Weight Watchers Freestyle Program- PLEASE SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hate the new freestyle. I quit tracking for a few months. I went from 30 points to 23 daily. I cannot make that work no matter what I do. I know this is probably all mental but I could keep on track at 30. I know there are lots of zero points but I think most of them were zero points already. So now I am just hungry all the time, I give up on tracking. I wish there was a way to just reset it to 30 points.

I thought this at first too (although I only went from 28 to 23). You basically have to rely on lean protein like eggs, chicken, beans, nonfat dairy, and really fill up on fruits and veggies. I resented it at first because I felt it pushed me to low-fat protein, which is not necessarily supported by science, but I got used to it.

[Anonymous]

I love Freestyle. I lost 25 lbs and I'm on Maintenance and have lost 4 more.

My average day:

Breakfast: A thins roll toasted with container of Wholly Guacamole and sliced tomatoes. Two cups of coffee with fat free half and half

Snack: Banana or apple or both

Lunch: Chicken and cantalope; Lentils from Trader Joes with chicken; turkey pepperoni and string cheese and pickles; usually have fruit and carrot sticks, sometimes a sugar free pudding (2 points).

Snack: Skinny pop popcorn or a banana or fage fat free yogurt with berries

Dinner: Salmon or shrimp or sushi; veggies; lentils from trader joes. Sometimes a Healthy Choice bar. Fruit if I feel like it, as much as I want.

[Anonymous]

I like the plan. I've been on it for exactly 4 weeks today- I skipped a week because I was travelling and handling a stressful situation and ate dinner out each night(watched myself during days but not at night), so really only followed the plan for 3 weeks. I've gone from 142 to 136 lbs so I'm very happy with the results so far.

I find the freestyle program pretty easy to follow and understand that the program steers me toward healthier food. Anything processed seems to suck the points up quickly.

Yogurt can be done many ways- I make salad dressings, use it as sour cream, put it on fajitas, southwestern eggs with yogurt and salsa, breakfast with 1tsp and berries or bananas, add 1 tsp chocolate for a choc like pudding.

Chicken can also be done a zillion ways- so it doesn't get boring.

Lunch is chicken salad- lots of celery mixed in for crunch.
I also eat a can of tuna with a tbsp of light mayo mixed in on pepperidge farm wheat bread once a week- very satisfying sandwich.

I eat a lot of veggies- I buy the crunch salad packets but only use a fraction of the dressing.

pasta night- I make sauce from scratch with ground turkey breast and it's 0 points. Then I go with a big portion of the meatsauce and 1/2 to 1 cup of pasta- it's satisfying.

I sprinkle cheese on certain foods, salads, etc. but only use very flavorful cheese like feta, gorgonzola, swiss, etc. because a small amount adds a lot of flavor.

I'm happy with the plan- it's making me change the way I eat and also what I order when dining out. Yesterday I went to Panera and had an egg, ham and cheese sandwich on wheat toast, but took the top piece of bread off so it was about 8 points and it held me over until the afternoon.

Also- I eat a snack at 4pm each day so I don't stuff myself when I get home from work- it really has made a big difference in my evening calories....

I'm motivated for the next 5 pounds to come off.

[Anonymous]

Urghhhh I am having a hard time with the freedom of it but re-committing today. I do like it in theory but there are so many zero point foods I get loose with keeping track of the ones to count. It is counter intuitive that too mich freedom is hard to follow but that has been my struggle

[Anonymous]

Smartpoints did not work for me. Got within 2-3lbs of my goal and just couldn't get there. I then had a very stressful year in which I rapidly lost 10lbs and gained 17 without really noticing or trying.

I haven't signed back up for Freestyle but am trying to eat as much of the 0-point foods as possible and I am down almost 8lbs from the beginning of the year. I would like to lose 4 more lbs and I think Freestyle is a good way for me. Since I am mostly vegetarian, I love that eggs, a lot of fat-free dairy, and beans are all 0 points now.

For breakfasts, I've been doing baked oatmeal with a lot of fruit, plain yogurt with fruit, or egg-vegetable bakes (I take my breakfast to work so it has to be prepared beforehand and easily re-heatable).

Fruit (sometimes with pb) or vegetables (often with a bean or plan yogurt-based dip) have been good snacks.

Vegetable and bean curries, soups, and other mixtures have been great on this plan--I add tortillas, naan, whole-wheat pasta, brown rice, a baked sweet potato, quinoa, or something else because I love carbs and it makes it feel like a real meal to me, but try to limit the portions. I also like shakshusha--eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce. Very satisfying with a pita on the side. I also have gotten into spaghetti squash.

[Anonymous]

I have been on it for 4 weeks, and have lost just under 10 pounds. I lost over 30 pounds on WW about 15 years ago. But, when I stopped following the program though its various changes, and became a mom, I gained back all 30 plus 20 more. I am hoping that Freestyle works for me long term. I thin kit will, because it is really how I should be eating anyway. The program is making me aware of how much I was loading up on carbs like rice and pasta. I have switched to riced cauliflower and zucchini noodles.

[Anonymous]

Brand new joiner here. I lost 40 lbs on WW back in 2008 or so (whatever program that was, plus a ton of exercise) and kept it off for years using LoseIt to track calories when needed, but gained it all back after having a baby ... who is now in preschool. I just signed up for WW with coaching, to try and fix my habits. I'm hopeful!

[Anonymous]

I’ve recently started and am down 8 pounds in the first three weeks but now it’s coming off slow. I’m basically doing a low fat low carb diet with fruit. I cut out half and half and drink black coffee and don’t eat cheese anymore. I’m not that hungry since I can snack on fruit and plain fat free Greek yogurt. I like that nothing is off limits so I can have crackers if I still with veggies and low fat meat the rest of the day. I was a low carb dieter for years and it never worked long term since it was too restrictive. Good luck to all!

[Anonymous]

I just started it and I’m finding the FF thing kind of weird, a nonfat plain Greek yogurt is 0 points and a 2 percent plain yogurt is 5. Not sure that makes sense. I can see I’m going to be eating A LOT of eggs. I did WW a few years ago and I think I had 26 points, 23 is challenging.

[Anonymous]

I just started and I'm having trouble getting out of the Ideal Protein mindset where many veggies and all fruit were banned.

I hope it gets easier as I go on because I feel like the Freestyle will be a good program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just started it and I’m finding the FF thing kind of weird, a nonfat plain Greek yogurt is 0 points and a 2 percent plain yogurt is 5. Not sure that makes sense. I can see I’m going to be eating A LOT of eggs. I did WW a few years ago and I think I had 26 points, 23 is challenging.

Yeah, my only complaint with Freestyle is that they penalize full-fat dairy too much. But I've gotten used to the nonfat Greek yogurt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just started it and I’m finding the FF thing kind of weird, a nonfat plain Greek yogurt is 0 points and a 2 percent plain yogurt is 5. Not sure that makes sense. I can see I’m going to be eating A LOT of eggs. I did WW a few years ago and I think I had 26 points, 23 is challenging.

Yeah, my only complaint with Freestyle is that they penalize full-fat dairy too much. But I've gotten used to the nonfat Greek yogurt.

I just started Freestyle this week. I've done WW before, years ago, and I am finding Freestyle both very challenging and really interesting - I am a behavior change specialist, and what WW is doing here is fascinating. They are using points not as a calorie counting measure, but as negative and positive reinforcement for helpful and unhelpful behavior. So full fat dairy and olive oil are "punished" more than I their contribution to weight gain merits, but the point is to push you away from relying on fats for flavor. The actual calorie contribution of fat to a given meal is practically irrelevant - its the nudge that is important.

I've used all sorts of methods to maintain a 50 lb weight loss from 5 years ago - I kinda have to try new things as my body tries to gain back the weight. This one is giving me whiplash, as I had good results from intermittent fasting with liberal use of fats, including lots of full fat dairy and olive oil. But the weight started to creep back, so here goes with something new. I must say I am eating a hell of a lot more vegetables and fruit and beans, and am sadly giving up three of my six cups of coffee because of the cream. But I realize no one needs six cups of coffee a day, so maybe this was the right time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just started it and I’m finding the FF thing kind of weird, a nonfat plain Greek yogurt is 0 points and a 2 percent plain yogurt is 5. Not sure that makes sense. I can see I’m going to be eating A LOT of eggs. I did WW a few years ago and I think I had 26 points, 23 is challenging.

Yeah, my only complaint with Freestyle is that they penalize full-fat dairy too much. But I've gotten used to the nonfat Greek yogurt.

I just started Freestyle this week. I've done WW before, years ago, and I am finding Freestyle both very challenging and really interesting - I am a behavior change specialist, and what WW is doing here is fascinating. They are using points not as a calorie counting measure, but as negative and positive reinforcement for helpful and unhelpful behavior. So full fat dairy and olive oil are "punished" more than I their contribution to weight gain merits, but the point is to push you away from relying on fats for flavor. The actual calorie contribution of fat to a given meal is practically irrelevant - its the nudge that is important.

I've used all sorts of methods to maintain a 50 lb weight loss from 5 years ago - I kinda have to try new things as my body tries to gain back the weight. This one is giving me whiplash, as I had good results from intermittent fasting with liberal use of fats, including lots of full fat dairy and olive oil. But the weight started to creep back, so here goes with something new. I must say I am eating a hell of a lot more vegetables and fruit and beans, and am sadly giving up three of my six cups of coffee because of the cream. But I realize no one needs six cups of coffee a day, so maybe this was the right time.

How fascinating! Love DCUM for posters like you. Please post back how you are experiencing Freestyle!

I agree that Freestyle is mean to penalize relying on fat and sugar for flavor, as well as simple carbs. But I'm not sure penalizing fat is really scientifically supported, unless it's combined with carbs. But regardless, I feel like I still end up able to get a lot of tasty fat into my diet, mostly in the way I cook veggies. And I have absolutely noticed a big change to eating more veg and fruit on a daily basis, compared to the last WW version.

The other thing I appreciate about Freestyle is that it is MUCH easier than the last version because there's less tracking. I really like that aspect.

One thing I wish they'd add to the app is a journal function, so I can keep track of how I'm feeling when I eat well, and what triggered snack attacks. There's also no way to integrate the weekly goals I set with my coach. That's annoying!

[Anonymous]

DP here who just started Freestyle: I just had my first session with a coach and was pressing her a bit on whether people actually lose on Freestyle, because it absolutely is possible to overeat the zero points foods. The coach did not articulate the behavior change theory that PP did (which is fascinating) but I could tell the coach did not love Freestyle and did not have a lot of weight loss success stories to share. I feel like it works if your habits are really bad to start, but I don't know if it will work for me.

I would say 60% of my current (overweight) diet is zero points foods -- I eat pretty well, I just eat too much. And, my current habits leave me a lot of points for chocolate and wine. The coach said I really need to focus on whether I feel full ... but I don't need WW to do that so I am skeptical. I paid for a month of coaching and I see coaching as the real value here (vs the plan) so I will give it an honest try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DP here who just started Freestyle: I just had my first session with a coach and was pressing her a bit on whether people actually lose on Freestyle, because it absolutely is possible to overeat the zero points foods. The coach did not articulate the behavior change theory that PP did (which is fascinating) but I could tell the coach did not love Freestyle and did not have a lot of weight loss success stories to share. I feel like it works if your habits are really bad to start, but I don't know if it will work for me.

I would say 60% of my current (overweight) diet is zero points foods -- I eat pretty well, I just eat too much. And, my current habits leave me a lot of points for chocolate and wine. The coach said I really need to focus on whether I feel full ... but I don't need WW to do that so I am skeptical. I paid for a month of coaching and I see coaching as the real value here (vs the plan) so I will give it an honest try.

Yes, this was my problem, too. I can and do overeat "healthy" foods, including the zero point foods. I gained on this program, and quickly. I'm glad it's working for others, but I wish that WW gave you the option of staying with previous programs that focused as much on portion control.