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Table of Contents
- Have you ever wondered what the old Weight Watchers Plan was like in the 1960s?
- Why I think The Old Weight Watchers Food Exchanges Program (Quick Success) Was Best
- The Underlying Concepts of the Old 1960s Weight Watchers Plan
- Rule and Menus of the Old 1960s Weight Watchers Plan
- Old Weight Watchers Menu Plan for Women (Circa 1960s)
- 1960s Weight Watchers Plan Menu Suggestions
- Helpful Hints While Dieting
- More Helpful Articles for WeightWatchers
Have you ever wondered what the old Weight Watchers Plan was like in the 1960s?
I picked up a copy of this old Weight Watchers Cookbook (affiliate link) from 1966 and have really enjoyed taking an inside peek at what the old Weight Watchers plan was like back when it began in the early 1960s.
Learn more about Weight Watchers program changes for 2025?
I originally lost weight and became a lifetime member with Weight Watchers back in the early 1990s, when it was an exchanges program. I think it was called Quick Success. I lost about 30 pounds in 8 months and felt incredible.
Why I think The Old Weight Watchers Food Exchanges Program (Quick Success) Was Best
Martha McKinnon’s Weight Watchers Story: Part 1
Martha McKinnon’s Weight Watchers Story: Part 2
Martha McKinnon’s Weight Watchers Story: Part 3
I learned so much about healthy eating and portions with Weight Watchers Quick Success. You couldn’t game the system by gorging on a ton of fruit or filling up on lots of junk the way you can with the new Weight Watchers Points Plan. It was much more restrictive and disciplined.
Which got me thinking about why the original 1960s plan might be a better option than points for some folks. The kind of people who do better abstaining from certain things than trying to practice moderation. (You can read more about abstainers and moderators here.)
In addition to lots of recipes, the book includes an introduction by Weight Watchers founder, Jean Nidetch, along with the plan’s “Rules” and “Sample Menus.” It has all the information you need to follow the original 1960s Weight Watchers Plan.
If you have not been successful with Weight Watchers Points Plus or newer programs, this may be the solution for you! Here’s a link to a great food tracker if you want to give it a try. I’ve tried to provide a synopsis of everything you would need to get started.
In the book’s introduction, Nidetch describes her years of struggle to lose weight. Anybody who has ever been overweight and worked to lose it, will relate to her story. As someone who was overweight by the time I was in 4th grade and “matronly” looking by the time I was in my late 20s, I certainly did.
The original Weight Watchers Program was based on a diet developed by the New York City Department of Health’s Bureau of Nutrition that Nidetch followed after registering with one of its obesity clinics. When friends wanted the details of how she had lost weight, she began to meet with them at her house, where she shared what she knew and they talked over their common problems related to overeating.
When the little group got too big to meet at her house, she rented a basement, and then a large meeting hall in 1963, and the rest, as they say, is history 🙂
The Underlying Concepts of the Old 1960s Weight Watchers Plan
1. Overeating is a habit.
And like any habit, it can be conquered, if you have the will and drive to get started.
2. Proceed with your weight loss one meal at a time, one day at a time, one week at a time.
Taking one step at a time, strengthening yourself slowly, you can not fail.
3. Learn to delay gratification.
The next time you begin to bite into a candy bar, order a fattening dessert from a restaurant menu, walk into the bakery for a Danish pastry, stop and ask yourself: “Would I rather have this or a slim young figure?”
4. No crash dieting.
Because you must learn new habits of eating, it is useless for you to go on a “crash” or “fad” diet or to take diet pills or appetite depressants of any kind. “Why learn to use a crutch when you can learn how to walk properly?”
5. Control your environment.
Don’t surround yourself with temptation by buying cookies and candies. Even a four-year-old can understand, if told, that mommy needs help because she wants to become his “beautiful mommy.” (Learn how to create a healthy environment for weight loss.)
6. Learn to laugh.
We are constantly playing games with ourselves and in serious denial about why we are heavy and/or not losing weight. The book is peppered with illustrations depicting some of the favorite rationalizations heard through the years, which are timeless.
7. No alcohol. No skipping meals. No counting calories.
8. No excuses.
You can stick to the program and successfully lose weight no matter what your home, social, business, or school life may be.
9. Stick to the plan and the plan will work.
10. Maintenance is important.
Once you lose the weight, follow the maintenance plan so you learn to keep the weight off.
11. To be successful on the program, will require your desperation, your sincerity and your cooperation and your patience!!
Rule and Menus of the Old 1960s Weight Watchers Plan
1. Eat only the foods listed in your menu plan, in the quantities specified and at the meals specified. Weigh your portions until you can judge them accurately.
2. Eggs. Limit them to 4-7 per week. They may be taken only at breakfast or lunch; not at dinner.
3. Cheese. Only hard cheese or pot, cottage or farmer cheese is allowed and only at breakfast or lunch.
4. Fish. You must eat a minimum of 5 group A fish meals each week for lunches or dinners.
Group A fish:
abalone, bass, bluefish, bonito, butterfish, carp (fresh), calms, crab, croaker, cod, finnan haddie, flounder, fluke, haddock, hake, halibut, lobster, mullet, mussels, oysters, pike, porgy, salmon (canned), scallops, shad roe, shrimp, sole, sturgeon (fresh), swordfish, trout (brook), trout (lake), tuna fish (fresh or canned), weakfish, whiting
5. Meat and poultry. Provided you use the specified number of fish meals, some of your lunches and dinners may be selected from Group A meats and poultry or Group B fish. Select a maximum of 5 weekly meat meals (luncheons or dinners only from Group A and a maximum of 3 weekly meat meals (luncheons or dinners) Group B.
Group A meat and poultry:
white meat of chicken (skin removed), white meat of turkey (skin removed), pheasant, organ meats (liver, lungs, brains, kidneys, heart, sweetbreads)
Group B meat and poultry:
beef, frankfurters, lamb, dark meat of turkey
Group B fish:
mackerel, pompano, salmon (fresh), shad, white fish
6. Limited vegetables. Must eat one a day, at dinner only, 1 portion only. Vary your selection from day to day. One serving is 4 ounces, or 1/2 cup or 1 medium sized.
Limited vegetables:
artichokes, bamboo shoots, beets, brussels sprouts, carrots, eggplant, green beans, okra, onions, parsnips, peas, pumpkin, scallions, squash (yellow), tomato, tomato juice, turnips
7. Unlimited vegetables may be taken at any time. These include most of your non-starchy vegetables.
Unlimited vegetables:
asparagus, beet greens, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, cucumber, endive, escarole, bell pepper, kohlrabi, lettuce, mung bean sprouts, mushrooms, mustard greens, parsley, pickles, pimentos, radishes, rhubarb, sauerkraut, spinach, squash (green), string beans (french style), watercress
8. Condiments and seasonings such as bouillon, herbs, and spices, salt, pepper, and paprika, vinegar and wine vinegar, tea, coffee, horseradish, soy sauce, lemons, limes, etc, are unlimited.
9. Fruit. Three to five servings a day, depending on age and gender. One daily fruit must be either orange or grapefruit.
Permitted fruits:
1 apple
1/2 cantaloupe
1/2 grapefruit
2-inch wedge of honeydew
1 orange
1/4 medium-sized pineapple
1 cup of strawberries
1/2 cup raspberries or blueberries
1 peach or nectarine
2 apricots
1 plum
Forbidden fruits:
Bananas
Cherries
Watermelon
Grapes
Dried Fruits
10. Milk. Powdered skim milk, buttermilk, or evaporated skim milk must be included in your daily program, according to the amount specified for your age/gender.
11. Bread. Eat enriched or whole grain packaged bread according to the amount allowed for your age/gender. No rolls, bagels, biscuits, muffins, crackers, cereals or special breads.
12. Do not eat or drink the following except for legal recipes given in this book:
- alcoholic beverages, including beer, wine, whiskey
- avocado
- bacon or back fat
- bagels
- biscuits
- cake
- candy
- cereals
- coconut
- cookies
- crackers
- cream cheese
- doughnuts
- fried foods
- gefilte fish
- gravy
- honey
- ice cream
- ices
- jam
- jello
- jelly
- ketchup
- mayonnaise
- muffins
- nuts
- oil
- olives
- pancakes
- peanut butter
- pies
- popcorn
- potato chips
- pretzels
- puddings
- rolls
- salad dressings (except for those given in this book)
- smoked meat or fish
- soda, ginger ale, cola drinks
- sugar and syrups
- waffles
- yogurt
Old Weight Watchers Menu Plan for Women (Circa 1960s)
Breakfast: 1 egg or 1 ounce hard cheese or 2 ounces fish or 1/4 cup cottage or pot cheese; 1 slice enriched bread
Lunch: 4 ounces fish (canned or fresh) or lean meat or poultry or 2/3 cup (6 ounces) cottage cheese or pot cheese or 4 ounces farmer cheese or 2 ounces hard cheese or 2 eggs; All the unlimited vegetables you want; 1 slice enriched bread
Dinner: 6 ounces cooked lean meat or fish or poultry; 1 portion limited vegetables; All of the unlimited vegetables you want
Must Be Taken At Some Time During the Day: A total of 3 fruits (one of them orange or grapefruit); 2 cups skim milk or buttermilk or 1 cup skimmed evaporated milk
May Be Taken At Any Time of the Day: Any unlimited foods, beverages, etc.
1960s Weight Watchers Plan Menu Suggestions
Sample Breakfasts:
- Half Cantaloupe, Eggs, Sunny-Side Up on Toast
- Pineapple Quarter, Two Ounces Tuna Fish on Toast
- Cottage Cheese (2 ounces), Fresh Grapefruit Sections, Lettuce Bed, Toast
- Fresh Fruit Cup (1/2 cup), Scrambled Egg WW, Toast
- Broiled Half Grapefruit, Salmon (2 ounces), Toast
- Fresh Juice of One Orange, Melted Cheese (1 ounce) on Toast
- Half Grapefruit, WW French Toast
Sample Lunches:
- Bean-Sprout Soup, Shrimp (4 ounces), Toast
- Tuna Fish, Mixed Lettuce w/ Radishes, Celery and String Beans, WW Dressing, Toast
- Tomato Juice, Broiled Salmon (4 ounces), WW Cucumber Sauce, Lettuce, Toast
- Fresh Fruit Salad, Cottage Cheese (3 ounces), Toast
- Broiled Hamburger, One Slice Toast, Relish
- Melted Open Cheese Sandwich on 1 Slice Toast, Fruit
- Two Eggs on Toast, Fruit
Sample Dinners:
- WW Swordfish Diablo, Chinese Vegetables, Mushrooms, WW Lemon Gelatin
- Tomato Bouillon, WW Butterfly Shrimp Scampi, Larde Tossed Salad, Eggplant
- Curried Cream of Kale Soup, Broiled Trout, Carrots, Broiled Mushrooms, Stewed Fruit (1/2 cup)
- WW Braised Beef Roll-Ups, Cucumber Salad, WW Basil Salad Dressing, WW Strawberry Ice
- WW Beef Ragout, Mushrooms as desired, Ginger Melon Mold
- WW Frankfurter Casserole Creole, Cole Slaw
- Escarole Soup, Chicken Cacciatora, Herbed Zucchini, Maple Bavarian Cream
Helpful Hints While Dieting
Many of these concepts have definitely stood the test of time:
1. Do Not Count Calories. 200 calories of cake is never a substitute for a 200-calorie lunch. You can’t bargain with the diet.
2. Weight Your Food Carefully. You’ll be amazed at how much more will be on your plate when you weigh food rather than guess at it’s weight.
3. Carry Your “Before” Picture and a mental image of your ideal figure with you at all times.
4. Weigh Yourself Once A Week Only. Weight can fluctuate daily for various reasons. It is the weekly average weight loss that is important. Be sure to weigh yourself at the same time each week, on the same scale, under the same conditions.
5. Take Advantage of the “Free” Foods allowed in this diet. Never allow yourself to be hungry.
6. Be Aware That You Are Learning New Eating Habits even away from home. It is possible to follow this diet plan in any restaurant anywhere in the world, if you really want to.
7. Do Not Allow sympathetic thin friends or envious fat ones to give you “permission to deviate from your diet plan.”
8. Follow The Diet Honestly. The key to successful weight loss and its maintenance is learning discipline and control.
9. Think Before You Eat. When tempted to gobble, just stop and count to ten and look at your “before” picture, remember your reasons for wanting to reduce.
10. Be Patient!
Do you have any favorite memories and or recipes from the old Weight Watchers program to share? Did you have success with the old 1960s Weight Watchers program? I’d love to hear from you!
Source: Weight Watchers Cookbook (1967)
Watch Martha Tell Her Own Weight Watchers Story
Martha McKinnon’s Weight Watchers Success Story: Part 1
Martha McKinnon’s Weight Watchers Success Story: Part 2
Martha McKinnon’s Weight Watchers Success Story: Part 3
More Helpful Articles for WeightWatchers
- A Comprehensive Guide to the WeightWatchers Program
- Why I Think the Weight Watchers Food Exchanges Program is Better than Points Plus
- The Weight Watchers 360 Program
- Weight Watchers Celebrates 50 Years
- Weight Watchers Cottage Cheese Danish Recipe
- Vintage Weight Watchers Coffee Fluff Recipe
- Why I Worship the Weight Watchers Founder Jean Nidetch (The New York Times)
Martha, Thank you so much for that list!
It will help me so much!
Would you happen to have any more info about the plan from then?
The first timie I lost on WW, was 1970. The second time 1973. In 1973 I was pg with my second son. I weighed less when I had him than I did before I got pg with him. Doctor advised me to get on a good eating plan because I got too close to becoming diabetic.
My son was born perfect! Not too fat, not too skinny. He was just right! 🙂
He has excelled all of his life. And I credit some to good blood line and the rest to eating a healthy way.
I never felt deprived of the foods I liked to eat. Take pizza. I did it the WW way. Slice of toasted white bread. Teas. of ketchup. Store bought. Oregano. And my oz of hard cheese.
I made my own dressing!
I can’t remember much about the foods I ate but they were all very good.
I made a cabbage soup too. Used beef bouillon cubes. Great hot tastie soup.
I do know the starchy veggies were limited but can not remember the kinds or the amounts. If you can post them it would really help me!
The fruit is also giving me a hard time. I only remember the half of a banana. Or a small one, once a week.
Thank you Martha for all of your help!
Marylouise
Hello, I have been low carb since March 2011.
I lost weight the first time back in the early 70s on W.W. Loved every minute of that time in my life. The first Tab I drank tasted like warmed over tires but grew to love it. It was the high light of my week, the weekly weigh – ins! Loved, loved that time in my youth. Done a lot of living since then. Lost and regained tons.
I see no count limit on letters here and I don’t want to run out of spabe. Plus I don’t want to bore your readers.
I like the old w.w.
I also like LC.
Combinding the two seems to be a good marriage.
I could not lose on the Points system. Very carb senitive.
I am trying to find the list of free food.
My small newbie forum is a small group of, so far women, working to find a healthier way of eating for life. And W.W. is the first place I am turning to.
I have lost over 100 pounds (this time) on the old Atkins plan. From the late 60’s.
Have been Induction 68 / 72 the whole time. And I am burned out. Plus my body is screaming, ENOUGH! I need a good forever plan and am in search of the old W. W. plan from the early 70s.
It is my opinion W.W. is the best well blanced eating for life plan there is. I gained trying to do the Points because of portion control, the lack of.
I am searching for the unlimited list of veggies. Is there anyone here that can help me find it. And do remember as others do that that banana had to be small. 🙂
2, 4, 6 ozs meat or cheese…
Some things I remember, but not enough.I have recently started counding kcals.
A glass of tomato juice once a day was free, right?
I’m a diabetic now. Unlike the other times I have done WW. I will have to watch carbs. But for now I am taking Metformin. Even on the lowest carb count day. I was taking 500mg once a day. Now I am back to 1,000 two times a day.
Before losing so much weight (this time) I was on 2 different kinds of insulin along with the pills. Very carb senitive.
Thank you for reading and hoping someone can lead me to the free list of acceptable foods.
Please forgive typos and horrific miss spelling. 🙂
Thank you,
Marylouise
Hi Marylouise,
Thanks for sharing!
I have the original WW Cookbook from 1966, which outlines the Program back then including the list of unlimited vegetables. I will list it for you here:
1966 Weight Watchers Program Unlimited Vegetables:
asparagus
beet greens
broccoli
cabbage
cauliflower
celery
chinese cabbage
cucumber
endive
escarole
green and red pepper
kohlrabi
lettuce
mung bean sprouts
mushrooms
mustard greens
parsley
pickles
pimentos
radishes
rhubarb
sauerkraut
spinah
squash (greeen)
string beans
watercress
Other unlimited foods included:
Bouillon cubes or envelopes
soy sauce
horseradish
herbs and spices
mustard
salt
pepper
paprika
garlic
lemons
limes
vinegar
sugar substitute
tea or coffee without added sugar or milk
non caloric carbonated sodas
club soda
seltzer
water
Thank you so mucI found theorifnal book and then mis place it . Appreciate this ist.
I was also on WW in 1966-1967 in Ossining NY.
I don’t remember the actual weight loss but I was heavy when I joined and by 1967 when I left for college I had an acceptable weight.
I would love to have a copy of the diet from that period. This is what I remember the diet for a man.
# 3 veggies were completely unlimited. I remember the lecturer saying I don’t care if you have a bathtub of French cut green beans.
#4 veggies were limited to 4oz per day. These were things like. peas and corn.
As a man I was allowed 4 breads per day but you could give up 2 breads and cash in with a cup of cooked pasta.
They wanted everyone.to have
Liver once a week (ignored)
Beef was limited to 3 meals a week
Fish was a least 5 meals a week (for me that was mostly Tuna)
You were expected to eat 5 fruits a day
In general breakfast was 2 ozprotein
Lunch was 4 ounces protein
Dinner was 8 ounces protein
We were boiling tomato juice down for tomato sauce.
MY memory is now below 10% on my iPad so I need to close
Any help would be appreciated .
Thanks
Hi Chris, I think this was probably the original plan since WW was founded in 1963. You should be able to pick up a used book on Amazon or Ebay with the early original plan. It’s the original WW Cookbook with Jean Nieditch on the cover. Hope this helps.
I was on this program back in the 70’s but it never made sense to me. Why is green squash (zucchini) unlimited but yellow squash not, when they have identical calories? Also why are brussels sprouts limited but not cabbage? I later found out I’m not good at all with dairy, so those 2 milk servings a day plus all that cheese was not good for me, and neither was all the artificial sweetener. I’m also allergic to oranges and grapefruit but ate them anyway. It DID work for weight loss but I think it’s pretty unhealthy, at least for me.
There is a typo in the breakfast example. The amount of cottage cheese for breafast was 1/4 cup, not 1/2 cup. Just thought I’d clear it up.
Wow, Christine, good catch! I’ve corrected the typo.
Thank you for posting this. In 1971 my mom joined WW for the first time. We all ate dinners that she ate and I did the complete program with her. She eventually lost 91 pounds; I lost 35. We both gained it all back and then some, but remember that time as the most successful weight loss experience we’d ever had.
My favorite substitute meal was bean sprout spaghetti. Just a simple marinara over steamed bean sprouts. We (Mom, sister and I) were just talking about how much we liked it this weekend past.
I started my current weight loss experience in December 2009. My goal was to lose 30 pounds a year until it was all gone (total 112 pounds to the highest WW goal). I had been on and off WW several times since 1971, including the Points program, and successfully lost 25 of the first year’s attempt by May of 2010. In May I moved in with my parents to help my mom and dad as my dad was dying of cancer. I rejoined WW then because I knew I would need support through that summer. I did reach my goal of losing 30 pounds that year and the next. In fact, by the end of the second year I was down 72 pounds.
I’ve been in a slump for the last year-and-a-half. Seeing this old WW program helps me pinpoint the dietary issues. I have suspected for years that I am one of the people who just can’t have many carbohydrates. When I am reminded of how few carbs the old WW program allowed us (and how quickly I lost and how good I felt during the process), then compare it to what I eat with the Points Plus program, I realize that I need to readjust my choices to include fewer carbs.
Again, thanks for this piece. It is really helping me re-think where I’m going and how to get there.
Hi Debi,
Thanks for your thoughtful comment. And congratulations on your 72 pound weight loss. Knowing that you have been successful with weight loss in the past will help propel you toward your finish line. I can feel it.
I lost weight on WW back in the early 1990s when it was still an exchange plan, before it switched to Points and was very successful. It taught me about portions and eating a healthy balanced diet and was relatively low in carbs, which was key to my success because I am carb sensitive too!
It’s true that the old WW plan was really low in carbs. Great awareness on your part! I’ll be curious to see how eating fewer carbs effects your weight loss.
Please, check back and let me know.
Warmly,
Martha
Omigod! I remember the liver! These days, doctors advise pregnant women (or those wishing to become preg) to NEVER eat liver! It is after all the thing that filters out all the air pollution, lead tainted field grass, and unpure water the beef cattle may ingest, right? I actually think the same goes for small children. My kid has never had liver!
I remember we would buy the biggest honkin’ bananas we could find, as we were allowed only half of one. And the forbidden avocado? That’s got the healthiest fat you can consume. Kind of hard to over do it. Expensive too. Plus it made you too full to even think about scarfing own any cookies.
So glad I never had to endure the old Weight Watchers program! Life is to short to eat food you despise 😉
I was on it in the 70’s. Not only were you supposed to eat liver once a week but it couldn’t be fried nor could you have bacon or onions with it. I think I broke that rule. You could have half a small banans once a week too.
I joined with a friend in 1969. We both lost a good bit of weight. The original plan did call for liver once a week and we learned to bake it with sugar free black cherry soda until it was a bit dry and it tasted like BBQ. You could shred it and hide it in a salad or at lunch in a sandwich – pretty good! We were not allowed bananas until we were within 10 pounds of goal. I still have (and treasure) my original cookbook and my original 10-week pin. The program in the ’70s was different than the original; I have that cookbook, too. We used to get free recipes every week at our meetings – they were mimeographed back then and printed later. Fun times – as long as I stayed on the program, the weight came off. Need to go back to what works and remember what it was like to be a teenager again. Thanks for the great site and congrats to all the “WW veterans” who are here.
Hi Claire, thanks for sharing your walk done WW memory lane with us! Reading it was like stepping into the past 🙂
Do you have a list of what foods you could add 10 pounds of goal.?..was this on leveling or maintenance.?
Do you have the program from the 70’s, or the name of the cookbook?
I also joined with a friend in ‘68…I was a teen myself, and at that time “TWIIGGY” was big time in all the fashion magazines , who weighed 99lbs herself and we all wanted to look like her..lol
I remember the liver once a week too…we had to eat it…
I also remember a recipe that was a coffee pudding and that’s how I got my milk quota in…was looking for the recipe…
It was made with Knox unflavored gelatin, instant coffee, sweet n low and dry milk but I don’t remember the measurements… ANY IDEAS…
….thanks
That brings back memories for me! I joined WW in 1977 and remember that food program well. Things have changed for the better! I just found your blog and look forward to checking out your fabulous recipe collection.
Hi Martha. Just found you via Cammy’s blog. Love your site and look forward to scrolling back and reading more. Hope you have a great weekend.
Thanks, Roz!
I remember my mom doing this plan when I was a kid. She had to make her own ketchup using a WW recipe because regular ketchup was not allowed. I’m so happy to have the flexibility of the new program!
Shauna,
Yes, there’s a recipe for WW ketchup in the book! I’m will you I’m happy to have the flexibility WW offers now 🙂
I joined WW as an older teen in the 70s. If I recall correctly, my plan called for a *mandatory* serving of liver each week. I tried twice, but I just couldn’t do it. 🙂
The other thing I remember is that hot dogs were permitted in 4-oz. portions, which required eating 4 hot dogs. Since I was a teen at the time and didn’t know any better, I thought this was a great idea! LOL
Cammy,
Thanks for sharing! That’s too funny!! I can’t even imagine eating liver, never mind weekly!! I noticed a few frankfurter recipes in the cookbook as well 🙂
I also in the mid 70’s got the W.W. book from my aunt and started on it. I followed it religiously and in a years time I had lost over 65 pounds and kept it off for over ten years, then after I got married and started eating agian I gained some back. Now in 2014 I am back on the old 70’s W.W. diet with the very same book I started with and have alread lost 6 pounds the first week and am so happy!
Thanks for sharing Jed! Looks like the old original program is just as effective as ever 🙂
Where do I get the copy of this 2 week diet. I had it 30 yrs ago and lost it along the way.
Hi Mary, I don’t know what you mean by “this 2 week diet.” This article is talking about the old original WW Plan. I got the information from the old original WW cookbook which you can find on Amazon. Hope this helps. -Martha
Is the original “Hunters Bigos Stew’ in that book…. It has chicken, carrots, tomatoes, sauerkraut, mushrooms, chicken boullion, onions… and I can’t remember what else…. loved that book and never got it back when I loaned it to someone..
Hi Janet, I didn’t see a recipe for “Hunters Bigos Stew” in it, but it sounds good.
In the early 1970s, my mother and I used this very program. I was 14 at the time and while the program was a bit difficult, it was motivating as I lost 13 #s the first week and 11# the second week. I went on to lose within a 3-1/2 months period to lose 95#s and my mother lost 74#s in the same period of time. When I returned to school in the fall, no one knew me. My heavier friends were jealous and the thin ones were in awe. I need to get back on this strict program as it is the only thing that has ever worked for me.
Hi Christine,
Thanks for sharing your experiences! I agree that some of us do better with strict programs!
I AGREE 100 PERCENT. AFTER I HAD MY DAUGTER I976 I LOST 30 LBS. IN 3 MONTHS. A.
M BACK ON IT AS OF TODAY
I AGREE 100 PERCENT. AFTER I HAD MY DAUGTER I976 I LOST 30 LBS. IN 3 MONTHS. A.
M BACK ON IT AS OF TODAY
I am also a Lifetime member but have “fallen” off the wagon. I have been trying to find the “old” plan as that is what I lost on. Are you willing to share yours?
Hi Margo,
I’ve included the details on the old 1960s plan here in the post. I did the plan from back in the 1990s. Which “old” plan are you looking for? What year was it? I’m happy to help however I can!
I am looking for a 1977 weight watchers program,, I would like to find a copy of the program for my personal use,, I lost 120 pds on this program in 1977,, I began in March and by dec I was down 120 pds .. I was at my goal,,
Hi Jackie, I would suggest you try eBay or Amazon.
Is there a recipe in it called tuna bake?
I use to be on this old program years ago but I lost my book.is there a way you could take a picture of the main things in your book and send them to me.I know I’m asking a lot.but that is the only diet I have ever lost on.I’m desperate!
As an old timer on the weight watchers plan, don’t quote me, but I think the hot dogs had to be all beef and boiled. I remember this though, I lost 5 lbs week 1, lost 4 1/2 lbs week 2, lost 3 lbs week 3 and 2 1/2 lbs week 4. So, 15 lbs for the first month, it was quite a kick and I was never hungry. I even cheated a little here and there.
Hi Rosalyn, Thanks so much for sharing your experiences with the old WW Plan! I love reading these.
Once/ week liver is a prominent memory for me too. I used to broil it with A-1 sauce on it. To this day I cannot stand A-1 sauce!
I was so glad to see the post about liver.
I wonder what years that was? About 1968 maybe?
In the 70s, we were supposed to have liver once a week. The reason behind this is that liver is supposed to keep wrinkles at bay. I remember several older women in the group that lost a lot of weight and did NOT wrinkle! I was lucky enough to have a Morrisions close by and got my liver and onions there. I hated cooking it…….
I have always thought the original plan was better for me.
I too could not stand liver, my teacher said eat a fish meal instead. I stayed true to the program and lost 85 lbs to reach my goal weight within the first year.
I did the diet as a teen also in the 70’s and hated liver night. I would cut it up in tiny pieces and practically swallow it with a sip of my milk. Couldn’t wait for my morning bowl of cereal the next day!