I have been a Lifetime member with WW for 33 years. When I was first introduced to Freestyle I gave it high praise after reviewing the handouts and attending the meetings. It was near the Christmas and New Years holidays so I put it on hold until the New Year. I feel bad that I touted it as the best plan in my 33 years of WW. No matter how many posts I read praising #freestyle I have come to the conclusion that this plan is grossly flawed. I am disappointed that we seem to have just been given the golden ticket to revert back to bad habits and overeat. The question regarding how these zero point foods can slide beneath the radar of the last 40 years of preaching “count everything” “track, track, track” “journal your food intake” is beyond me. However I keep reading “these foods are ones that you don’t indulge in. No one over eats these foods”. Well, my friends, in a normal universe before FS- that might have been true. But not anymore. Recipe after recipe using eggs, yogurt, corn and beans in quantities no one could have ever imagined are forefront on every social media outlet that has anything to do with WW. People are consuming entire pies that are 15-20 SP and claiming victory by touting the standard “OMG only 2 SP on Freestyle”. Scales all over America and Europe are bulging under this newfound freedom. WW leaders are, for the first time in history, telling new members as well as seasoned Lifetimers to give it a chance and keep trying. We all know that past programs showed immediate results. Isn’t that the whole point? And telling members that WW is now focused on a lifestyle and not just weight loss is, in my humble opinion, not true. We join to lose weight. The Lifestyle comes later. Whoever thought that they could take foods that are usually eaten in moderation and call them “free” or “zero” for the thousands relying on guidance, didn’t think it through. We are overweight for a reason. We are creative and will turn anything that is allowed into a smorgasbord of various amazing new foods that just keep packing on the pounds because after all, they have zero points, right? When will this madness end? When will WW get back to doing what they do best; portion control, support and healthy eating? 3 eggs are close to 300 calories for example. After all, when you break it down, it is calories in vs calories out. Until then I’m standing my ground. I, in all honesty, do not believe this plan works. I feel sorry for newcomers who don’t know anything different and are given Freestyle to follow. It darn sure isn’t free. I wish they were given a real chance to lose weight and live a leaner, healthier and saner life. Please WW, give us the choice to adjust our plan to Smart Points if we wish, as Freestyle is not a sustainable plan without structure, portion control and tracking every bite, lick and taste. Please don’t shoot the messenger fellow Connecters. I’m not giving up on WW, I am simply being honest with you. I do feel that given time, WW will realize this plan needs tweaking as there is an ever increasing number of people joining a group on Facebook that was created regarding this controversial topic.
Thank you for your great post!
I became a Lifetime Member in 1986. I have not always been at goal. Right now I am 15 pounds away from goal. I have been through all the programs and changes to them. I fell under the spell of Freestyle in December. I thought WOW this is great! Free foods!! After a week I realized I couldn't do this program. I am not a big fan of eggs, beans or fish. I do like chicken but not everyday all day. I was falling off the wagon big time and didn't know how to get back on. I was lost and had no motivation to do anything. I missed SP BTS. I had gained weight and didn't know what to do as I have always done WW. Then I found Robin and Return to 30!!!!!!!! I am back on program and feeling great! Freestyle might for some people but not this girl!! Thank you Robin!!!!
Love this post! Thank you Sue George!
Sissy, I could not agree more! As a member of WW for ten years - made Lifetime previously and have just made it to goal once again. And then just after getting to goal - Freestyle struck mid-December; and I started gaining. Everything I knew about my mantra 'you bite it, you track it' - went out the window! I was supposed to put aside everything that I'd learned over the past decade and try eating until I was satisfied (what is that anyway?) My body has a broken satiety meter - after all that's why I joined WW 75 pounds overweight - and that's why I stay with WW. Because I DO NOT KNOW how to determine when I'm 'satisfied'. I will eat whatever is in front of me. So if it's a 3-egg omelette, a cup of FF plain Greek Yogurt with fresh raspberries and a gigantic bowl of chicken breast taco soup - all built in the recipe builder on the WW website - to make sure it was zero points...so I ate and ate and ate...and guess what? I gained and gained and gained. I was told ' just give it a chance'; eat only until you're satisfied; you'll chose only the foods that you can't overeat (huh?) me? Who are they talking to?
I saw an analogy on the Back to 30 FB page - it's like telling an alcoholic 'yes, you can have one or two' just until you're 'satisfied'....well guess, what. An alcoholic doesn't know when to stop drinking, and I'm a foodaholic who doesn't know when to stop eating - yes all those zeros added up...and once I STOPPED feeding on all of those beans, eggs chicken and fat free yogurt - OMG the weight started to drop, drop, drop. Just like the SmartPoints system that I'd been using since the last change...
WeightWatchers! Please HEAR US! We are your loyal base! We attend meetings, we buy your products, we support your leaders. If your only goal is to recruit new people - then this program should be good for that - they'll come and they won't lose weight - and then you'll have to recruit a whole new bunch. No one is going to be able to sustain losses on this program for long. They may all lose initially - because they've probably been living on the NASCAR diet (pizza, cheetos, potato chips beer, cakes, candy, pies...other assorted junk foods) with wild abandon. So FreeStyle will be an improvement for them...however, it is not working for us who've given up the NASCAR diet many years ago and only occasionally indulge in a treat - be it a beer or a dessert - but with WW ever imprinted in our minds and hearts, that is 'occasional' and not both...or maybe it is...but we'll have the points in our SmartPoints bank to handle it...that's what the weeklies were for...
The new programs simply does not work for all of us. Simply Filling is what FreeStyle should be called, because it's the same lineup and you don't track those foods. Ramming this program down our throats is not going to provide long term success for WW or it's members.
I hope they're listening up in WW Corporate Offices. In the meantime, while they sort this out, I'll be doing my own thing with about 30 SmartPoints a day. I've learned that an egg is going to cost me 2 points...and I won't be eating 3 of them in a day..just not worth all those SP's; beans are usually 3 for 1/2 cup, chicken breast serving size is 3-4 oz. FF plain Greek Yogurt is 5 SP's for one of those little containers - whatever am I going to do with all that yogurt in my fridge?
All true. I hope they at least put the option back. BTS was truly the secret sauce to weight loss for me.