Why I Think the Old Weight Watchers Exchange Program 1980s/1990 (Quick Success) Was Better Than Points

11/19 Update: new myWW Program – the most customizable ever – Launched!

Warning: Serious Weight Loss Rambling ahead; Proceed at Your Own Risk!

I’m taking a break from my regularly scheduled WW Meal Planning this week to provide some food for thought instead…

Did you ever have a nagging thought that you just couldn’t get out of your head? Here’s one that I’ve been wrestling with for a while now:

“The old Weight Watchers food based exchange program (Quick Success) from the late 1980s / early 1990s was better for weight loss than counting points or points plus.”

This would be quickly followed by: “How could that be?” “You’re nuts.” “Weight Watchers is a huge public company that knows a lot more than you do.” “It’s so retro.”  “It’s just because you learned it first, it’s the plan you had initial success with and became a lifetime member following.” “You’re being nostalgic.”

I did lose weight and become a lifetime member following, Quick Success, Weight Watchers food based exchange program, long before they switched over to Points.

I followed the plan, learned a ton about healthy balanced eating and portion control and consistently lost weight week after week.

Naive and cocky, I failed to take maintenance seriously. I thought I’d be able to go it alone—a big mistake in retrospect.

Live and learn. I now know that I need systems, discipline, accountability and support to maintain a happy healthy weight.

Martha McKinnon’s Weight Watchers Story: Part 1

Martha McKinnon’s Weight Watchers Story: Part 2

Martha McKinnon’s Weight Watchers Story: Part 3

Recently, I had a lightbulb moment: While I learned the Weight Watchers Points and Points Plus systems, and know how to calculate them, I don’t think in terms of Points, I think in terms of numbers of servings of food groups. What I learned way way back in that early 1990s Weight Watchers exchange plan has stuck with me all these years.

I think because it’s logical. You eat real food from all the food groups: starch, protein, fat, fruits, vegetables, and dairy. You are allotted so many servings from each food group every day. Once you learn serving sizes and number of servings, it’s easy to stay on track.

This way of eating was first developed for diabetics as a way to keep their blood sugar stable. And it worked really well for me. It’s a healthy balanced way of eating. It was “clean eating” back before such a term even existed.

Food exchange programs like this have been around for decades and are well tested. There’s nothing sexy, flashy or trendy about them, but they work. With exchanges you never forget that you are talking about FOOD.

So, while counting points works for some people, so does counting counting calories or food groups, and I think it’s a whole lot simpler, which is important when you are prone to laziness the way I am. When it comes to weight loss, simple is the only thing that has ever worked for me.

Then I read this interesting article in the NYT Article, which agreed with me and essentially said…

Recognizing this new evidence, the scientists on the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, for the first time in 35 years have sent recommendations to the government without any upper limit on total fat. In addition, reduced-fat foods were specifically not recommended for obesity prevention. Instead, the committee encouraged consumption according to healthful food-based diet patterns.

The limit on total fat is an outdated concept, an obstacle to sensible change that promotes harmful low-fat foods, undermines efforts to limit refined grains and added sugars, and discourages the food industry from developing products higher in healthy fats. Fortunately, the people behind the Dietary Guidelines understand that. Will the government, policy makers and the food industry take notice this time?

It turns out the scientists on the 2105 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee for the US, agree with me 🙂 We should learn to eat according to healthful food-based diet patterns, just like I learned to do back with that old Weight Watchers Quick Start Exchange Program.

The sad thing is that US dietary policy and Weight Watchers can’t change on a dime. It will take years or decades for this information to make its way out to the masses. In the meantime folks will continue to struggle with low fat diet thinking.

Back to the Future Weight Loss

Everyone does Weight Watchers differently. For me, the best approach to weight management is a hybrid one. I will always love Weight Watchers comprehensive approach to weight loss. As anyone who has ever struggled with weight knows, it’s about a lot more than just food and exercise.

Weight Watchers meetings are a great source of accountability and support and help with the myriad challenges of losing weight and keeping it off. In that the regard, the Weight Watchers program is better than ever.

I don’t believe that the Program has changed all that much. People are always the same; they’ll always care for each other. They’ll always need to know first of all, that they’re not alone; secondly they’re not bad people for being overweight; and third, if they really want something, it’s within their power to go and get it.
– Jean Nidetch (Weight Watchers Founder)

If PointsPlus are working for you and you don’t find the process cumbersome, that’s great. Stick with what is working for you.

But if counting points is not working, if calculating them seems overly complicated, or if you feel like you need more structure,  you may want to experiment with the old food based exchange approach, like the one in the Weight Watchers’ Quick Success Program Cookbook.

The bottom line is that to lose weight you need to figure out a way to eat less (create a calorie deficit) that you can live with.

Why I Think the Old Weight Watchers Food Based Exchange Plan Was Better for Weight Loss

I learned healthy balanced eating and portion control. It was not as restrictive as the Old Original Weight Watchers Plan from the 1960s, but more so than today’s approach which doesn’t provide enough structure and discipline for some folks.

I believe that when you are learning a new skill, such as healthy balanced eating, you need to start with the basics. You need clear instructions and guidance. You essentially need to be told what to do. You need training wheels until you learn to find your balance and begin riding without them.

We somehow have gotten to the place in our development where many of us are completely confused about how to feed ourselves in a healthy balanced way. We are overwhelmed by conflicting information. I was lost and confused when I first began WW back in the early 1990s.

WW Quick Success with it’s food based exchanges taught me a healthy balanced approach to eating that I’ve carried with me through to today.

The exchange lists group foods together because they are alike. Foods on each list have about the same amount of carbohydrate, protein, fat and calories.

Basics of the Weight Watchers Food Based Exchange Weight Loss Program

Under the Weight Watchers Quick Success Program, as a woman, I was allowed the following each day:

• 2-3 fruit exchanges
• 3+ vegetable exchanges
• 5-6 protein exchanges
• 2-3 bread/starch exchanges
• 3 fat exchanges
• 2 milk exchanges
• Beginning with the 5th week 1 optional floating exchange
• Optional calories per week: no more than 150 week 1, no more than 200 week 2 no more than 300 week 3, no more than 400 week 4, no more than 500 week 5 and beyond.

Once you had used up your exchanges and optional calories, the only choice was to supplement with vegetables if you were still hungry. There were days when I ate a lot of vegetables 🙂 Green beans and salsa were a particular favorite.

Examples from the Fruit Group
Generally 1 serving is equal to:

• 1 small fruit like an apple or orange (about 4 ounces or 3/4 cup)
• 1 cup strawberries
• 1 cup melon
• 1/2 banana
• 1/2 medium grapefruit
• 1/2 cup blueberries, blackberries, raspberries
• 12 large or 20 small grapes
• 1/2 cup canned unsweetened fruit
• 1/2 cup fruit juice
• 2 dates
• 4 dried apricot halves
• 2 tablespoons raisins

Examples from the Vegetable Group
Generally 1 serving is equal to:

• 1 cup raw leafy green vegetables like lettuce or spinach
• 1/2 cup of most other vegetables, raw or cooked
• 1/2 cup vegetable juice

Examples from the Protein Group
Generally 1 serving is equal to:

• 1 ounce cooked meat, poultry or fish
• 1 egg
• 1 ounce hard or semisoft cheese
• 1/3 cup cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup canned tuna or salmon
• 3 ounces tofu
• 1/4 cup cooked dried beans, peas or lentils

Examples from the Bread/Starch Group
Generally 1 serving is equal to:

• 1-ounce of bread or crackers
• 1/2 english muffin
• 1/2 cup cooked cereal or pasta
• 3/4 cup cold cereal
• 1/2 cup starchy vegetable (potatoes, peas, corn)

Examples from the Fat Group
Generally 1 serving is equal to:

• 1 teaspoon oil or butter or margarine or lard or mayonnaise or animal fat
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salad dressing

Examples from the Milk Group
Generally 1 serving is equal to:

• 1 cup skim milk or 1% fat milk
• 1 cup soymilk
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup instant nonfat dry milk
• 1/2 cup low fat yogurt
• 3/4 cup nonfat yogurt

Sample Menu Based on OLD WW Food Exchanges*

BREAKFAST

• 1/2 cup Pineapple Chunks
• 1/3 cup Cottage Cheese
• 1/2 cup Skim Milk
• Coffee or Tea

LUNCH

• Chicken & Swiss on Rye (1-1/2 ounces sliced chicken and 1/2 ounce Swiss cheese, lettuce, and 1 teaspoon mayonnaise on 2 slices reduced calorie rye bread)
• 6 Celery Sticks and 3 Cherry Tomatoes
• 1 cup Watermelon Chunks
• Coffee, Tea or Mineral Water

DINNER

• 3 ounces Baked Chicken Cutlet sprinkled with Lemon Juice and Chopped Parsley
• 1 serving Mozzarella, Tomato and Arugula Salad
• 1/2 cup each cooked Cauliflower and Green Beans
• 1/2 cup pudding

SNACK

• 1 cup Strawberries with 1/2 cup Plain Yogurt

*Men and Youths add 2 Protein Exchanges, 2 Bread Exchanges, and 1 Fruit Exchange; Youths add 1 Milk Exchange

The system provided much more structure than the current points system which was important because I was clueless about how to nourish myself. It forced me to eat in a balanced way that’s effective at keeping hunger at bay.

The old system taught me about what foods are categorized as proteins, starches, fats, fruits, vegetables and milk. And what amount makes a serving. I learned that 1/2 a medium banana or 12 large grapes was equal to 1 fruit exchange and that 1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta or one one ounce slice of bread equaled one starch exchange.

Sample of Old Weight Watchers Quick Start Food Tracker

These days when I want to track/food journal for a few days, I tend to use a small notebook. I just jot down what I ate for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. And I use check marks to keep track of my exchanges:

Example

B) 1/3 cup cottage cheese (1 Protein), 1/2 cup pineapple chunks (1 fruit), 1 slice wheat toast (1 bread)

Milk (2):
Fruit (3):
Veg (3+):
Protein (6):
Bread (2):
Fat (3):
Optional Cals:

Watch Martha Tell Her Own Weight Watchers Story

• Martha McKinnon’s Weight Watchers Story: Part 1
• Martha McKinnon’s Weight Watchers Story: Part 2
• Martha McKinnon’s Weight Watchers Story: Part 3

My first big realization came right away when I discovered how super-sized my portions had been. It was a HUGE wake up call that I’ve never forgotten.

The first few weeks on a plan like this can be really challenging. Especially if you are used to loading up on whatever is convenient whenever you want.

But, then you begin to notice how good you feel. I never feel too full or bloated or get stomach aches or headaches when I eat according to this plan. And my cravings subside because the truth is that we tend to crave what we eat regularly.

When I’m eating greasy pizza and Chinese food once or twice a week, I find myself craving greasy pizza and Chinese food. When I stopped eating it all the time, I craved it less. Honest!

Weight loss takes time and practice and patience to achieve lasting results. I’m glad the scientists on the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee are encouraging us to eat according to healthful food-based diet patterns. It feels like a big step back in the right direction.

Have you had experience with the Old Weight Watchers Food Based Exchange Plan? Did it work for you? Are you happy with Points Plus?

Have you ever considered going back to the Old Weight Watchers way or would that seem crazy?

I’d love to get your thoughts.

If you are interested in following the old WW Program you can buy the Weight Watchers’ Quick Success Program Cookbook, which includes plan/program details and 5 weeks of Meal Plans on Amazon. 

More Interesting Reading About Food Exchange Plans

• Healthy Slice of Life
• Frugal Fat Loss Exchange Plan
• Diet to Go Meal Delivery: Healthy Eating Made Easy

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