I am really, really excited about the new Weight Watchers PointsPlus Plan, (hereinafter referred to as WWPP). Anyway, I love what I have read so far about this plan! I was so excited to get up and read all about it this morning! I would like to share it all with you, however, I truly feel that it's not okay to give away the Weight Watchers program for free. For this reason, I'm only going to share the highlights as they pertain to me.
Basically, the scoop is this: Points used to be calculated using the calories, fat and fiber of all foods; WWPP are calculated using the carbohydrates, protein, fat and fiber--no calories. The only obstacle with this is that I have been calculating Points using the cal/fat/fiber method for so long, I can do it in my head, but with WWPP I'll have to relearn the values for everything. I'm up for the challenge and luckily the updated iPhone application was available tonight which gives me all I need for on the go calculations.
Another big change is to the number of daily WWPP and weekly points which have both increased. At first glance that sounds awesome, except that the WWPP value of most foods is higher than the old Points value. So I believe it will even out.
The biggest change, and the most exciting one, is the one I predicted: fresh fruits are now worth zero WWPP!! This is awesome. I love eating fruit and will happily reach for fruit over other snacks if they are free. Bananas were always 2 Points because of their sugar content and now they are free! Splendid! That seems almost too good to be true, however, I think the extra fruit consumption will also be accounted for in the increased "cost" of most of the other foods.
Overall, it's a bit daunting to think about learning a whole new plan, but in a way it feels like a fresh start to me. I'm fine with kissing the old Points plan good bye. It's changed a bit through the years, but the program always worked well and I became a Lifetime Member of WW by counting Points. I have lost nearly 80 pounds this year by counting Points, but now I embrace the WWPP plan as something different and exciting, a new beginning. I think it makes perfect sense to leave the calories out of the equation and use more of the nutrients in the food to calculate their value. It all will help promote the benefits of eating more whole, fresh foods as opposed to processed garbage like 100 calorie packs. It's a great change for Weight Watchers because unfortunately some people do get stuck in 100-calorieville and never see the big picture of eating healthy, balanced foods/meals. For example, now someone can eat a 100 calorie pack of Chex Mix for 3 WWPP, or a banana and an apple for zero WWPP!
I do have one concern and that is that some folks are bound to go overboard with fruit. I sincerely do not think a lot of fruit is bad for you in moderation; WW does recommend to stop eating when you're satisfied, but sadly some people cannot recognize that sensation in their bodies. I wonder how people will adapt to this part of the plan. I remember when the Points plan first came around, the Points value could be calculated on foods using fiber up to 11 grams which significantly lowers the Points value of foods high in fiber--I heard people at meetings talking about eating Fiber One by the boxful. The problem was people weren't losing enough weight and WW made a change and limited the fiber to 4 grams. I wonder if in a year or so they'll decide all fruits must be counted in some way. Only time will tell. Don't ruin it for us, people! Just kidding!
Anyway, as I said I am excited for the WWPP and overall I think the changes are awesome. This old dog is ready to learn some new tricks! I thought it would be a great time to change my weigh in day to Monday and start a new week in conjunction with the new program. Unfortunately, they aren't allowing changes to your weigh in day for a couple weeks. Oh well, tomorrow will be here soon enough, and Tuesday has always been my weigh in day; I became a Lifetime Member on a Tuesday. So let's hear it for Tuesdays! And Weight Watchers!
And fruit!
Weight Watchers PointPlus Plan and Points are registered trademarks of Weight Watchers International Inc.
See, I would be one of those who has problems eating too much fruit. LOL I looooove fruit - all of it! The new program sounds awesome. I wish I had a WW meeting closer to me. The nearest one is almost forty miles away. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteI love that fruits are now 0 points! I also like the way points are being tallied. It makes sense to include protein and carbs. Thanks for sharing this info. Since I'm not an active member right now (just doing it on my own from my materials), I'm only getting bits and pieces.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to hear how it all works as people start applying it.