Weight Watchers

My mom swears by it.

It works if you follow it, that's the beauty of it - but you have to be dedicated to it.

I personally found that Weight Watchers kicked off an unhealthy obsession with numbers and points for me. I've been off that wagon for 3 years and still can't help but think of things in points and it's not good for me. Also -- all of their products are pumped with faux sugar and chemicals to make them "diet." Sure they're diet but they're bad for your body.

I do Isagenix now - I replace 2 meals a day with a shake and don't eat sugar, alcohol, gluten or dairy. It's effective, nutritious and prevents me from obsessing about calories.

Put your mind to it, and set a reminder on your phone to meal plan for the next day so you dont get caught feeling hungry and grabbing a quick snack. I do this every evening for the next day. Also, on Sundays when I go to the grocery store, I semi meal plan for the whole week and make sure I have enough options in case I change my mind on what I want during the week. Weight watchers will work for you if you put your mind to it. I wish you all the best of luck.

I use the old weight watchers system. Recently, they've switched to their new "smart points" program, and I quit paying for it after that. I use their points plus program using a free app called "ultimate food value diary." it has all the WW perks and I only pay 99 cents a month to use their pedometer feature (optional) to turn my steps into activity points.

I did weight watchers for awhile and it was pretty good I just didn't like the price. I'd try 21 day fix meal plan or just track on My Fitness Pal.

I love weight watchers. when i follow it, i lose weight. lately though I have been struggling to have any self control at all. I'm being a bum and it sucks.

I did WW and lost 30 pounds and felt amazing and was able to maintain for 7 months. then i dated a shitty boy who always wanted to go out and drink and eat and i gained a lot back because his words were "if were going out to eat you have to eat the whole meal or im not wasting my money on dinner for you." (douche obviously) i gained back all 30 pounds.

now im trying to re lose the weight and on the weeks that i follow i lose 1-2 pounds.

WW teaches you about portion control but if you don't have the motivation to actually follow through with the points, it will not work.

@rebecca, im going to look into that. I hate the SmartPoints now

I'm on WW. I've lost 20 pounds so far.

I do ww. It does work. You do need to plan. I use default foods to snack while hungry. Fruit and veggies are zero points. Light string cheese is one. So plan to have those things in your house for munching. Start small until you really learn the point system and can find ways to sub out what you eat now.

Ive used it. It worked but I would much rather just count calories. It was easier for me, and its free.

I used it on the old plan and loved it. Lost 50 lbs. Of course I got lazy and gained 40 back. But I hate the new plan. So I quit a while ago and am doing the free app MyFitness pal. Same concept but counting calories instead of points. That works as well as long as I follow it and track what I eat. As long as you stick to a healthy eating plan, any of these programs can work. Good luck!

The bummer about the new WW plan is that it's just like every other diet now. Most people know that if you eat clean, you'll be healthier (and probably lose weight). The old WW taught you to eat a balanced diet, but also allowed you to have those treats here and there...which I think is necessary for people (particularly those who really have an issue with food) to do. Now, though, one treat is an excessive amount of points and it is almost impossible to actually be able to work it into your daily points allowance.

It will teach you about better eating habits, though, which it sounds like you are looking for. If you sign up for it, you HAVE to go to the meetings -- they make a huge difference. Online only is so hard to be held accountable.

You can do it!

ETA: Just wanted to point out that the Points Plus program is outdated, so PPs link will likely still help you lose weight, but it's an outdated program.

Weight watchers is a good start, but I recommend a nutritionist or dietician. They will help you plan out a lifestyle change that works and teach you how to eat right.

Thanks everyone. This is really helpful. I think my biggest thing is going to be taking the time to plan and prepare the foods. Why does our world have to be so obsessed with packaged foods?

A teacher that I work with lost 75 lbs in a year. She sticks with it to a T though and also walks/runs a lot each day. Weight Watchers seems to work if you do it exactly like it tells you.

I love weight watchers, my aunt went to it and has brought me to a few meetings and I love their system!

One hint for meal prep (while 2 lol), when you shop buy your protein first (hint there's a reason why protein is always in the back of the store-it's a trap to get you to get everything else first!) Buy your protein first, then your complex carbs (veggies) and then once a week cook all your protein. Normally it's relatively fast (mine usually takes about 15-30 minutes not including baking time but while it's in the over I do the wash, etc). And then whenever your hungry throughout the week just pull out your protein- it will fill you up fast!

I usually count calories/track macros because it's free but if your looking for a group of people then I highly recommend weight watchers!

I lost 25 lbs on weight watchers, but once I relaxed following it I did gain it back (i blame FH...we drink a lot, and eat out more than we should) but I am following again to get back there. I never joined, I just use the WWDiary app on my phone (android), I believe there are similar ones for the iphone. It does work if you follow it.

I did it, and it helped so much! Eventually, I just kinda got out of it and gained all the weight back. I'm currently working out and doing the Whole30 which has helped a lot! I do recommend weight watchers though!

The program itself is great, but try to avoid the smartone meals, they're extremely high in salt. It's much better if you use their system to make your own food.

Following

I've lost almost 20 pounds on Weight Watchers, which I was never able to do on my own. I don't buy their pre-made "food," though. Too salty/sugary/not worth the points. It works best if you follow the points system using your own food, and really stock up on fresh and frozen fruits & vegetables.