Subscribe for all the best recipes, tips & weekly email support from a lifetime WW!

Simple Nourished Living

New Weight Watchers Freestyle Program

Published · Last updated · By · 34 Comments

Weight Watchers Freestyle - 2018

So Weight Watchers is releasing a new program for 2018 called Freestyle...

WW Freestyle Program - Video Transcript

WW is releasing a new program for 2018 called Freestyle

"What does Freestyle mean?

Well, I'm going to tell you all about it...

Weight Watchers Freestyle

Image source: Weight Watchers

It's really an expansion on SmartPoints and Beyond the Scale, which was released 2 years ago. And if you want more details about SmartPoints and all of those details, you can check out that post.

Today I'm just going to stick with what's new - for those of us who are currently following Weight Watchers and are interested in what's changed.

So, under the old plan, every food has a SmartPoints value. And fruits and vegetables (most vegetables) had a 0 SmartPoints value.

What they've done now for 2018 under Freestyle is expand that list of 0 points food to include lean proteins (now over 200+ zero Points foods).

Weight Watchers Program 2018 FreeStyle What's New

Wow, so you could almost have a meal...

Yeah, you could almost have a meal for (a really healthy clean meal) for 0 points. We don't like to say free because that suggests maybe overeating-because part of it is learning to eat only until you are satisfied.

But it includes lean chicken breast, lean turkey breast, eggs, tofu, lentils, beans, did I mention eggs...

Yes you did.

And, there's one more, um yogurt. Plain, non-fat yogurt either Greek or regular.

And so that's going to be a huge benefit for people. Now they are suggesting that you only track the foods that have values - so they're trying to make it easier.

And so by using these foods as your base for a meal, it's going to provide for a lot more healthy eating choices for people.

And less tracking...

Yes, less tracking to make it easier.

Another cool thing they're doing this year... so you get a daily SmartPoints budget, but you also get a weekly budget for extras.

For those special occasions?

Yeah, so like for Friday Happy Hour, or if you're having a really hungry day, so you can plan. If you thought about your checking account, it's sort of like overdraft protection.

I need that.

I know, some days more than others.

New Weight Watchers Freestyle Plan 2018 Rollover 4 SmartPoints

So what they're going to allow now is the concept of rollover. So for example, let's say you had a big party you were going to Friday night, you could actually take some of your dailies, like on Thursday, if you wanted to eat a little lighter or if you weren't as hungry and you didn't use all of your daily budget up, you can rollover up to 4 of those daily SmartPoints into your weekly budget.

Can you take a credit? Like can you take them in advance?

Well, can you take them in advance... well, they're given to you every week, so they are always there for you.

Ok, but do they rollover past the week? I think it's a weekly thing.

You know, I'm just thinking about those minutes that rollover and accumulate month-to-month.

No, you can't keep getting a bigger and bigger budget. It's really just up to 4 because we don't want to create some type of imbalance. It's really meant to try and encourage us to eat in a healthy, balanced way.

Weight Watchers New Program Flex Freestyle 2018

So, I'm really excited about these new changes.

Less tracking... Absolutely, which is wonderful. Healthier foods to really focus on and

Vegetarians... I know, vegetarians are going to love it. In fact I've already had a couple of vegetarians comment to me how excited they are about all the flexibility.

They don't have to track anymore. They really won't for most of their foods - for a lot of their foods.

So, if you've had experience with the new WW Freestyle plan, or if you have questions or comments, please leave them below and we'll get back to you."

Wellness that Works WW Program Updates 2019

new weight watchers name program changes 2019

More news about the new Weight Watchers Plan for 2018 from around the web...

Subscribe to Get: Top 10 Reader Favorite Recipes

The Top 10 Most Popular Recipes (PDF) on Simple Nourished Living + Weekly Support Emails with Tips & Easy Healthy Recipes Not Found Anywhere Else!

Powered by ConvertKit

More Weight Watchers Recipes & WW Meal Ideas

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Margaret Keeney

    I am really, really concerned about these changes. I understand proteins fight hunger hence less bouts of hunger. I also can see weight loss decrease and potential weight gain (going backwards). I have struggled for the past two years with Smart points contemplating canceling my membership. I stuck it out and still struggling. I loved Points Plus did excellent with this program. I just don’t see how many proteins becoming 0 points is going to work, when previously we’re tracked by Points. I am fortunate to be able to stop eating when my hunger is satisfied. Sounds more like a high protein diet. Additionally members will be needing to repurchase digital WW tools. I am retired and last year I repurchased my digital food scale. OUCH. I did make a call to WWs they very graciously gave me a free month membership to help with this expense.

    Reply

    • Kitty

      I've been trying it out for a couple of weeks. I was worried about it when I started. So far it has worked out. I do dual track calories (have for years) as well as points. I counted points both under the existing program (i.e. the one before 12/3 and under the new program). FWIW, I found that ate about 75 to 100 calories a day less. Some days my points were the same on both programs. Sometimes they were a lot less under the new program. The big difference was actually when I ate out particularly if I chose to eat an entree that had something zero point as a base (salmon, for example). I also found that I was eating healthier. And, the thing that totally shocked me was that I found it easier to stay within my points. I had been worried about that but it wasn't an issue. I know not everyone will like it, but I found it worked much better than I thought it might.

      Reply

    • Suzanne Trapp

      I also did extremely well with the old WW program! Points Plus. I tried twice with the Smart Points and failed miserably. I was able to drop 22 lbs on the old program. I LOVED it, and it worked for me. Unfortunate, I got rid of all of my material when I rejoined. My weight is almost back to where it was, and I am afraid to try it again. It's expensive . I also wonder, if you are required to consume a certain amount of points during the day, and you can eat an entire meal at 0 points, would you not be overeating to get your points in?

      Reply

  3. angie hale

    i don't want to do the free style system why can't i just stick to smart points. i like having to account for everything i eat. i just got really good at smart points and now yall are changing it, why can't we have option that work for us.

    Reply

    • Becca Day

      I have found that still tracking all the foods that are now 0 points helps me. It’s still the same just less points daily for me and more weekly, but for example if I eat my 3oz chicken it’s 0 points but tracking it allows me to see what’s is& isn’t points

      Reply

    • Donna Mercer

      I 100% agree, I left weight watchers for that reason

      Reply

  4. Pat

    How can you lose weight if you eat a dozen eggs and a pound of boneless skinless chicken with plenty of greens a day. I wouldn't but some folks will be cause they are zero is this safe?

    Reply

    • Brooke

      From what I read from WW it's because you can easily sit and eat 6 cookies without a thought and still be hungry. However, it's very unlikely that someone will sit and eat 6 eggs or 6 chicken breasts at once.

      Reply

      • Martha McKinnon

        So true Brooke!

        Reply

  5. Charles

    One thing I didn't see mentioned is your daily allowance is less under the Freestyle than it was with Smart Points. That may offset some of the new zero points foods.

    Reply

  6. Barb leo

    Why do frozen blueberries have points

    Reply

    • Martha McKinnon

      Hi Barb, frozen blueberries don't have points unless they have additional sugar added. Hope this helps.

      Reply

      • Anne

        That is true , but if you use frozen fruit in a smoothie then you are supposed to count the points.

        Reply

  7. Elma eadicicco

    What are the over 200 foods that have now been added to have 0 points? Do I still stick to my designated program of allowed points per week that was previously calculated under the smart points plan?

    Reply

  8. Sherry P

    If I purchased all of your e-cookbooks, is there a simple way to re-calculate the points to reflect the changes?

    Reply

  9. marie

    if this program just started how is wght wtchrs already showing people who lost so much weight just curious

    Reply

    • Martha McKinnon

      Hi Marie, WW always tests their new programs with real people before they release to their membership at large. They are called clinical trials. Hope this helps.

      Reply

  10. Jodi

    Do we still get the weekly bonus points that we were given to use under the old program? Or is that replaced with them rollover option?

    Reply

    • Martha McKinnon

      Hi Jodi, Yes WW Freestyle includes weekly bonus points.

      Reply

  11. Carole Cafasso

    My previous daily budget was 30 points. So if I understand correctly, my current daily budget is 23 points. What about the bonus points? Previous was 7. What is the current?

    Reply

  12. Wendy

    Two question:
    Farro. Can I make a bread with all farro or other zero point grains and count it as zero?
    The last two weeks I did simply filling and lost nothing! What could be wrong?

    Reply

    • Martha McKinnon

      Hi Wendy,

      I'm not familiar with any grains that are zero points on SP. They all have points.
      It can take your body and the scale time to adjust to any new eating habits. There was a time I rejoined WW after gaining several pounds and didn't see the scale move for more than 3 weeks! Another thing that is very important on Simply Filling is portion size. It's important to be eating moderate portions only until you are no longer hungry and not overeating. Hope this helps.

      Reply

  13. Carol

    Let me clarify! I have 23 daily points and 28 weekly points. If I go over one day I can take it from my weekly points and if I go under a day I can add the balance of that daily to my weekly points?

    Reply

  14. Sue

    We don't have any WW meetings close to us, they are an hour away. And I haven't decided to join online. I have a smart points calculator. Do I need to buy a new calculator to 1) figure my daily points 2) figure my weekly points 3) calculate smart points for foods that have smart points?

    Reply

    • Martha McKinnon

      Hi Sue,

      Here's a comment I found on the WW website, "Thank you for reaching out to us. The main difference between the SmartPoints calculator and the new Freestyle calculator is the ability to determine Daily SmartPoint Budget. The new Freestyle calculator only calculates the SmartPoints values for food, you are not able to figure your Daily SmartPoints Budget as with the previous calculators. We will forward your comments on for further review." So, it appears that there is no way to determine you daily/weekly points allowance with the new Freestyle calculator. It only calculates SmartPoints for food. Hope this helps.

      Reply

  15. Debbie

    How do we know how many points are allowed each day? Is it based on our starting weight? Do WW frozen meals or other grocery store items show the points on the packaging?

    Reply

  16. Betz

    I have been following the freestyle program for about a month now.
    Really not losing. Tracking everything I eat, and not over eating.

    Any advice?

    Reply

  17. Deb

    So if the proteins are free. Does that mean if you make a recipe out of these foods. Say shrimp scampi for example . So all you count are the ingredients. Is the shrimp still free.

    Reply

    • Martha McKinnon

      Hi Deb,

      Yes, all 0 points foods stay 0 when included in recipes. The only exception is foods that are blended into a beverage. They are then counted. Hope this helps.

      Reply

  18. Catherine

    This sounds all well and good unless you are lactose intolerant. All dairy substitutes are higher, much higher in point value. Bums me out

    Reply

  19. check out here electrician

    This is the correct weblog for anyone who desires to seek out out about this topic. You understand so much its nearly hard to argue with you (not that I truly would need…HaHa). You positively put a new spin on a subject thats been written about for years. Great stuff, simply great!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *