fruit without my glucose monitor reproaching me.

Weezy

[/quote]

[Sleep2Die4]

When I have a carb, it is butter beans or black eyed peas.

Tell me about those two. I love them but rarely eat them because of the carbs. Beyond the carbs what nutritional value do they have? Antioxidants, etc.?

What you are saying about nutrition and weight makes sense to me. I am glad you are doing well on WW.

When you go to the meetings what is your impression of how the others do in general? Are they losing weight and keeping it off? Are they happy with the diet or is it a constant burden to comply? Do they exercise and is exercise part of WW plan?

Thanks

[bayourest]

I have lost 20 lbs in 3 months on the new WW points system and I think it's quite good. It definitely attempts to help you learn healthy & balanced eating patterns for the long run. Some who have responded to this thread may not be aware that once you reach your goal weight you pay nothing to WW as long as you maintain it. And they have an etools online tracker that is free with membership and always free once you have reached your goal. In my experience the way they try to make money is by selling you their snacks and other products. There is no obligation to buy them and I have no problem resisting the invitation to buy the latest WW food product. I think the WW plan gives you some support and helps you strategize and plan. I have not been "hungry" (in the sense of excessive craving to to load up on junky foods) in 3 months on the current plan and feel that the option to grab a piece of fruit for 0 points is a terrific advance in the program. I am much more likely to eat 5 fruits and vegs per day when they are "free". And I am much more likely to eat whole grain carbs when I want carbs. A lot depends on how you connect to the meeting leader, but I have to say that I think that this new version of points 2012 is a lot better than previous versions.

[Kairosgrammy]

The thing with WW, is if fruit doesn't do well for you, you don't have to eat fruit. If you are diabetic and need to watch carbs, then you can do that on WW. It's about an overall lifestyle that is healthy, smaller portions, better foods, etc. If you want to eat all protein, you can just as long as you don't go over your prescribed points. Can't say that seems too healthy to me but it's possible. You can eat low carb or low fat or just lower calories and it all fits. Most people that don't do well on ww don't do well on other plans and it is for one reason, they don't follow the plan. We think, I lose my weight and then things go back to normal. Well, if they do go back to "normal" we'll be back in the same boat.

WW encourages slow weight loss because most research indicates that rapid weight loss doesn't work long term. While you are losing weight slowly, you change your habits, how you think about food and exercise and how you feel about yourelf. I love the Biggest Loser but in many ways, I think it has damaged how the average American thinks about losing weight. I need to lose well over 100 lbs. Would I like to lose it 15 lbs at a time, sure thing. Is that realistic in real life. Probably not. Many of us don't have 6 hours a day to work out or someone to supervise our eating etc. There have been a lot of success stories on BL but they never tell you much about many of the contestants. I would assume that's because many gain back their weight. One guy lost a lot of weight and won the biggest loser one year but last I heard, he gained his weight back. But we watch the show and think it's normal to lose all that weight that fast. It's not and it certainly isn't realistic. I want to lose 2 lbs a week, which is safe but I know it won't always happen. In the meantime, I'm actually enjoying learning how to eat better, cook better and live better. Exercise does have a ways to go though. But it will come.

Seems to me the WW point system is designed to try to keep people from damaging their health, so I applaud the concept of it, even if it slows weight loss. It should keep people from getting so caught up in looking healthy that they forget that the point is to actually BE healthy. And since too many Americans seem to make the unhealthy choice of avoiding fresh fruit completely, whether "dieting" or not, I am glad WW takes that fact into consideration when wielding their considerable influence on people's food choices.

I hope they get it figured out and settled in a way that helps people live longer, healthier lives instead of in a way that makes the approach appear to be more successful at that goal long-term than it really is. If people can only hit their weight target by missing their overall health target, they have won a minor battle in the process of losing a major war.

[Kairosgrammy]

Well, I responded once and then I lost my internet connection for some reason. Grrrr! At any rate, they are both high in fiber and protein which are good for you and help keep you full. They are both high in magnesium and several other minerals, black eyed peas are even high in calcium and potassium. I was actually more specific in the last post, looked it up. I didn't want to just say they are good for you.

When I have a carb, it is butter beans or black eyed peas.

Tell me about those two. I love them but rarely eat them because of the carbs. Beyond the carbs what nutritional value do they have? Antioxidants, etc.?

What you are saying about nutrition and weight makes sense to me. I am glad you are doing well on WW.

When you go to the meetings what is your impression of how the others do in general? Are they losing weight and keeping it off? Are they happy with the diet or is it a constant burden to comply? Do they exercise and is exercise part of WW plan?

Thanks

[bayourest]

you are correct,in WW the choice of foods is up to you. But remember that WW also includes daily healthy checks: 6 glasses of water, 2 dairy, 5 veg/fruit, healthy oil, and some exercise (according to what you can handle). And there are bonus points for those days when you absolutely have to have something special! So even if you choose to eat all protein you wont really be following the plan if you do. And when you hit roadblocks, you can go over what you have been eating with your leader to target where you might need to adjust. I rarely have a day when I get ALL those healthy checks fulfilled but I eat SO much better than previously and I feel so much better that I have a lot of confidence in the plan and I really try to make it work for me.

[Kairosgrammy]

That's the thing with those healthy checks. I'm not a milk drinker so I very seldom get those checks unless I eat a yogurt and a light string cheese in one day. Exercise is iffy too. Really need to do better with that. I try but by and large, not too successful But for the most part, I do well with the food. I fortunately, very seldom have to dig into those extra points. That's only because I have so much weight to lose, I get lots of points.

you are correct,in WW the choice of foods is up to you. But remember that WW also includes daily healthy checks: 6 glasses of water, 2 dairy, 5 veg/fruit, healthy oil, and some exercise (according to what you can handle). And there are bonus points for those days when you absolutely have to have something special! So even if you choose to eat all protein you wont really be following the plan if you do. And when you hit roadblocks, you can go over what you have been eating with your leader to target where you might need to adjust. I rarely have a day when I get ALL those healthy checks fulfilled but I eat SO much better than previously and I feel so much better that I have a lot of confidence in the plan and I really try to make it work for me.