Squirrels is good eatin'! But you can't eat jus one'em. They ain't got much meat on'em. They do fry up good though.

So proud of you for joining and good luck with everything at your UWS WW meetings. Can't wait to swap "war stories"!!!!!

That was one of the funniest things I've ever read. It's alarming that processed foods are more on the preferred list. I would much rather have blueberries with yogurt and it seems that it would make you less hungry later - cookies having sugar and all. Squirrels? Beavers? Is this for real? Are these really in the book? Sorry to sound naive...

kielbasa and beaver. muwahahahaha!!

Hee hee heee... you said "kielbasa".

i have always been on the "real food is better than anything you can microwave and still call dinner" side, and i have been doing ww for a while and it's working just fine with the not eating the processed foods. (in fact, whenever i try the frozen dinners i am always hungry right after.) i would just say eat what you think will fill you up and still be around your points range - though i will say berries with lite cool whip is pretty damn good replacement for the yogurt if you're looking for a dessert.

Good for you. WW is a good plan and if you follow it you will loss weight. But don't lose sight that it is a company and money is their object. When they hand out special pamplets of information they really hype them, but about 70% of the content is ads and coupons for chemical laden crap.

It is more difficult to learn WW if you are avoiding sugar-free and fat-free products, but as someone else said, it can be done. I'd rather count the points for real cheese or skip it than use fat-free wood-pulpy cheese like substances.

Good luck finding points for Thai food too. Oh, if you haven't already, check out Dotti's Restaurant list. Lots of info there. http://www.dottisweightlosszone.com/restaurants.html

Actually, my Dad did WW with a friend -- that is, a friend went to meetings, and shared all of the diet stuff with my Dad. I'm not sure precisely how he did it, but he didn't have any of the pre-packaged stuff from the program, and still managed to lose a significant amount of weight despite his loose adherence to the WW rules. So it can be done.

my favorite weight watchers weirdness:

put a layer chocolate graham crackers in a brownie tin, cover them with cool whip, and put another layer on top. put them in the freezer.

voila: weirdo ice cream sandwiches, which are surprisingly good.. if you don't mind cool whip.

The genius of WW is that you are not eating the foods that only they sell and tell you what to eat (unlike, say, Jenny Craig). You're basically eating whatever you want -- in moderation combined with exercise.

WW is sneaky. Yes, you can eat whatever you want, but if you want to feel full, you have to pack in the fiber, vegetables and water. Which is great if you are used to eating junk, because it eventually convinces you that life is better when you eat a lot of high fiber bread and spinach. I did it online, so I didn't have any meetings and never bought WW food, and I found myself eating the healthiest, most balanced diet ever, just by trying to get the most fullness for my points. Anyways, I swear by WW. And air-popped popcorn.

Squirrel tastes just like chicken. Don't ask me how I know this. But it does.

actually I COMPLETELY disagree with your comments about WW leaning heavily on processed foods. How are you coming to this conclusion? The majority of the 'dieting' population wants quick fixes - easy meals and prepackaged foods, so if you are seeing their materials outlining point values for prepackaged meals it would be due to industry demand rather then a recommendation that prepackaged is better then a homecooked meal.

Also, point values are not based on something being 'good' or 'bad' - its calories, fat and fiber. I don't know which yogurt you are referring to but natural yogurts are high in fat, and the processed 'light' ones are high in sugar which equals more calories. 100 calorie foods (like ONE or TWO cookies) are always going to be lower in points then a 200+ yogurt/strawberries combo.

Generally speaking, higher fiber lowers the point value so yes - they recognize those benefits.

Also, you DON'T have to buy their products. That's the other cool thing about it. I think my fiancee and I have purchased WW frozen meals maybe twice in the 12 weeks we've been at it. If your WW group or leader is pushing their products too heavily, find another chapter.

TLC - from my experience, she is right - they push whatever is the lowest points value - and OFTEN that is chemically processed food...

my last few weeks of WW, i was no longer on the prescribed program, rather a modified version which used all of my flex points, but ate real, healthy food. i was much happier, less bloated and lost more weight that way... its just a matter of making their system work for you... and swear off of anything with corn syrup. your body doesnt recognize those calories as making you full, and studies have been done to show that you will eat more - almost exactly the same amount as the corn syrup you have ingested...

good luck!

I've been on WW three times. Each time I lose a little, then plateau, then gain. It's depressing. But if you tell me when your UWS meetings are, maybe I'll stop in with you sometime. Good luck, and I hope you'll be an inspiration to me and others among the frustrated...

At least you are not expounding on the values of Atkins. All of my colleagues are on Atkins. My neighbors. My mother.

If one more person comes near me and whispers "Atkins" I am going to force-feed them potato flour.

Squirrel and dumplings is awesome.

Atkins? Shudder. No. That attempt lasted about a week.

As for the whole branded/processed lean of Weight Watchers:
1. I think it is hard to argue that a company with eyes on it’s own profit margins are not going to push their own brand of highly processed/flavor enhanced meals and snacks, most especially when these foods were designed to appear as the ultimate way to eat full meals and keep your points down.
2. ¾ of their food guide is filled with the point values of other food brands, usually processed. I am sure these companies paid some fees to WW to appear in the book, the same way Atkins-friendly brands pay for the use of the icon.
3. Trying to figure the point value of a salad with five ingredients and salad dressing nearly makes my head explode, while eating a Amy’s Vegetable Burrito from the freezer case is a simple, non-head-explosive 5 points.

man this got serious all of a sudden. i'm sticking to a doughnut (creme filled)and cucumber diet myself.

i lost 12lbs in two weeks on Atkins. it rules!

I'll still disagree that they 'recommend' prepacked processed foods...BUT I will give ya that I'm sure your experience is different in a different state. Our meeting center (and meetings) are very warm-fuzzy and not at all product focused. I believe that AZ is a franchise and so maybe they run it differently out here.... The wild west and all. ;)

As for tracking points and all that (to discourage anymore head exploding!) - I've found the best and easiest way is to track it through their website. You've got every food (processed AND unprocessed!) in a db, and you just add your items in as you nosh. It tracks use of flex points, does calcs for activity (and updates points based on activity). It also calculates the point values in a recipe/serving for you - you can add in your own recipes and your own items to the points list. All those crappy books they try and sell you? Every recipe and more is on the website. Its really very impressive...Of course you have to pay extra for it, but I've found it tremendously easy to track things using it...being the webgeek I am.

Also, they have menu plans that you can follow if you like....BUT there is no mention of WW products on the weekly menus. ;)

Is there anything sadder than being your own 3300th comment? (The last one, not this one, oh forget it!)

i feel silly commenting on this, since i work as a dietitian, but i must say...
we all know that what works for one never is the answer for everyone. there are ver few criteria for a successful weight lose diet in my book. do you lose weight on it? yes? are you a)eating and b)eating a variety of foods that had parents or grew from a plant? well, then it's fine.
weight watchers' new system with the points (ignoring the point-friendly packaged products) is awesome because it promotes balance, variety and choice. plus, the atmosphere is positive and non-judgemental. i've encountered other weight loss groups where the person who lost the least amount of weight that week is forced to wear a pig's nose for the entire meeting.

*crickets chirping*

sorry for the intrusion... best of luck, ms. smit!!! i can't wait to hear more about the meetings. i've always wanted to go undercover to one and check it out for myself!! you are the next best thing!!

My mom did Weight Watchers for awhile years ago. (She went off it and is now on a "no more diets" plan, which involves eating good food and excersising.) I didn't really do it along with her, but I used the points to get a sense of how much I should be eating. I wound up losing a bunch of weight that way. (I was also 15 and taking lifesaving courses that had me in the pool 5 days a week.)

One way to get around the processed food thing is find cookbooks that include nutrition information for the completed recipe.

Good luck!

i am starving,......i repeat....starving on weight watchers...each time i go on it i lose about 10 lbs., then seem to plateau and then gain it all back....the stuff withlittle or no points values fills you up at first, then youre starving an hour later...