Zero point items are things they figure you won’t overeat on. Corn’s been pretty good here, too, and I’ve also weened myself off the butter and salt.

I am not on WW but I understand how their new system works. Different plans have different zero point food lists. The more food on your zero points list, the less points you get. I honestly cannot see how that would be successful. On one of these plans thing like chicken breast and eggs are zero points. And bananas. Banana are full of sugar and have something around 100 calories apiece. I think it would be difficult for people who struggle with sticking to suggested serving sizes to succeed on such a plan.

My employer paid for 19 weeks of WW a few years ago. I gained 4 pounds. At the time, they were doing their 'points plus" program. fruit on this plan was zero points. But they worded it as "a reasonable serving" is zero points. What is a reasonable serving? and how many can I have a day if they are truly zero points. It was too many variables to me. I wanted a hard point amount for everything.

I guess the idea is that if you choose healthier foods because they are free, you fill up on them and don't miss cookies.

This is why I no longer do WW. They lost me when they turned their back on the math and science and nutritional density. I still loosely follow the plan they had in the 80s based on 6 food exchanges, bread, vegetables, fruit, dairy, protein, and fat. At that time a half cup of corn would have been considered one bread or 80 calories. A calorie is a calorie. The whole idea of zero point foods turned me off the system way back when they first came up with the point system. I do recall we had some unlimited vegetables we could eat. But there was a lot of stress on what a free food vegetable was. Most were "water" veggies like lettuce, celery and cucumbers. I think tomatoes were on there also. Carrots were limited to very small portion and corn, peas and most beans were breads, not vegetables.

A serving of most foods (not desserts) is no larger than the palm of your hand. A serving of cheese is the size of your thumb.

Easy and quick way to visualize a serving.

My only familiarity with WW is from when my wife subsribed to their app for a while. I’m guessing the point system prepares you better for real life, post diet, so that you know at a glance what you need to limit versus what you can eat relatively guilt free. We shouldn’t need to count calories or carbs in the normal course of a day.

I am WW lifetime member but no longer gonto meeting since my atudio closed. I have evolved through all their renditions. Corn was always a point value vegetable as was bananas.

Then it was decided all fruits and vegetables are 0.

All said and done, to lose weight I need to keep my calories 1200 or below.

The idea is portions. No, you can not eat all the corn you want for O points.

There was a time when they said to eat until you were satisfied. That notion did not last.

To answer your question, right now it is a zero food, but again measure your portion, whetger it is a cup or 1/2.

One of the changes that had people up in arms was when the ”junk” food points were raused sustaintally.

I agree with Amy, the overall idea is to encourage heathy eating.

My sister was obese since she was a baby. WW saved her! She has a total gorgeous "body" and keeps it off by going back to WW. My neighbor lost 6 lbs on WW. She had us over for dinner and fixed shrimp tacos......saying she could eat ALL the shrimp she wanted on WW. (not true) Of course she has since failed....and is over eating.....♥.....

I hope you stick with it. It's a miracle diet for lots of people!

"They lost me when they turned their back on the math and science and nutritional density."

I disagree. They haven't turned their back on math and science. Rather they have incorporated human psychology in with the math and nutrition to make a program that is livable for a lifetime. Diets that are too restrictive lead to short-term weight loss only to be followed by gaining it all back and often even more. That's why on WW there are no "forbidden" foods...rather you just need to account for whatever it is you're eating.

If I have any criticism of WW, it's that they don't focus on *real* food enough as they make so much money selling their processed products. They can't both preach against artificial sweeteners and then sell foods that are full of them, so they don't. However, the program is flexible enough that it can accommodate a wide variety of dietary needs: lactose intolerant, diabetic, gluten free, vegetarian, etc. So I choose to follow it using only real food and no artificial sweeteners and don't buy the WW products.

I tried WW almost 37 years ago because of weight gain I had during pregnancy. I found it too complicated and difficult to use. I am no dummy, have a Masters degree, but it just wasn't for me. I found what works best for me is a basic knowledge of food and what is a good diet. And also cutting portion size and eliminating sweets. I had years when I fell off the wagon due to emotional eating, but always got back on. I have lost 45 pounds this year and am keeping it off because of health reasons. Finally at 69 I got it right. Never stop trying to find what works for you.

Weight Watchers send me a box with a cookbook, thermos, reusable grocery bag, a mini waffle maker, and a bunch of sample foods. Two point snack stuff. I looked at the prices of the snacks online--whoa. Very expensive. So far, I've been able to get through the week without using a huge amount of my weekly points. Annie--do you recommend a weekly weigh in? I was going to do every 2 weeks just so I wouldn't obsess so much on the numbers and be more in it for the health aspect and have the weight loss be a super bonus! I do want to lose weight though. I need to lose weight. I've been doing WW for 2 weeks now and I already feel better physically and mentally.

I joined Weight Watchers (for the 4th time) in January, 2020 and with any luck will hit my 40lb loss this Friday! I feel great. I am on the Blue Plan. Shrimp is zero points as is most seafood, chicken (white meat) and all fruits and vegetables. I think it's working for me this time because I am retired and feel much more in control of what I eat. I am making better choices at the grocery store and I love going to the weekly meetings. They are my "AA" plan and I've made a few more friends there. Weighing in each week and being accountable to myself and the group by going makes all the difference for me. Also I love the WW app. It makes tracking so easy. Great program.

murraysmom......Congratulations on the 40lb weight loss! Yay!

Wow Murraysmom--that really is wonderful. Congratulation. You are my inspiration! What is the best tip that you have for success?

Anne, I feel very strongly that the weekly weigh-ins and the workshops are an essential part of the program. The celebrations with people who are successful (Yay Murraysmom!!) as well as finding you aren't alone in your struggles and hearing how others handle them are most helpful for keeping you on track. Plus the weekly info they provide gives good insight into different aspects of the program and tools you can use for the difficult times.

However, I will suggest that while all leaders are good, there are some that will "click" better with your personality than others. I tried out several different meetings until I found a leader I liked and it made all the difference in terms of how she dealt with me, but also in the tone for the whole group.

As far as using all your weekly points, you do want to stay within the healthy eating zone as best you can. Not early on, but further into the process, many have found that if they eat too little, they won't lose weight. And you need healthy fats in your diet which come with points...that's why they're there...so use them. I would generally use up most of my daily points and only rarely the weekly.

I'm heading back to WW this week, it's the only plan that works for me. I've been a lifetime member since 1998 and each time I go back, the plan changes, but I quickly adapt. The key for me is attending meetings. I tried online only and it's not for me. I need the accountability of stepping on the scale at WW and most importantly a "support" group setting. We laugh, we cry, we celebrate!

While I rarely ever bought WW frozen meals, I have noticed the grocery stores that I frequent are not selling them anymore.

Congrats Murraysmom!!

Thanks, everyone! It took about 3 weeks before I stopped craving sugar. I do still put sugar in my coffee - it's my treat to myself. I agree with Annie about attending the workshops and finding a leader that you like. One of the best tips I've received is making a "clean environment" meaning to keep only the good healthy food in your kitchen. For myself, I know that if I have chips or cookies or ice cream in the house, I will eat it all. I just don't have the willpower to eat one cookie. :) They do hand out lots of recipes and good information each week and just learning better ways to make the dishes you like and getting the support from fellow members. Ours is a very entertaining group and it's fun to be there. I don't purchase their food at all. I do have a hot air popcorn popper and several cookbooks that I bought but I would rather learn to eat regular food from the grocery store than the specialized products they offer. It's all about making good choices and they give you the tools to do that. Even when it comes to eating out, there is a section on the app listing restaurants and what they offer and how many points their entrees are. That is so helpful. It allows me to go out to eat and make good choices, even if one meal might be higher in points, I can plan my day around that and mitigate the damage. LOL It's very helpful and supportive and I highly recommend it. I am an emotional eater so I struggle some days more than others. But even if I have a gain one week, I know to just get back on track and continue on. I don't beat myself up about it. I really do feel so much better that it's well worth it. Good luck. I know you will do well.

Today I counted calories in addition to the WW points. i did that because I only lost 1/2 pound this week. I had 1200 calories but still have 10 points left! I did have healthy fat. I had sardines canned in oil for lunch. I'm not super hungry. I had chicken and a really nice salad for supper. I don't want to eat just to consume points. Dieting is hard!

1/2 lb loss is a victory as it's in the right direction. I used to be glad even if it was only 0.2 lbs. or even happy if I didn't gain.

Listen to your body...if you aren't hungry, then don't eat. Weight loss is not a steady process. In the beginning you lose quickly as it's water weight. Then as the body adjusts to the lower calories, weight loss can slow and sometimes even go up. Whenever I had been really good on program but it didn't show on the scale, I just said, I know I did right and the scale will catch up with me next week. And it often did, but not always. It's a hike down over rocky terrain, not a ski slope. When that happens, focus on the "non-scale victories" like how you feel, your energy level, if your clothes are fitting better, etc.

Remember too the other aspects of the program...maybe up your activity level, and make sure you're drinking lots of water.

Anne, the kinds of things I'm saying are exactly the kinds of things you'll hear in a workshop which is why going is such an important part of the program...the support and encouragement one can get there is incredible and essential because, as you said, it *is* hard.

Or, switch things around. Eat a bigger meal for lunch, and go lighter for dinner.

Hydrate, drink plenty of water.

I went through a phase a couple of decades ago, after losing pregnancy weight, of yo-yo-ing up and down 15-25 lbs. - even though I was running and cycling, I would still gain weight or not lose it. I finally signed up with Jenny Craig. I did lose the weight (and pretty fast, since the first couple of weeks are fairly low cal ( ~1200 calories/day IIRC). I learned "serving sizes" and portion control and balance. As a working single mother I also appreciated the prepared foods - maybe I wouldn't want to rely on that today.

However, what I really gained was insight into my "stress" eating and "treat" eating. I was going through some emotionally difficult things on top of a stressful job, and especially the "treat" eating (pastires, cookies, pasta) was doing me in. They had me keep a diary of every bite that went into my mouth - but not just the food, I logged how I was feeling physically (hunger or thirst), what I was feeling (emotionally), the reason I was eating, how I felt after eating.... that is what made the difference for me. I became aware of the eating that had nothing to do with hunger, thirst, or that didn't leave me feeling particularly healthy.

I did backslide a few times as the years went on, as stress mounted up in my new location and job, but I woke up and got back on track. Yes, now I will consciously "treat myself" to an ice cream binge once in while, but I make sure to balance the calories with lean protein and plenty of vegetables in the following days.