Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, NutriSystem, etc or other?

[BooeyJ2]

After completing a 4 day a week month long "bootcamp" (extreme workout class) and only losing 2.5 lbs (if even that), I need to find a new way to lose weight. My knees have been killing me for weeks, so I would like to start a program like Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, etc, but I don't know much about them (and really don't feel like reading all of their sites). I need to lose AT LEAST 20 lbs. I would love to know feedback and info from REAL PEOPLE, not just the success stories on their sites.

If you have done (or are doing) any of these type of programs, could you please let me know the following?


PROGRAM:
DATE STARTED:
TOTAL WEIGHT LOST:
APPROXIMATE WEEKLY COST:
PRO/CONS OF THE PROGRAM:
DO YOU WORKOUT AS WELL AS DOING THE PROGRAM? IF SO, HOW MANY DAYS A WEEK AND HOW LONG/WHAT TYPE (cardio, weights, etc)?:




Thank you SO much in advance!!!

[Myra]

PROGRAM: pseudo-weight watchers--I didn't join the program but I followed the basic principles of calorie counting (I weight in the 130s when I started, so I would eat 1300 cals per day)
DATE STARTED: June 2005
TOTAL WEIGHT LOST: 20 lbs
APPROXIMATE WEEKLY COST: $0
PRO/CONS OF THE PROGRAM: pros--if you screw up one day, no biggie, just do better the next day; cons--it takes a few weeks to get used to counting calories--figuring out the content of everything and writing it down
DO YOU WORKOUT AS WELL AS DOING THE PROGRAM? IF SO, HOW MANY DAYS A WEEK AND HOW LONG/WHAT TYPE (cardio, weights, etc)?: Yes. I run at least 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes. Also did weights (not as often as I should) and Pilates at least once a week. Days when I did not run, I would walk for an hour.

[wildcat]

Hey Julie...I can't tell you how much I LOVE WW!! I used it back in 2003 to lose weight before getting pregnant, and now I'm back to finish losing the baby weight! I think it's so easy to think of food in terms of points (e.g., is that cookie REALLY worth 4 of my points today or would I rather have a turkey sandwich? that sort of thing). It's totally helped my portion control and boredom eating issues. And I swear, the weight just falls off when I'm on WW!

I'll do 2 of these, one for 2003 and then again for post-baby:

PROGRAM: WW
DATE STARTED: 8/03
TOTAL WEIGHT LOST: 30 lbs (started 152, reached goal weight of 122 1/04, 5 months)
APPROXIMATE WEEKLY COST:$0 - I bought the materials on ebay and did it together with my DH (who lost 80 pounds in 5ish months)
PRO/CONS OF THE PROGRAM: pros - I still get to eat what I want, just not as much; I can use my FP's to eat out each week and not feel deprived; lots of flexibility. cons - hmmmm, it's annoying counting points at first but you get used to it, but it can get tedious; I really can't think of any others!
DO YOU WORKOUT AS WELL AS DOING THE PROGRAM? IF SO, HOW MANY DAYS A WEEK AND HOW LONG/WHAT TYPE (cardio, weights, etc)?: I didn't work out until I was at my goal weight bc I was afraid it would mess up the good thing I had going! I did start working out after reaching goal and was able to eat a little more without gaining...once I stopped working out and not sticking to WW, I gained 15 pounds over the course of a year before getting pregnant. The advantage to working out is that you earn extra points to eat!

PROGRAM: WW
DATE STARTED: 10/23/06
TOTAL WEIGHT LOST: 10 lbs with 19 to go (Lost the 10 lbs in 5 weeks. Since DH gained pregnancy along with me, he's also back on WW and has lost 11 pounds in 5 weeks)
APPROXIMATE WEEKLY COST: $0
PRO/CONS OF THE PROGRAM: see above
DO YOU WORKOUT AS WELL AS DOING THE PROGRAM? IF SO, HOW MANY DAYS A WEEK AND HOW LONG/WHAT TYPE (cardio, weights, etc)?: not working out this time either, really. With DD and work, it would have to be at 9pm and I like to watch tv instead!:p Once I hit goal, I'd like to start running again.

If you have any questions about WW, let me know!!

[jennylou]

Bumping! I'm thinking of starting something after the holidays and would love to hear more. :)

[greenbunny]

PROGRAM: Weight Watchers online (no meetings)

DATE STARTED: 9/26/06

TOTAL WEIGHT LOST: 10.5 so far on plan, 7 on my own before that, 10 to go

APPROXIMATE WEEKLY COST: $16.95 a month, so ~ $4.24 a week

PRO/CONS OF THE PROGRAM:

Pros: Totally private, no one needs to know I'm doing it.

No meetings to worry about fitting into my schedule (obviously not true of the regular program, this is for online only).

On Flex plan you can eat anything, as long as you make up for it later (this is not true of Core).

The online tracker makes it easy to keep count all day, even at work.

Cons: I don't feel they provide enough alternative suggestions for people with special restrictions; the focus is on totally healthy people who are only overweight. Ex: artificial sweeteners and nuts are a migraine trigger for me, but are highly recommended as sugar substitutes and a good protein source, respectively.

Until you get into the mindset, it's easy to miss points--I'm a nibbler/grazer and accounting for every single bite can be a PITA.

DO YOU WORKOUT AS WELL AS DOING THE PROGRAM? IF SO, HOW MANY DAYS A WEEK AND HOW LONG/WHAT TYPE (cardio, weights, etc)?:

Off and on. I have a bad knee (patello-femoral syndrome) and I find it hard to keep up with the PT exercises enough to avoid knee pain during cardio (even low-impact; I own an elliptical and still have problems). I stop working out when my knee gets bad and throw more effort into the PT movements for a while, then get back to 30-45 minutes of elliptical 3-4 days a week. I do arm weights 3-4 times a week no matter what.

[Hello Kitty]

Well, as much as I hate to admit, I used a commercial program to help shed some pounds and am going strong on maintenance. :)

PROGRAM: Weight Watchers - Core
CONCEPT: Eat to satisfaction as much as you want off a list of whole grains, fruits, veggies, lean meats and dairy. Add in a calculated amount of non-core foods to round out the program and your diet.
DATE STARTED: 12/05 (still following the program for maintenance)
TOTAL WEIGHT LOST: 15 lbs = 2-3 dress sizes
APPROXIMATE WEEKLY COST:Free, as I found all the materials and support needed to do it online :)
PRO/CONS OF THE PROGRAM:Con - there aren't a ton of fast food/dining out core food options or a lot of prepackaged things you can buy. Pro - there really are so many. You get to eat to satisfaction and when you're hungry. There's no running out of points, or feeling deprived. I've also learned to balance a healthy, wholesome diet along with the other things I love which has really helped me moderate my overindulgences on them. Last pro is that it has truly become a way of life - it's a way I can feed my DH and future DC. Maintaining has been absolutely awesome, and it just feels like this is the *right* way to eat.
DO YOU WORKOUT AS WELL AS DOING THE PROGRAM? IF SO, HOW MANY DAYS A WEEK AND HOW LONG/WHAT TYPE (cardio, weights, etc)?: Yep! On average - 3 days/week various cardio; 2-3 days weight training. Sometimes more :D, sometimes less :o

[lady1297]

It's not WW or one of the other's you mentioned, but it worked GREAT for me. .

PROGRAM: Curves with the diet plan
DATE STARTED: March 2006 (dabbled with it a bit in Jan and Feb too)
TOTAL WEIGHT LOST: 28 pounds
APPROXIMATE WEEKLY COST: Free, but $29 a month for Curves membership, you can do the 6 week challenge for $69.
PRO/CONS OF THE PROGRAM: Pros: I was never hungry. The foods were good, meal ideas/plans were provided along with recipes to try. If you do the class, there's lots of support. The protein shakes were not too bad tasting and additives were suggested. The book comes with approximate calories for many foods, lots more. I just loved it. It was more of a life long plan, less of a crash diet. It focused on increasing your metabolism through healthy eating (not crash dieting) and then working within the metabolism frame you were in. It was a lifestyle awakening for me. Cons: It was hard to get used to eating 6 times a day and drinking enough water. Also, adjusting your regular recipes to limit calories and carbs was difficult for me for awhile.

DO YOU WORKOUT AS WELL AS DOING THE PROGRAM? IF SO, HOW MANY DAYS A WEEK AND HOW LONG/WHAT TYPE (cardio, weights, etc)?: Yes, that was very important. 3 times a week at Curves for 30 minutes a time. Then I did also walk my dog and son daily for at least 1 hour (dog's minimum walk preference!).

[udsweetpea]

PROGRAM: Weight Weighters (no meetings)
DATE STARTED: Mid-August
TOTAL WEIGHT LOST: approx. 21
APPROXIMATE WEEKLY COST: free now I'm not going to meetings
PRO/CONS OF THE PROGRAM:

Pros~ It's free and flexible. I was going to meetings and that was $39.95 a month. I can eat whatever I want as long as I count the points for it. It encourages healthy eating for your entire life. It's a lifestyle change- not a diet.

Cons~ In the beginning, its hard to memorize the points values of everything and it gets tedious looking it up all the time.

DO YOU WORKOUT AS WELL AS DOING THE PROGRAM? IF SO, HOW MANY DAYS A WEEK AND HOW LONG/WHAT TYPE (cardio, weights, etc)?: I definitely believe it working out while eating right. I work out approximately 6 days a week for over an hour each day. I walk and run on the treadmill or outside on paved trails. I've just started doing the stationary bike. I do yoga one day a week but will be bumping that up when I start making more money. BF and I go hiking for several miles every Sunday. I also do light weight training. When I get tired of these things, I switch it up with Pilates, Tae Bo, and I hope to get Turbo Jam soon.

[ellidew]

I'm probably in the minority but i HATED weight watchers. There was too much freedom for me to choose all the foods i want therefore i would always convince myself this or that was alright to eat. Needless to say i failed miserably!

I did this before i got pg and i'm starting again the day after christmas.

PROGRAM: LA Weightloss
DATE STARTED: Sept 6, 2005-Feb 2006
TOTAL WEIGHT LOST: 32 lbs
APPROXIMATE WEEKLY COST: Anywhere from $3-$9 depending on when i bought them.
PRO/CONS OF THE PROGRAM: Cons, have to buy their protein bars called LA Lites. However, i think for a weeks supply it's $14. You get to eat two a day and they are almost all covered in chocolate so that's a Pro! lol.
Pro: One on one meeting with a 'couselor' at anytime, no appt needed and no group meetings. It really helps to personalize it and kept me motivated and helped me get over some hurdles. There were days when i planned more food than i could even eat. I felt like i was eating all day long and to this day i can't figure out how i was LOSING weight while eating so much!!
DO YOU WORKOUT AS WELL AS DOING THE PROGRAM? IF SO, HOW MANY DAYS A WEEK AND HOW LONG/WHAT TYPE (cardio, weights, etc)?: Didn't do a single workout the entire time AND made it through Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. Can only imagine how well i would've done if i WAS working out!! I have an elliptical this time around! ;)

LA Weightloss is different than most other programs. You are given a book of foods and their portion sizes based on your weight and weight loss goals. It contains all the fruits, vegetables, proteins, dairy, starches, condiments, beverages, etc... that you are allowed to eat. You are then given a diary book that gives a place to record daily food plans and check offs for each item you can consume. For instance, i believe i could have 2 proteins, 4 vegetables, 3 fruits, 1 dairy, 2 starches, and the 2 LA Lites previously mentioned. (ex of portion sizes: 1 small apple=1 fruit 1 cup of lettuce=1 vegetable 1 light yogurt = 1 dairy 1 slice of bread = 1 starch)

This diet worked for me because i was given specific guidelines about what i could consume. There wasn't any guessing at points or fudging how i could squeeze in a snickers bar or something like that and then starve the rest of the day. Basically, i don't have the self control for a diet like weight watchers. LA Weightloss was very specific. It helped me tremendously to have a one on one meeting each week too and i didn't have to worry about getting there in time for a meeting, i could just show up whenever. Sometimes i had to wait but most of the time i walked right in and sat down with someone.

Also, I just bought ALL of the weeks i need to reach my goal weight (81 pounds) I had 9 weeks left over from before i was pregnant so i bought 32 weeks for $3 a week!! It cost me $96. It's all paid for so i don't have to worry about paying each week. I don't recall if there was a membership fee since it's been so long since i initially signed up. I know the $3 a week special is running through Christmas. Normally they are $9 but they are routinely on sale for $5-$7. $3 is the cheapest i've ever seen it.

This is the only diet i've been succesful at and like i said... i was eating so much food some days i couldn't believe i was losing weight!

[Hello Kitty]

elliedw - I don't mean this snarkily, but what are you doing to maintain your loss on LAWL? What foods are you eating? What do you do when you go out?

I'm not critiquing the program, it's just something I've always heard from the program's critics, and I'd love to hear your experience.

[ellidew]

Seb's Kitty- I'm not... well, not yet. I hadn't reached my goal weight in Feb when i got pg. I am starting the plan again in a week. Part of the package with LAWL includes a couple of weeks of stabilization, where i assume they develop a plan to help you maintain and then 1 year of maintenance. Since i never reached maintenance i don't know what it includes. They don't just abandon you though and you still check in with them and weigh in.

When i'd go out to eat i'd usually have a salad with light dressing and, since i'm a vegetarian, i'd often have a veggie burger. I'd cut the entire sandwich in half and put both halves of the burger on 1 half of the bun. This would = 1 protein, 1 starch and 2 vegetables. Since i don't eat meat i don't know what others would do. I splurged every now and then but i never ate a tub of pasta or anything.

I'm surprised there are such critics out there since the entire diet promotes healthy balanced eating. (something i never mastered on ww) You eat from each food group each and every day. Basically you shop the outside of the market. You can eat things like lean cuisine frozen dinners and what not. They count as 1 protein and 1 starch. Like i said in my pringinal post too: I have no idea how i was losing weight eating so much!! It seems to go against everything we're brainwashed to think. Starvation = weightloss

[RobynScott]

I did LAWL as well in 2002 - I found that it worked very well for me. I lost 30 pounds from January to June. The next 5 I did more WW than LAWL b/c by that point, I was ready for some more freedom. I have 'followed' WW since then but more for maintenance than losing.

LAWL is very restrictive (in my opinion) - but - it did help me get the weight off. I will probably try WW again after baby but if I have trouble getting the weight off (or if they are running a special ;) - I am prepared to return to LAWL. Like ellidew, I found the strictness of the program very good for me (most of the time).

[ellidew]

LAWL is very restrictive (in my opinion)

I agree... especially when compared to weight watchers 'eat anything' approach. However, 'eat anything' to me means 'eat anything'. I don't have that kind of self control. I'm the first to admit it. I don't think it's restrictive in a sense that there isn't anything to eat. There are 2-3 pages of proteins you can eat, 2 pages of vegetables and fruits, etc... Basically anything you can buy on the outside of the market is in the book.

However, LAWL does promote a healthy lifestyle since you are using almost all fresh foods. Nothing prepared like instant potatoes.

[udsweetpea]

I think there's critics with LAWL because they're not informed. For me, for example, I didn't know you could eat what you can on LAWL until this thread. I always thought their food came in boxes like NutriSystem, and you were forced to buy it. Thanks for the info ladies!

[Hello Kitty]

I agree, UDS - thanks for the info, ladies. :)

IMO, it sounds very similar to the diabetic exchange program, which I'm not sure if they do that anymore or not. I would assume, then, that the maintenance phase just adds in a couple more exchanges.

[RobynScott]

I agree, UDS - thanks for the info, ladies. :)

IMO, it sounds very similar to the diabetic exchange program, which I'm not sure if they do that anymore or not. I would assume, then, that the maintenance phase just adds in a couple more exchanges.

Seb's Kitty - I think that's probably right. I agree with Ellidew that there is a lot you can eat - however, I also found there was not much room for error. I remember when I was first on it (after a few months) writing down that I had eaten a few french fries and being yelled at. Although I don't want a free-for-all - I needed some freedom to eat off plan on occasion.

Also, the counselors you meet with are not nutritionists - they are salespeople trying to get you to buy as much product as you can. (I've discussed this with a former LAWL counselor) - Also, I really hated the fact that they asked me about my bowel movements at every meeting - eww. But - like I said - the strictness worked. For me, it would not be a lifetime solution - but it certainly was the best plan I have ever followed to take weight off. I feel however that Weight Watchers (and the points system) taught me more about how to eat in the real world (for instance - is that sandwich/cookie/french fry / whatever) worth the points - rather than just avoiding it altogether.

Hope that makes sense - there's pros and cons to all plans - for me, I'll probably return to LAWL for losing and WW for maintenance / lifestyle. (though I'll probably try to start with WW b/c it's less $$, *lol*). The best of all worlds would be to follow an LAWL type diet on WW - controlled amounts of healthy eating. (probably similar to the WW CORE plan)

I will say - I never got my F & V in better than when I was on LAWL.

HTH!

[Jess71903]

I am trying to decide exactly what to do to lose some weight. We have done WW before with success, but I just saw a friend who has lost 30 lbs on LAWL and decided to look into it. I would love some more info! When you meet your goal, what do you do for maintenence?

[Peppy]

PROGRAM: Jenny Craig
DATE STARTED: 9/1/03-1/1/04
TOTAL WEIGHT LOST: 35 pounds
APPROXIMATE WEEKLY COST: $100-120
PRO OF THE PROGRAM: The first phase of the program (until you are halfway to your goal) you eat Jenny Craig foods, adding in some yogurt, milk, veggies and fruits of your own. This takes a lot of discretion out of dieting and makes it more difficult to cheat. Once you hit your halfway point, you start to eat non-Jenny Craig foods, which allows you to gradually change your eating lifestyle, so that when you hit your goal you can maintain your weight. Their frozen foods are quite tasty. Also, you can do the program through a Jenny Craig weightloss center, or as Jenny Direct, where your food is sent to your home. I didn't want to go to a center, so I chose Jenny Direct, but I think it is good to have the option.
CONS OF THE PROGRAM: The cost can be very expensive for some people, depending on how much you usually spend on food a week. As a vegetarian, I sometimes get bored with the food options (they have many more options for non-veggies).
DO YOU WORKOUT AS WELL AS DOING THE PROGRAM? IF SO, HOW MANY DAYS A WEEK AND HOW LONG/WHAT TYPE (cardio, weights, etc)?: No, I just hate working out, although the Jenny Craig program does encourage working out.

In reading about the LAWL program, this program sounds like it has some similarities. The entire Jenny Craig program is based on the diabetic exchange system, so you get a certain number of starches, fats, "meats," fruits and veggies every day. Once you learn your exchanges, you can transition away from eating Jenny Craig food to just eating regularly. This program really worked incredibly well for me and I had a very easy time losing the weight. It also teaches you how to eat in the real world, which is a big plus.

Unfortunately, I haven't kept all of it off--I have regained about 15 pounds, which really isn't Jenny Craig's fault, as they have a lot of maintenance support available. It's mainly because I like to indulge in sweets, so about a year after I went into maintenance I allowed myself to do so. However, I am starting back up to lose the extra weight.