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Please Note: Weight Watchers has changed it’s program again. Click here to learn more about Weight Watchers latest program for 2020.
Some Successful Weight Watchers Struggle with Transitioning from Points Plus to Smart Points
I ran across this post over at Drizzle Me Skinny, where Kate, a successful Weight Watchers Lifetime Member, explains why she made the decision to switch back to PointsPlus after testing out the new SmartPoints Plan for three months.
She basically sums it up with this assessment:
After about a month of getting into the swing of the new point system I noticed my moods at the end of the day were different, and I was finding myself in the kitchen eating all sorts of snacks I normally never would have, a little of this, a little of that and next thing you know I am easily 10-20 points over my daily allowance of 30SP. This is because I wasn’t buying or making the things I was so accustomed to on my points plus journey… because most things were about 1/3 of my allotted daily allowance. This new habit I had picked up was something I never did on points plus and I can sum that up to “restriction.”
A lot of folks left comments expressing similar frustration that was tapping into feelings of deprivation leading to bingeing and weight gain. Not a good thing! And I’m sure not what Weight Watchers intended. Weight loss is such a mental game!
I know being told I can’t have something is a real problem for me. I have this really spoiled inner child that rebels when told, NO.
So, I’ve learned to appease her by telling her that nothing is off limits provided she is willing to plan/budget for it. Most of the time it works.
This is why Weight Watchers is the only plan that works for me longterm. I can’t live without bread, wine, chocolate, sweets, fat, sugar, pizza or potato chips forever. It’s unrealistic for me and the way I want to live.
Other Weight Watchers Are Seeing Greater Success with SmartPoints
Another commenter’s experience was just the opposite. SmartPoints is working for her:
For what it’s worth, PointsPlus is what knocked me off of my goal weight. I loved the old original points plan and I could NOT make PP work for me. I found myself doing a lot of what you were doing and eventually, I quit WW in frustration of not having any good tools. I happened to join WW again just as they were rolling out SP (I had avoided it because I resented the PP plan). SmartPoints is working really well for me. I think the experience of many of us is: we have made one lifestyle change to embrace a program (Weight Watchers or otherwise) that works for us. We have success, and we find goal. If we are summarily pushed to a new mindset, when we like the one we have — and it’s working for us — we probably won’t like it.
I think this is why I still have good feelings about the old WW exchange plan I followed to originally lose weight and achieve lifetime status. It was very restrictive, but the joy I felt getting slim and reaching goal is what I most remember.
Why Do Some Weight Watchers Programs Seem to Work Better Than Others?
As my leader explained during Friday’s meeting: Weight Watchers has been around for more than 50 years and has changed the program dozens of times to stay in alignment with current dietary understanding, which continues to evolve.
Each and every program worked for the members that followed it. Many of us who have been with WW through the decades have witnessed this first hand.
The key is to lasting success is adjusting the program to best meet our individual needs. Question any group of successful Weight Watchers members and you’ll discover that they’re all doing things differently.
We all know what we are supposed to do – eat more fruits and vegetables and avoid sweet treats. The difficulty begins with actually doing it, as Mindless Eating expert Brian Wansink explains in this interesting article about tricking yourself into eating better:
The thrust of his research directly contradicts the prevailing wisdom in nutrition circles—that the way to improve America’s diet is to teach people about the dangers of trans fats, refined sugar, and white flour. In Wansink’s view, that’s a losing battle—if we were rational eaters, the snack food industry would already be out of business. “There are a million nutritionists out there that tell you to eat an apple instead of a Snickers bar,” he says. “I want to meet people where they’re at.”
Here’s another great article that sums up why Weight Watchers is struggling as a business – because sensible eating and portion control can be boring and hard work. It’s not extreme or sexy. It’s not a silver bullet promising unrealistic results!
Can thinking differently help those struggling with SmartPoints?
I recently had this realization… with Weight Watchers SmartPoints, you can never hit your daily target and still lose weight!
Say What? The SmartPoints Target is a number designed to reflect OPTIMAL/NEAR PERFECT HEALTHY EATING FOR WEIGHT LOSS. So, it’s possible to go way over your target and still lose weight…
I Regularly Exceed My WW SmartPoints Target While Managing to Maintain My Weight
When I first tested out SmartPoints, I began by just eating the way I regularly do to maintain my lifetime goal weight and was shocked to discover that I was consuming 50 to 60 SmartPoints per day!
That’s way over my suggested SmartPoints target for maintenance! And I’m okay with that.
I eat a relatively healthy diet of mostly home cooked foods with occasional sweet treats. I enjoy a glass or two of wine with dinner most nights.
I’ve been successfully maintaining for several years now the goal weight I set back when I was 28. Could I eat healthier and meet my SP target most days? Probably. Would I be happy? Probably not. And for me it’s all about me finding my happy/healthy balance.
Remember that your daily SmartPoints is Simply a Target you are shooting for. You don’t have to hit it to be successful! You just keep aiming for it! You can never hit it and still lose weight!!
You know yourself best and you should do whatever you need to, modify the program however you need to, to take care yourself. This is your life and you know yourself best!
The Correct Mindset is Critical to Lasting Weight Loss
Weight loss is a MIND – BODY challenge. It’s as much psychological as it is physical. The correct mindset, thoughts and beliefs are just as important (or maybe more important) than what you eat.
Lasting weight loss happens with little incremental behavioral changes.
It takes awareness. It takes time. It takes patience. It takes practice. It takes creating new habits and changing your environment. It has to be a priority. You have to really really want it. You have to be willing to do the work. You have to be willing to learn from your mistakes and be kind to yourself.
There Are Lots of Ways Other Than Weight Watchers to Successfully Lose Weight
And the truth is that there are lots and lots of ways to lose weight. Heck, here’s an example of a college professor who lost weight and got healthier on the junk food diet! You know yourself best so do what’s best for you!!
Personally, I hate that you can no longer use a recipe’s nutritional information to accurately calculate SmartPoints. Recipes must be run through the WW Recipe Builder to accurately determine SmartPoints which is time consuming.
I’m still a huge fan of the overall Weight Watchers model, with the accountability and support it provides. I believe Weight Watchers success is in their structure as a support network.
For me WW meetings are 30 minutes of sanity in an out of control food world. And I love the new WW Connect feature.
What do you think? Has Weight Watchers gone too far with Smart Points? Is it too restrictive? Or sustainable once you get used to it? Is it easier for new members than for those transitioning from Points Plus to SmartPoints?
Please share your thoughts. I really want to know so I can help be part of the solution to our weight loss and healthy eating struggles!
I’ll also continue to provide both SmartPoints and PointsPlus for all new recipes for those of you sticking with the old plan.
PS – If you are tired of calculating/tracking Points or calories, check out why I’ve shifted to Intermittent Fasting after reading Eat Stop Eat!
I am so glad to have found this thread. I had lost over 100 lbs on smart points. I gained a bit and am now on the new program with low success. I have been considering returning to the old program. This just confirms my thoughts.
Congrats on your weight loss Lauren! Thanks for your comment.
I have tried SP for 3 months and while I initially lost 10 pounds I can not get past that. I have gone back to PP and have started losing again. The SP are just too restrictive and I can not “build” and occasional treat into my points like I was able to before. The whole premise of WW was that nothing was off limits, but I feel with SP that motto has gone away. I too agree that members should be able to choose the program that works for them and having the changeover during the holidays was really poor planning on WW part, they should of started fresh in the New Year if they were going to make that drastic of a plan change. The holidays are where most people struggle and that only compounded the struggle and really unmotivated me to try.
Hi Renee, sorry to hear that SP isn’t working for you. I think it’s important to do what you need to take care of yourself.
I’ve been doing WW for geez, like 15 years now? As of about 6 years ago, I’d lost 204 lbs over about 10 years and many different plans. Unfortunately through a perfect storm of physical issues combined with stress and emotional issues, I’ve gained back about 150 of that. What I’ve learned through all of this is that we don’t like change, none of us really do. We will fight, scratch, claw, whine, whatever it takes to try and keep from being forced to change…even if we truly believe that change is good for us. SP has come along at a time when I needed change. I have struggled for a long time to get back on track (never stopped going to meetings even as I gained back so much weight). I’m hoping this change is what I need. Sugar is an issue for me so as hard as it is to embrace, I am working hard to get into the new plan. Embracing change is not easy, but it can be a good thing. As the story says, we all tweak the plan to suit our life. I think the focus on protein and cutting back on sugars will be good for me and I hope others stick with it. I continue to trust WW to know more than me, I just need to take what they know and fit it into my life.
Hi Stacy, I think you are so right about change! We can resist is even when we know it is good for us. Losing weight is such a mental game. You have to really have your head on straight and really really want it to accomplish it. I hope the new SP program provides you with what you need.
One other thing… I don’t understand why people who prefer PP don’t simply keep following PP. They obviously already have all the information they need to follow PP, would have the calculating device, etc. I get most of my recipes from Skinnytaste, and the author gives both PP and SP. Use the meetings for motivation but follow your own favorite plan. (It’s a free country!) Or maybe am I missing something?
One other thing… I don’t understand why people who prefer PP don’t simply keep following PP. They obviously already have all the information they need to follow PP, would have the calculating device, etc. I get most of my recipes from Skinnytaste, and the author gives both PP and SP. Use the meetings for motivation but follow your own favorite plan. (It’s a free country!) Or am I missing something?
I joined WW two years ago on the PP plan. It was a terrible failure for me. After losing 5 lbs, I came to an abrupt halt, and finally gave up. So this January when I joined again, it was with fear and trepidation! But half our street was joining, so I went along. I am thrilled with SP. I feel more full and less deprived than I did on PP, and I believe that sticking to the points alone and not adding in any excess weekly or exercise points is what’s doing the trick. I am losing very slowly (20 lbs in 3 months), but I don’t have a lot more to lose, so it is easy to just keep truckin’ along. I find that I can cook a couple or three WW recipes per week and eat off the leftovers for the rest of the week. I use recipes that already have calculated the SP, so I have avoided the hassle o building a recipe. I’m very happy with SP and my weight loss. Another ten pounds to go.
Hi Cyndy, Thanks for sharing your experiences. You make some good suggestions!
I have been following the Smart Points Program since Jan. 11 and have lost 22 pounds. I thought I wouldn’t like it. I had lost 110 pounds about 7 years ago doing WW on line, using the points program but really struggled with maintenance. I find losing much easier than maintaining. When I needed to regain control after regaining the first 35 pounds, WW had adopted points plus. I really struggled losing with that program and kept trying to combine old with new and it didn’t work. I slowly gained another 53 pounds by end of this Christmas and I decided I had to really buckle down, learn the new program and track. I did really well and lost 22 pounds by Easter. Unfortunately I fell off the plan with Easter and it took a good 11/2 weeks before I stopped binging and got back on track. To my amazement, the weight I had gained fell off quickly and I am back to the same weight I was at at Easter, so now will hopefully continue downward from here. To my surprise, I am loving smart points and think I can adopt this way off eating forever much more easily than with the first points program. What makes it easier for me is that my trigger foods ( pastries, cakes, desserts, etc) are all so high in points that all I have to do is check the points and I avoid them. They never seem worth half my days allotment…just seems crazy to me. When I can’t rationalize eating them, then I don’t and they don’t set me off on a binge. It’s when I let myself start, that I often can’t stop. The other reason I am finding this easier, though I must say, I lost more quickly with the first program, (however getting to goal just to regain is not what I want again so slow is fine with me) is because there are so many delicious free foods. I love fruits and vegetables and eat them whenever I am hungry, so I never struggle with hunger or having to resort to what doesn’t satisfy. When I had to count fruits, I really limited them and NEVER ate bananas. Now I just eat any fruit or vegetable. If one can grab something good to eat, then you can leave what isn’t good for you. It takes a lot less willpower when one isn’t hungry. I may have to be a bit more careful with portion control when it comes to fruits and some veggies but I will cross that bridge if and when I come to it. For now, I’m finding it relatively easy as long as I am in charge of the cooking and food choices…harder when I am out (have to go to a convention in May…will be a challenge). I don’t really care how long it takes, as long as I’m on a downward trend and not going up. Another big plus is how much easier the on line site has become compared to 8 years ago and all the blogs that freely share recipes. there is always something new to try. My husband is diabetic and his diet and mine work very well together.
Hi Imrgard, So glad SP is working for you. It sounds like you have learned a lot about yourself and how to eat in a way that nourishes you and doesn’t set off binges/cravings, which is wonderful.
I will never do smart plus . Too restrictive . They should have given folks the option. I haven’t set foot in my local ww and with smart points I can’t see me going back and I am a 25 year veteran of ww.
I am vegan. I lost 49 pounds on the Points Plus plan in 2015. I found a lot of flexibility in the plan as I learned to eat in new ways. As a vegan, I learned to eat more fiber, and healthier fats (Healthy Guidelines.) Smart Points has made weight loss more challenging for me because the points increased for plant-based sources I rely on for protein, carbs, and fat. After 2 1/2 most on the SP plan—with stalled out weigh loss—an online WW coach suggested that I switch to Simply Filling for a while. This allows me to eat all the foods I ate before without going “Off Plan.” I’ve begun losing again. I track any non-Simply Filling Foods using Smart Points.
These changes can be really challenging. I believe WW is really trying to put the best product out there that they can. I appreciate the help they provided me online. I suspect there are meeting leaders who will do the same if you ask. Don’t be afraid to adapt the program to make it your own. Good luck with your weight loss journey, everyone.
Thanks for sharing your experiences Anne. I too am a big believer in Simply Filling. You are right, we each need to adapt the program to make it our own. That’s what most successful lifetimers have done, I imagine.
I agree that members should be able to choose between the programs. I’ve not lost as much or as quickly on SP. Weight loss for those of us who truly struggle, is so much a “mind thing”. If my PP had included lots of “empty calorie” eating, I don’t think I would have lost more than 40lbs so far. We pay, we have a brain, let us choose!