Weight Watchers 1-2-3 Success Community Meetings

Pros: No forbidden foods. Weekly weight-ins and support are incentives.
Cons: It is expensive. It is possible to eat junk.

Update- 3/11/03 I have been a Lifetime Member since May 2002 and love it. I haven't gone over my goal but get close. Knowing I have to weigh in keeps me in line. jo Update: As of 5/16 I am one week away from being a Lifetime Member. What that means is ...

Pros: inexpensive
Cons: none yet, but I'll let you know

If you've read my other epinions, you'll know that I've lost close to 70 pregnancy pounds primarily through exercise, Slim Fast, and having that baby. However, now I'm near the end of my pregnancy weight and need to lose that stubborn 15 or so...

Pros: Hmmm....
Cons: I gained weight, I felt like a failure, and I could not run out of there fast enough!

Last summer I started the Weight Watchers 1-2-3 Success program. The diet allowed me to eat whatever foods I chose, to a certain extent. There are point values assigned to every type of food imaginable. Depending on your weight-loss goal, you are...

Pros: people to talk to about your weight problem
Cons: It costs money

I have never done this, but my mother did. She was really enjoying it when she first started doing it. Eventually though she stopped going. I don’t really know why. I guess it was hard for her to make it to the meetings every week. They also moved...

Pros: Support helps more than you know
Cons: Costly and you have to be motivated

I went to my first weight watchers meeting in May of last year. I would have to say that it was a definate step in the right direction. I couldn't believe how much fun I had and I could lose some weight too --not possible!
It was quite...

Pros: You will lose weight if you stick to the plan
Cons: Cost

Weight Watchers 1-2-3 Success was a Success for me! I've watched my weight go up and down for many years and thought it was time to join a program to do something about it. I liked the idea of the pre-pay program because I thought it would keep me...

Pros: There is tremendous support in my group. Weighing, while done with others around, is still far away enough from them to be quite private.
Cons: It's not a magic bullet. It is some work.

I decided to try weight Watcher's because I took stock of my mother's and grandmother's ages when they died and after a very tiny amount of arithmetic found that I have about 16 years left to live if I follow their path. Well, I want to see my beautiful...

Pros: I lost weight
Cons: Trying to be Jenny Craig, Man Hostile

Having been significantly overweight much of my life, I have followed the Weight Watchers plan on three different occasions. Each time, the plan has gotten increasingly convoluted, more closely tied to Heinz's marketing department, and less...

Pros: Can food shop like normal - no pills or "one type" foods only
Cons: None

I have been attending Weight Watcher's 1-2-3 Success Community Meetings for 2 years now, and have had great success. Our area isn't big enough to support a Traditional Meeting, so Community meetings were the only way we could go - either that or not...

Pros: Good support, eat any foods
Cons: Cost, but not as bad as buying packaged meals.

I am 37 years old and had a baby in January of this year. I was carrying a few extra pounds when I got pregnant so I new when I had the baby I would have to diet to get into my clothes! I gained 52 pounds when I was pregnant! Afterward, I lost quite a...

Pros: Loose weight
Cons: Costs too much

Do you really have to go to a weekly meeting to loose weight? NO!! I have been struggling with weight loss for quite sometime and I feel that paying to go to a meeting to hear all about how someone else eats is a waste of my money...especially when you...

Pros: Weight Watchers is clearly a success for many.
Cons: I'm hungry and miserable and over my points!

That is my point allotment. How the heck do you manage that? Is there a 20-point/day weekly menu anywhere? I am over my points every day and still starving. (I can't eat any artificial sweeteners, so some of my daily points are taken up with ...

Pros: You are given enough flexibility to eat three meals, snacks and are satisfied.
Cons: It isn't going to work unless it is treated as a lifestyle change.

I had tried many "quick fix" products before a friend of mine tried Weight Watchers. She joined in September of 2001 under Winning points, and was feeling great about it. I joined in October 2001 after having been drinking shakes for two months. What a difference to be able to eat and lose weight. I love that with WW I'm not restricted from any type of food. I can plan and make any choice that I'm craving. I love that I had accountablility with them as well through friends met at meetings or online, and through the weekly weigh in. This is not quick fix. I've been a lifetime member now for 2 years, and I still journal my foods, go to a once a month weigh in and apply everything I learned from Weight Watchers. This is my lifestyle.

Pros: No forbidden foods
Cons: Can be pricey if you have a lot of weight to lose

...if you are willing to put forth the effort.
Weight Watchers is not a fad diet, in fact, they will tell you it's not a diet it all. Weight Watchers is billed as a life style change rather than a diet. I'd agree, but for me, the life style change was not permanent.
However, knowing that I was successful before is encouraging and is why I am going back next week to start the whole process again.
I started WW in January 2005 and by the beginning of March, I had lost 15 lbs (my ultimate goal was to be 20 lbs lighter). However, now, a year later, I am almost back to my starting weight last January (5 lbs away).
I've seen a lot of success stories at my local meetings and know how wonderful it feels to be successful myself, so I'll give another try.
Meetings are a must - they keep you honest and help with brainstorming ideas, as well as creating a sense of community.