Weight Watchers New Plan

Weight Watchers is set to launch a new plan right after Thanksgiving on November 29th. I couldn't be more excited. Weight Watchers has always been a great program and I anticipate the new plan making a good thing even better. I think it is a fantastic idea to launch the program right after Thanksgiving so that everyone has a chance to lose a nice chunk of unwanted fat before most start their diets on January 1st.

I have lost 40 pounds with the current Weight Watchers points system and I am currently enrolled in their At Work program. Once a week, on Thursdays, a Weight Watchers instructor visits the office where I work to hold an express 30 minute meeting. I like it because I simply go downstairs to weigh in, pick up materials and listen to a motivating and educational discussion and still have time to eat lunch.

News of the new plan had me searching the Internet for leaks about what the new plan may be. I'll let you in on the pieces of information I've found but I'll be back to update you as I learn more.

According to Weightwatchers.com, they began looking at their Points plan about four years ago and this research is what led to the new program. It has been thoroughly tested in scientifically supervised trials at various locations that include the Medical University of South Carolina.

I found several articles online that reflect the belief that the new Weight Watchers Plan here in the U.S. will be similar to one recently launched in the U.K. that goes by the name ProPoints there. Some believe the program here will have a different name, but very similar.

According to the UK Weight Watchers website, the new ProPoints plan reflects the latest science about how various foods are processed by the body and this is now incorporated into their points system. This plan looks at the Protein, Carbohydrates, Fat and Fiber.

If you're not familiar with Weight Watchers' current point system, they have assigned a points value to foods based on a formula that uses the calories, grams of fiber and grams of fat. You are given a daily points allowance based on your gender, current weight, age, level of daily activity. You simply choose foods with point values that allow you to stay within your range.

It sounds like the new plan will be doing the same thing, but takes more into consideration. From snooping around it sounds like 29 may be the bottom range for points where currently, that number can be smaller than that. Some also believe their is going to be a bonus for the week of 49 extra points. Currently, the system has 35 extra points allowed. These extra points can be used to splurge on special occasions or simply by having a little extra each day. It's up to you how to use them. They don't carry over from week to week though.

I wanted to share with you the things I like about Weight Watchers and the current Points Plan. In order of importance to me:

• It works and in a healthy way! This is the best reason of all.
• It is easy to follow. Nothing complicated or restrictive about it.
• I can eat anything I want. I don't have to stick with special foods.
• It's convenient.
• It is flexible with my chaotic lifestyle.
• I love the accountability of a weekly meeting and weigh-in.
• I love the bonding that can come from sharing your up's and down's with others at the meeting that are going through the same thing
• The instructors don't sugar-coat it. They live the plan with you and can relate to your every day challenges because they go through them too.

There are a couple of things that I think increase your chances of long-term success with Weight Watchers, and really, any diet. First, you have to be accountable for what you eat. You can't guess at how much you're eating or whether you're eating too much or too little. You have to track it.

Most people simply don't want to do that. Heck, sometimes I don't want to either. But, I can tell the difference when I start to get lazy with it. Face it, we're all busy. But, you have to decide that you're worth the effort. Take the time to write down what you eat and figure out it's value to your health.

Weight Watchers provides all the tools you need to track what you eat. You can do it on their printed daily trackers or online on their eTools. I've done it both ways and there are advantages to both ways. If you have an iPhone, eTools is certainly more convenient that the paper tracking method.

The second key to long-term success is realizing that you're going to have to make some permananet changes in order to see permanent results.  You are not doing yourself any favors by starting a weightloss program just to lose a few pounds just so you can go back to eating like you were before. 

It's nice to have a motivating reason for losing weight such as an upcoming event like a wedding, a class reunion, a big party, etc., but it cannot be the only reason.   Never lose weight for a single event or another person or to get someone else's attention.  Until you decide that losing weight is something you want to do for you, then you'll never have long-term success. 

If you're thinking about losing weight, I think you should seriously consider Weight Watchers. Be in the first group of folks to try the new plan just after Thanksgiving. Think about the pounds you could lose before January 1st even gets here. You'll be way ahead of everyone else who will most likely gain 5-10 pounds over the holidays.

I'm going into this new program having already lost 40 pounds. That's a good feeling. I remember a saying I heard once. It goes like this. "Nothing tastes as good as looking good feels." Remember that as you eat your Thanksgiving meal.

I'll keep you posted on new developments and my continued progress.