As much as I love the WW points system and have had great weight loss success with it, there are a few big things I do NOT like about Weight Watchers. Here’s why.
Are you a WW member who has had frustrations with the points program or other aspects of the diet? Read my take and the share your thoughts in the comments below.
Note: This article was originally written about the WW Personal Points plan and has been updated for the new WW Program 2024.
- I'm a WW Success Story
- 7 Things I Dislike about WW
- 1. Personal Points Variations Between People – {CORRECTED with the WW Plan for 2024}
- 2. Earning Points for Vegetables. {CORRECTED with the WW Plan for 2023}
- 3. Earning Points for Water. {CORRECTED with WW Plan for 2023}
- 4. WW Food Products & How They Market Them
- 5. Lack of Support for Goal Weight & Lifetime
- 6. Closed Down Meetings
- 7. High Points for Peanut Butter
I’m a WW Success Story
Before I delve into my tirade of complaints, let me be clear that I’m a WW fan girl and this post doesn’t change that. I love the WW system and I believe in it. I recommend it to people all the time and will continue to do so.
I’m maintaining a 120 pound weight loss with Weightwatchers and have been for almost 20 years.
I still track in the WW app every single day. Honestly, I could probably maintain with mindful eating these days and track less, but why? It only takes me a few minutes, it keeps me accountable and I (gasp!) enjoy it.
But there are also things about WW that bug me. I don’t work for WW and they don’t pay me anything, so I get to be fully honest.
If you are a WW member or have used Weight Watchers in the past, I can’t wait to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
7 Things I Dislike about WW
As much as I love the WW program, here are my biggest complaints.
1. Personal Points Variations Between People – {CORRECTED with the WW Plan for 2024}
I’m happy to say that WW has corrected this issue with the new Weightwatchers plan for 2023. Way to go, WW.
The Personal Points system was cool. When you join, you take a quiz and the Weight Watchers smart engine gives you a plan with your daily points, weekly points, and an individualized zero point food list. (Click here to see the points quiz in action.)
I actually think the system as a whole is some pretty sweet AI (artificial intelligence) technology, and I love that the program is unique for each individual.
The trouble is, I miss the community we all shared as WW members. A big aspect of weight loss is sharing together, which research supports. I feel like something’s missing in WW support groups when people share a recipe that worked for them and no one knows how many points it will be depending on your individual PP plan.
It’s selfish of me, but as a website owner I miss being able to say a recipe is zero points or 6 or 12 points, or at the least listing out the points for Blue, Green, and Purple.
With Personal Points it seems like there’s a lot more necessity to calculating recipes individually with the recipe builder in the WW app, and that’s a pain in the butt. I’ve done my best to do that work for my readers (see the example in this recipe card) but it’s still a big hassle.
2. Earning Points for Vegetables. {CORRECTED with the WW Plan for 2023}
I’m happy to say that WW has corrected this issue with the new Weightwatchers plan for 2024. Way to go, WW.
With the new Personal Points system, for every 1 cup of vegetables you eat, you earn 1 extra point.
The jury’s still out for me on this one to be honest, but overall I think it’s not the best idea to earn points for vegetables.
I understand the philosophy behind it. Most Americans are way overconsuming junk food (too much fat and sugar and way too many calories) and under-consuming healthy produce that has fiber, water content, vitamins and minerals.
I know WW bases it’s points calculations (at least partially) on the concept of calorie density, which means that a person eats about the same weight of food each day in pounds. If you reduce the calorie density of the food a person consumes, they will lose weight.
But I also see where the idea of earning back food in any way isn’t a great idea. For people who are heavy produce eaters (like me), at some point you might see diminishing returns with this method.
As a former binge eater, I can cram down huge volumes of food. When I first started Weight Watchers, for dinner I would eat 2 serving-bowl size portions of free cabbage soup, a massive plate of stir fry, and top it off with a couple WW frozen desserts. That could be 8+ vegetable servings, but my body doesn’t need 8 points worth of additional food. If anything, my body was stuffed.
I’ve talked to other WW members who are heavy veggie eaters who finish out the day with 8-10 points to spare. They find themselves tempted to delve into extra evening snacks because, “I’ve got the points for it.”
You might say, “Just don’t eat the extra points,” but these situations can mess with your head. WW claims that the program works as written, so in theory a person should be able to eat all those points and still lose weight.
I also think earning points for vegetables can push people into disordered food thoughts. I’m not one who buys into the whole theory that all foods are created equal (because hello, carrot cake is not carrots), but I also have personally learned to love vegetables for what they do for my body. I crave them now and eat them with every single meal, but I don’t eat them as a reward so that I can later earn junk food.
The jury is still out for me here.
Maybe the new PP veggie rule will motivate most people to eat lower calorie density and I will stand corrected.
3. Earning Points for Water. {CORRECTED with WW Plan for 2023}
I’m happy to say that WW has corrected this issue with the new Weightwatchers plan for 2023. Way to go, WW.
Drinking water for weight loss is way over-hyped in the weight loss world.
Sure, you need to be hydrated. Everyone does. But guzzling cups of water does nothing for your weight loss efforts except maybe earn you a few extra steps for running to the bathroom.
No amount of water you drink will negate any calories you consume.
I’ve lost over 100 pounds and I don’t chug gallons of water. I drink for thirst and that’s about it.
Thankfully WW system in 2022 only allows for up to 1 point per day earned for drinking water. That’s not much but it’s not nothing, either. You could potentially earn 30 extra points for water-drinking which I believe will do your weight loss no favors.
4. WW Food Products & How They Market Them
In 2018, Weight Watchers change their name to WW and claimed that as they were moving to a wellness model, their food products would include fewer artificial ingredients and more real foods.
I’m still waiting.
I’m not sure where WW is headed with this but so far I’m not seeing it in 2022. Their WW snack bars and new candy bars are a classic example. These bars are really just glorified mini-sized candy bars and have processed ingredients like carrageenan, fractionated palm kernel oil and maltitol syrup at the top of the list.
Instead of WW junk food, you (and your wallet) are better off eating a regular mini candy bar, or if you prefer the no sugar route, products like ChocZero and Lily’s chocolate have fewer weird ingredients.
WW has always been good at marketing their food products. I’ll never forget back in the 1990s when my dad and I were dieting together. We bought some WW frozen cheesecakes and were shocked when we got home and opened the box. Inside were two tiny treats that appeared only big enough to feed a Barbie doll.
At meetings, members line up in stocking feet to wait for their weigh in (most having skipped breakfast), where WW has cleverly lined the shelves next to the scales with snacks like popcorn, chips, and protein bars.
WW, as a leader in the weight loss industry, you need to do better. Americans are recognizing that our food supply has issues that are leading to our collective weight gain. Let’s bring back real, whole foods that don’t trick our appetite into craving more.
5. Lack of Support for Goal Weight & Lifetime
When I reached my WW goal weight, I started the 6 week period where you need to maintain in order to reach Lifetime status. (WW Lifetime and at goal means that you get the WW system for free, which is an amazing perk.)
I was shocked when I got to goal and there was…nothing for me.
The weigh-in person gave me a few tips, and the WW coach gave me kudos in the meeting, but that was that. There were no little booklets or flyers about how to maintain. There’s nothing especially different or helpful for Lifetime on the WW website or in the app.
The advice to “keep doing what you’ve always done” really doesn’t work because maintaining requires a different skill set than weight loss.
Thats why I recommend regular diet breaks during weight loss to practice maintenance and why I’ve created a Maintainers support group inside the Faithful Finish Lines program.
I also find it annoying that Lifetime membership isn’t available to digital-only members. Surely there’s some way to prove that the weight loss is legit in today’s online-focused world.
6. Closed Down Meetings
This complaint is a shout-out to the hundreds of readers who have reach out to me to share their frustration that Weight Watchers has closed down meetings in their area.
Like most businesses, WW was forced to shut down all their meetings during quarantine. Meetings have been re-opened, but thousands stayed closed following the lockdown. I understand that WW is a business and does what it needs to do, but this has been a real problem.
These days I’m a digital-only member so this doesn’t affect me, but I totally understand their frustration when the closest meeting and weigh-in is 100 miles away. This is especially impactful to Lifetime members who need to weigh in at a WW workshop in order to maintain their status.
One thing I will say in WW’s favor is that their new virtual workshops through the WW app are the bomb. You can attend a WW meeting on zoom almost any hour of the day, 7 days a week, and you can attend as many online meetings as you want.
Need extra support? Attend a meeting every single day. Feeling like you want to binge? Within minutes you can be in a meeting getting the help you need.
7. High Points for Peanut Butter
I really can’t fault WW for updating their points system to more accurately reflect the impact of specific foods, but I’m crying that peanut butter (one of my most-loved foods) is now 7 points for 2 tablespoons.
When you only get 19 points in a day, 7 points is a heavy hit. Sure, I could use PB2 powdered peanut butter and I do sometimes, but it’s not the same.
Peanut butter is an important food to notice because Weight Watchers has always been a low calorie, low fat plan. Even healthy fats jack up the points with the WW points system, and with the rise in Keto and higher-fat, lower-carb diets, people have questioned the validity of this.
Perhaps WW is starting to shift too, because for the first time avocado was a free food (0 point) with the Personal Points plan. Note: Avocado has points now with WW 2023, so that change didn’t last, but I still believe it was a step in the right direction.
Here at The Holy Mess, I will continue to sing the praises of the WW system. I’ll recommend it to people who email me. I won’t by shy about telling you my frustrations, either. That way, you can make an informed decision to create a weight loss lifestyle to get to your goal weight and stay there for life.
What do you like and not like about the WW program? Share in the comments below.
More WW Resources for You
WW 7 Day Basic Meal Plan (with free printable)
Why Does Fruit in Smoothies Have Points? (And Other Questions WW Members Ask)
7 Day Super Satisfied Meal Plan with Bonus! Weight Loss Cheat Sheets
Top 10 WW Meal Prep Lunches
15 Easy Supper Weight Loss Recipes – Cookbook
Fairly new to WW. They have the nutritional value of the foods, so I wish they would not only show points, but also calories, protein, carbs and fats. If I want to know how I’m doing in those areas, I have to take each food I’ve chosen, go to the nutritional value with paper and pen. Healthi app gives you the information, so why can’t WW?
Hi Sam, thanks for your comment. I hear you. I too wish WW would include macros, and I’ve heard others comment about this as well.
Music began playing as soon as I opened this webpage, so frustrating!
Thanks for sharing your feedback. We will take it into consideration.
Just found your site as I joined a week ago to lose 10-15 pounds. You have a great story and site – congrats! I lost 45 lbs counting calories 7 years ago and have kept most of it off but found a few creeping back and just couldn’t deal with the calorie counting right now – I wasn’t logging honestly and became obsessed with cals, etc. That being said, I like most of this program EXCEPT – if you are basically a healthy eater already and enjoy whole foods, it is so hard to work real, whole food treats in without taking a huge hit to your points. I understand their logic in trying to promote healthy choices and that “not all calories are equal”, but assigning lower points to fake chemical foods to a relatively equal calorie one that happens to contain sugar seems a a bit much, tbh. Perhaps they could find a happy medium? In the meanwhile, I will not give more points to a once a week Yasso bar that has basically the same cals as Halo, as someone previously mentioned.
The Peanut butter issue. I’m not 100% positive but I believe peanut butter points are high because of the somewhat recent addition of palm oil. My husband has high blood pressure and his doctor told him to quit eating peanut butter because of this, but we discovered crunchy peanut butter doesn’t have it! But 1 Tablespoon still has 3 points. It is processed food though. Also nuts, because of the oil content are always high in points.
I don’t like that the new Weight Watchers punishes sugar so badly and thus encourages eating “fake” things like artificial sweeteners. One example, a serving of Halo Top has the same calories as a Yasso bar, but it’s 3 points versus 5. The Halo Top has a laundry list of unrecognizable chemical ingredients, while a Yasso bar is Greek yogurt and sugar. My teen daughter is doing WW and loves her nightly treat, and I personally would prefer she had a Yasso bar over Halo Top. I did Weight Watchers years and years ago when the point system had a slider that was based solely on fat, fiber, and calories. I am shocked at how high point some low calorie options are now with the new formula, and it can be discouraging. Although the new free foods is a game changer and kind of balances on the other side.
I hear you, Lauren. You are not the only one to express this concern. You can definitely make the WW system work eating more whole foods, but I get where it sometimes feels like you are being penalized for eating whole or full-fat foods. What I’ve come to learn is that because real food options are more satisfying, I eat less overall and so the points work out in the end.
At 60 years old and just starting on HRT, which has added 5 pounds. I’ve never weighed this much in my life. Looking at Weight Watchers, but I’m not sure I’ll like tracking my food and the points, etc. I’m a bit of a rebel (Gretchen Rubin’s 4 tendencies) I don’t see where they offer like a week trial. Any suggestions? It is cheaper the longer time frame I choose. I saw $10 per month for 6 months. But I may hate it and not use it. Suggestions, please. And while I want to lose 30, are there any benefits to entering that I want to lose 10? If I hit my goal before 6 months can I cancel? Thanks for any tips.
Hi Amy, If you don’t like tracking, WW might not be the best program for you. I would suggest trying out tracking on a free app first like My Fitness Pal or Lose it, and see if it’s something you can manage, before spending money on WW.
Coming back to answer my own concerns about WW after one week on the program and down four pounds. I’m thrilled with the program. I did have to download the app and use that. It is much easier than on my laptop. WW gives you five days to request a refund. I like the points system. It is kind of like a game to find lower point foods. And the Zero points foods means there is always something to eat. I never thought this would be me. Thanks, WW for creating a doable program. I still dont’ like that there are no on-demand tutorials. They want you to join live chat sessions. That takes a lot of time.
In total agreement with #4. Sodium count on many products is unbelievable. Also agree about support for lifetime members. Because we are not filling their pockets any longer we aren’t valued.
I refuse to give up peanut butter. Absolutely not. I will run out of points first. There is nothing wrong with Peanut Butter. Weight watchers needs to relevant this.
Hi Sara! I look forward to your encouraging emails, but have to say I am a bit frustrated by this one. I totally understand the frustrations of the 2022 WW program, but seeing as this email came to me on Jan. 3, 2023, it is obsolete because of the changes WW has made for the 2023 program. Why are you expounding on something that is not relevant today?
Hi Sara, I’m with you all the way and as of a few hours ago, I can add another no love here comment. I have had success with WW and was doing fine until the new Plan. LSS I was given inaccurate Info regarding not having APP technology but I would still be able to follow new plan with just the basics coming to my lap top. I found out tonight, this is not so. What I thought basics would be turned out to be tracking food and weight and little else. I have recently gotten more help and encouragement from you, Sara, and your web sites . Now, I am going to try to figure out how to revert to the Blue Plan and continue with your Holy Mess site and recipe site along with the links therein. I feel somewhat lost at this time but there is no way for me to continue with WW. I do think I was led to your site a few weeks back…now I can proceed calmly once I get past all this disappointment.
I HATE the recipe builder. With a passion. Making spaghetti sauce? First thing – you have to decide how many servings it’s going to be. Well how do I know that before I make the darn thing??? And how much is ‘a serving’ going to be anyway? Is it a cup? Two cups? I had to make all the sauce with all the ingredients, then scoop it by cupfuls into ANOTHER bowl to figure out the volume, then decide it was 8 cups so divide the points for the recipe by 8, then scoop it all back to the original pot to reheat. TOTAL PAIN IN THE A$$. It makes me violent. I hate cooking to start with and this just makes me want to give up altogether.
Awe, I’m sorry for your frustration, Jill! Remember that when it comes to tracking, consistency is more important than accuracy. To be honest I rarely use the recipe builder myself. (I do use it for my website recipes to give people links.) I just estimate and pick a product that is close. For something like spaghetti sauce, unless you are adding an unusual ingredient like a lot of oil, simply using a recipe or bottles sauce points value would be close enough. Don’t major in the minors and get stuck in the details. You can do this!
I have to agree with you for the most part. I find earning all those extra points for veggies and water kind of a trap because I can use them to overeat when there is no need. I wish they would just go back to the check-off boxes we used on the old food diaries where we checked off our five fruits and vegetables, water, grains, proteins, etc. This was a great at-a-glance tool to help me see if I needed more or less of something. I’ve also noticed that most of those high-priced WW snacks really don’t have any nutritional value, and I would just rather have a regular, cheaper candy bar or a handful of veggie chips from the store. I’m also not a fan of everyone having different points values for their personal programs because it really messes up recipes people post. What comes out 5 points for one person may come out 10 points for me, plus I have to set it. up in the recipe creator because most people just share links to online recipes. I also don’t like the studio closures, and the few that are now open don’t have a variety of times. The studio close to me did close, and those remaining have mostly Saturday morning, early morning, and a few after-work meetings. I liked my mid-day meeting because I met other retirees I could identify and share with. My meeting was my “me” time. I do enjoy the convenience of the virtual meetings because I can attend in casual attire, but I liked them better when our local coaches hosted them because they knew us. The new virtual meetings used to offer breakout rooms after the meeting where we could meet and share with a handful of people, but that has stopped. We were told they were fixing it, but that was at least 6 months ago. Now there is no mention of it. I can’t speak to maintenance and lifetime because I am not there yet, although I do think a support system is vital for those who are. I also can’t speak to peanut butter because I don’t eat much. I just keep PB2 on hand for when I do, but I do love ranch dressing, and that seems to have gone up in points for me. And I don’t make it with yogurt because yogurt now has points on my plan.
I have lost 67 pounds on WW doing the blue program. I have not lost any weight since beginning the PP program, I will not give up because I can’t have that weight back on my knees. I feel like the PP plan is more of a maintenance plan for me since I cannot lose anymore. Not sure what to change. I have adjusted the plan as close to blue as I can figure out but nothing changes since January. I won’t give up but man this is crazy.
Hi,
This is my first comment ever so I hope it is received well.
When it comes to WW, I tried it many years ago and didn’t really like it. The weigh-in part was just too humiliating for me.
Now the WW points system just seems too complicated and and I need simple. Additionally, coming from an eating disorder background, like many people in diet programs do, it is not advisable to have a point system where you can earn points with good food choices only to reward yourself with more food. This is how binge eating and compulsive overeating types of problems occur in the first place.
Just my take on WW. I wouldn’t recommend it.
HM
Thanks for sharing your feedback. We are all different and it’s important to find what works best for you. WW has been a good system for me but I know it’s not right for everyone, and that is okay.
I hate the new WW plan. I joined in 2009&loved it. I was able to ear enough&lose weight without feeling deprived. Im gaining weight on this new ww program. Im not eating enough to keep up with my workout regimen. The new system is nothing but a set up for failure. Thank you Oprah Winfrey and Michele Obama for fucking up everyones weight-loss plan. I have hundreds of friends that have quit WW because of your new system that effn doesnt work.
I’m sorry to hear of your frustration with the new PP plan. Remember that weight loss works ultimately from finding a way to lower your calories a bit – can you use what worked for you with the previous plan? Hang in there.
I did NOT loose any weight on this program. It’s ridiculous to have so many FREE ITEMS. ALLL THESE UTEMS HAVE CALORIES!! That’s where this diet doesn’t work. NEVER thought that because I wanted to end my membership that it would cost me almost $70.00!! I am totally pissed off!! This program does NOT CARE on your situation or disappointment. No exceptions. I did this program thinking that I would lose weight. Instead didn’t lose a pound. I went to my nutrition physician and she also told me that this plan does NOT WORK. I FEEL THAT I SHOULD NOT BE CHARGED ANYTHING FOR ENDING MY MEMBERSHIP!! PLUS NOW I GOT A TEXT SAYING THAT MY ORDER IS ON ITS WAY!! I NEVER PLACED ANOTHER ORDER. ORDERED ONCE AND THEIR PRODUCTS WERE NOT GOOD AND WAAYY TOO EXPENSIVE!!
I agree with you on the cost, but remember, attending the meetings EVERY week is good, cheap therapy.
The “free” items have lower food values than other alternatives you may reach for, they are trying to get you to choose these foods instead.
The program DOES work, you have to apply yourself. Also for your nutrition physician to make that statement is wrong. They know the WW program works. Most likely they said something to make you feel right, instead of the truth.
It’s not a miracle you have to work at making lifestyle changes for the long run.
Thanks for this article. Where do I begin? I have done this off and on for years, and while I appreciate the way they have adapted in some ways, other things really make me mad. Points used to be points regardless of how healthy an item was. I remember when an apple had points. So I am glad they have made adjustments, but I think they could make more. Peanut butter is a great example, especially natural. It takes 1/3 of your daily points for one serving. Also, Lara bars- most of which are dates, nuts and very minimal ingredients can have up to 8 points and they are only 220 calories. I don’t eat them daily, but I would put it against a WW candy bar any day of the week.
I don’t hate the program, but I think their science needs more work. Earning vegetables doesn’t bother me either way, but I can see how it could be an issue causing some to eat more. Personal points- not loving it.
Hi Christine, I get where you are coming from. The Lara bar is a great example. Some healthier, whole foods are very high in points. I do understand that they are very calorie dense and so need to be once in awhile treats for those of us who need to lose weight, but processed junk foods that are low in points aren’t the answer either. Thanks for sharing.
I have, for the most part, been a digital only member. I did attend meetings when my employer paid for in person meetings. I am “techie” so I enjoy the digital aspect. I really liked the purple plan. I was in full rebellion mode when the latest WW incarnation started. I decided to give it a fair shake & try it for a month. That being said, the PP program has been the most successful for me. I am at maintenance level & am below goal weight. I feel like I am “gaming the system” because I retake the zero food quiz when I feel like having brown rice instead of pasta or chicken instead of fish. However, this allows me to enjoy a variety of foods & not be penalized for them. I do think the new system encourages earning & saving points of your food budget & using them for unhealthy choices. For example, maybe I want dessert tonight so I take the dog for a few extra walks & eat two cups of chopped lettuce. Your words rang true with me, “I also find it annoying that Lifetime membership isn’t available to digital-only members.” While I understand that a digital member may claim that they have reached their goal weight & have the data to prove it, WW has no proof of that. Plus they wouldn’t get my $$ each month. But, dang it, I worked hard to get here & stay here on the WW program. I would like to get my free membership. I live in a WW studio desert for half of the year. I weigh in would be a long drive & usually at night.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I love hearing that PP is working so well for you! I love hearing how you are making it work for you, and it’s obviously working great. Way to go.
so do you think if someone joins WW now they won’t lose weight? Can’t you do the program you did before with out this years changes , or will it not count if you are a member? just curious.
I absolutely think you can lose weight if you join WW today. It’s still a great program and I recommend it. I am using it currently and successful maintaining my 130 pound weight loss without regaining any weight.
I really enjoyed reading your comments Sara about the new program. This program has worked really well for me because it has really bumped up my veggies and they just fill me up quickly. I am below my Weigh Watcher goal weight and that is the part I really agree with you. As a Lifetime Member our workshop closed during Covid and has not come back. The closest one is 1 1/2 hours away so that is not feasible. I do the online recording and I still have to pay even though I am at goal. I searched the mobile app for info on maintenance and there is really nothing. This is where Weight Watchers falls down. Maybe this should be relayed to the organization. You have more pull than the rest of us.
Thanks for your feedback. Way to go on your weight loss. You are success story!
Thanks Sara! I am eating a Lily’s dark chocolate bar while I type this. I was so discouraged with my weigh-in this week when I worked really hard and lost nothing. So I looked back at my weight loss charts and BINGO! My weight loss has almost stalled out since the new personal points plan. Now I can stop beating myself up and go back (as much as possible) with my old Blue plan.
Good for you for stepping back from the emotion and reviewing things so you can now create a plan to move forward with success. That’s fabulous work.
And enjoy your sugar free chocolate. 🙂
I am in agreement with everything you said, minus the points for veggies part. I love fruit but have always struggled with veggies so the extra point to actually eat them = incentive for me. I HATE that we are on different plans. I have always had a difficult time calculating recipes in the app. Hope that changes!
That’s great to hear that the new system is working for you to motivate you to eat veggies. I think that is WW intention and I love hearing that it’s working for you.
There are so many people the new plan is not working for. I am one. I am a huge vegetable eater, and to give me extra points for eating veges, well lets just say, I am finding myself binging on other foods and gaining weight. I truly know WW will once again change the plan. They do every two years, just like magic. It is called business and marketing. The purple plan worked for me as well as the blue plan. Now this new plan isn’t. Everyone being on a different plan, doesn’t make for a community where we all are together. Not making me a happy person. I am not sure if this is worth the money anymore. I am heavier than I was 3 months ago (up 5 lbs).
Don’t give up, Gloria. I know it’s frustrating but I do believe you can make PP work for you since you had success before. And you are right, in 2 years we will see a plan change, so we can also hold out for that.
I agree with all of your points. I lost 108 lbs. on blue and have maintained very close to that goal for 2 years. I would like more support for my maintenance plan. Earning extra points for water and veggies just feels uncomfortable to me. I have never been a fan of WW’s processed snacks. Thankfully, because I am retired, I can attend a local workshop in-person. But I feel bad for my previous workshop friends who work during the day and have no local evening workshop to attend. And I agree that the Personal Points program feels a little divisive. It’s weird how it is promoted that you can retake the assessment as many times as you like, in order to get the zero-point foods you desire. I enjoy your blog/writings. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Wow, you’ve had incredible success! Way to go! You are a rock star. Thanks for sharing your thoughts – we need more voices of successful maintainers to hear what works for them and encourage others, so please keep sharing.
I agree with everything you have said! I lost 80 pounds on Blue, I knew the points of everything! Since the Personal Points program started I struggle to keep to the 19 points I have. Even if I eat a lot of vegetables the points I earn do not calculate properly and I go over my points. If I ate all my points and all those weeklies I earn I’d be as big as I was when I started! It’s not accurate.
My son and DIL started WW recently and find that their points differences make it hard to prepare meals.
WW needs to re evaluate what they have done.
I joined WW February 2021 and lost 60lbs on the Blue plan. Since the change over to PP plan, I’ve hit a plateau. I’m not one for eating a lot of vegetables, though lately I’ve been eating more. I’m trying to get back to something closer to the Blue plan and hoping that’ll jump start my weight loss. I’m quite frustrated with it but not willing to give up. I have to figure out to make it work for me.
I understand that zero point foods aren’t technically free, in other words not to go overboard with them. So the whole concept of getting more points for vegetables seems like it’s encouraging over eating, something that I try hard not to do. Is there a way to get less zero point foods, or something like the blue plan?
Yes, you can retake the PP assessment to get closer to the Blue plan. What are your zero point foods currently?
Not a fan of the new points system. I lost weight on green and tried to get close to my 30 points with zero point fruits and vegetables. The closest I got is 26 points. The problem is so many things I ate have increased in points. Nature Valley Butterbread bread went from 3 points for two slices to 4 points. 1/2 low fat cottage cheese went from 2-3 points. A 4 pack of peanut butter crackers went from 4 points to 5. So I have less points but many of the foods I eat have gone up in points. It just doesn’t make sense to me.
I am really disappointed in the personal plan system. I spent two years documenting points and redoing my favorite recipes to fight the plan. My husband and I, my brother, sisters-in-law were all on the plan together, sharing recipes and losing weight All while living in 3 different states. We have lost most of the camaraderie we had before. And noe of my recipes work without having to be recalculated. Honestly, I have lost my momentum and am having a serious problem rebooting.
I agree with everything you said. I have been a lifetime member for nearly 40 years. I really appreciated the perk of only needing to weigh in once a month to maintain my free membership. Unfortunately, meeting times have really been reduced in my area. I use the app so I’m willing to pay for it but… it helped me to maintain my weight knowing I needed to weigh in monthly.
Has there been a change to the in person weigh in once a month to keep lifetime status?
((HUGS)) Don’t give up Janet! Remember that your body doesn’t know WW system, so whatever you were doing before to lose weight, you can still do it and it will still work. I totally get the mental aspect though, and sharing with family is a huge support. I hope you all can find a way to still make that work for you.
I am one of those individuals who is affected by the lack of meetings. While I did appreciate virtual meetings during Covid, I must say I do much better in an in person environment. I am a people person and am sorry to say virtual is just not the same. My closest meeting is 1 hour away and this is difficult on a Saturday morning when I have made that commute for work every work day. There are very limited meeting times-none that I could attend after work and only 2 meetings on Saturday. Research shows that with lack of resources(food availibility, exercise /fitness center) in rural areas obesity is widespread. In addition, many of these individuals are from lower socioeconomic areas and are unable to travel the 1 hour plus to get to meetings. This is only exacerbated with high gas and food prices . I also realize WW is a business but hope they also review their why -why was this company originally started? I have spoken to representatives for WW and they only state they understand but as far as they know, changes will not be in the future. I am thankful that WW helped me reach goal and can only hope and pray the decision makers recognize their responsibility to all individuals that seek their assistance. It would be shameful that the original philosophy/purpose by which this company was created be forgotten. Thank you.
I have been a WW member from the early years when you HAD to eat ONE liver meal a week. I couldn’t and still can’t do that! ha.
I have for the last 40-50 years been on WW program on and off. I did my best weight loss with Blue program and got nearly to goal and then Covid hit and our in person meetings closed down and I could no longer go weekly to my wonderful leader who was so helpful to talk to us and listen to us weekly! I am not a digital person and don’t really understand the new PP program. I have nearly regained all my weight in a year and half. I like what information you put out daily and THANK YOU for your help to me! It seems like I could do this on my own but so far that is NOT working. I have gotten some of your really good free and low cost ideas about how to prepare and stay on program of WW as I feel it has been a good program through the years. Now I need to return back to my BLUE program and lose 50 lbs again. I am so frustrated but hope to do better as I do know what to do – just do it!
You can do this! I’m glad my resources have been a help. So glad you are here with me. I’m with you – if I had to eat liver, I wouldn’t last very long on WW. LOL
I have been on WW that long too, on an off, I remember the liver! I also remember not being able to have carrots and onions!
The same thing happened to me. I got down to 146 pounds which was 6 lbs from goal then that *&%#* epidemic hit. I was on blue too. Our meeting location which was 2 miles from my house closed down completely and now I have to drive 20 min to the meeting.
I don’t like the digital program either. Once in awhile I use it, but I prefer using my computer over that. I regained most of my weight too. I have been back since July 29 and have lost 8 lbs so far. I am going to commit to at least going to the distant meetings which will hopefully keep me accountable enough to not reach and eat everything in sight.
I also hate the personal points program. I knew Blue. It worked well for me. This personal points program gives me so many points a day…I would NEVER lose weight with that. Very discouraging and a waste of my money!
I agree with many of these comments and like you, been a WW person for years. BUT I just dropped out last night because of their Goal weight for me. I am now 78 years old and need a higher goal (which is true for seniors.) Long story short, a conflict between WW and my Dr. I just decided to do it on my own with the help of Healthi. I loved the Purple plan and was doing it for the last 2 years and lost 50 on line, no meetings.
I am actually a lifer (1977) but due to surgery and meds gained a lot and now have most of it off. I was very comfortable with Purple and had told my husband about a month before they changed to Personal points, “I could live with this plan for the rest of my life.” Boom! Personal plan came out and I have now been on a plateau for four months.
Would love to join your group, but I am no longer on Facebook. So, will just read your emails and webpages. I also am a Christian.
I felt the same way about Purple! I have been thinking of ways to keep following Purple on my own. I am sorry the conflict couldn’t be resolved between your doctor and WW. I know there are many people who have had their doctor write a letter with an appropriate goal weight and WW has accepted it.
I agree with what you’ve said. I hate the new personal points. I lost ten percent of my body weight, which I wanted to lose, and maintained. I loved the purple plan, learned it inside and out. Now, nearly every food and recipe I enjoyed has higher points, I hate the app, too many finger touches for each entry. I about to quit and do this on my own.
I agree! I am trying to figure out how to do Purple still. I loved Purple and didn’t feel like it was a diet and felt like a way I could eat long term.
Hi Sara,
I have to agree with most of what you said. I do miss the sharing of recipes and new foods because everyone’s plan is different. I also miss the meetings. My location is permanently closed, so I have not been back to in-person meetings. The location was close to me, and my meeting was part of my “me time” where I meant and shared with others who have just disappeared. Meetings were also part of my physical wellness, because no matter how bad my arthritis felt, I got myself to my meeting.
After figuring out my new plan, it seemed to me that eating all those extra vegetables was great, but I fell into that trap of eating more vegetables so I could add more of those WW treats. Most of those treats are just junk food sold in smaller portions, and I’m finding they set me up to want other non-beneficial foods. I need to be aware of wolves in sheep’s clothing. I should be eating vegetables because they are healthy and make me feel better on the whole. And why do we need to be rewarded for water? That seems counter-productive, although I am surprised at how many people don’t drink water or hydrate. I don’t eat much peanut butter, just some PB2 that I keed on hand, but our zero-point Greek yogurt now has points. This was great for dips and desserts with fresh fruits.
I like the ease and variety of zoom meetings, but I miss getting to know and share with people in my own area. I have never found a zoom meeting that had under 30 people. I have never made it to my goal so I don’t know about the maintenance follow-up or if there are zoom groups for this. I know when we had local zoom groups, there was some confusion over whether people had to weigh in once a month to keep their lifetime status. Sadly as with many things now, WW is in it for profit.
I agree with everything you said. I was on blue and did well. I know WW is ever evolving and we have to adjust. I don’t see how extra points for water and veggies is helpful. I’ve learned not to use food as a reward and now they are preaching it. I basically eat the way i did on Blue and ignore the extra points. I follow you and your recipes and 3 Day Meal Plan has been a lifesaver. I am online only and get my support from Connect. I love sharing recipes but have to figure the points out myself. One thing I wish they would change is the weight loss charms. My weight loss is just as impressive as someone who goes to the studio.and should be recognized as such.
I called customer service and they mailed me my weight loss charms. I think you can also stop in any studio and show them your app and get whatever charms you earned. I never went to an in-studio meeting and received all my charms for 75 lbs including goal and lifetime.
Oooh, that’s a great tip about the charms. Thank you!
Sara,
I agree with you on a lot of these things you’ve raised. Gaining points for eating veggies can be a slippery slope for sure. I’ve been Lifetime since 1988, so I’ve been through a number of WW plans. I hear a lot of folks on my Zoom meetings are struggling, as am I. I lost best when I did Core / SFT / Purple, so I’ve answered the questionnaire to try to get things as close to those as possible.
I wonder if this will go down in history the way Fat and Fiber did many years ago. (Anyone remember that one??)
This WAS a pretty big retooling of the program and WW usually tweaks things a bit after a major new program has been out a while. Hopefully there will be some adjustments as we get to the end of the year (when program changes typically roll out..).
Congrats on maintaining for so long! WW brings out a new plan every 2 years, so this one will change then…we’ll see what they change and what sticks. And yes, I did fat and fiber. I ate a lot of fiber one cereal as I recall. LOL
Like you, There are frustrations with this new system that I just cannot seem to come to terms with. I am a big supporter of WW and have currently lost almost 160 pounds. I am not at goal yet but I am proud of how far I have come. I was on the plan when the color system originally came in and I was on green. The new system has some problems and I have As of yet not been able to find my groove with it. I cannot agree with earning points for eating vegetables. In the end all that is is eating so we can eat Which is basically eating just to eat. And isn’t that what that what got many of us in the place where we needed Weight Watchers to begin with? Maybe their intentions are good, to get us to eat vegetables. But we see it on connect every day how people eat vegetables so they can have enough points for a dessert or some other unhealthy food. Eating to Gain points teaches us nothing about portion control or eating because we are truly hungry and not because we just have the points and can. It sets up dysfunctional eating and in my opinion encourages it. Like you, I drink when I am thirsty and simply won’t force more water into my body then I want just to gain one additional point. It is hard enough to get people to understand that zero point foods have calories too and that just because they are zero point does not mean they are 0 cal. Their are intro video has a woman saying that there is no need to weigh or measure zero point foods. But if you will read in the Discover tab there’s an entire article on limiting zero point foods in cautioning that things like fruit have sugar and calories and recommend no more than two servings a day. But that isn’t made clear to anyone unless they dig into those articles. Of course it should be something we would instinctively know, but I have seen over and over where it isn’t. Then people say they are on the program and following it and staying in points and gaining weight and cannot understand why . This is something they really need to fix and make it clear from the beginning that there needs to be a limit to zero point foods as well. I agreed with all of your points and appreciated your article. Like you, I would recommend WW to anyone and I don’t believe I would’ve made it this far without it . But there are things that need to be fixed. I did retake the assessment and remove most of zero point foods but I cannot get the same groove back in it isn’t really quite the same. I am just having a lot of difficulty with it. It seems like even though I got it close to green again the shift in the point system has really messed with my head.
Thanks for sharing. Congratulations on your huge weight loss!
Although vegetables do have calories, the amount of energy you spend chewing them, swallowing, digesting and I might add the preparation of the salad (in my case takes a good 20 minutes), usually negates the calories. Only some of the higher vegetables like corn and peas do not. Also the “sugar” in legumes, our body cannot digest. The dietitians and researchers behind the Weight Watchers program understand this. Also eating large volumes of vegetables, I agree, does nothing to address the reason, most likely learned or emotional, why we do this at all. I love my large crunchy mouthfeel salads, but when it comes to eating out, I have a big problem there. At least I am attending my meeting and have some form of accountability and make better choices instead of wolfing down french fries and potato chips.
I joined WW a year ago and LOVED the Blue plan! I am determined to like the Personal Points system, mostly because I love WW and I’m within 20 pounds of my goal! I am very disappointed to hear that WW doesn’t off the support for those on maintenance! You would think that those of us who actually reach this milestone would be awesome advocates for the WW company and would get lots of support! Would I still have to pay for the WW app at point?
Debbie, once you reach Lifetime and as long as you maintain that status at your goal weight, the program is free. Read more here – https://theholymess.com/weight-watchers-lifetime/
Hi Sara
The thing that I would love is if they put calorie info on the foods just for my info . Like you at the beginning of your journey, I can find “tons” of free food which doesn’t work.
I know it’s healthier choices but there are still calories involved. Oatmeal seems to be one of my favs!!
I feel like it would give me a needed reality check!
So happy for you with your success. Thanks for all the support and info….
Linda P
When you track a food, it does show the calories in the app at the bottom. But no running total of your calories for the whole day. I would like that also.
I do feel like the new plan has affected the comraderie that the WW members experienced prior to the advent of PP. I also feel that there are too many commercials to sell their unhealthy weight loss “treats”.I have noticed even on coach lives, some real pushing of some of these products. I think the coaches are told to mention the WW junk foods. I do like lots of things about WW, and I try to remain open minded. I am not a fan of using food as a reward, even if it involves eating more vegetables or drinking water.
First of all, love your story and so admire your journey. AND, you are beautiful!
Now back to the new program….. I agree with you completely on #1 regarding community and sharing at the meetings on the “b;lue, green, and purple” program where the support is very different now. I miss the good old days and all the conversations and recipe sharing with these programs. I was on the “blue” program and did so well as I loved the program.
The Water…..I love water so drinking water is a plus for me. However, as you shared. water does not help you lose weight but can reduce your food intake and therefore may help you in that area. However, this has been a myth for so many years and really should be put to rest.
These are the top 2 for me. Thank you for another great article…..
Eeks!! The water thing is blowing my mind…
Where do we get the truth about water???
You are so sweet and kind! If drinking water helps you, go for it! But generally it doesn’t make that much difference for most people. At least, it’s not a big area to focus on in my opinion. I can drink tons of water and still overeat and gain weight.
I agree with everything you said I joined for 3months lost about 8lbs but really dont like the new program I reached lifetime goal yrs back the old program on CORE using a calculator I think Im better going to meeting too I dont like using my phone for everything
I remember the CORE plan. I used that too. 🙂
I joined WW in November right before the switch. I was hoping to find a local meeting because most of my friends who lost weight say it was because of the meetings. I haven’t even tried to keep track of points and have gone back to MFP. FFL is a better choice in my opinion.😊
Thanks for the shout out for Faithful Finish Lines! You know me, I like both programs for different reasons.
I’m new here (3 months) and can’t compare the current program to anything prior. BUT, I have had great success and have lost 18# since January 3. I track, I exercise, I splurge occasionally, I get 16 pts per day so love the free points. It’s been a relatively easy process for me and I am happy with it.
Wow, way to go! Your progress is amazing.
I”ll make this short and sweet….they should be adding points for more than one serving (which should be given) for our “free” foods… ie. If I track one cup or 10 cups of popcorn it’s still zero points?????
What I do is calculate points back to when “everything “ was counted to make sure I’m not going over the 18 points I was allowed way back when.
FYI…I’ve been a Lifetime member for years and went back (thankfully) before the PP program and lost the my 10 pound covid weight on the Blue plan.
Sorry… got carried away!!!!!
I also do not like the new program and wish we had been given a choice. I lost 60 lbs on green and now have gained about 20 back and no matter what I do I can’t seem to get down again. It’s so frustrating and my leaders have tried to be helpful but so far none of their suggestions have worked. I have too many clothes that are now too tight! I know it sounds weird but I can’t seem to remember just what I ate on the green plan but would like to be able to follow it again.
Thanks for any suggestions.
Retake the PP assessment and choose as few foods as possible for your zero point options. Say yes to all the junk foods choices. Say yes to alcohol. That will get you close to the older Green.
I don’t like the new program. I was on Purple and reached goal (lost 75 lbs in just over a year and never attended a meeting bc of covid, just did virtual meetings and tracked on the app) when they changed the program to personal points. I made it through the 6 weeks of maintenance and got to lifetime on Nov. 24, 2021. I have not been there since, actually have gained almost 10 lbs since then! I am still following the program and not happy with losing a whole category of 0 point foods for an additional 3 points a day. I am going to follow Purple and adjust for it in the app and see if I can get back to goal. I have worked too hard to let this weight slowly creep back on. WW says the science is always changing but if Purple worked for me it shouldn’t stop working for me so I think they should allow people to choose whether to change or not. From what I have seen on Connect, it seems the people having the most challenges are those that were on Purple.
I agree, Sarah. I am not a fan of the new WW person points. I am a Lifetime member and have loved WW for 30 years. I want to stick with it, but, for one thing, I now have to travel 45 miles one way to weigh in once a month. I also am a binge eater and the new program, as you said, is not helpful to me. In fact, I have gained 10 pounds since the new program started and am now right at my WW goal weight. I am so frustrated with WW that I am not using the app, just counting calories with pen and paper. I will still weigh in at WW for accountability, but I will stick to calorie counting to lose these pounds I gained. I hope the new CEO will bring some sanity back to the company.
I’m sorry you are struggling! I’ll be curious to see how things go with the new WW CEO as well.
Wow… interesting concerns! Here’s another one. There is no help for digital members to figure out the app. I signed up in January but have not been able to figure out the app in order to use it. I totally agree with the pushing of prepared WW foods being less productive. It is interesting to me that there are so many comments from lifetimers that there is no support. Since writing is your specialty, perhaps God wants YOU to step up and provide some materials. I know you said you have a support group, but perhaps there is more that you can do. I’m still trying to lose the weight but I also have lost a lot of weight multiple times and then gained it all back when I took a break. So I know I could definitely use some tips and tricks on how to keep it off! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for your comments Muriel. These are great insights. I do have some resources for maintaining weight loss, in addition to the support group. Here’s a post with a help list of 7 ways to maintain that I’ve learned – https://theholymess.com/maintain-weight-loss/. I also recommend taking maintenance breaks during weight loss to “practice” the skills – https://theholymess.com/diet-break/. I hope you find these helpful. I am doing what I can to bridge the gap and help both WW members and non-members to not just lose weight, but keep it off.
I struggled with the app, too. Virtual workshops don’t fit my time zone at all and the one I attended at 5 am one day was very crowded and I felt like an outsider.
Hi Muriel! As a digital member, you can attend the WW App Academy Zoom sessions I think. You can learn more about them here. I’ve been a long time user of the app and they even had some great tips I didn’t know about! Good luck on your journey!!
I agree. I am lifetime at goal with 73 lbs off for 7 years. I weigh in once a month to keep my status. Stay for a meeting once every couple of months but don’t get much out of it. So mostly I just weigh in and leave. Don;t do personal points. I lost my weight on blue and that is the plan I still follow and allow for extra things and weigh daily. Works for me and I have been 7 lbs under goal. Good luck to everyone on your journey.
Great job on your weight loss! I am here to support you as you maintain.
Totally agree about the awful way WW treats Lifetime Members. No literature, not even a good discussion about what to do when lifetime status is achieved. For me maintenance has been harder than loosing the weight.
I hear you Sherril. I’ve heard a lot of people say maintaining is harder than losing. For me I’m not sure it’s been harder but it’s definitely different and requires separate skills.
I am a free lifetime-at-goal member, but I have to admit I have been struggling with the new personal points program. I keep re-taking the assessment trying to find a workable mix for me and I think I have found a workable mix. That said, I’m still not particularly happy. I also agree with what you say about no real support or roadmap for us lifetimers. You say you are a digital only member, so that means you are paying a monthly fee since you are not officially weighing in at a meeting, right? I would love to be digital only, but I’m not in love with having to pay the monthly fee. I don’t feel I really need the at meeting support any longer and I love attending the digital meetings. Even though I am at goal I actually set my goal 10 pounds above my personal goal. After maintaining for 4 years I decided to go ahead and go for losing those 10 pounds. I’m having NO luck doing it with this plan. It’s very discouraging.
Correct, I am digital-only. I gone back and forth between digital and meetings for many years, but mainly I’ve used digital. When I got to my goal weight I went back to meetings to get Lifetime – I didn’t realize I would have to do that, so I had to lose even more weight! It’s all worked out easily now though because I’m about 20 lbs under my goal weight. I would technically have to pay for digital but I’ve been able to use my WW refer a friend code to get enough months of free membership that I haven’t had to pay for awhile. That’s been a nice perk,
I am not a fan of the new personal point program.
Hang in there, Janet! The plan changes every couple years.
Personally, as a diabetic, I am loving the new program. The diabetic options are helping me get my blood sugars under control while also losing weight., with some extra research as to what is optimal for my body.
It’s so exciting for me to hear that you are loving the diabetic plan! I have been curious to hear how it’s working for people. I wrote a review of it here – https://theholymess.com/weight-watchers-diabetes/ but I’m not diabetic so I have been hoping I could hear about experiences from people who are actually using it. Thanks for sharing.
I am not a fan of the new points system. I had a literal homemade cookbook of Weight Watchers recipes that my husband and I both enjoyed with the points written at the top from a couple of years ago. Now the majority of those are higher in points with some much higher than they were. Because I am now recently gluten free, egg free, and dairy free due to allergies, I feel like I get punished because when I use replacements in my recipes, the points go even higher. My weight loss has basically gone no where in three months…three pounds is all. Being allergic to almost all nuts, I use Sunbutter but that too, is high in points. I was excited to find gluten free wraps at the store the other day and bought some. When I scanned them at home, they were five points for one. If I wanted to do a “healthy” wrap, I feel like it would eat up my points. I just feel like throwing my hands up this time, but I keep trudging along praying that eventually this weight will start to move.
As a new member, I am struggling. I’m not sure going to a meeting would help. So I’m trying to know what I’m eating. As I don’t love vegetables or how I cook them I am making more effort and increasing my vegetables more. I never drank much liquids and I try to drink more as I may occasionally have been dehydrated. I’m very frustrated to do my own recipes as I am not a measurer. I believe I am probably still eating the volume I always did but some better things. I’m loosing very little very slowly but maybe I’ll get even better at this lifetime eating changes. I personally want a lot more individual attention to get started better but will try to be patient
I’m sorry you are struggling, Helene. The fact that you’ve already made so many changes is great! It sounds to me like you are on the right track. Plus you are having weight loss. Don’t worry if it’s small – slow and steady wins the weight loss race. I’m here to support you along your journey.
Totally agree with no support for Lifetimers! However I don’t agree with Lifetime membership for digital only. Why? Because they pay less than a meeting member, it’s one of the perks of meetings. I realize with less meetings that causes an issue, but I don’t know a solution for that. Maybe they could set up weigh in stations at stores or something. I’m totally against earning points for eating vegetables that just gives me splurge points!
I’m not find of personal points, I’ve taken the quiz so many times and still can’t come up with a list I’m happy with. Bring back my points plus!
Well spoken.
This is a really good insight. You are right about digital being less costly. I never would have considered that.
I did not like the emphasis on mental health. As a mental health professional, I did not feel that the WW workers were equipped to properly handle some of the melt downs I saw. There is no need for WW to probe into whether or not someone had a good week or to ask for someone to specifically state “something you are proud of this week”. It was creepy and intrusive. They need to stick to nutrition and weight loss.
This is a really interesting insight, Pamela. The mental aspects of weight loss are so huge, it wouldn’t have occurred to me that WW NOT address them. I also think it’s interesting they never mention or screen for eating disorders. Thanks for sharing your insights.
Agree with every one of your points. Once I met my Lifetime goal I felt forgotten. They don’t make any money from the Lifetime member so I assume they
focus on the paying members.
((HUGS)) Donna. I’m sorry you feel forgotten – we can support each other here!