After four days on the program I am not finding it too different from my regular eating, minus a few small changes. That being said, these small changes have made a difference, as I have had to substitute my favourite carb (potatoes) with a much healthier choice–brown rice. I had been avoiding this, honestly. I love my potatoes. I have read all the research, I know that it’s a food that helps someone gain weight, but I love them!!! That small change has been a good one. It had me make a brown rice recipe from scratch, so that way I wasn’t ingesting a 9 point item, but instead a 4 point item. Now the reason for this change is that Weight Watchers assigns points to foods, which if anyone has done the program in the last five years or more, you would know this. Apparently in 2012 WW changed how it assigns points–they assign points to foods based on their protein, fat and carb grams and diminishes based on their fiber content. They don’t per say look at calories, but calories are contingent on fat, protein, carbs and fiber–so it’s a different way of counting calories. I know it will help those people who first start with the program, to look at food in the eyes of points. I know as a calorie counter, that I was able to kind of cheat that system and come within my allowable calories and still feel satisfied. With WW, because of their formula, it’s a bit trickier. The richer foods that kept me full, like potatoes and my protein pancakes, are high in points and I can’t afford to eat them both in a given day and not exceed my points. So I have had to become inventive, like making my own rice and eat lighter. I am pleased that I have made this small change, and I hope that it translates into weight loss this week.

Now I do have concerns with how WW gives points for fruits and vegetables–all of them are zero points. The folly in this, is that if you are new to eating better are in danger of eating too many high sugar fruits, like bananas, and not losing weight. Now hopefully the leader in the class will recognize the issue, if that person starts gaining weight or slow down quickly with the weight loss and will analyze what they are eating and have them stop eating as many of these fruits. But you can’t know this. I am lucky, I have done research and have had my diet analyzed by my boot camp instructor. Time will tell what the leaders of WW do if I am slow at losing weight, and if they ask to see what I eat to help me.

As for exercise, you are encouraged to do something for thirty minutes a day. What you do is assigned a point value, which you can trade in for food points, but only if you eat through all your flex points for the week. It is not naturally moved over. If you do something at low intensity, depending on your weight, gives you a few points. My boot camp, because it’s high intensity for 60 minutes, gives me 17 points. The walking I do at work, because it is low intensity, I put it in at 2 hours, and that gives me 10 points. At the rate that I am going, I have only eaten 6 flex points this week and I have a total of 49 I can use each week, if needed.

Overall, I am enjoying this. I think its the change I needed!! Below is a picture of the android app WW has, so you can log your food as you go! It’s pretty cool, but not as good as My Fitness Pal. They don’t have as many foods and you can’t multi-add foods to save yourself time. Beyond that, it’s a great tool.