What Sucks About Weight Watchers

I am having a fantastic experience with Weight Watchers. I can honestly say that it’s a plan I find affordable, effective, and sustainable. But I want to write about the misconceptions of WW because it’s not perfect. This is about the hard truths, the worst things, and what sucks about Weight Watchers.

I am not paid nor sponsored by anyone so trust that all of my opinions are my own and are unbiased and honest. I have been paying for an online-only Weight Watchers membership since December 2016.

You’re Paying for Weight Watchers, Whether You Use It or Not

Like any gym or health membership, Weight Watchers costs money every month. And whether you lose weight, whether you track, whether you weigh in or not, you’ll be paying them every week.

You can pay for online-only, or online and meetings. If you’re doing online and meetings, you can potentially get Weight Watchers for free once you hit goal and maintain that weight range for six weeks. But it’s a bit complicated, so look into it before you hit goal!

You can check out the Weight Watchers plans and get more information here.

You Can Still Eat Any Food You Want

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: WW is all about balance. Just like learning to manage your own checkbook, Weight Watchers treats you like an adult. No foods, food groups, drinks, or meals are off limits.

That can be really empowering to know that you never have to “give up” some of the special treats that you love. It does, however, force you to learn to control those trigger foods. And for some people, that’s ridiculously difficult.

So when in doubt, have a support system like Connect (which comes with the basic WW membership); plan your meals and track in advance when possible; and keep trigger foods out of the house if you have to, damnit! Don’t sabotage yourself.

It’s Not a Quick Fix

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the main thing, what sucks about Weight Watchers the most. Weight Watchers just is not a quick fix. You won’t be able to drop 20 pounds in a month, or three dress sizes in a week. It’s just not going to happen.

But you know what? That’s ok.

Like I mentioned before, Weight Watchers is about balance, but it’s also about educating you. If you only eat food out of a special box, you aren’t really learning anything about healthy habits (or yourself, if I’m getting psychological here).  Weight Watchers aims to teach you which foods are issues, which foods are really satiating, and even encourage you (read: push you) to try new things. More veggies? A new lean protein? Healthier options for a dessert? Go for it!

This does mean that while you’re experiencing new things and finding what you love, you’re not going to drop a ton of weight at a time. But to me, the knowledge that I get from the experience will be with me for a lifetime. Plus, it’s not like I gained all this weight in a month, right?

As a side note, I also think that it’s not good for you mentally to say “I need to lose x pounds by x date/event.” And that brings me to another point.

People Don’t Know Your Weight

It’s not like I walk around with what I weigh on my forehead. And thank goodness! But seriously, don’t obsess over that damn number on the scale. It’s just that: a number. And the number itself doesn’t define you.

Sure you want to get healthier, and that’s a great idea. But think about other things too: how you want to feel after you go up the stairs, what you want to do on your next vacation, medications you want to get off of, races you want to run. Data is so useful, and so interesting. But keep everything in perspective: track all of your data, use it, analyze it, and learn from it. Then let it go.

I use the Happy Scale app which is free so that I can see trends over time. (Did you know that your weight can fluctuate up to 7 pounds in 24 hours? And that’s normal!) I take biweekly measurements of my body, from my neck to my forearms to my butt. I also track all of my exercise data. I. Like. Data. And it’s empowering for me to look at the numbers and find those “aha” discoveries!

You can read more about what I do for measurements and progress on my exercise article here.

You Have to Be Honest and Find Yourself

Confession: While I’m not a binge eater or an emotional eater, and I’m super dedicated, there are a few foods that I know I just need to stay away from. It’s embarrassing to admit that I don’t have good self-control all of the time – I mean, I’m a grownup, what the hell – but it’s true. I don’t like admitting this on the internet, but I want to prove a point.

If I’m not totally honest with myself, why in the hell am I paying a company for me to lose weight? If I don’t really look at the data, analyze it, and learn from it, why bother?

Some of the things I’ve learned about myself while on this journey:

• I really don’t like talking to people about my weight loss unless I need to (or they ask specifically), if it’s someone I know. Ironically I do like to write about it, and all of my Weight Watchers content does really well on RSM, but this is a very personal journey for me and I like it that way.
• I also don’t like working out with other people, except maybe going on a walk with my kids or my sister. I prefer to not have anyone around when I’m exercising. (I know this can be near impossible if you’re a parent, so here are all my tricks.)
• I gradually changed my breakfasts and I’m fine having the same thing every day. It’s low points, nutritious, and filling. Not everything you eat has to be your favorite, it can sometimes just be fuel. And that’s ok.
• I have pretty much given up bread altogether – not tortillas though! – and have drastically reduced the amount of dairy I consume. And I’m totally fine with that.
• If I eat crap, like fried food or something that’s out of my normal, I usually feel horrible. My body is a temple… or something. But seriously, it’s amazing that something I used to eat, like greasy pizza, now physically makes me ill.
• I loooove data analysis. (Can you sense me drooling?) From the Happy Scale app, to my biweekly measurements, to looking at the correlation between “points consumed” and “fit points earned”, it’s fun to crunch numbers. I feel more in control and I look for patterns and trends to learn myself.
• I adore taking progress pics, whether it’s after a workout or when I’ve done my hair and makeup, and I look forward to taking my measurements every two weeks, even when the scale hasn’t been cooperating.
• I hate to admit it, but while the meetings aren’t really for me, I do love getting onto Connect and reading people’s stories. I have about 300 people whom I follow but I also like to click on “New” and just like every single post I see! I feel like it’s a tiny thing I can do encourage others, especially when I’m feeling really discouraged.
• All of these changes took consistency and patience. It’s not one big choice to succeed, it’s a thousand little choices every day. And they add up damn slowly, but it does happen.

Overall, yes I’m truly happy here on Weight Watchers. I think it’s a smart program that tries to teach people healthy eating habits, healthy portions, as well as a sense of independence and self-understanding. I hope that this has helped you on your own journey, and I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

To see my review of Weight Watchers from a busy mom’s perspective, click here.

To see my favorite snacks (including recipes, photos, and Smart Points), click here.

To see my ten favorite hacks for Weight Watchers, click here.