Weight watchers

[rosita13 10]

Has anyone tried weight watchers after the sleeve? Does it work well with your sleeve?

[Daydra 345]

No, but my nutritionist told me the points method is not really compatible. I haven't really reasoned that out, because I hope to never have to pay monthly dues again! I'm sure if I thought about it, I could devise a way to adjust it to a post-sleeve diet. Nothing is stopping you from using the meetings for support and following a calorie and macronutrient tracking based diet. I did that for a long time a few years ago. It's really the support that makes the difference, I think. Most of us (particularly here) probably know as much or more about diet and nutrition as the meeting leaders. But, you can probably attend a support program for less money if you were to pick a different program. Also, if you had your surgery locally, your clinic or hospital may have a support group already set up.

[Daydra 345]

Although, if you signed up, you'd probably hit lifetime pretty quick and be able to go to meetings for free, so it would be a lot less money in the long run...

[rosita13 10]

Thank you for all that info. I have had my surgery and have not been able to find a nutritionist; with that being said I really have no sense of direction. What other options you think would work better than weight watchers?

[JerseyGirl68 1,172]

Thank you for all that info. I have had my surgery and have not been able to find a nutritionist; with that being said I really have no sense of direction. What other options you think would work better than weight watchers?

Did your doctor give you any post op rules to follow? Generally, after you are approved for all foods, the aim is for 60-70+ grams of lean Protein a day, low fat/low carb. 64oz. of Water minium a day.

You could use an app like MyFitnessPal to track your intake. There are a lot of us here that use it or something similar. All NUTs are different, so you may find that opinions vary on this.

For menu ideas, you can check the recipe forum here or sites like emilybites.com or theworldaccordingtoeggface.com

While Weight Watchers is a good plan, I don't know that it will best serve you initially. How far out from surgery are you?

[mistysj 1,939]

Thank you for all that info. I have had my surgery and have not been able to find a nutritionist; with that being said I really have no sense of direction. What other options you think would work better than weight watchers?

Look in the food and Nutrition section. I posted a huge list of post-op plans from reputable surgical programs around the world. You wouldn't go wrong picking any of them.

[luckysmomma 407]

Weight Watchers is AWESOME! I lost 100 lbs three different times prior to surgery with WW and exercise. A permanent injury cost me my mobility nearly, so I could no longer do the exercise, so I had wls to keep my mobility. I still go every week to WW for the support and accountability of Mr. scale. I am not following the points anymore or anything because of this sleeve of mine; I don't eat enough to count points. I highly recommend a person choosing WW instead of wls. You just have to choose to make it your life, not just a diet.

[Fiddleman 4,376]

Weight Watchers is AWESOME! I lost 100 lbs three different times prior to surgery with WW and exercise. A permanent injury cost me my mobility nearly' date=' so I could no longer do the exercise, so I had wls to keep my mobility. I still go every week to WW for the support and accountability of Mr. scale. I am not following the points anymore or anything because of this sleeve of mine; I don't eat enough to count points. I highly recommend a person choosing WW instead of wls. You just have to choose to make it your life, not just a diet.[/quote']

Why do you highly recommend WW over WLS?

[mistysj 1,939]

Most of us are veterans at WW and yet most of us had WLS. The recommendation for WW doesn't add up to me. They are a business who have a vested interest in your failure, which means you keep coming back. When people get wise to their schemes, they simply change the diet rules and make everyone buy all new materials. They also recommend the most processed and chemical-laden packages foods on the market.

[luckysmomma 407]

Fiddleman - I recommend it because WLS is so drastic...WLS is permanent...I think it should only be for extreme health circumstances only. WW is a realistic, healthy way to eat and it can be a permanent way to eat if a person can stick with it for the long haul which is very hard for many of us like me - you can't think of WW as a diet, you have to think of it as a way of life...something I wasn't able to fully do even though I lost lots of weight with WW - I was 'always doing WW" or "on the WW diet" - and it has to be a lifestyle change with food and moving, you know what I mean...you can eat whatever you choose as long as you count the points, and of course, the healthier the food choice - the lower the points, and the more unhealthy foods are higher points..so it teaches you to make better choices. I love the support at the meetings and I have to have the accountability of the scale every week, sleeve or no sleeve. My computer is going crazy as I type now, so I guess I will end this post.

[luckysmomma 407]

Misty - I rarely bought WW products...they are $$$ and many have too much sodium. I worked the WW program without their products, which is very do-able. I agree with you - it is all a money racket...every diet program or product out there is a money maker...and they constantly change to get even more money...I'd like to have a 1/10 of the money I have spent since about age 12 til now on diet stuff...and now even WLS is a money racket...when doctors are doing wls on people who only need to lose 25-30 lbs - who have no health problems - the drs are doing it for the money.

[Fiddleman 4,376]

LuckysMomma- thanks for the response to my question. I tend to agree with your comments on WW. It is a great structured environment to have both support and accountability from week to week. For these reasons alone, WW is a nice supplementation to the restriction aspects provided by WLS. I was successful at dropping weight in WW not because of following any one of their point based plans, but because I looked forward to the Saturday meetings and the rewards that came along with success. There is something motivating that pumps the weight loss feedback loop by seeing progress on the scale, writing it down in the little book and the getting a public validation of your efforts during the group meetings. The groups meetings were always very educational, much like the once a month WLS support meeting i attend now. I never did adhere to any of their point programs, but did find some WW foods I enjoyed and stuck to eating the same food day in and day out for 6 months combined with a fairly engaged exercise program. The down fall was that after 6 months, I got too confident about lost weight (90 lbs during one stint) and let go of the eating and exercise. That put the weight back on slowly, but surely. So, yes, I agree with your comments that you need to look at WW as a lifestyle where the program never ends. Couple that with WLS and I think you have a recipe for success as long as you throw out the point model and are making better food choices then the pre packaged meals and Snacks that WW sells. I wholeheartedly recommend people attend some kind of support meeting, whether that is WW, your friends, a WLS group, etc. The shared time with others that are on your same journey is really beneficial towards long term success.

[Daydra 345]

I like Weight Watchers. The meeting that I've attended for years has a leader that I really like, and I've got a lot of friends there. I've done Weight Watchers, many times, with varying degrees of success. My most successful stint, I followed more Clean Eating principles and used a Bodybugg to track calories eaten and burned as well as exercise. I hit a stall and switched to the HCG diet and lost a total of 115 pounds. The problem was, I was only successful as long as I was obsessive. Once I no longer had the motivation and energy to continue obsessing over what I should eat, how much I should eat, and how much longer I had to wait until I could eat during all my waking hours, I began to gain it back. The bottom line is: 95% of all diet attempts fail. (I don't think I got that stat wrong, but feel free to double check me) That is why it is so critical that weight loss surgery is a viable option. Those of us that get this far down the road have usually tried a multitude of diet plans, particularly Weight Watchers since they're the biggest game in town. For someone that has already run the gauntlet of diet plans and attempts at weight loss, I feel that suggesting they go back and give it the old college try only encourages them to prolong their misery and increase their feelings of failure. If someone presented a solution on any topic to me that only had a 5% long term success rate, I would give them the blank stare like they were a complete idiot for even suggesting it to me.

[cynthia4722 74]

One year out I have joined weight watchers. I find it helpful as there are no surgery support groups where I live. I don't follow the points too strictly, but I find the support and strategies for eating well helpful.

[AmyInOrlando 348]

My Mother took me to my first WW meeting when I was 11 years old. She dragged me up the stairs to a meeting room on Kings Highway in Brooklyn, NY. The Leader was Jean Neitche, the founder of WW. I think I rejoined at least 50 times in the next 50 years (I'll be 61 in September). I could open a WW Museum if I had kept all the Menu's and Diet information as they change their program at least every 2 years. I had lost over 100 pounds 3 different times on WW, only to go off and back to my bingeing behavior. Before deciding to have the gastric sleeve done, I'd been on WW for a year... all I lost was 52 weeks. It was up 2 down 3, down 5 up 7.....yada yada yada. Weight Watchers is a great program, unless you are a food addict. My whole life I've either dieted or binged. I've never eaten like a "normal" person. My Mother used to say I looked emaciated until I was 5 years old. I had my tonsils out and she said I could eat all the ice cream I wanted.... well, I never stopped, and that's how my story began. My highest weight was 272, and I'm only 5 feet tall. I've lost and regained hundreds of pounds throughout my lifetime. I just got tired of the rollercoaster and decided this time I'm not going to continue to gain. The tools of Weight Watchers are "right on", but I need a new tool in my toolbox.