From: shagan@gandalf.rutgers.edu (Susan R. Hagan)
Newsgroups: alt.support.diet
Subject: Re: Weight Watchers vs. ?
Date: 12 Jan 93 16:15:10 GMT
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.

sjryan@iastate.edu (S. J. Ryan) writes:


>	The local weight-loss group you mention sounds good, but be sure
>you check out the diet they recommend.  If it's a good, low-fat,
>balanced diet, it should be okay.  Weight Watchers, at least when

This group is run by my local HMO, and its designed by dieticians also.

>I attended, didn't have you do any charting.  Sometimes that can be

I just joined WW this past week and they gave me a chart to fill out.
I have to write down everything I eat.  Then there is a chart at the
top of each page where I check of each exchange that I eat and I
record my optional calories.

>helpful.  Sometimes it's a pain!  Anyway, WW is planned by a Registered
>Dietitian, which makes it a good plan, but your lecturer makes a lot of
>difference, and there is the cost to consider.  It is not interrupted

It turns out that Weight Away wants $70 up front for each 10 week session.
That is cheaper than WW, but I prefer to pay as I go.  Makes it a little
easier.

>every few weeks to start a new session, though.  Also, at least
>here in Iowa there are breaks on registration right now.  I assume

Yes.  I joined for $12 - no meeting fee.  Then its $11.00 a week after
that.

>that's nationwide.  They do that frequently when they introduce a new
>portion of the program at the beginning of the year.  The program is
>constantly being improved.

I've heard that they keep adding things to the program, but I thought
that there were a number of plans to choose from.  Instead, they replace
the old plan with the new one.  For example, last year they were doing
the Quick Start plan - this year, I think they call it the Personal Selection
plan.

I don't know what the difference is, but no one mentioned Quick Start at
my meeting.

>	One thing I particularly like about WW, although it can also be a
>problem is that, to a large extent, you are made responsible for food
>choices.  You can have chocolate, etc.  You don't "give up" certain
>foods.  I like that, because it's a more normal way of eating.  But it
>doesn't work for everyone.

Yes.  I really like that I can eat what I want - just not as much as I
want.  And I have to "pay" for it from my daily exchange allotment.

I look at the daily exchange allottment as "food bucks".  Each thing
I eat costs a certain amound of "food bucks", so if I want to be decadent,
I have to pay extra, which means the quantity that I eat is reduced.

I can have regular bread if I want, but I can have twice as much bread if
I have low calorie bread.  More bang for my buck.  Also, if I have low
calorie bread for lunch, I can have more spaghetti for dinner.  

I like that.  Other diets are way too rigid, which is why I never went
on them.  

I'm on Day 5 of my first week of WW and so far so good.  

But, I still need to know if I can carry exchanges over to the next day,
and what should I do if I don't eat all my exchanges in one day - should
I make myself eat them even if I'm not hungry?

Yesterday, I only ate 3 protein exchanges, and I didn't realize this until
10:30 pm.  My husband asked me if I had to make myself eat 2 exchanges 
worth of protein before I went to bed.  I said that I didn't know what
WW would say, but it seemed like a stupid idea to me to eat so much,
so close to bedtime, when I wasnt' even hungry.  So I didn't.

Does anyone know what you're supposed to do in this case?


-- 
Susan R. Hagan (shagan@gandalf.rutgers.edu) 
Publications Coordinator - User Services
Rutgers University Computing Services
Newsgroups: alt.support.diet