Don’t get me wrong, I love Weight Watchers. Unlike Jenny Craig, Slim-Fast, NutriSystem, and all other similar diet programs, Weight Watchers doesn’t require you to buy ONLY their food. Seems so easy, right?Pay a few hundred $$ upfront, and we’ll ship you all you have to eat for the next three weeks. As long as you only eat what they send, you’re guaranteed to lose weight!
Except the food they send is usually frozen, packed with additives to make it last (like salt!).
I find that those types of weight loss programs don’t really teach you how to lose weight. What’s healthy. How to prepare food. It doesn’t encourage you to learn really.
So yes, I’m all for the Weight Watchers program that helps you in baby steps! (For the first few weeks, they now give you a tracker that you CAN use to plan meals. It even has a grocery list! But I digress in my point here…).
What I don’t agree with is the rule about staying 2 lb. below, or 2 lb above your goal weight.
When I was told to pick my goal weight, all I was told was that it had to be within my healthy weight range of 119-146 (though I’ve been told the top of my range is 150 now). I picked 140 lb. as my ideal weight because it wasn’t at the top and when I weighed 119 many years ago, I thought I was a bit too skinny. Anything in the 130-range seemed SO impossible to get and to maintain so I avoided those numbers.
But now that I’ve gotten to 140 and “maintained” it for a while, I like the idea of being in the 130s even more. I’ve been holding steady-ish at 138 (2 lb. below) for some time and think that a new goal of 135 would be worth it.
Here’s the problem with Weight Watchers: If I go below 138, I have to pay them until I get to my new weight. Then I have to go through the 6 weeks of maintenance again, go through becoming a LifeTime member again, etc. This would effectively cost about $100. FOR THREE LB.
I don’t agree with Weight Watchers in this. Why have a bottom cap? I understand that the program strives to help you maintain a constant weight, since, let’s face it, we joined the program because we let our weight spiral out of control.
But I’ve been with the program for more than a year and have learned lots about healthy eating and what my body can handle. Now that I’ve introduced working out into my life (baby steps folks!), I think I can manage a 135 lb. body.
Weight Watchers just wants to have a cut of that, profitwise.
*sigh*
What would you do if you were in my shoes? (DH did suggest I just lose those 3 lb. and when it comes time for weighing in, I stuff my shoes with light weights so I weigh in between 138-142. ;p).
YES! I love Ross’ idea. Don’t let them cheat you out of money; seems like they really are trying to profit off your 3lb loss, and that’s not right!
Has it only been a year? Goodness, time travels fast.
ANYWAY, I think you raise a very valid complaint! I also think that after a year, you’re well adjusted to what their program expects and insists to get the results you want (obviously, I mean hi tiny girl, HI), and I bet you ANYTHING between the results you’ve already gotten, you KNOW what to do to get to your goal weight without their help!
I’d say…keep it an option, but see if you can do it on your own first. It’d be a good challenge, and proof for the future, should you need it, that you can do it all on your own!
So let me get this straight…even if you lose the 3lbs without setting a new “goal weight” they still charge you?? That seems a little silly. I guess maybe it’s to deter people from the whole gain/lose seesaw but seriously….
It’s because that 3 lb. would put me out of my target weight. So I’d be charged until I hit the 2 lb. up or down from my target… but if I chose to change my target I’d be charged until I got there and maintained.
It’s so that you learn to stay one weight. But how do you know what your ideal weight is until you get close enough to it? Hell you can just reach in a bag and grab a damn number…everything seems so far away when you have 35+ lb. to lose. I was happy to get to 140, but now that I’m 138, I feel like 135 might be better for me.
It’s all about money anyhow. Weight Watchers doesn’t have as good of a program to help sustain LifeTime members. Know why? Because they want you to fail so you can go back into the system and pay more! I’m not going AGAINST Weight Watchers here…but it’s my viewpoint. They developed a whole program for members, and when you get to goal…you don’t have as much support.
Huh? That sounds like a totally ridiculous system! I can kind of understand the rationale behind charging you for going over your goal weight…but under? And you’re right, the “goal weight” you pick at the beginning is pretty random, so I don’t know why they hold you to that so stringently. I like Ross’s idea!
Dumb. lol! I lost 50+ lbs by myself over 2 years ago & have kept it off no problems… My weight fluctuates a few lbs from summer to winter, but it doesnt cost me $100.
It doesn’t seem right, I know. I do like having the threshold of not going above a certain limit… all these gimmicky weight loss things are truly about money in the end!
If you are so unhappy with being charged the fee I would do what was suggested comments ago, try doing it on your own..you’ve come this far and I agree you’ve learned enough to make it work for you. Put the ugly behind you and keep it going “remember there is no future in the past” be well and live happy.