These are previous Weight Watchers points plans using the older books and materials (points values are figured differently than the PointsPlus plan)
The Momentum Program
More filling foods is the theme for the new Momentum program. Which is really, in a way, Weight Watchers just changed the name. They took all the "core foods" of the last few years and have renamed them Momentum or "more filling foods" and have marked them with a green diamond in your books. The idea is, if you eat from the "more filling foods" it will help your body gain momentum for losing weight. Pretty basic idea in the grand scheme of things; Eat healthier and lose weight faster. So, although you can eat anything you choose with your "Daily Allowance Points", they are suggesting that if you eat from the Core or "more filling foods" it will help your body lose the weight you are trying to. So, now they are saying, if you choose to eat 4 oz. of grilled chicken instead of a piece of See's Candy with the same Point value your body will do better on the chicken. Will you lose weight if you stay with in your Points, even if that includes pizza and candy? The answer is yes you will, but you will probably lose it faster if you change your diet to grilled chicken and veggies. So, for those of us that have done Weight Watchers over the last 3 years, just mentally know that your core foods are now "momentum foods, or more filling foods".
The Flex Program
The Flex Program: The only significant difference from the 2003 program is the 35 points you are allotted to use how ever you would like to every week and the Points range itself, which they just took the middle of old range and give you one number vs. a five point range. You can use all the Points in one day or spread them out to 5 each day. So, if you know you have a party coming up, save up, if you know you have a rougher time on the weekends, save your extra Points for then, or maybe you just need a couple here and there. You decide how you want to spend them, but make sure you spend wisely and keep track. You don’t want to get 5 days into the week and wonder if you used those last 10 Points, J. I would recommend switching it around, and try to lessen a few here and there as you get more acquainted with the system(maybe drop to 30 Points every week after a week or two, the weight will come off a bit faster), also bodies seem to do better when you don't eat the same exact amount of Points everyday. If you find you are not loosing your 1-2 pounds a week, maybe drop it again to 25 “Extra Points” a week, it’s kind of a see how your body does system. You do not want to eat less than your Points range more than one or two days in a row, you could stop loosing all together, I did. I added the 2-3 Points back in and lost 5 lbs in less than 3 weeks after not losing for nearly 3 weeks. It was very frustrating to not lose by not eating enough. The 12 week diary does a great job of keeping track of those points. Other than amount of "extra" Points it is the same program as the Winning Points. The Diary is more extensive and helps keep better track of everything. It's still the same great program, just a little extra "flexibility", :).
The Core Plan
I think this will really help some people out there that hate “counting those Points”. You receive a list of Core foods about 1,200, and you can eat any of the foods on that list until you feel satisfied or comfortable. That is really important, you don’t want to stuff yourself full with these foods, all foods have a calorie value, but for the most part these are some of the healthiest low fat and calorie foods there are, and Weight Watchers doesn’t want you hungry. But the reality is we probably wouldn’t need a healthier way to eat if we all knew when to “stop eating”, so you really need to pay attention to what your body is telling you. Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you feel satisfied. I love this idea just because I eat all the time, so it’s nice to know I can keep grabbing from the “list of foods” and eat when I feel hungry. No weighing, measuring, just listen to my body. Ok, so we all know that we will want foods that will not be on this list. You are given 35 allowance Points per week to eat, that will not be “Core” foods. So here are the basics on the “Core list”.
*Fruits and Veggies (ALL) *Soups (Non-Creamy)
*Whole-wheat pasta, brown rice, potatoes, and grains (once per day)
*High-fiber and other cereals (that don’t have sugar added)
*Lean Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs *Fat-Free milk products
*Healthy oils (olive, canola w/ a few others) – once per day 2 tsp day
*Limited condiments (think low sugar and fat), but you do get ketchup &salsa
*Coffee, tea & sugar free beverages and sugar free candies
This is a very basic view of the items, but I want you to have an idea of what to expect. And there are 3 basic Core Plan Rules:
1. Eat as much of the Core Foods as you need to feel SATISFIED.
2. If you want to eat foods that are not on the Core Food List, use your weekly Points Allowance. (35 per week)
3. Follow the Good Health Guidelines(8 Healthy Steps)
Exercise
You can earn extra points with exercise. A safe guesstimate is about 1 point for every 20 minutes of exercise where you’re a bit winded; you should be able to still talk. Start off small if you have moved around in a while. 5 minute stroll and build up from there. Don’t go out and kill yourself, find something you enjoy. Many of you have cell phones, if you have unlimited minutes grab your phone walk out the door and call a friend or family member and catch up, you be amazed at how fast that time will go by and you killed 2 birds with one stone. Take a walk with someone you love, no phone, no TV, just the two of you. Some people have malls that encourage walkers. If you want it, you will find a way. I do floor exercises while watching TV. Leg lifts, crunches (NOT SIT UPS), and stretches. There are some great low impact floor things that can be done or you could march in place during your favorite sitcom (maybe in the beginning just during commercials).
Light Moderate High
Intensity Intensity Intensity
Can Talk - Yes Yes Briefly
Can Sing - Yes NO NO
Breathing- Regular Often & Deep Rapid & Deep
Sweating- NO After10 Minutes After 3-5 Minutes
Examples -
Light - Leisurely walking, bicycling, swimming, and resistance training (can go from one exercise to the next without stopping).
Moderate - Brisk walking, bicycling, swimming slow laps, and resistance training (have to stop for 30 seconds or more between exercises).
High - Running, competitive bicycling (Spin class), and competitive swimming.
It is suggested if you are more than 30 lbs overweight you do not exercise at a high intensity level. I would suggest you can dabble, but not maintain it more than a few minutes are you work up to more intense workouts.
Hope this helps!