Food Mover Program...

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 12/2/2001 10:29:34 AM Eastern Standard Time,

Serious-Weight-Watchers writes:

> I've been on the Points program since 11/7. Prior to that I was using

> Simmon's Food Mover and had lost 60 lbs, but I began to

> relapse after September 11th. I gained 5 lbs is about six weeks and

> knew I was in trouble.

>

Here's irony for you <g> - you've BEEN on weight watchers - albeit the old

program. Years ago - around 5-6, actually - WW was done in " selections " that

are very much like the American Diabetic Association " exchanges " - you got a

specific number of meat selections, fruit, veggie, fat, water, bread, milk,

ect. Later they combined groups for simplicity sake - meat/milk,

fruit/veggie, bread, fat - and extra " calories " to use for the little stuff

that you couldn't count (creamer, ketchup, etc). The program was fantastic,

and in many ways it was superior to the points because it was harder to cheat

- you had to have so many selections of each area in your diet - no more, and

no less. That *was* weight watchers for the first 20 years or more.

Later, when the fiber issue became public, they started a " fat and fiber "

variation (that didn't work). You counted fiber and fat grams, but not your

quantilies so much. Bad idea... french bread has no fat, and lots of fiber,

so you could eat all you wanted. At 3 loaves a day, how much weight would

you GAIN? Bad idea - but the flexibility was good. It came at the same time

as " weekend off " - where you had more points on the weekend than during the

week (the way that most WW employess maintain their weight loss) - again, not

ideal for losign weight, but easy to follow.

Finally they went to points - as I said, maybe 5 years ago. I know it was

after I made lifetime back in 95. Anyway, it was a good balance. The

" rules " about some protein, 5 veggie/fruits, and 2 milks balance out freedom

with limitation (your maximum points). The fat/fiber concentration is still

there, and while you CAN cheat the program, it's more difficult to do so and

STILL follow the rules.

As WW faded from the selection base, and even slightly before,

capitalized on the idea with " deal a meal " . Again, a simple concept

- it was the ORIGINAL weight watchers selections!! You transferred cards as

you ate " servings " of each food type, and when you ran out of cards, you

stopped. For convienience, that's been changed to a little box you carry

around - and there you have it.

Okay, now you know what 15 years of WW can do for you <g>. The bottom line

is that it's all about portion control, awareness, water, balance, and

exercise. All diets are - and mathematically, if you have more calories

burned than you have eaten, weight loss is eventual. What WW has that

doesn't is this: SUPPORT. It's the group support, behavior

modification, and accountablity (stepping on that damn scale every week) that

keep you losing - so long as you keep going.

Weight watchers isn't a new idea - it's been around forever, and it's always

been the best of the programs around it. It's grown and adapted as

nutritional information has become available, and it stays on the cutting

edge of science. It works - because it STAYS better than the programs around

it.

So now you know... you were always on Weight Watchers - you just didn't know

it!

-Crys-

171.4 / 160.8 / 135 Lost 10.8 since 11/2/01

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!