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!