First WW Meeting Advice Needed, Please

[TinkOhio]

Hello!

So tomorrow morning I'll be attending my first WW meeting, and I have several questions that I hope some of you might be able to answer.

First of all, what type of plan should I go for? I'm interested in the "Monthly Pass" becuse of the discount and the e-tools part, but I'm very hesitant to put my CC info online. I'm also not crazy about the auto renewal part either. I do plan on going to weekly meetings, and I want to do the points strategy.

Next, what other things do you recommend I buy? I really want a book or something that lists the points of LOTS of items. The more choices that I have, the better I will do. Should I buy a recipe book, or can I find enough good ones online? Any favorites you care to share?

Also, are there certain low point foods, drinks and snacks that you can personally recommend? I don't want to blow the food budget on lots of specialty items. For example, can I buy Aldi's english muffins instead of WW? I have a sweet tooth and would love some tips on low point things if I feel the need to safisfy it!

TIA for any and all help!

 

[M 'n C]

Hi! I just started going to WW meetings about a month ago. I was really nervous about going but I am really liking it. I will admit I haven't taken all of the advice they have given me but it is something I plan on working to incorporate into my daily life as I continue on this journey.

For me I did the monthly pass so I wouldn't have to worry about writing a check each visit or every 10 trips. I shop online quite a bit so I'm use to putting my cc info online. They have a secure site so I wouldn't worry too much about it. The autorenewal can be cancelled at anytime and they will give you that website when you signup so don't feel trapped because you gave them a cc number.

Now as far as what to buy its up to you and what you want to carry around. They will give you a points calculator (actually a slide) that you can carry with you to the grocery store to figure out points before you buy anything and you can use it at home to point all your food. I tend to point my food with a sharpie once I get home so I have to stare at the points value before I eat. You can buy the welcome kit which is a fast food book, common food book, and I think a point tracker for $25. I just make little spreadsheets at home and forget the books.

Once you get the point slider/calculator you can begin to get a feel for what you are spending your points on and can adjust. I don't buy all the WW stuff but I buy some because I like the taste like WW yogurt plus its less points than the yoplait I normally get.

How sweet of a tooth do you have? Would a 2 point pria bar be good (they are covered in chocolate)? I use to get the godiva carmel squares (in the bag) and they are about a point a piece. I use to eat one a day to get in my little craving. Fruit sorbet is pretty good and about 2-3 points per serving. Skinny cow ice cream sandwiches are another fav of mine.

 

[TinkOhio]

Thanks for the great tips and explanations. I especially like the sharpie tip. I know that my sugar issues will be my greatest initial challenge. I'm not big on chocolate, but I have a hard time passing up jelly beans or chewy mints!

 

[mikamah]

Hi there,

You may be at your meeting right now, and I hope it was a good one.
I am a multiple time WWer, and this is the last time I will have joined, because i was heavier than ever and I never want to go back up again. That's why I love the monthly plan and with automatic withdrawal. I think it is very safe, and have had no problem with it. It keeps me going to the meetings especially when I know I've gained, and before I'd say why am I going to go and spend 12 dollars for them to tell me I gained weight. The plan is just in my budget now.

I don't have a book with points from WW, but www.dwlz.com is a web site that has points values for a ton of restaurants and I'll go on there and plan before going out to eat. It's usually Mcdonalds or Dunkin donuts that I frequent. The slider they will give you is real easy to use and you can figure out the points of everything at the grocery store. Also in week 2 or 3 (I think) they give you points values of food ingredients, and I've figured out the points for chocolate chip cookies I make. WW on line has a recipe calculator also so you can plug in ingredients for one of your recipes and it will give you a points value. Plus they have a recipe search where you can find any recipe they have, but I haven't used it much. I don't buy many WW items either, and find the store brand light items are much the same points value as WW.

Sweets are something I love. I love Cozy Shack individual sugar free pudding- one point/cup. Fiber One bars (2 points) come in chocolate and peanut butter and are awesome. Jelly beans and mints are fairly low point because they are fat free ussually, but it's hard to limit. I've bought a bag of candy and split it into little snack bags, 2-3 points each to keep track. Sugar free popsicles are a good snack also, and some are 15 calories which is free if you only eat one. The ww giant fudge bars are awesome- 1 point but expensive. Slim-a- bear has one that is almost as good, and big.

Good luck to you as you start your journey. There's a lot of support and inspiration on this Wish board also. The WW weekly weighin thread and the monthly weight loss challenges are very helpful to me.

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

I do WISH that your first meeting went well. Let us know what you thought.

 

[M 'n C]

Hope you had a good meeting. I have mine on Wednesday and i can't wait. I am definetly ready to give this my all and to quit sabatoging myself. If I can help in anyway let me know. I think I have my restaurant cheat sheet saved on my desktop computer.

 

[tiggerlover]

Congratulations on making that first step to a healthier you!!! Hope you found your first WW meeting helpful and informative.

I am a lifetime WW who has been around the WW block a few times. I have done WW on my own and by going to meetings and ahve been successful both ways. I find that attending meetings really helps as it gives me a ton of information and lots of tried and true tips from other members, when I was a paying member I chose the monthly pass, one for the savings and two for the convenience. It is easy to cancel at any time and when I did (because I made lifetime) they refunded any unused portion.

I bought the starter kit and the points calculator and find both to be very helpful. I keep the free slide rule in my kitchen and I carry the calculator in my purse so that I always have a way to calculate points. Mik gave a great website, it is a wealth of points information. I also LOVED etools and used it a lot when I had access to it.

As for low point sweets, I like the WW 1 PT cakes, 1 PT wheat pretzels, 1 PT Tootsie Roll pops, 1 PT Peppermint Patties (mini), 1 PT Curves bars (strawberry and chocolate nut) and Kozy Shacks 1 PT tapioca pudding.

Good luck on your journey, we are all here and most of us have been through the various stages of the program and are willing to help if we can.

 

[TinkOhio]

Thanks to all for the great advice and words of encouragement! I went to a 9:30 am meeting and was really impressed! The leader was energetic, informative and kind. I really appreciated the one-on-one informative talk that they give to first-timers. I did end up buying the $25 starter kit and the points calculator to keep in my purse. I thought that this would be an investment that might help improve my odds of staying on track.
...Oh yes...I'm definitely a "flex" type of person!

I actually had a hard time trying to get in (eat) all the points today because I wound up spending the rest of the day at the hospital waiting for my mom's surgery. By the time I got out it was 8:30pm and anything would have tasted great! I did somehow manage to bring along all of the WW materials and books that I had with me, so there was lots to read to pass the time. I read the eating out guide and decided to pick a lowfat 6 point Subway sandwich for dinner. (Of course I ordered it with tons of veggies!) After that, I went shopping for low-point foods and found a new favorite--the English toffee crunch icecream bars. YUM!! I'll try to eat one a day as my sugary treat!

I'm very excited about starting this journey and hope that all of you have great succes in your journey! Thanks again!

 

[LK03]

I'm so glad to hear your first meeting went great!

I'm on my 23rd week of WW, and this is my 4th time on the plan. I have the WW food scale and I LOVE it. You can put a chicken breast cooked or uncooked on it, type chicken and it will tell you the points of it. It does this for over 450 items. It's also great if you're going to eat something that says one serving is 53 g or 2 oz and you can weigh out the portion to make it 100% accurate. I bought the scale in my 3rd week and I think that's what has made me so successful and well journaling! I love my 3 month tracker!

I too had a hard time eating all my points in those first few weeks but when you add in the milk, veg/fruit and oil, holy cow there are not enough points in the world, lol!