At WW you will figure out how many points you allowed daily based on your current weight and activity level. You will receive a slider to figure out how many points are in food based on the calories, fat, and fiber content. They will also give you a tracker to keep track of your points for the week, and a different booklet each week for the first 10 weeks or so to get you started. There are other materials you can buy also.
You can eat absolutely anything you want, you just have to stay within your points range for the day. You get an additional 35 points to use as needed though the week, like if you go out for pizza or have cake at a party. You could use 5 of them each day all week, or use all of them in one day for something special. You can earn extra points by exercising. Since you're a cook, you'll find that you can adjust the points values of recipies by using things like fat free sour cream or applesauce instead of oil. You can eat the frozen dinners if you want, or you never have to eat them at all. I don't ever buy them, I just eat what the family is eating and figure out the points value for my meal, being careful of portion sizes.
I go to meetings every week. You may have to try out different meetings to find a leader that you like. They give out awards for every 5 pounds of weight loss, and have lots of discussion about new foods you've tried, recipe ideas, struggles you're facing, etc. I have access to e-tools on line also, but it just doesn't appeal to me personally since I barely have time to dis, let alone go to any other sites!
I have averaged about 1# per week loss overall, but some people lose much quicker. It's all about making permanent life changes instead of a short term diet, which is why I like it so much better than other options out there. Once you reach your goal weight and maintain it for 6 weeks, you can keep going to meetings forever for free as long as you stay within 2 pounds of your goal wt. If you go more than 2 pounds over, you have to pay that week, but you only have to weigh in once a month at that point rather than every week. I'm hoping to reach my goal by next summer.