Talk to me about the CORE WW program!

[lulu201]

Anyone out there doing great on WW's CORE program? Could you tell me all about it and what your experience has been like? Or, if you didn't like it all, could you tell me your honest opinion? I like my flex program, but maybe CORE would put some zing in things? I'm really looking to change my eating habits toward healthy foods!

Erin

 

[Tera]

Hi Erin...

I've been doing WW for almost a year and have lost about 55 pounds doing the flex. I have recently switched over to Core (about 6 weeks ago) and have lost about 5. The reason it's such a small loss is that I had been on vacation for 2 weeks and gained 3 pounds, so it took me about 2 weeks to finally lose it again. I have lost just over a pound each week since getting home, which is fine. I know there are people that have lost MUCH more per week on Core, but I guess it was just not meant to be

Now it was really REALLY hard for me to switch from flex to core, but I do prefer doing core now. I had to make sure I had all the right foods in the house and limit the number of none core snacks I had per day. I eat way more fruit and drink more milk on core since it doesn't cost me any points. It's more about Whole & fresh foods versus processed (I use to eat WW meals every day).

If you have hit a plateau and want to mix things up, try the Core. I would recomment going shopping (your list is inside one of your WW books) and get the right foods in your house BEFORE starting.

If you have any more questions, please ask.

 

[lulu201]

Wow, Teresa! Congratulations on your weight loss! That's amazing! And thanks so much for your comments re: the core program. I'm REALLY interested now.

What I'm looking for, I guess, is a program of healthy carbs, proteins (including lots of dairy), fruits, and veggies that I can LIVE with. Unfortunately, I haven't been to WW meetings in awhile, and I don't have the core info. . .your post is making me think it might be worthwhile to try WW online for a couple of months to get me started. Hmm, maybe after I get back from vacation?

Thanks again, Teresa, for sharing so much with me.

,
Erin

 

[septbride2002]

Morning! Teresa you looked awesome on the cruise! I wanna go back! Don't you? I keep hoping our waiter will come to our house for a "visit"

Here is some information about the Core program.

http://www.geocities.com/core_food/index.htm

http://p087.ezboard.com/fdottisweightlosszonefrm61.showMessage?topicID=135.topic

 

[Tera]

Thanks Amanda! We definitely want to go back. We're waiting for the 2007 dates to see if we can do another trip.


Erin - No problem. It's very intimidating at first, especially if you've been doing flex for so long, but I really like it better. I feel more satisfied and I think you can eat more foods, you just have to watch your portions.

Good luck

 

[MelanieC]

Hi Erin,
You can also get a LOT of Core info by going to the weight Watchers message boards:

http://www.weightwatchers.com/community/mbd/index.aspx
Click on Core plan tip exchange

You can learn a lot there and its a really active message board.

I don't do core, although most of the time I eat mostly core foods. I'd have a hard time giving up my whole wheat tortillas and low fat cheese.

There are lots of people who do swear by it though. You basically just have to teach yourself to stop eating when you aren't hungry anymore (and not waiting untill your stuffed).

 

[DoeWDW]

Hi all!

I'm interested in WW core also.

Melanie, I hear you about not wanting to give up my whole wheat tortillas! On core you get 35 points per week, right? That's 5 per day. How many points is a whole wheat tortilla?

After doing low carb for so long, my biggest problem would be giving up real butter, real mayo and full fat cheese & yogurt. However I haven't been sticking to my low carb very well lately and it may just be time to shake things up a bit with WW core.

 

[lulu201]

Hi, Mel. Hey, Doreen. Thanks for joining the discussion! I read through all the lists--and I visited the WW community boards--and I think I'm going to go with the way you do things, Mel. I'm going to try to concentrate on eating more Core foods, but stick with flex. With my schedule and with what I like to eat, there are some things I don't want to give up,a nd this has to be a plan for life--one I'll want to stick with. I'm sorry, but I'd rather not eat cheese at all than eat fat-free. The same with plain yogurt. Cookies, cakes, sugary things. . .well, those I know just plain aren't good for me and my metabolism and can be tossed, but low-fat, s. f. raspberry yogurt is staying in the fridge!

I respect the Comfort Zone idea behind Core, but I know that for my blood sugar levels, I do better with 5 small meals scheduled throughout a day. My energy levels stay up and I feel good, as long as I'm avoiding sugar and caffeine. I measure out everything as far as portions go, and I don't think I could stop doing that yet.

Thanks, everyone, for your input on all of this. If anyone else has any thoughts, please share!

Erin

 

[MelanieC]

Hey guys,
I went camping over the weekend and just saw your questions.

Let me tell you- I LOVE FLEX! I was OP this weekend, felt like I ate all the time and I came home and my scale was down almost 2 pounds! WOO HOO! I'm still trying to get off my 10 pounds I gained on vacation while in Vegas and Disney last month! YIKES! I even had tons of roasted marshmallows on the fire this weekend, including my beloved Friday tradition of Pizza. I couldn't handle not being on Flex. Not only could I not give up my tortillas but pizza is tough too. I have it pretty much every Friday night without fail.

I had saved most of my flex points to use this weekend and I still had 9 to spare by the end of yesterday.


Doreen- my whole wheat tortillas (from wholefoods-they are all natural) are 2 points each. They are more in points than some brands but I like that there are only a few simple ingredients.
Yep, you get 35 flex points per week that you can divy up or use all at once. I use a few on the weekdays when I go over my target and then use the remaining on the weekend. I really try to use most of them because I find I loose better when I do. Doreen, if real butter etc is what you like to eat, don't give it up. Just learn to work it into your program. I did give up butter, but if I do eat it I eat the real stuff. I also don't eat mayo, but that is out of choice. I found I like mustard better. I don't make tuna sandwiches anymore, I make tuna patties. I just found a way to eat the stuff I like without using a lot of the bad stuff. I save using that kind of stuff for special occasions.

Erin-
I eat 2% cheese most of the time, its really good and I notice no difference at all. The thing I like about full fat is that they are usually more all natural. The only thing fat free I eat is cheddar cheese on my quesadillas, because I find I don't notice a difference and it makes them not greasy. I eat these a lot!

Just learn to take what you like in life- don't give it up, just learn to eat less of it and work it into your program. I find that when I train, I tend to eat really healthy and stop wanting the sugar and bad stuff. I'm hoping I do that again when I start training for Disney next month.

I also never went down to 20 points as my target when I went under 150 pounds. I stayed at 22 points. I refuse to go to 20 as a target. I got to goal last year doing this. Now I want to get back to my WW goal and get a few pounds under that so I can do maintanance. My goal is to see how high I can get my target points while on maintenance.

My goal is to be back where I want to be by the new year.