New Weight Watchers Program for 2022 & 2023 (Updated October 2022)

(Updated 11/15/22)

Will Weight Watchers Have a New Program for 2022 and 2023?

Yes. Weight Watchers updated its program in November 2022 to a simplified streamlined version of Personal Points, the plan launched just one year ago.  The WW 2023 Plan App updated Monday, November 14th. Everyone will be enrolled in the new plan on December 12th.

Turns out the insights, Dish with Dee Youtube Vlogger shared based on communication she has had with a WW Staffer who was just informed of the coming 2022/2023 plan changes was right on point.

• There is now a single zero points food list for everyone except those on the diabetes specific program.
• You will no longer earn points for drinking water and eating non-starchy vegetables. 

How Will The New Weight Watchers Program Be Different?

Here are my notes about the coming 2022/2023 plan changes after watching Dee's Vlog:

• WW new plan will be more simple and streamlined with fewer choices. It appears that the customized approach where no two plans were the same and everyone's zero points foods were different was too complex and confusing.
• Everyone except for diabetics will be on the same plan with the same zero points foods list.
• A recipe's points will once again be the same for all members.
• Zero point foods (for non-diabetics) will include non-starchy vegetables, fruits, lean poultry and fish, tofu, nonfat, plain Greek yogurt, nonfat cottage cheese, eggs, beans, peas, lentils, corn, and popcorn. This is essentially the Weight Watchers Blue Zero Points Foods List plus air popped popcorn and non fat cottage cheese. 
• The PersonalPoints algorithm, described as more advanced than SmartPoints values because values go up with added sugars and saturated fats but also go down with fiber and unsaturated fats, will stay the same.
• You will have a daily points budget and a weekly points budget calculated based on sex, age, height and weight.
• You will still be able to earn additional points for physical activity.
• You will no longer earn additional points for eating non-starchy vegetables or drinking water.
• This plan appears to be similar to the previous myWW Blue Plan (2019/2020) and Freestyle (2018).

Weight Watchers Personal Points Reviews 

This informative video from Barrett Pastor, who lost here weight on the Weight Watchers Freestyle  and myWW Blue Plan confirms what Dee had to say about coming changes. She also provides a good review of the Personal Points Program and why it didn't work for her. She shares my concern that the biggest thing that was lost with WW most recent programs was the sense of community. 

New 2022 Date for Updated WW Plan Changes?

The new plan launched on Monday 11/14. Everyone will be enrolled in the new plan on December 12th.

 

Weight Watchers 2022/2023 Program Changers Confirmed by CEO, Sima Sistani

In WW International, Inc. Q3 2022 Earnings Conference Call November 3, 2022 5:00 PM ET CEO Sima Sistani confirmed that the weight loss company would be rolling out changes to their program in the coming weeks. Here is what she said:

"...As we noted during our last earnings call in August, our analysis has shown that personal points could have and should have performed better. After challenging ourselves to understand how members behave through analytics and a laser focus on activation rate, -- we implemented the following actions, uncovered and diagnosed issues with our current program to inform a new direction, for the first time ever, rolled out an AV test to a subset of new members to inform a food plan change through data and further validated the results. Early member survey results show that the simplified plan outperformed personal points on MPS, supporting our decision to scale quickly.

And we did it all in under three months. Because of this tremendous effort, we plan to begin rolling out the simplified program in the coming weeks. We believe the changes will make Weight Watchers easier to follow and help members achieve their weight loss goals. We announced this decision to our coaches recently and their feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. And this has been what their members have been asking for.

We will be retaining certain key elements of personal points, including the ability to deliver a program for members living with diabetes and a point algorithm that incorporates the latest nutritional science, including advances in fiber, healthy fats and added sugar...."

My Thoughts on Weight Watchers 2022/2023 Personal Points Plan Changes

I've been a lifetime member of Weight Watchers since the early 1990s, losing my weight on their food exchange plan that predated Points. I've seen the plan change many times through the decades as nutritional and weight loss science have evolved.

Whenever a new plan is introduced current members experience angst over the impending changes. It's human nature. Change can be a challenge. The healthy approach is to try to welcome the change, to be open to it.

The magic of Weight Watchers has always been the support structure it provides. Without this integral component it becomes just another diet.

While WW connect and online meetings are good they are not a replacement for the human to human connection and energy of folks sharing a common struggle getting together in real life.

To be most effective a diet should be as simple as possible to understand and to practice. It also should strike a just right balance... not too restrictive, but not too permissive either.

The Initial version of Personal Points launched last fall (2021) erred on the side of being too liberal, trying to be all things to all people. With its "no two plans are the same" overly customizable approach it gave its members too much freedom resulting in reduced weight loss. It also set up an environment where its member could no longer easily support each other with shared low or zero points recipes and success strategies.

Fortunately Weight Watchers new CEO recognized these shortcomings and is taking quick action to correct course.

The new plan appears reminiscent of the past WW Freestyle Plan and myWW Blue Plan with a single zero points food list shared by all members except those with diabetes. It's a simple, streamlined plan that will be easier for it coaches to support and easier for its members to rally one another around.

How Will These Changes Affect Simple Nourished Living's Personal Points Recipes and ECookbooks?

Because we now provide links from our recipes and ecookbooks directly into the WW Recipe Builder, everything should stay current with whatever changes WW makes. Fingers crossed!

I'll continue to update this post as I learn more.

 

 

More Resources For Weight Watchers

• 101 Essential Links & Resources for Weight Watchers
• Why I Think the Old WeightWatchers Food Exchange Plan Was Better Than Points
• What Was the Old/Original Weight Watchers 1960s Plan Like?
• How Skipping Breakfast and Intermittent Fasting Can Help You Lose Weight

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Weight Watchers New Personal Points Program (10/2021)

When I logged into my WW App this morning I was greeted with the following:

I've spent most of the day on the WW site and with the App getting familiar with it so I could put together this post outlining all the details of the new plan, PersonalPoints, for you.

This newest WW program has been totally personalized....

"No two people are alike, so no two plans are alike. When you join WW, we'll ask you a series of questions via our PersonalPoints Engine, then we'll design your unique PersonalPoints Budget and ZeroPoint™ food list."

SmartPoints have been replaced with Personal Points

SmartPoints are gone. They have been replaced with PersonalPoints which are calculated using calories, fiber, protein, added sugars, saturated fats and unsaturated fats.

How are PersonalPoints different from SmartPoints?
Now, values go up with added sugars and saturated fat, and go down with protein, fiber and unsaturated fats.

Consequently, the points values of many foods have changed. For example a cup of cooked white penne pasta has 4 PersonalPoints per cup, but whole wheat penne has 3.

No two PersonalPoints plans are the same

Everyone gets a customized plan with a personalized Zero Point Foods List based on your likes, dislikes and most commonly eaten foods.

When you you begin the Personal Points program you will answer a series of questions via WW PersonalPoints Engine, which builds your unique ZeroPoint food list and PersonalPoints Budget to ensure you can eat what you love and still lose weight.

You will be able to take this quiz again and again if you want to switch up your ZeroPoint foods and see its effects on your budget. (I took it at least 6 times today.)

To re-take the quiz you'll just go to Profile > Settings > Food Settings > Food Plan and re-answer the questions.

In addition to your daily points allowance, you will also get a weekly points allowance and you will still be able to "rollover" points.

Personal Points Complete Zero Point Foods List

The ZeroPoint Foods from which to choose include:

• non-starchy vegetables (the only group that will be ZeroPoints for all members)
• fruits
• avocado (new!)
• chicken and turkey breast
• eggs
• fish and shellfish
• tofu and tempeh
• plain, nonfat yogurt and cottage cheese
• oatmeal
• potatoes
• corn, including air-popped popcorn
• beans, peas, lentils
• whole-wheat pasta
• brown rice, quinoa, other whole grains

While ZeroPoint foods lists will be different from person to person, the PersonalPoints calculation of a food will be the same for everyone. So, while you may have eggs on your ZeroPoints food list and another member may not, if a food does have points for both of you it will be the same number of points on all PersonalPoints plans.

Earn Additional Points!

Based on groundbreaking nutritional and behavior-change research, WW rewards you for healthy habits so you stick with them! For the first time ever, you’ll earn Points for doing healthy things—like eating veggies, drinking water, or moving more.

Ways to Earn More Points

You can now add to your PersonalPoints Budget by eating non-starchy vegetables, drinking more water, or carving out time for activity. Building healthy habits has never been more rewarding:

1. Eat Your Veggies!
   For every cup of non-starchy vegetables you track you’ll get 1 Point added to your daily budget. This is an unlimited. If you track three cups of veggies you will get three additional points added to your daily points budget. If you're wondering what non-starchy veggies include, it's basically the vegetables that were zero points on MyWW Green. So, yes to carrots and butternut squash, no to peas, potatoes and corn.

2. Drink Water!
   Tracking 60 ounces of water in a day will earn you one PersonalPoint added to your daily budget. You can only earn 1 point per day for drinking your water.

3. Get Active!
   You can also earn PersonalPoints by tracking activity. You can track activity manually or passively by connecting to a compatible fitness tracker. Points earned will be added to your weekly budget.

My Take on PersonalPoints

Change is never easy. If you are comfortable with your current WW plan and it is working for you, learning a new plan can be especially challenging.

Take a deep breath and focus on the positive. You have a lot more choice and flexibility with the PersonalPoints program.

Keep doing what you have been doing. Track and notice what's different. Give yourself some time to adjust.

I've been a WW lifetime member for over 30 years. I first joined back when it was a food exchange based plan, before Points. I have lost track of how many times WW has changed and updated its program since then. If you follow the Program it will work. I'm living proof.

I'm excited about the incentives to engage in healthy behaviors. Tracking my water, activity and non-starchy vegetable consumption to earn additional points feels more like fun than effort. It's just the kick-start I need right now.

Frequently Asked Questions about WW Personal Points

How Do I Re-Take The Personal Points Quiz?
To re-take the quiz you'll just go to Profile > Settings > Food Settings > Food Plan and re-answer the questions.

Will We Still Have The 3 Colored Plans To Follow—Blue, Purple and Green?
No, the MyWW program with the 3 colored programs to choose from will be no more, it will now just be known as The new WW PersonalPoints™

Is There A Specific Plan For Those With Diabetes?
The first question in the personalization quiz is, "Are you living with either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes?" If you answer yes that will factor into the customization of your plan and which foods will appear on your ZeroPoint foods list.

Will The Recipes and Foods I Added In The WW App Automatically Convert To PersonalPoints?
Yes. I checked my recipes this morning after taking the quiz and they updated to the new PersonalPoints.

Are any foods totally off-limits?
No. On WW no food is off-limits. It's one of the reasons WW works for me. As soon as I tell myself I can't have a food it's all I think about. My latest low/no carb experiment lasted one day! Of course some foods are 'very expensive' so you have to plan for them and eat in moderation.

Am I counting calories on WW?
No. Current nutritional wisdom suggests that not all calories are created equal. on WW you count Personal Points. A personal point considers more than just calories. The algorithm also considers carbs, added sugars, fiber, protein and saturated vs. unsaturated fat in making its points determination.

Can a vegan or vegetarian do WW?
Yes. WW will work for people with all kinds of dietary limitations -- vegans, vegetarians, gluten-free, dairy-free, etc. 

How will Personal Points Affect the Recipes on Simple Nourished Living?

Because no two plans are the same and different folks will have different Zero Points foods, recipes will no longer have the same number of points for everyone. But there is a solution.

Instead of providing a specific points value on my recipes, I will provide a link to my recipe in the WW recipe builder. If you are logged into the WW site/App, it will automatically show up with your PersonalPoints value.

You can then save or track the recipe in your account. This also will allow you to edit the recipe within your account, without having to build it from scratch yourself.

Here's an example of what I mean:

To see your WW PersonalPoints for my slow cooker chicken & gravy recipe and/or track it in the WW app or site, click here!

I will continue to provide the nutritional information for those who find it helpful.

I will be updating my current recipes with WW recipe builder links as quickly as I can, but with hundreds of recipes it is going to take some time.

Please let me know what you think about PersonalPoints. I'd love to see your comments and questions.

Thank you so much for your support!

What Makes Weight Watchers Such a Successful Weight Loss Program?

There are hundreds of weight loss programs out there? What makes Weight Watchers stand apart from the competition? Where does it stack up when compared to other diet plans?  

• Weight Watchers has been ranked by U.S. News #1 in Best Weight-Loss Diets Overall for 12 years in a row.
• Weight Watchers scored the highest for overall weight loss and fast weight loss, and experts say it’s a smart, effective diet, according to Health US News.
• Weight Watchers is the Number One doctor recommended weight loss program. It has been for decades. My mom's doctor suggested it to her back in the 1970s.
• Clinical trials have demonstrated the statistically significant effectiveness of the Weight Watchers diabetes program  on weight management, as well as overall health and well-being of patients with diabetes.
• Abbott has partnered with Weight Watchers  to integrate WeightWatchers' diabetes-tailored weight management program with Abbott's portfolio of FreeStyle Libre^® products to create a seamless mobile experience that will give people living with diabetes the information and insights needed to make healthy adjustments to their diet, improve their glucose levels, and, ultimately, gain more control of their health. 

If You Liked this Post About the WW Personal Points Plan You Might Also Like:

• Why I Love the WW Simply Filling/No Count Technique
• Why I Think the Old WeightWatchers Food Exchange Plan Was Better Than Points
• What Was the Old/Original Weight Watchers 1960s Plan Like?
• How Skipping Breakfast and Intermittent Fasting Can Help You Lose Weight