Weight Watchers New Points Plus Program

I’m not sure how many of you are using Weight Watchers (as I do) but I wanted to touch on the new Points Plus program that was recently launched by WW on November 29th, to give you a bit of an overview of how the new plan works and how it differs from the old plan.  You may be wondering -- What is Weight Watcher's new points plus program and how does it differ from the old plan?

I am a huge fan of Weight Watchers – and Weight Watchers has been a godsend to so many dieters for years now.  I like the new points plan, but it will definitely take some “getting used to”.  The new plan is called Points Plus and according to WW, it was devised to keep with the times.  The new plan revolves around different types of and amounts of fats, proteins, fiber, and carbohydrates that are found in the foods that you eat and the beverages that you drink.

The new points program is not a huge departure from the former one.  If you’re not familiar with Weight Watchers, the program involves giving each dieter a particular number of points to “spend” each day. Points awarded are based on the dieter’s height, weight, age, and sex.  Most people get around 30 or so points under the new points program. The new program also allows for what WW calls “real living” points.  This is a set of 49 points per week that you can use for splurges, such as on your birthday or during the holidays.  I think that’s a smart move because oftentimes, a dieter will get discouraged if they go over the number of points that they are allotted, and that just leads to throwing in the “towel” and going off of their diets.  This “real living” allotment is perfect because it allows for the occasional indulgence (or mistake) while still keeping you on track while dieting and counting points.

The way points are calculated has also changed on the plan. Instead of putting calories, fat, and fiber into the weight watchers points calculator, you enter in Fat, Carbs, Fiber, and Protein values for each food you want to eat/measure. With this new calculation, point values for most foods have changed. This will be a bit of an adjustment for me, but I'm excited to learn and do new calculations nonetheless.

The last change of note is my favorite change. Under the new points plan, fruits and vegetables are now ZERO, yes, count them, ZERO points, which I think is super cool, as I love my frozen fruits, in particular frozen bananas and frozen grapes as well as some veggies that used to cost me a few points.

All in all, I think the new Weight Watchers points plan has some good changes that provide a better approach to eating healthy than the old system.  I have one caution, however, for fellow fruit fanatics.  Although fruits are now free, fruits are high in sugar and can be detrimental to your diet when consumed in large quantities, so always use good judgment and common sense and avoid overindulging!

Here are some answers to some frequently asked questions abut the new points plus program as well as some information about weight watchers points plus recipes.

Juliet

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