Menu

New Weight Watchers Freestyle Review: Hate or Love?

January 2, 2018   906 Comments

The new Weight Watchers Freestyle program has had about a month to simmer and now it is time for a review.

New Weight Watchers Freestyle Review: Hate or Love?

UPDATE WW CHANGES 2020: New WW Changes 2020

Check out my post Weight Watchers New Program Freestyle if you are looking for information on the new program.

I am hearing all sorts of complaints and joy over what is a major change for the program. The people that hate the new program have one thing in common: they were losing weight (or maintaining) on the old plan and now have been not as successful with Freestyle.

Wouldn’t you hate a program that messed with the habits you have learned that actually help you lose weight? Losing weight is hard enough!

From one unhappy member:

The new program is too restrictive. I never ate more than 3 ounces of meat with any meal, so trading that 1 point of chicken or tuna or whatever for the loss of 7 points a day was not acceptable. I can no longer fit red meat, condiments, avocados or a bit of red wine or a tiny candy bar into my week, so I gave up and quit the program.

Many people who have started Freestyle are finding it to be far more restrictive than Smart Points because you lose 7 points per day! If you had it all figured out – all of a sudden you had to refigure it out.

Or this member:

Gained weight and was very hungry all week long. High protein/low carb diets are the worst for me. If I wanted a high protein/low carb diet, I'd do Atkins or South Beach or any number of other diets out there. Weight Watchers was the one plan that knew how to balance carbs and protein for a healthy diet and weight loss. I'm extremely disappointed - all that protein isn't particularly healthy, it's EXPENSIVE, and it most certainly isn't balanced.

I agree that the emphasis on “Zero points” chicken breast, eggs, fish, etc. is pushing protein but I am sure that it is not as extreme as South Beach. I understand that this member is pretty frustrated with the program.

The people who love Freestyle are vegetarians who eat beans and tofu (zero points!) and others who find that the new zero point foods were already in their plans. So for the “free protein” eaters, the decrease in daily points was no big deal and made the diet easier for them.

I wish Weight Watchers would stop saying “you can eat whatever you want and lose weight” because while the statement is true – I think it is misleading especially given Freestyle. You have to stick to the zero points foods or you will be super hungry.

For those of you who are working the program and loving Freestyle – here are some recipe lists for you. All of these Freestyle recipes are very low in points and easy to make.

Please share your review of Weight Watchers Freestyle. Hate it or love it?

Get Free Email Updates! Yes please!

906 Comments:

I'm in the not loving it camp. Also many of the 0 point foods have gotchas that make restaurant dining challenging, e.g. white meat chicken w/ rib meat isn't 0. So overall as someone who eats out at lot and already was fairly heavy on proteins the new plan is not working for me.

(Also if you had more than 30 points you lost more than 7, some people lost 11, the average seems to be circa 20%)

I love freestyle. i am basically eating the same as i did on smartpoints with a few tweaks to stay within my points. I definitely weigh and measure. i am not hungry and a few days a week don't eat all my daily points

I'm actually starting it today, and I'm very optimistic for the first time since Smart Points came out and messed me up. I think that I can make this work for me. I hope so. I hate boneless, skinless chicken breast, so I've decided to stick with bone in thighs and just count the points. Eating should not be miserable.

I'm loving it! Everyone in my meeting group loves it! I've lost more weight on Freestyle, although I was fine with smart points, too. I want to loose the weight, and for me, Weight Watchers works. I lost over 50 lbs on Weight Watchers 15 years ago, and in the last 7 years, life changed, and I just ate and ate, gaining it all back. My fault! I was overeating all the wrong things! Now, I'm down almost 32 lbs since I re-started in September. I'm not hungry, I feel so much better, and I'm loving the support and the results! If you don't like it, there are tons of other weight loss programs out there for you to try! Every "diet" doesn't work for everyone, but for me, I'm loosing at a healthy rate, eating foods I love, have no problem finding foods I can eat and enjoy at restaurants, and couldn't be happier with Freestyle!

I thought eggs were hi in choles terol and eating over 2 or 3 a week is unhealthy. Actually after a few days, i am sick of chicken and beans. I would love a big juicy greasy cheeseburger!

the funny thing is the 0 point thing. a calorie is a calorie whether it is free or not.

I absolutely love freestyle.it gives u so many more options I'm never hungry and always have roll over points.it's basically the foods I always ate love fish chicken beans eggs so many things to do with these zero point foods.the other day I only had used 2 points and it was 3pm I had 20 points left..that is awesome to me!!!!I have lost3 pounds since starting it..only need to lose 10 pounds it happens slowly for me

It’s working for me. Slow weight loss for sure but i only have 7 lbs to lose to get back to goal. It’s all about a lifestyle of healthy eating most of the time. I have a problem with portion control so I’m better at abstaining than allowing myself a small daily treat. The weeklies allow you the opportunity to indulge once or twice a week. Any more than that, on any plan, sabotages weight loss.

I really like Free Style because I disliked tracking EVERYTHING ! However, I ate all types of beans and tons of white meet chicken before (try it with G Hughes Sugar Free BBQ sauce !) I feel like I actually have points left now and can actually achieve some blue dots !!

Love freestyle. No longer feel punished by eating healthy foods - instead, I feel rewarded! Freestyle pushes you to eat healthy foods but leaves room for indulgences. I ate a 6 course dinner at a French restaurant, including 2 glasses of wine, for New Years and didn’t gain— because I planned for it and have been adjusting my other meals/activity for the week accordingly.

I never feel hungry. If I’m out of points for the day and hungry, I can eat fruit and yogurt, white bean chicken chili, chicken salad, or tofu veggie stir fry for zero points. What?! it’s crazy awesome. I love it.

PS - I am a former weight watchers critic who loved points plus and did weird stuff like added fiber to macaroni and cheese to lower the points. :) I hate smart points but for whatever reason, freestyle clicks with me.

Love it!

As of my 3rd weigh in last Thursday, I'm down 9.8 lbs. I never lost that much when on points plus and I have less to lose now. So, you cant say well, it all depends upon how much you have to lose.

If you know you're having dinner plans, a party at the end of the week, you can eat wisely days before and bank your points, meaning you have more points to use.

The zero point foods are not magical.

Yesterday on fb, someone asked if they make a crockpot full of chili can they eat all of it, in one sitting?!

Where's the common sense?

Zero point foods still have calories. Zero point foods are the basis of your meals. You start with chicken, turkey, fish, beans and add to it.

If you're not into change, nor open minded and have your mind set from the beginning that its not going to work....you have sealed your own fate.

There have always been suggested/recommended portion sizes in the WW food tracker. This has not changed.

I love beans and eggs but how many are you really going to eat before you are gagging?? But it is a bonus I could live with. Adding a little chicken and beans to your salad is a plus. I did not like the last WW program. But could live with this new program. Enough to make me want to go back to the meetings!

I'm liking Freestyle. Being able to eat beans and tofu for no points is amazing!! I believe people have to tweak the program. So for example it's really hard to get ground chicken breast here (according to my meeting). So people are just counting extra lean ground chicken or turkey as 0.

If you're getting sick of the same chicken, same eggs, same beans, etc., change it up. There are so many good recipes out there! Make scrambled eggs, frittatas, quiches, and anything. Make burgers from ground chicken or turkey, or beans, tofu, or lentils. Make a pasta sauce using lentils or ground turkey. The sky is the limit!

I do find it take makes planning. I lost 7 points. My workday breakfast is going to stay the same. 6 point shake. My workday morning snack is going to stay the same. 3 point overnight oats. Workday lunch and supper are where I'm using the 0 point foods. I only have 10 minutes to eat lunch, so I usually try a bean dish or a Buddha bowl. Supper is tofu or eggs or pasta filled with 0 point foods. I might make a big egg dish to take for lunches next week.

One thing my leader said to us is not too overthink it. Don't overcomplicate things. If you think it should be 0, count it as 0. I heard of some people who don't like white meat, counting 1 portion of dark meat chicken or the occasional chicken sausage as 0. Find a balance that works for you. And tweak the program to work for you. Don't overeat the 0 point foods and find new ways to eat them. Good luck to everyone on their journey!!!

I like it because it really is about eating healthy with the option of having weeklies and rollover points for treats. What I have always liked about WW is that they push what is healthy. Sugar and saturated fat, although delicious, are not healthy in huge amounts. But in moderation, we can have it. I have been a WW member since I was in middle school in the 70s and a lifetime member since 1993. I have been through nearly all versions of their programs. I am a fervent believer. Yes, I drank the Kool-Aid a long time ago (but sugar-free, of course).

I was on points plus and quit when they switched to smartpoints. I had lost 60lbs and just couldn't get anywhere on the new plan, so I can sympathize with the upset members. I just rejoined yesterday since I ate many of the new free foods when I was on pp. I am optimistic about this plan as I gained back half of what I had lost.

I love Freestyle. I have had no problem switching to it and in fact find it easier. I love that I can add peas and corn or chickpeas to my salad and not have to count those points. I really feel I am eating better than I was before and the rollover points saved me during the holidays. I actually lost weight.

I started back on WW because of Freestyle. I find it easy to do and i am losing weight. It two weeks I have lost 5 pounds which is great for me since it was over the holidays. Looking forward to reaching my goal in 2018.

I Love Freestyle the points that I've lost or off of the foods that are now 0 points anyway and it freeze it up so I can have a treat whenever I want in one month I've lost over 6 pounds and I never used to lose more than maybe .2 or .4 I feel awesome and my doctor is excited too so I Love Freestyle

I lost weight on Atkins and I still hate the smell of an egg. For all of you trying this plan, I hope you are successful. If you get tired of it you can always go back to another plan that worked. Weight Watchers makes you buy a new plan and then they make you buy another new plan, if you want to attend the meetings. The one thing all of their plans have in common is portion control. Also Oprah Winfrey really hurt my feelings when she said that the older white people have to die, in order for race relations to improve. My parents are in that generation she is speaking of and they NEVER EVER said anything to me to teach me to be prejudiced because they do not think that way. I find that to be one of the most ironic statements I've ever heard because so many white women love her. Smart Points plan works, if I use it! That is the key - do something - watch my portions, eat food with nutrition and that does not include WW snacks and other junk food. This is the time of year when many of us find motivation to get healthier. Good luck to everyone!!

I love it and I’ve been on maintenance for 6 years. I found SP too restrictive. I get 28 points on maintenance and 23 points if I’m in losing mode. If I’m trying to drop a few I don’t go over 23 points for the day. I also track on MFP to keep a daily count of calories.

I eat a lot of 0 point foods and know I can have 21 grams of dark chocolate as a treat if I so desire.

I lost my 30 lbs on points plus and I loved it. I persevered with smart points and I will persevere with freestyle.

It’s about tweaking the lifestyle to find out what works and what doesn’t one size does not fit all.

I wish everyone success in your journey.

I'm real disappointed so far, with a couple of big negatives. First, the nutritional counts don't include sodium. My doc has me watching that, and I can't figure out why that isn't included. Second, neither the phone or tablet app are working. They both get stuck on the search screen, and I can't get back to the main menu. I've used their live chat to try to fix this, and they have no idea. The tech people are suggesting that my phone isn't up to date. It says it is.....aaarrggh

I like Freestyle.. am doing the program... NOT losing weight!! Bummed out! I am not over eating on free foods etc. Just not losing. I take Metaprolol... has anyone had trouble with that and losing weight?

I think your article is biased towards the "haters" camp. You quoted zero comments from people who loved the program and devoted just one paragraph towards those people. I guess we can tell where your feeling about the program ring in. Not sure I will be following you in the future. Don't need that type of negativity on my journey.

@Michelle - I am sorry you perceived my post as negative. I actually really like Freestyle and did share recipes to support members in the article. I hope you do well!

If one of the earlier WW programs works better for you, then keep using it. WW will always introduce and push new programs, but that doesn't mean you are required to switch. No need to quit WW...just do what works for you.

Hi all, just reading through all the comments to figure out whether or not to rejoin WW. Have been on and off WW with limited / fluctuating success over the years, but the SP program did NOT work for me at all. I am a vegan and wondered if this new program is better for that? Anyone here also a vegan doing Freestyle? Would love to know details on how it fits a vegan lifestyle. Thanks :)

I've been considering starting weight watchers again. it's been a lot of years since I did. i'm afraid of the new programs. however, I don't get why anyone doesn't just continue with the "plan" that works for them. I might try the new plan, but if it wasn't working I would go back to an old one that worked for me in the past (more than 20 years ago). if it ain't broke, don't fix it is my lifestyle.

I 💗 the new freestyle program! I have been on Ww since I was 12 and WW was in its infancy.I have been @ gmail 31 years. I don't know what everyone is complaining about. My first WW plan required us to eat 3 hot fish meals a week,liver once a week , and 2 glasses of powdered milk a day. Most recipes called for an egg, a slice of bread and something pulverized in a blender. Now that was hard!

I think that many of the people complaining about lost points were using too many on non nutritional foods. If we use our points on high fat\sugar foods what are we accomplishing? Freestyle is encouraging us to eat lean meats,beans,nonfat yogurt, and veggies.I don't know what people are expecting from a weight loss plan . Just remember the saying, " If I always do what I've always done, I will always get what I have always gotten" Change is inevitable with updating a healthy food plan.......I love 💘 Freestyle!

Have been at this for many years, having first joined in the 80's. Life happens, right? Did well on PP, but never took to SmartPoints. But, I love love Freestyle! (sometimes at the end of the day I figure out how many points I would have eaten if still counting the PP way, and it is usually at about my previous daily limit.) I'm not a red meat eater, but 0 points for lean protein works well for me. I trust the nutrition research that goes into making programatic changes. There are so many wonderful recipes out there in cyberspace! Usually you can cut the sugar and oil way back - play with cooking!

I have been on many of the changes weight watchers has done in the past and now. It all boils down to planning and portion control. The program tells you that you don't have to write down what track your zero point foods. I personally, track everything because it gets me an idea of what I am eating. . If you like red meat you can eat it, if you like chicken you can eat it, you can basically eat anything. It's all about portions and journaling. I always trying to plan my largest meal first this way it gives me an idea of what to do for the rest of the day. Surely eggs and chicken breasts are zero points,but it doesn't mean to eat a whole lot of it. My leader says 2 to 3 fruits a day. Remember, fruit have sugar and on in the carbohydrates family. I'm trying, some days are easier than others, but we have to make a choice. Our mindset and attitude equals to the outcomes we want for ourselves. If I lose one pound a week, that's equivalent to four sticks of butter!. I'm trying to hang in there!

I've been participating in WW for just over 10 years so I've seen multiple changes in the program. It has helped me lose 50 pounds - I'm a slow, slow loser and even with my best efforts for tracking, exercising and following the program I still have a life, enjoy a variety of foods and have managed to keep off the 50 pounds! That being said, I love the new Freestyle - the extra protein really helps me feel satisfied for longer. I love my oatmeal for breakfast too, but it also helps if I can snack on a boiled egg in a few hours because I'm looking for something to eat after a higher carb breakfast.

I love the beans, chicken breasts, fish, eggs - all for zero points. Everything in moderation of course. In the first few weeks with the holidays I haven't lost any additional weight - but I'm hoping once the holiday foods are no longer tempting me - I can get into the Freestyle Program and enjoy it and lose a bit more weight - it's a much healthier program than many others - yes, you don't get much in the way of sweets - but there will be enough SmartPoints left at the end of the day for a small treat - if that's how you want to spend your points - go for it! I find that it helps me to stay on this program for a lifetime - rather than being on a diet - if I can have a little something now and then - costs me a bit of SmartPoints - but oh so worth it.

Thank you for asking about how we feel about the Program, Lisa.

I love it! I just started on December 23rd, but I love the flexibility. I feel I'm eating the right foods to be healthy, yet I can indulge if I want. I really like the fact that beans are zero points. I'd rather have beans than meat, and it's hard for me to overeat beans. Too many side effects!

I absolutely love Freestyle. I've lost 6.8# in 2 weeks. I have more energy with being able to eat as much protein (eggs, chicken & turkey) as I want. I find that I'm no longer craving sugary sweets.

I love it! Since switching the weight has started to come off again. I've been following the WW smart points program since the beginning of June and have lost 59 pounds. It's all in the mindset....if you want it to work, it will.

I like it.

I've lost nearly 60 lbs and have been a lifetime member for, many years.

Freestyle pretty much fits my lifestyle....more protein, fewer processed carbs.

I've seen a lot of WW changes over the years and I have found I need to trust their scientific research. I try and keep an open mind and take one day at a time.

I still get weighed in and stay for the meeting every week.

It helps me stay accountable.

I am also very fortunate to have a wonderful, inspiring leader, Ann Marie.

The members of my Thursday morning group share their experiences and also recipes and new products.

It all works for me.

My only problem with the whole WW thing is "no sugar" or "fat free"....they both equal UNHEALTHY. Tofu is good, just remember it is TOTALLY GMO unless it says otherwise. Just more poison. Overall a good eating program, just have to watch too many carbs, eat good oils....Too bad we can't just buy healthy food...too many chemicals, organic does not mean GMO free which is killing people.

I have lost weight three times before on Weight Watchers, all different programs, and so this new plan seems so much more liberal than those were. I’m ready to start this month. Wish me luck.

A diet is a diet is a diet, no matter how you try to market it as something else.

On any weight loss diet you don't get to eat foods you love that are also fattening, so saying you can eat anything is a lie (which is really fraud).

I was considering WW Freestyle, looked at the program when a friend who's doing it let me see her materials, and decided I'd be much more happy, satisfied, and liable to stay with it by going on a calorie restricted program my doctor recommended to me, instead of WW.

There are fattening calories in many of those Freestyle foods if you eat too much of them (like that innocent sounding fat-free yogurt, for instance). So you still need to count how many, weigh, or measure to keep these foods weight loss friendly.

WW Freestyle seems like a doable plan if you can enjoy living on two hard-boiled eggs for breakfast and undressed salads and fat-free vegetable soups for lunch and dinner daily, which is what my friend does. She says she's okay with eating like that. However, she's also shared that if she stops doing the program in exactly that way, she stops losing weight and starts incrementally gaining.

Despite the marketing blitz, I honestly don't believe Freestyle would work for everyone wanting to lose weight. It's still a restrictive eating plan no matter what the company's advertising claims. Those who don't fully appreciate that fact before they start the program aren't going to follow it for long.

Just curious and seriously thinking about joining again but want to investigate the details of the new program first... how many daily points would I get at weighing 310 pounds?

I was doing really well on Points Plus, when all of the sudden they pulled the rug out from under us during the holidays, as WW always tends to do. 😡 I HATED smart points because it was so much more restrictive. The app didn’t work for 2 months, and suddenly I was starving. I gave up and joined a FB group that continued to use PP. But I really missed the structure of the meetings and my WW leader. I rejoined a few weeks before the Freestyle program because I knew changes were coming and was offered a good price for a 3 month subscription. I like it much better and think they tweaked it because there were so many complaints. I’m experimenting and using more eggs and beans, which I like. I’m even going to try tofu. 😱

However, I’m retired and have the time to do it. All in all, I like the changes but still liked Ponts Plus better.

Simply, hate it.

I'm still hating it. I gave it a fair try, and I hate it so much. The zero point foods are not integral to my diet, so I, too, have had issues with losing so many points that I am not making up for in the "zero point foods" department. Plus, how many "zero point foods" are REALLY zero points after seasoning, sauteeing, etc.? Chick-fil-a grilled nuggets are coming up as 1 point. WHY?? So overall, I loathe this new system. I wish we had the option of doing Freestyle or SP.

With a recent weight gain over a lost job and the holidays, I thought it would be a great time to revisit Weight Watchers. When I saw that WW had yet another new program, all I could do was eyeroll. They keep changing. Luckily, I found all my WW information from the Points Plus 2012 program and I'm going by that. It worked for me then. It'll work for me now.

I had great success with PP. Had to leave with SP, because it was just too restrictive for me. Wanted to give Freestyle a try and am so glad I did. I lost -12.4 lbs in the month of December... that is through the holidays! If I can survive that I feel this program will work well for me. I don't know if I'd feel the same way if I was restricted to 23 pts/day though, so I can completely understand the frustration of many. It is definitely an individual journey and I feel weight watchers had had several great programs over time. I wish they would find a way to offer an opportunity to continue with a program if it works for you, but I understand change is part of the journey.

I don't like Freestyle. I am already sick of chicken, chicken, chicken, eggs, eggs, eggs. I never did like chicken that much...and anything you DO to the chicken will make it NOT zero points...as in season it, put barbeque sauce on it, etc. I can't afford fish or sea food more than once a week, tops. I have not lost any weight on this plan. Inspite of careful measuring and tracking. It is super boring. There is no "fun" in it. I feel like this narrow way of eating is being forced on me. Instead of teaching a healthy way to eat and then letting us adapt it to our own culture and way of eating...we are given ultra limited choices...chicken....and vegetable and fruit. I can barefly swallow these foods already, I am so sick of them. I just want a glass of MILK! I want a HAMBURGER! Once in a while, I want something SWEET! I want VARIETY! Maybe some PIZZA or a TACO! I could do all of things when I was at 31 points. I can do NOTHING at 22 points. I just want to give up.

Not liking it, too much like Atkins. I am eating more fruit, than with the old system, and I like the eggs, but not the beans. Honestly I just feel like I'm starving all the time.

The commercial really makes you think you can eat Tacos and cupcakes😂😂. This plan would be awesome for someone who love love loves fruits, vegtables, and chicken! I do not like many veggies and only can do so much chicken and eggs until I am over them. I am starving all day! I do love fruit, but that is a lot of carbs, and some of these fruits calories add up quick. I am double tracking right now to monitor my calories on myfitness pal app and on the ww phone app. I just need to make sure I stay in a healthy range until I get the hang of this it I ever do! I am not sure how long I can stick to this plan. Gonna give it my best, but not a fan as of now! I think counting calories and following my macros might be easier.

So disappointed in Weight Watchers. I hate the new program. The low carb never works for me. I tried and felt starving to lose a pound. I lost 45 before this. I just quit and went to a calorie based program . Feel better and seeing weight lose. There are other options out there.

I lost 45 lbs on Points Plus but quit when the program switched to Smart Points. It was just too restrictive. I kept the weight off for years until 6 months ago, I was prescribed the pill for two months and gained every pound back. My original weight was lost eating a LOT of eggs so the fact that they are now free is nuts to me. I was eating 4-6 eggs per day for a total of 10 months and I can say that I had my cholesterol checked after ward and it was unchanged. I started Free Style 3 days ago and have lost 8 lbs. So happy WW made this change right when I desperately need a kick in the butt to get motivated.

I absolutely hate the new system. I usually ate about 4 points per day of chicken OR eggs...but I lost 10 POINTS A DAY with this new system! So that averages to 6 points a day I lost because of this stupid change. I lost 50 lbs on the old program...and now I'm stagnate. I think I'm going to dump the program and see if I can find something else that works. If I were going for a low carb diet, I would do Atkins. So sad and disappointed. :~(

I like it a lot but it's pretty much what I was doing before! I find it hard to imagine how you could do WW successfully without eating turkey, chicken, fish (even salmon), beans, fruit and veggies - which now all free.

I LOVE LOVE Freestyle - I eat eggs and chicken breast pretty much every weekday, and now when I go out on the weekends, I am more motivated to choose fish over a cheeseburger due to the points. It definitely motivates me to choose the 0 point proteins then save my other points for a splurge (CHEESEBURGER) or drink. Before, I would be in the mentality that I would use points to get a burger over salmon because both took points - but now? I would much rather choose the leaner item!

Love it! Zero point foods are great. I use my Fitbit to walk and get extra points. Although I always have the 4 rollover points.

I have now had 3 WW programs in about 2 years. Smart Points was working fine. Have been at goal for many months and don't always count points. I simply know how to eat well and healthy. So I am leaving WW. See no need to relearn something new when the old was healthy and workable for most people I spoke with.

HATE. The way I see it, WW has published a list of foods for which I MUST eat 7 SP's worth (the ones the new program stole from me) and I can choose for what's left. There's no way to fit in a glass of wine or a teeny serving of ice cream unless you are eating a bowl of grapes for breakfast, a head of lettuce for lunch, and a can of beans for dinner (with a heaping serving of grilled chicken of course). "You can eat whatever you want on the new plan!"... no WW, actually we can eat whatever YOU have on your pathetic list which is inflated so you can say "over 200 zero-point foods" with things like caviar. Seriously, caviar is on the list.

A better understanding of the SmartPoints program upgrade to Freestyle will set you all free!

The steak, wine and candy bar are

so much easier to factor in than before.

Look at the whole plan not just part..the whole is so much greater than even the sum of it's parts.

I disagree a bit with several of the comments. First of all, to the poster who suggested we could just continue on with SmartPoints - that's incorrect. I use the WW App, which no longer offers SmartPoints. Secondly, Weight Watchers was, for me, about finding a balance I could live with. I can't live on no bread, no cake, no cookies, no chips, no butter, no pizza, etc. for the rest of my life. I can go months without, but at some point, I will fall off the wagon and gain all of that weight back. With WW SmartPoints, I was able to control my portions, eat fruits and veggies on days we would go out to dinner, have cake at birthdays, go to grad parties and eat cheese and sausage, etc. I was eating 38 points a day, and was losing 2-3 lbs per week, total loss of 50 lbs. and counting. NOW, with my 10 points gone, I've got 28 points per day. I do understand that I can/should switch to chicken and salmon, but it is unrealistic for me and the life I lead to eat chicken and salmon every day. (And my goodness...how boring?!) I'm just so frustrated that I found something that worked, that taught me portion control, that taught me to like fruits and veggies, and now it's gone. I feel like the old WW was for heavier people trying to lose weight and get healthier. I feel like the new WW is for skinny people to get skinnier. :~(( Sorry for the negativity - I realize some of you love it, and that's great. But living life, to me, is not eating the same thing every day like a military diet. It's about enjoying everything out there.

I am struggling with freestyle. I joined WW in May and lost 30+ lbs until Freestyle came. Now I am hungry and hangry all the time. Freestyle is not necessarily low carb, but is extremely low fat. Unless you enjoy fish, skinless poultry, tofu and beans and can digest nonfat yogurt, you will starve. I think it is misleading of WW to say that no food went up in points because in truth, every non-zero-point food is now much more expensive due to losing so many daily points.

If you like the new zero-point foods, know how to cook, and have time to cook and plan all your meals, you will do ok. If you are missing any of these qualities, Freestyle will tax you to the breaking point.

One other issue I have with WW is the way they calculate fats. If you look at their formula, you will see that they tax saturated fats much higher in points than other fats. That includes oils such as coconut oil, which is 7 (yes SEVEN) points per tablespoon. That they do not tax trans-fats any higher than unsaturated fats shows that they are years behind the medical research on dietary fats.

UPDATE - Today was my weigh in - 4th weigh in - down 12 lbs. Not hungry, not craving sweets, junk food etc.

I never lost this much on points plus and my starting weight now was less than with points plus and I love not having any cravings!!!

I am not a fan of Freestyle because I feel it is too extreme. I work hard to balance life including the food I consume. I believe every food is okay as long as we consider portions and how the food is used in our bodies. Proteins and carbs work together efficiently—research proves this. I dislike the FREE foods mindset as it seems misleading. Healthy is about balance and limits—that’s life. Focusing on how much FREE food one can consume strikes me as dangerous especially with a population that generally struggles to view food through a realistic lens. FREE doesn’t sit well with me :(. I am a Lifetime Member.

LOVE the new plan. Lost 7 big ones so far! (started in late November) I am a vegetarian and love legume-based dishes, so this is just in my wheelhouse, and most seasonings don't add points. No deprivation or cravings. Big love!

Thank you, Lisa aka Snack Girl, for providing a forum for such an interesting discussion.

I just started this week. I am loving this version of WW. I joined again because all the zero points Foods are things I eat regularly anyway and many of my own recipes have been very easily adapted. So much of my eating this week has been using zero points foods that I have lots of points left at dinner time. I’ve had a couple of glasses of wine the past few nights and still rolled over a point or two. I am so full and satisfied eating big salads with eggs or chicken, bean soups and chiles, grilled fish and chicken, steamed veggies, etc. I have not been hungry and find that I have less cravings and feel better eating this way. Also finding the tracking much easier than any other WW version. Haven’t had my first weigh in yet. Is it too good to be true?

I’m not loving it. I never really ate any of the new zero point foods anyway and now I have lost many of my go-to meal options because I have gone from 35 points a day to 26 overnight. I mean, it’s doable but I feel like it removes some of the variety, which is what I have always loved about weight watchers. And come on Weight Watchers, am I really supposed to be excited that tofu is now a zero point food? 😂

I decided today to go back to points plus. I am craving carbs and anything that isn't chicken. I can't stay full on veggies and fruit...I can only eat so many eggs. Feeling really over this this "freestyle". Even Atkins give you more choices than this!

To those who are struggling, I understand your frustration. It can be very difficult to do a new plan! This is what I would suggest. Give it one month after the holidays. The holidays are difficult for a lot of people. So give it a fair try for 1 month. The other suggestion is because I see people saying it's boring. Now I can't speak for chicken or fish because they are not in my diet. But I'm assuming, especially with chicken, you could find a lot of different things to do with it. Like tofu, there are so many things I can do with it. It changes with how I cook it. Eggs, same thing. Omelettes, frittatas, quiches, etc. I've done so many things with beans and lentils that I never would've before. Today I'm going to make a lentil/tofu burger. My dad made me mushrooms meatballs over the holidays. Low in points, but you couldn't tell the difference!

There are so many recipes out there. If you do a bit of planning, you can find many things to eat. I still eat pizza and carbs. I can't live without them. It's about working it into the plan.

But if it doesn't work for you, then find something that does. You'll always have support!

I love the new plan. I lost 58lbs years ago so I decided to give it another go. The free point foods are what I like to eat anyway so it’s easy for me to get full and stay within my points.

I rejoined WW only in November (have used it before) and they pulled the rug out from under me..

I am now going over my points every single week.. There are just too few points in the FreeStyle plan available. I am a vegetarian who is trying to incorporate eggs and beans, but the rest is off the table, and I cannot eat eggs and beans as staples for every meal. What is a meal on 23 points anyway?

I want the old system back and it is NOT available online or with the app. Furthermore, it seems many items in the system seem to retain old point values. Or am I supposed to eat raw eggs?

I am about to leave WW and just try it on my own with some free app or something.

I joined up this week and am totally confused. What am I supposed to eat? Where do I "track" the foods I plan to eat for each of my daily means? What are serving sizes? The recipes are very complicated and time consuming to make (let alone knowing what some of the ingredients are and where to get them). I started out on

WW years ago when you could eat x,y and z, it was easy to follow. I hope

someone will guide me to the articles where my questions will be

answered.Like can I have 5 hard-boiled eggs for breakfast?

PS I don't know how or where to track what I eat or intend to eat for the next meal (s).

Hope someone can help me figure out this points thing.

Thanks, Diane Conibear

I don't like Freestyle at all. I joined WW in October and by the middle of December had lost over 12 pounds--very easily. Then comes Freestyle. I don't like beans, I don't like poultry white meat. I had several eight point meals, including fruits and vegetables, that I rotated and worked perfectly. It gave me six daily points to eat something fun and I rarely used any weekly points. Now all that is gone and I haven't lost an ounce. I used to feel physically and mentally great. Now I'm a little depressed--actually crying the other night as I thought I'd found a weight loss plan that worked and then it was ripped away. But, now what I'm going to do is go back to 30 points. If I eat a two-egg omelet, I'll put in something that counts for four points. I went back and printed out my meals from October and November, so I'll just keep eating those and will go into a negative on weekly points and that's okay as long as I add back in the points for food that WW has taken away. If you still have the old "Getting to Know Your Plan" booklet, it has a list of most of the original points. Freestyle is basically the old Simply Filling plan that I had tried and it didn't work. What WW should have done is given old timers the option to switch or not--not just take everything away. Bad move.

If you prefer the old way, keep doing it and count the old way. Not that complicated. The goal isn’t to hit your points target, it’s to lose weight. Have 30 points and use the old values and you’ll lose weight.

I have been on maintenance for over 2 years after losing 50 pounds on the Smartpoints program. I hate the new FreeStyle program. I am constantly going over in points as I get tired of chicken and feel overindulging in eggs is very unhealthy. I typically eat autoimmune paleo and am struggling to follow this program.

I hate freestyle!! It's atkins/southbeach If I wanted to eat white meat chicken and beans every day, I would do it and loose weight without paying for WW. I liked WW and smart points because I had choices, I could eat a slice of pizza if I chose to, and still loose weight, now those choices are taken from me.

I do not like the new program and I am going back to the old one. I feel too restricted and am getting tired of chicken and beans!

I am definitely in the hate it camp. I am a vegetarian, so many of the new foods on the Zero-Points foods list are things I don't eat anyway. I lost 8 points when they transitioned to Freestyle, and I basically gained beans and eggs. I despise tofu, so that's not and option, either. I really relied on being able to incorporate whole grains into my diet, but they take up so much of my daily point allowance. I just find myself tracking my foods less and less frequently because it is really disheartening to make healthy vegetarian choices and find that you have 4 points left for dinner. I think I'm just going to make the executive decision to give myself my 8 points back and just try to keep it under 34. I was doing great before, but now I'm struggling.

I do NOT like freestyle . I need to be accountable and assign point value to everything I eat . I'm very close to my goal weight and had a significant gain on freestyle . The worse thing WW did was take away the old program and give us no choice. I stoped my membership and will use another tracking system .

I HATE Weight Watchers Freestyle!

First of all, Freestyle is a short-term diet not a long-term lifestyle solution. Those claiming to love it today, will probably not have the same excitement about the plan in the future. Freestyle is very limiting and is the equivalent of the South Beach or Atkins diet.

My biggest issue is that the Weight Watchers company should have given members the choice to either continue with Smart Points or go to Freestyle on their app. Now I have to track my food on a different app called iTrackBites.

Due to the company's poor decision making a lot of their members are quitting Weight Watchers. The smart thing to do was to let the existing members choice their plan and roll out Freestyle to the new members.

The meetings could continue to focus on lifestyle, mindset and tips and the app could be geared towards whichever program works best for existing members.

Freestyle does not work for everyone! Freestyle sucks! Bring Smart Points Back! Smart Points Work!

I don't hate it, but I don't love it. Definitely find it challenging. Used to eat around 15 points between breakfast and lunch which left me 15 points for supper, enough for a meat portion and a carb portion. We enjoy pork, steak, and lamb and pasta in addition to chicken. I feel like I have to eat chicken and eggs every day to stay within points. And I can only eat so much chicken.

I’ve been on WW off/on for many years. I prefer the regular point system, which was 30 pts for me, with extra weekly points. While logging in on the app, I thought there was a website problem - my points dropped to 23! After contacting someone, I learned the program had changed the previous week to freestyle. The 200 zero point value foods are mostly fruits, veggies, condiments. Fish, plain chicken breast & eggs are included. I hit my 23 pts before the end of the day. Not enough points for me! I lost weight with the previous program. I don’t like freestyle!

Strongly dislike freestyle and am sadly ignoring the new changes. I can't force myself to eat like this long term, as I've tried for many years with low-carb diets like Adkins. The old WW system worked for me so well. But it will bother me now to see WW tracking say I'm over my points if I go back to the previous plan...am I weird that this demotivates me?

Love 💘 love 💘 freestyle!!!

Finally got to goal and Lifetime withSP. I was shocked to see point reduction on eTools and App which I loved using. I also loved the variety of Smart Points...bread, chocolate, wine! I'm going to give this a try, but I'm not much of a protein person. I am frustrated over the years of buying their products to now have them outdated. I sometimes think they change on purpose to have you buy new items. I will no longer do this because I know it will all be outdated in a couple of years. Sigh.

I just cancelled my WW subscription. I loved Smart points and was steadily losing 1.5-2.2 pounds a week. Freestyle is too restrictive. I was particularly upset that they changed my plan in the middle of my paid monthly membership. I didn't pay for a makeshift Atkins plan. I loved my meeting, even commuted 30 minutes weekly, but when I voiced my opinion..I felt left out and shot down..I was told to change my mindset. SO here I am. I won't say I will never go back- maybe when they update again in another 2 yrs.

I hate it. I lost 25 lbs on Smart Points... and just restarted Freestyle yesterday (because of the 5 lbs holiday food gain), and I am not liking it whatsoever. All of my regular foods that I ate every day to lose weight now are higher points.... I don't care about having unlimited chicken and eggs, I want more variety, without feeling like I am being punished. Yay... now I can eat beans, eggs, and tofu (who cares?).... I want my eggs with a piece of toast and some avacado. I don't want to hear about going into my weeklies... I don't roll that way.

Losing 7 points a day of whatever I wanted to eat is not equal to unlimited white meat chicken, fish and eggs. I was not big on this things. I eat them but not every day. I lost 35 lbs the old way. Nothing since the switch. Not because the program probably doesn't work, but because it doesn't work for me. I end up over, cheating, saying I'll do better tomorrow. Time to start looking for something new. Weight Watchers is no longer what I signed up for. It's a plain old diet.

Can’t you eat all the fruit you want as well? Everyone is just talking about eggs, beans and chicken.

I only get 23 points a day and it’s hard😐

I am so glad to hear that other people don't like the Freestyle program! I feel like it is way too restrictive. I have been trying hard to like it since it came out. I have actually not lost ANY weight on it. I follow it carefully and track everything. I can not eat that much fruit and protein. I will never lose weight that way. I am over 60 years old and not that active any more. I also need variety...depending on how I feel on a given day. Some days I just can not stomach more chicken or eggs. I don't eat tofu. Beans? What am I going to do with beans? Make chili? Ok, I got that...now what? It is just my husband and I here. I am not crazy about this plan.

Hating it...but giving it a shot. I was so upset at the changes I initially said screw it and ate whatever I wanted and for the first time in over a year didn't track every day. I've gotten over my self sabotaging tantrum and have committed to giving it a month to see if I change my mind. For me personally, the loss of 7 points is huge! I truly felt like I was living and working the program (and lost 40 lbs) before freestyle...but since the change it feels like a diet and deprivation. Not a happy camper. Strongly considering going cave man mode and tracking by pen & paper using the old points values. Fortunately I have a book somewhere with an extensive list of point values pre-freestyle.

I hate Freestyle. I lost 47lbs on the SmartPoints plan, but ever since Freestyle came out, I'm miserable. I have food sensitivities, so the vast majority of the zero points items are off limits for me. The only non-protein zero points items I can eat are beans, broccoli, spinach, corn, and peas, and that gets INCREDIBLY boring after a week. I am so sick of eating chicken breasts and fish, but if I eat red meat, it always puts me over my points. This new plan doesn't give me enough room to have the fiber I need in my diet, and it just feels very restrictive for those who either can't eat a lot of the zero points items, or don't like those things. I have been sticking with it for three weeks, and I haven't lost ANY weight. I'm sure people who are just coming into the new plan will be fine with it, but when you've been doing something one way for a year, and it was working really well, then it suddenly gets changed, it's not easy, nor is it helpful.

I’ve been surprised at the number of people expressing extreme dislike for the Freestyle program. There are some outright falsehoods written in these posts, and I suspect many people’s words are sponsored by a place of fear and anger. It’s scary to change up something that’s working. It can be infuriating to no longer see the pattern of weight loss you’d had before. Reminds me of how furious and scared I was when they went from points plus to smart points. I had lost 150+ lbs on points plus and couldn’t stick with smart points - I was angry at WW and felt the program had become too restrictive. I tried doing it on my own using various apps and pen/paper and found I gained back 60+ lbs. I found lots of excuses and reasons to revert back to my old ways. And, of course, it wasn’t *really* my fault... if only WW gave me the option of doing what I had been doing, etc. Losing my own weight had made me a weight loss expert, right? (wrong)!

May I humbly suggest, as someone who has felt the pain of program changes and subsequently regained weight that I fought so hard to lose - get the book “The Beck Diet Solution”. The book actually advocates subscribing to two different eating plans so that if/when something like this happens you don’t allow it to sabotage your progress or allow yourself to fall back into old patterns.

Losing weight is a mental game.

So is keeping it off.

If the program isn’t working for you anymore or you don’t like it, own it, stay positive, and move on - but don’t get into the mindset that it’s the program’s fault you can’t lose weight anymore, you can do it on your own now, the Program has changed and now I’m doomed, etc. Beck will teach you to own up to your thinking, make a real plan for lasting lifestyle change, and will radically challenge your beliefs about weight and why you struggle with weight. Best of all, you can use it with any reasonable diet plan.

Change the way you think, and it will change the way you eat; that changes your life. Stay positive and good luck to everybody!

I have been a WW member on and off over the last few years. Each time I have used the point system I have had no problem losing weight. My problem is not eating healthy proteins and snacks, my main problem is over-eating. Now that the foods I was eating before (chicken, turkey, and beans) are on the 0pts list I find that I am over-eating again because I keep telling myself that these are free foods. They aren't!!! I just wish I had a tracker, other than a piece of paper now, to keep track of my points since I have to keep track of how much of these "free/0pt" items I am putting in my mouth.

My 5th week on freestyle and I lost 2 lbs this week!

I'm down 14 lbs in 5 weeks!

I was only walking 20 minutes 3 - 4x a week.

I don't eat my all my 23 daily points and I'm not starving nor am I craving sweets or junk food.

The plan works, if YOU work it.

I started the new weight watchers system last night and am already regretting it. I don't see how this could possibly make sense. Here are my 2 major issues with the program:

1. The 0 Point Items- With this new program, you could eat an endless amount of 0 point items and it will always equal 0 points. So for example, an egg is 0 points. So I could eat 20 eggs and it would still equal 0 points, yet if I eat 1 tsp of sesame seeds, it equals 1 point. How in the hell is eating 20 eggs healthier or going to help me loose weight than if eat just 1 tsp of sesame seeds?

2. Activity Points- I really cant even begin to try to understand the formula they made to calculate activity points. According to the tracking system, the points are calculated based on how long you worked out, how sweaty you were, and if you could talk while working out. When I first started working out 4 months ago, I could complete a mile in 50 minutes, was very sweaty and could barely talk. I was also on no incline and burning 132 calories per mile. Fast forward to the present, I am completing a mile in 40 minutes, sweating a lot, but its not as hard for me to talk. I am also on a level 15 incline and burning 400 calories. Now according to how you formulate your point, I would have received more activity points before than I am now. Yet I am now more than doubling the calories I have burned. I don't understand how in the world this makes sense.

Anyways I think this was a huge waste of money and I would not recommend it.

I started in August and lost 28 lbs since the change I am going up and down. I dislike freestyle and I this week I m going back to the old way; 30 points and tracking everything. That works for me.

My husband just started the new program a couple of days ago and I am very disappointed. You get fewer points and MANY of the previous point values have been raised on foods; for instance, 1/2 cup of lo fat ice cream went for 4 to 6 points, etc. And Forget having anything like pizza on this! Actually, the zero points list is more restrictive when you look at it. The meats (and I am a vegetarian,my husband is not) have to be prepared with nothing added to them or they have points. Just saying, if we wanted Atkins,we would have went Atkins. We are going back to Points Plus, which did work several years ago and we still have the books and calculator.

I do not like Freestyle. I am following it and tracking. I am gaining weight, about 3 pounds a week. I lost 47.8 lbs on Smart Points. It was easy. The free food didn't do much for me. I can't stand seafood etc....

I am trying to decide if I want to stay with weight watchers now. When I was not dieting I did not gain 3 lbs a week, so why am I doing this to myself? If I liked to cook and had time and money for it maybe it would be different.

I’m a Freestyle hater!! I ended up switching to Simply Filling (it’s still an option!) I lost 115 lbs several years ago with the original SmartPoints plan, maintained for 6 years, even worked as a WW receptionist. Last year I crept up 20 lbs after breaking I my foot, then getting sidelined by a car accident, so I sucked it up and went back on plan in Sept. I was doing great on the plan before the switch (lost 14), but have only gained with Freestyle (the only week I lost was the week I went over my fit/weeklies by 42 points!!). I felt it was too restrictive, especially since I hate eggs and only like beans when they’re cooked. With only 23 points a day a skinny latte would eat up 1/3 of my dailies and my family was sick of chicken. I hated that it felt like 93% lean ground beef was a “splurge” because I should have had chicken, etc. As a personal trainer it wasn’t a good mindset for me. This week I switched to Simply Filling and am loving it. I even like how it displays in the app better! Light breads, air-popped popcorn, skinny lattes, brown rice, lean beef, potatoes are all free so most of my meals are zero or super low in points and when do I use my fit and weekly points, it is for things that are actually less healthy (wine, butter, full-fat cheese, etc). I feel like this gives me tons of options, allows me to eat the way I did when I successfully lost and maintained my weight before and my energy levels are back to normal.

Where is common sense these days?

Zero point foods HAVE calories. They aren't magic foods that IF YOU eat too much you won't gain weight.

These are foods that are healthy, keep you full, and are part of a balanced lifestyle eating plan.

If you look at the Weight Watcher's food tracker, you will see suggested/recommended serving sizes that were established by the USDA.

These same serving sizes are on ALL packaging for everything that you buy to it.

Weight Watchers does clinical tested studies on REAL PEOPLE to see what will help them lose weight. They didn't tell these people to eat all you want. WW does stress you are not supposed to eat like it is a Thanksgiving meal.

Where does someone come to the conclusion that this is the program?

Maybe if they don't read any of the information that is supplied on the website when you do online or if you don't read the pamphlets given to you when you go to meetings. Its all there if you take the time to read it.

I'm down 14 lbs in 5 weeks!

The haters don't get it.of course u can't eat 20 eggs or 3 pounds of chicken breast.they still have calories zero does not mean eat as much as I want.eat until your satisfied.there are so many choices now with the zero points but I still eat non zero points and count them.I need to work the plan and the plan will work for you!!!!it's so muy easier now it takes time to adjust and I hate change of any kind but I was also sick of weighing and tracking everything I ate.I still track....just so I can see what I have eaten a!I day.give it a chance before you decide it's not working!!!👍💝

Shirley,

I actually eat pizza all the time. I usually order it once a week. The only reason why I didn't this week is because I want to save money and not order pizza, so I made it instead. I'm also a vegetarian and I find this program so much better so me! I was avoiding eating beans, lentils, corn, and eggs because of the points. Now I can eat them! Of course I can't eat a whole dozen in 1 day. That's not realistic. But I'm eating so much cleaner. I'm also confused as why once you add something to them you have to count the points. You only have to count the points for anything that has points. For example, I made a veggie taco filling yesterday out of beans and lentils. I only have to count the points for the oil I used when I sauteed onions. It's the same as when I make a salad, when I add dressing, I count the points for the dressing. The lettuce, cumcumber, or tomato is still 0 points. The only time you count points for 0 foods is when you drink them in a smoothie, i.e. fruit. :)

I think people shouldn't be afraid to use their weeklies. They are there for you to eat pizza, red meat, or whatever. I can't eat pizza everyday and expect to lose weight (I wish though...lol) You don't only have to eat chicken, beans, eggs, fish, etc. Look at your meals and plan. That's what I'm finding with this meal. I have to plan a bit more. But I don't plan everything exactly. I know I'm making an egg dish on Monday, Tuesday is beans, Wednesday is tofu, etc. If I have a base, I know where to go.

I read an interesting article about you can eat 100 calorie cookie or 100 calories worth of carrots. Both are the same calories, but what is going to help you lose weight and be healthy in the long run? Not all calories are created equal. I can eat all 0 point foods and eat my 23 points of chocolate everyday, but the scale will be up. It's all about balance. I still eat my carbs, and yes my pizza. It's really a mindset! Good luck everyone!

At first, I thought I liked the new freestyle Weight Watchers, but I'm not doing as well as the previous program. It's actually more restrictive for food choices.

I love Freestyle and I'm far from a vegetarian and I'm not just eating chicken, seafood, bean and eggs. The problem with "zero" point foods that you are to eat until you are satisfied, not stuffed really scares people. Me? I still weigh, measure and track...WW may say you don't have to, but that doesn't mean you can't. When you pull a zero pt item up on the app/website it still shows you what a serving size is. I eat exactly how I ate on Smartpoints (which was much more restrictive then PointsPlus). Yes, you have to plan a little better; you have to rely less on processed foods but does everyone really want to count points for the rest of their lives? I get pointed out - doesn't everyone else? I'm hoping in a few months to move completely to Simply Filling. HOWEVER, you can make the WW app work for the old smartpoints with a few changes...the changes have to made from a computer as the app won't let you do it, but once set up the app works with the changes. Just go into settings, change from lose weight to maintain. Once you change to maintain, it will let you choose the number of daily and weekly points you want. Change to what you had originally. Now for those zero point foods? You'll have to go in and Create a Food with the nutritional info for those items, but once saved they'll be under your "My Foods".

I had given up on diets entirely because they always seemed to cause a terrible yo-yo problem with binge eating. I joined WW anyway to support a family member and I LOVE it. This feels like a guideline for the healthy eating that I want to have for the rest of my life. I think one thing that made a major difference is that I am mostly vegetarian and already have a lot of bean and lentil based dishes that I rely on. This makes "dieting" so much less restrictive to me and so much more delicious and fun. I feel like I am being trained to eat for a way that makes my body feel great, in a society that teaches us to be obese. AND I'm losing weight!

By far the worst, most unhealthy plan WW has ever released. I did a test on the ‘free’ foods. In old plans, extra servings of ‘free’ foods were no longer free. For example, two cups of green beans became 1 point while one cup was zero. As it should be.

I thought something was off when I put in two slices of rye bread...and it came to SIX points but the canned tuna was zero. So...I put 32 ounces of chicken breast in the app to see what it said. That 32 ounces of chicken? Still zero points.

So...I can eat TWO pounds of chicken and keep all my points but two slices of rye bread take almost a quarter of my daily points.

This is a low-carb Diet. Period. You can do it yourself without paying $10-$15 a month.

Now, I know there are those who will say ‘you know you can’t eat two pounds of chicken per day and lose,’ but there are a lot of people out there who will believe they can because they are ‘zero’ points.

Portion control is out the window with this plan. In addition, fruit is zero points...but fruit has carbs...and tell me WHY canned corn is zero?

It is a ridiculously stupid plan. I am cancelling after one week and returning to SparkPeople. It is free and promotes a healthy plan using multiple nutrients.

I'm finding freestyle too restrictive for me so far, as I need more variety. I enjoy eating veggies and fruits, also whole grains and smaller amounts of protein. I'm not a fan of chicken, unless it's deliciously prepared (which adds points). Beans and eggs are just ok, I can only eat a few times a week at most, which makes the new plan problematic. I lost 22 pounds on smartpoints, I loved the variety of choices & it worked great for me. After a stressful long distance move and gaining back some of that, I returned to weight watchers meetings. I've been doing freestyle for only 2 weeks, I have lost a few pounds, but feel bored already. I don't have time for the cooking needed to make these limited choices interesting enough for me. With only 23 daily points and not loving beans, eggs and plain chicken, I don't feel I can look forward to meals on this plan without using all my weeklies too quickly. Consequently, I feel hungry and deprived. And forget about a nonfat latte or glass of wine! I still have a smartpoints calculator, I'm considering returning to that plan on my own, but will first give freestyle a chance for a few more weeks to see if I can adapt.

Between May and Christmas of last year I lost 65 pounds on Smart Points with 40 left to go. Couldn’t believe that I was losing every week and eating such a large amount of food. It was fun, felt great and was life altering. I was on top of the world. Did not gain over the holidays. When I switched to Freestyle I stopped losing altogether. In fact One week I gained 2 pounds and got really desperate. Dislike poultry white meat and beans, corn, peas etc. are my danger zone......never keep them in the house.......need to track every single morsel that goes in my mouth....if I had willpower regarding portion control I wouldn’t need WW. Last week I went back to Smart Points and lost 4 pounds. Am giving up the app and just continuing with my old menus that I loved, were healthy and that worked so well.

To those of you that have struggled with Freestyle there is a petition to get Weight Watchers to add back Beyond the Scale. Give members a choice of the program that works best for them.

Please sign the petition if you would like Beyond the Scale Smartpoints back.

https://www.change.org/p/weight-watchers-to-have-weight-wat…

I dislike freestyle . You can’t eat chicken and eggs all day forever. I lost 30 pound on smart points and not a one on flex. That says it all. There are not enough points for those who want to vary protein

I so do not like the new program. I thought I could continue SP but it is so difficult to go the meetings when all that is being discussed is Freestyle. I purposefully stay away from eggs because my cholesterol is higher than it should be and I am allergic to statin for lowering it. I am not a huge bean eater so that doesn't really help. Also, I can't get the comment out of my head of hearing a doctor one time say that "corn is what they fatten hogs with". I eat very low ground beef (96/4) and feel like I am being punished. I am very disappointed - it would have been good to have had an option of which one to do.

I don't see why we need to be hating on WW on this, or any other, forum. WW updates the plans based on the latest research. Obviously, as one long-time WWer pointed out, they are no longer requiring us to do things like eat liver once a week! As nutritional and behavioral science improves, the plan changes, which is a good thing. That being said, I do fear, for myself, that if I eat as much chicken breast, eggs, beans, tuna, peas, edamame etc., that I want, I will not lose much weight. So I am taking the advice of someone on this forum and am assigning points to all of those zero point foods (except for fruits and veggies, I'm leaving those at zero for now) so that I can track the actual points of these foods based on calories, fat, sugar, carbs and protein. So for example, that 1/2 can of beans I ate yesterday is actually 3 points, not zero, and the egg I had for breakfast today is actually 2 points, not zero, etc. Anyone can do that and anyone can make this diet work for them! it's just a matter of tweaking it and figuring out what works for you personally. Good luck everyone!

I L-O-V-E freestyle. I am eating healthier than ever before.

I did the smartpoints years ago and while I did lose and maintain an 80 lb weight loss for two years - It was restrictive and difficult for me.

I left WW and gained 80 plus back on. I rejoined with freestyle and found so many of the foods I love are free! Im back on only 1 week and am down 4 pounds. I end up with 1 to 9 unused points every night. I have to make myself eat more! This is the healthiest I've ever eaten in my life ( including when i was previously on WW) I have the most optomistic outlook on my future weightloss and healthy living then EVER before.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE FREESTYLE!!!!

Week 6 down 2.2 lbs....TOTAL OF 16.2 LBS!!!!!

I'm over 60 and never lost this well on points plus and that was a few years ago, and I weighed less than when I started with Freestyle 6 weeks ago.

For those of you who are not successful - Zero point foods have calories. Zero does NOT mean you can eat all you want. If YOU eat more calories than your body needs, you WILL GAIN WEIGHT!

I can't for the life of me understand why Weight Watchers only accommodates one plan style at a time. If a previous program works for someone, why can't they stay on it? If it didn't, they can try the new one. How hard is it to have settings that allow you to choose your program? They had that before when you could choose the "Simply Filling" setting, or whatever points program was going on at that time. The last thing any company should do is take away a product customers love and are successful with. Good grief, Pepsi didn't eliminate all other products when they rolled out Pepsi One. You can expand your appeal and market without having to obliterate all past successful products. What an absurd business model. Also, I'm really angry to find myself constantly relearning how to eat.

I do not like the new freestyle program. I have been very successful on smart points but have now gained 2.8 pounds on this new program. Not tracking is not wise at least for me. There is no way that you can eat more and still lose calories are calories nothing is free. I'm not a big bean eater always did like my chicken and turkey but find it far too restrictive trying to eat red meat once or twice a week. We'll give it a little longer but I don't think Weight Watchers is for me anymore.

Hello all.I am not liking it at all!!!! I started on points plus in 2012.Went from the 400s to 320s 3 times. That was my fault.I know the point system worked for me perfectly if I stuck to them.I started again lost 20 pounds and then freestyle struck.My points went from 74 to 57.I never used to touch my weekly points now I run them out every week.I went from freedom to eat what I want to having to eat from a list of foods to avoid using all my points.I used to enjoy a wide variety of delicious foods to having to stop eating them all together. I also used to average a 2 pound a week weight loss now I maybe lose a pound every 2 weeks. Let me guess what one of there coaches will tell me "You might be eating to much free point food".That may be right.If I had the ability to govern my food intake I wouldn't need Weight Watchers.

I am extremely disappointed with Freestyle. I did VERY well with Smart Points. I lost 30 lbs. on it and kept it off. THANK GOD I bought the books, because I have truly given Freestyle a chance, but I think I will quit and use the Smart Point books.

I tried the Freestyle for two weeks and was not successful. There are days when I do not want to eat beans, tofu, chicken or turkey (white meat) and perhaps want to have a big bowl of pasta. I am going back to the Smart Points system without Freestyle where I'm not forced to eat a protein I don't want.

I hate this Freestyle plan. I lost over 50 pounds on Smart Points and reached Lifetime status in November 2017. I work around the new plan, but it's a pain. I simply don't believe that having members fill up on chicken and eggs or going a vegan route is a smart plan. I believe that members who had success and relied on the older plans should have easy access to the point total of those plans within the e-tools format and they don't do that. Shame on WW!

Quit today and got charged 20 bucks

I agree with the comment a few above that states that for the price paid we should have access to the former WW plans that work for us. I’ve lost close to 35 pounds with Smart Points. I had been following a low carb and plan before WW and it wasn’t working. I needed some healthy carbohydrates and starting on WW Smart Points and eating some of those carbs helped me lose weight. I’m finding the Free Style program to be too restrictive on what my system needs to lose weight. I go over Points almost every day. I tended not to use a lot of my fitness or weekly points on the Smart Points plan but I feel I need to on the Free Style plan. I’m currently using the free version of the Lose-it app alongside WW. If things go well on Lose-it I’ll quit WW. It doesn’t seem worth it anymore.

It's working for me. Not only have I lost 10 pounds in 3 weeks, my night sweats have dramatically improved and my workouts are stronger.

For those of you who are struggling with the "unlimited 0 points" and talking about the calories - it's true. BUT you should be eating only until you're satisfied, not as much as you want all the time. If you gorge on fruit and chicken, you WILL gain weight.

Every since Freestyle my weight loss has come to a stop. I now feel like I'm on a diet. How many eggs, beans, chicken and turkey breast can one eat before their taste buds die. Well everyone who loves Freestyle don't get to attached and one like me who hates it just wait because just as always Weight Watchers will launch something bigger a better soon.

I hate the new Freestyle program. I was at goal in October and slipped over the holidays and gained 13 lbs. I returned to WW on January 6. I lost only 2 lbs. the first week but gained 1/2 lb. the second week. I am starving and very frustrated! I have been a lifetime member for years! I have raved to everyone in the past about how great the WW program is, but I would not recommend the Freestyle program to anyone. I am thinking of trying Nutrisystem.

I love Freestyle, it seems to be the best and easiest plan update that WW has come up with. I think adapting to change is hard for some people but I just go with the flow. This is actually the type of eating my doctor wanted me to do when I spoke to him about it he has a couple of his patients doing it. I have been loosing each week and I now feel I'll be able to get to goal and keep the weight off for once in my life. But I am a person that don't eat red meat or pork so adapting to this was easy. Also there is no free foods as portion control still need to be practiced by the person wanting to use the weight and you no longer need to eat all your points you can let them ride or go bye-bye if you don't need them and I find I always go to bed with anywhere from 7-9 points a day.

I've been on Free Style now for 1 week, lost 4 lbs. I reallly like the program. I had been trying to get away from eating sugar so zero fruit has been a great substitute. I don't find it restrictive with all the 200 zero points. My 23 points I use for carbs and good fats. I think this just may be my time. Much success to all. May you reach your goal and create a healthy routine of eating on this journey.

I have always been successful in WW throughout the years! Lost over 70 pounds. However, I am

not losing the 10 I put on over the holidays on this new plan! I will give it another try over the next few weeks!

I do not like the Freestyle program. There are days when I don't want fish, turkey, chicken, tofu, beans or lentils. Every once in a while I enjoy beef, pork and my personal favorite lamb. Seven points have been removed, but on certain days they're thrown away because of my choices so I have gone back to smart points, it works better for me.

What I wish Weight Watchers would do is give us all a choice. Each of their programs are great for someone; therefore, I think that that should provide each database (PointsPlus; SmartPoints; Freestyle, etc.) to all memebers. They could simply list them in the "Profile" section so that when we put in our age, height, weight, whether or not we plan to exercise or are lactating, we could also choose which database we would like to be hooked up to. I myself have tried "PointsPlus", "SmartPoints", and am still a member with the "FreeSyle". I usually "go with the flow" and give change my best; however, weight loss has stopped for me with the "Free Style" plan. I lost 34 lbs. with "Smart Ones" and LOVED, LOVED, LOVED every minute of it. I currently have a bid out on e-bay for the entire Smart Points kit so that I can go back to the old fashioned way of journaling and using my calculator. I may continue my online membership just for the recipes and support.

I am a lifer from many years ago (before "Points") and have never done well with any of the Points plans until now. I am doing very well on Freestyle, and I think it's because of the zero point foods, which I eat anyway. For me, there is much less counting, and I like that. I do have to watch overdoing the protein. I too hate Weight Watchers' claim that you can eat anything you want. It really isn't true.

The truth is that any diet that claims you can eat whatever you want and still lose weight should be a red flag. If I could eat whatever I wanted and still lose weight then I wouldn’t need weight watchers or any other diet program.

This is why I have never liked weight watchers. You are the whim of diet plan that revolved around money. If the old plan worked for u why would u change just bc a corporate giant told u too. This is why most people that lose weight and keep it off make their lifestyle changes that center around healthy eating not dieting.

Well I’m in the hate it group. I feel like I’m being restricted to eat certain foods. Food I don’t like or can’t eat. I don’t eat white meat. I can’t eat a lot of fiber without having bad stomach pains. So I lost daily points without any gain except eggs. I’m going to eat the way I was eating and loosing before the change.

I commented several days ago on this blog that I was struggling with the FreeStyle program. It is been encouraging to see that I am not the only one. I do so wish that WW would realize the success that people have had on earlier programs and give a choice. I'm not sure I want to pay for a program that I am constantly having to tweak. As far as being able to eat what you want, this new program limits that even more. I am so disappointed.

I hate the freestyle program. I had lost 38 Pounds as of this past December, but cannot seem to stay on this new program nor am I losing weight. In fact, I’ve actually gained. How can Weight Watchers-, who has been in business for over 50 years, say that this program is the best when they only spent five months researching it?.....Or at least that’s what they told me when I called corporate in December.

What if you have allergies? I am allergic to eggs. What if you cannot stand white meat? I don’t like white meat yet I am forced to eat it if I remain on this program. Also, my husband is a physician and he tells me that I should not have more than 3 to 4 eggs per week due to cholesterol problems. In order to keep the points down, I am forced to eat eggs, white meat, seafood, not that I mind it because I like all of it, but having to concentrate all of my meals around what Weight Watchers tells me I should be eating is not working for me. And the “low points eggs” are not good for me.

I have no access to the old program nor does Weight Watchers care that many of us would rather have it back. I feel like they should give us an option. I feel like they’re trying to force us to eat only the foods that they want us to eat. It’s just not working for a lot of us.

Since Weight Watchers says that they have always gone out of their way to listen to their members and to try to make them happy, I wish they would read the posts of the people who actually cannot stand this new program. We will be forced to go somewhere else and find a better program. Maybe when they start losing money they’ll go back to the drawing board. Although I think that they should do it before that happens, especially since Weight Watchers prides themselves on “listening” to their members. I don’t think they do. Whenever I go to weigh in, and they ask me how I like the program, and I tell them, do you know what their response is? It’s “Oh, really?”. And that’s it. Great. I’m glad they really care about how disappointed many of us are .

As someone who has been on diets many, many times over the years (I am almost 65) and has obviously had a problem maintaining weight, the old program was something that worked so well for me. I kept the weight off for a year. But, what Weight Watchers does not understand is that for people like me, who always yo-yo up-and-down, the old program never felt like a diet. You could “sneak in” your guilty pleasures while also counting points yet would not gain weight. With the freestyle program, there is no room for that. We continually feel like we are on a diet which was never the point. If I feel like I’m on a diet for the rest of my life this will not work and I will not have success.

Is there an address that anyone knows of where I could send my critique? It’s just not getting to the powers that be. Thanks so much, everyone !

I’m glad I found this site.

I do not like the Freestyle program. It's too restrictive and I'm hungry all the time whereas on the previous program, I lost weight and felt fuller. Want my 7 points returned to me.

I hate the freestyle program. I had lost 38 Pounds as of this past December, but cannot seem to stay on this new program nor am I losing weight. In fact, I’ve actually gained. How can Weight Watchers-, who has been in business for over 50 years, say that this program is the best when they only spent five months researching it?.....Or at least that’s what they told me when I called corporate in December.

What if you have allergies? I am allergic to eggs. What if you cannot stand white meat? I don’t like white meat yet I am forced to eat it if I remain on this program. Also, my husband is a physician and he tells me that I should not have more than 3 to 4 eggs per week due to cholesterol problems. In order to keep the points down, I am forced to eat eggs, white meat, seafood, not that I mind it because I like all of it, but having to concentrate all of my meals around what Weight Watchers tells me I should be eating is not working for me. And the “low points eggs” are not good for me.

I have no access to the old program nor does Weight Watchers care that many of us would rather have it back. I feel like they should give us an option. I feel like they’re trying to force us to eat only the foods that they want us to eat. It’s just not working for a lot of us.

Since Weight Watchers says that they have always gone out of their way to listen to their members and to try to make them happy, I wish they would read the posts of the people who actually cannot stand this new program. We will be forced to go somewhere else and find a better program. Maybe when they start losing money they’ll go back to the drawing board. Although I think that they should do it before that happens, especially since Weight Watchers prides themselves on “listening” to their members. I don’t think they do. Whenever I go to weigh in, and they ask me how I like the program, and I tell them, do you know what their response is? It’s “Oh, really?”. And that’s it. Great. I’m glad they really care about how disappointed many of us are .

As someone who has been on diets many, many times over the years (I am almost 65) and has obviously had a problem maintaining weight, the old program was something that worked so well for me. I kept the weight off for a year. But, what Weight Watchers does not understand is that for people like me, who always yo-yo up-and-down, the old program never felt like a diet. You could “sneak in” your guilty pleasures while also counting points yet would not gain weight. With the freestyle program, there is no room for that. We continually feel like we are on a diet which was never the point. If I feel like I’m on a diet for the rest of my life this will not work and I will not have success.

Is there an address that anyone knows of where I could send my critique? It’s just not getting to the powers that be. Thanks so much, everyone !

I’m glad I found this site.

I do not like this plan at all. I lost 31 lbs. from August till dec 31. But during the whole month of January I keep loosing and regaining 3lbs. It’s messing with my head. I felt like before the change I could eat what ever I wanted and now it feels like a diet. I just someone post their breakfast on instagram 2 hard boiled eggs, orange slices and asparagus, while it was pretty... not appetizing ☹️ So disappointed, before the change I was ww biggest cheerleader and I truly felt like losing weight was one part of my life that was in control. For me I’ve had a fear of food. Don’t eat carbs, don’t have sugar, don’t eat this or that and for the first time in years the fear was gone. I could eat what I wanted in my 30 points.

This is the worst program that I have been on from Points to PP to SP. if I want Adkins I would have done that. Not loosing and actually gained 3 weeks in a row. I have lost 55 pounds in 18 months and I was the biggest WW cheerleader but I HATE this. If I want simply filling or core I would choose that now I am forced into that boring box. So close to quitting this program 😞

The new Free Style program fits the protein lovers while the old program was fair to the carb and protein lovers. I'm in the camp of not loving it especially since I'm a type 1 diabetic and too much protein is tough on my kidneys. We will have to wait at least a year before they tweak this new roll out.

Cheryll

I'm lifetime & not a fan of Free Style, although I keep trying. I loved Smart Points & lost over 45 pounds on it. Now, I've lost too many points & find it hard to eat the way I used to eat - which wasn't a ton of processed food - healthy foods, but some carbs, beef, etc. - a balance.

I hate it!! I lost 7 points a day and my coffee, my one guilty pleasure is 4 points and that is just cream no sugar. Now I have 19 points a day for food and I don't eat fish, eggs, many vegetables or tofu so outside of chicken and that's not many points at all I don't have any wiggle room. I wish they would offer both plans because I am still following the 30 points plan but when I log it shows over everyday and it just looks discouraging even though I am on track.

week 7 weigh in - lost 2.2 lbs.

total weight loss - 18.4 lbs. do the math, averaging a weightloss of over 2 lbs a week!

If an over 60 yr old woman can lose weight like this, so can you!!!

No sugar cravings, no junk food cravings!

Change your mind set, think POSITIVE!

Hate it! I find it more restricting and find myself always over the 23 points so then end up blowing the day. I tend not to cook and eat more frozen meals that are portioned. I cannot do this and fit a few extras like parmesan cheese, wine, nuts, avocados, etc. into the 23 points. Tired of eggs which was my goto when I started since they are easier to make. I am planning to eat up to 30 each day as I was before and then stopping. I have never used my extra points because I figure those points are for things I find difficult to count. Wishing we could choose our plan.

I've done weight watchers in the past and Freestyle is by the far the easiest for me. I'm losing faster and I find it easier to make healthier choices. Weight Watchers in the past felt like a diet. Freestyle feels like a lifestyle! I'm sold!!!!

I am a lifetime member I will keep doing what I have been doing because it works. For me this is a ligestyle not a diet sso why would I switch or even try the freestyle. If yhe new way doesnt wirk for u go back to what was working for u Be a fox not a sheep. This is ur life do what works for u

I am not a fan of freestyle.....I got back to goal on smart points and that is what I intend to keep doing...... but if freestyle works for you, that's great. It doesn't fit into my eating habits. What we need is a choice. I'm hearing a lot of people at my meeting complaining, but not out loud...and that's what we have to do. I still love WW, especially my leaders and meetings and will never give them up. I'll just do it my way.

Hate it. Moved on to another app and will cancel WW as soon as my commitment is over. Stopped losing, sick of the foods. 200 free foods? Sure if you count lemon zest as a food. If you’d like to see 5000+ more members who hate it go to FB return to 30. This is not the program I paid for but I was given no choice and can’t cancel without a penalty. What a SCAM!

Someone just suggested that I go back to the Smart Points program if I'm so unhappy with Freestyle. How am I supposed to do that if there's no way to access the Smart Points points since the new app only displays the points for Freestyle?

Hate the NEW freestyle program.

People on it are on it because they can't control over eating.

How do you tell an alcoholic...drink until your satisfied, but do not over indulge!!!

Yeah my past post shared my disappointment with freestyle. I tried backing my points tracking back to when it was smartpoints but it wouldn't let me enter anything. I quit WW and got charged 20 bucks.

The best way to do Smart points is to do it by using a small notebook instead of the app. I would presume that if you have been using this system for at least a few months you should be aware of what you have been eating that has caused you to be so successful. If you can't do that, just maybe you might consider doing a standard diet which is more of a lifestyle change. Just using the app without actually making a lifestyle change is more like a fad diet that a complete lifestyle change. The only way to keep weight off is to learn how to cook, shop and eat healthier. Just using the app is more of a gimmick. It's like being allergic to peanuts but you keep eating them and using your epi-pen, insanity right. Well that's what just relying on the app is like. Just my two cents. WW is a great stepping stone to a lifestyle change.

I'm still on the fence. I'm giving it a shot, but am finding it more challenging than the previous point system, which I've done for the last 2 years or so.

I'm type 2 diabetic, and always LOVED the way WW fit right in with my diet- I saw my A1C improve drastically when I started back in 2016. The new Freestyle plan, though, somehow seems more restrictive. As a diabetic, I can't overdo some of the free foods (nonfat yogurt, beans, corn, fruit), which makes it hard for me to "fill up" on them the way the plan encourages you to. As a result of that, I have very little points for other foods that I need to fit into my day, such as low fat sliced turkey and ham, cheese and condiments. With so few points, my daily lot is gone quickly and I'm sometimes left feeling a little hungry.

I'm gonna keep on with it since I've had so much historical success, but still need to get the hang of it. Good luck, all!

Just like you can switch between Simply Filling and Smart Points in you account, WW Weight Watchers should add the option for Smart Points - simple solution.

With the introduction of Freestyle came less daily points, zero-point food options by the hundreds, and the liberty to rollover unused daily points.

The program is relative to the previous one. For a meal at Chili's that used to be 16 points - It is now 8 points. You have just saved 25% of your daily points in that one meal.

If one cannot find anything on a list of 200+ healthy options, then they probably were not eating them on the old SmartPoints system. Freestyle nudges you toward more proteins, fruits and vegetables than ever before.

That said, there are those that need more structure. Freestyle gives a little too much freedom for those who will binge - Even on the foods that statistically do not cause binge patterns.

I highly advocate the new Freestyle program. I think a more regimented approach would be Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem, which would allow the person a set amount of calories per day without the option of binging or starving.

Why is no one addressing the issue of WHY an overweight person is overweight?

All diets work. Every last one of 'em. And NONE of them ask anyone to look at the "Why."

What also works - when one works it - is Overeaters Anonymous. It seems too good to be true, because it costs nothing. Nada.

I want only to plant a seed here. Have a gander at the OA website. You could use WW as your food plan, but OA could help to be abstinent - which is different than a food plan.

What do you have to lose, except the reasons you eat to beging with, and dieting for the rest of your life? I swear to you, as a 2-decade, maintaining an 80# weight loss member of OA, it IS possible.

XOXO

All "diets" do NOT work! Most are only temporary fixes. At WW we talk about the why all the time, as well as stress the point that it's a lifestyle change. Though I may not Like Freestyle...I still believe in WW, and my weekly meetings. I prefer to journal the old fashioned way with pen and paper, so I can still work the old program. Most of us are just asking for the right to choose what has worked for us in the past.

For those that keep saying WW should give us options in the app to choose between SP and Freestyle, that's exactly what all of us lovers of PP kept asking for when things moved to SP. It seems there will always be a large group of people that do not find the same success from one program to another. Choices that could be made via switching in the app would be the perfect compromise. If you start to stall with one program, switch programs in your app and keep moving forward. This would be ideal for all. I think MANY asked that with the last change. Would be great if WW listened, but they've made it clear they have no interest. My guess is it has more to do with their packaging stating points on them, but that's just my thought, could be completely wrong.

I encourage all of you fighting to keep doing it. Maybe someday they will see it is very possible to please the masses. Look at itrackbites, they let you choose which program to follow, with the click of a button. I know it's frustrating when something works for you and then changes to something that doesn't.

The hardest part for me reading a lot of the comments from people unhappy with the change, is many of us said the same thing with the SP change and we got little support. Instead many negative comments were made. Lets all try to work together to support each other through these struggles instead of judge.

SP didn't work for me, but Freestyle has been great. I have lost 22 lbs in 2 months and love not having to track everything, but I can tell you, I don't eat a lot of the 0 pt foods either. I find it a fun challenge to find out how to eat what I want within my point limitations. I have discovered a lot of motivation and ideas on how to make the program work for me through social media, specifically youtube channels. There are some amazing people out there on this program willing to share their recipes, suggestions, struggles and more with us. When you hit a wall look up a few. You might find a perfect fit for you, because even though this is a personal journey, we're not alone. For me it has become a game I enjoy playing, because the only winner or loser is me and I am the only one in control.

Agree with Erica - I stalled with SmartPoints and welcomed Freestyle with wide open arms. There must be something in their algorithms to keep them from members being able to choose their program. Can you imagine how epic that would be? Switching your app from SmartPoints to Simply Filling to Freestyle to PointsPlus?!? I believe all of those programs are healthy and successful.

Hating Freestyle. Made Lifetime on the previous plan, and in the first month of Freestyle, gained so much weight I almost lost Lifetime status - to ensure I would still be Lifetime, I switched back to the former plan and barely made my weight on the last day of the month.

Although my daily points decreased, as a person who struggles with binge eating and not stopping even if I feel full, on this new plan I was eating zero point foods that would not have been zero on the old plan as "snacks" and over eating them because they are now free. So I was eating wayyyyyy more "now zero but used to not be zero" foods than the 7 point decrease in my dailies -- said another way, if I had tracked all these zero point foods on the OLD plan, I would have been WAY over my dailies on the old plan.

This plan works if you are good at holding yourself accountable. But if you struggle with binge eating, Freestyle is TOUGH because it "allows" you to binge eat all these alleged zero point foods -- it doesn't hold you accountable, it puts the responsibility back on you to "know when to stop eating" - but if we knew when to stop eating, we wouldn't need Weight Watchers in the first place!!!

If this were not free for me as Lifetime, I'd cancel. And the only reason I'm still Lifetime is because I'm not doing Freestyle, I'm doing the old plan.

Give us the option, Weight Watchers, if we want the old plan, let us have it.

I HATE IT! I am sorry but for me Freestyle is Hard!!! I just don't understand why they had to change it. My attitude was if it isn't broke don't fix it. I think for people that have trouble with portion control freestyle is not the way to go. I'm sorry but bring smart points back!!!

I have been on and off Weight Watchers for 6 years and coming back on to the program with Freestyle has been seriously life changing for me. I have lost 13.3 lbs in 4 weeks and never felt more amazing. This is the first time that i can see myself staying on the program for a long period of time and losing a lot of weight. I know this program feels more restrictive than previous versions, but I honestly think it puts down the foundation for individuals to change their lifestyle. It's not a crash course in weight loss, but it shows you what basics your diet should consist of and how to use moderation to create healthy and balanced meals. I think if you can get passed "what you used to get on the old program" and see this new program for what it is, you can be really successful.

I have done many Ww programs. I have been at goal for 2 years now-my second time at reaching goal. Since Freestyle and for the first time in two years, I have gained and over my goal weight. I can't tell you how disappointing that is for me. It has nothing to do with having to pay, but the fact is I was doing just fine before Freestyle came along. It makes no sense to me whatsoever, that being a person with food issues can have such freedom. I don't want more freedom, I want control. I would dearly love to go back to the old program, however this would be difficult to do as I like to attend the meetings and everything is geared to the new program. I've seen all kinds of negative reviews on-line about the new program, so I hope WW is listening. According to the leaders here, I am in the minority....seeing what I've found tonight on-line, I now know this is not the case. I am actually looking for a different program to follow and feeling very sad about that.

I haven't lost any weight on Free Style. Tried it for three weeks and I'm done. Going back to my 28 pts a day and counting everything. I was losing 2-2.5 lbs a week on that. I am allergic to eggs and beans kill me due to IBS. Fish is very expensive were we live, so can't have that everyday. Yes, I eat more fruit than I did before, but that's calories's and carbs and I figure that's why I'm not losing. This new program is not good for anyone with an allergy to eggs, seafood or just can't eat beans. I'm disappointed that they didn't offer an alternative. I sent a message and got a curt response of 'that's how the program works'. For Weight Watcher's it's like it or leave it. I'm just doing my 28 points and not logging my first five. Also, I am hungry all the time on the Free Style and was never hungry on the old program. Don't quit, just stay on the old program if it was working for you.

I find freestyle too limited on carbs. I felt previous food combinations (Smart points and point plus) fit better into my life. I could have that occasional chip or ice cream and not eat half my points for the day

I did SmartPoints for about a year and have been on maintenance for over 2 years. I don't remember when I stopped using the app but mostly now I just know what I need to eat. I eat when I am hungry and if I snack which is not often I have learn to just eat the free foods from my SmartPoints plan. I did put on 3lbs on vacation last year but then I just started coutning points for a few weeks. For me WW was the plan that helped me see food as fuel and stopped my cravings. Now I am a whole plant based vegan. Healthy, Happy and Fit. For me WW helped me to change my lifestlye and find my way. I haven't tried the new plan nor do I plan too. Good Luck to all those still struggling.

The bottom line is this - if something is broken, don't fix it.

I was doing great on the pre-freestyle. Lost 30 pounds in 4 months. Knew what to eat and when to eat it. I could have my evening cocktail with my husband and still remain under my 38 points. Now I am at 23 points. I am eating all the same foods that were free in the first place but now I cannot have my cocktail or my afternoon snack. It is a chore staying within the 23 points. I have quit logging my points and activity. I want my old app back that will allow me to count my 38 points. Any ideas anyone? An app that is pre-freestyle?

I am really upset that smart points is gone. I’m not liking freestyle, the 30 points I had with smart point plan gave me so much flexibility—and when I was at my point limit, I could eat zero point healthy fruits and veggies instead of more caloric chicken, fish and eggs. It is definitely more of a high protein low carb diet—which do cause weight loss but the pounds come back FAST as soon as you start eating carbs again. The smart point plan was definitely a more normal and healthy diet that emphasized lower sugar foods. So frustrated with weight watchers...

I have done WW off, and on for the last ten years. I have had success with every program WW has offered, except FREESTYLE. With Smartpoints I lost 36lbs. With Freestyle, I have lost,and gained the same pound over and over. I’m going no where with this so called zero points. You know all food has calories, you can’t ignore that. Nobody wants to eat chicken, and beans for the rest of their life. We need tracking, portion control,and accountability! WW has always stated to (Track your food) now their saying not to. How can you keep up with a good week, or a bad week if you don’t track? It’s a guessing game. I’m not paying 45.00 a month to figure it out myself. Why did they change something that was working?. If you need to make sales then add stuff. Like a clothing line, water cups, gym bags, etc. Please just bring back the SP! :(

I have always purchased and kept the manual trackers for each program so even if the website doesn't still calculate the program I can do it manually. When is Weight Watchers going to acknowledge one diet for all just doesn't work. Freestyle should mean we're free to choose our program.

Cheryll

They have only cut the daily SmartPoints by 10-20%, if that. The weekly points still stand. I find it difficult to believe that people cannot find 10-20% of their daily intake on the list of 200+ foods. C'mon. I have never heard so many excuses in all of my life.

So agree with Mandy. I have not gained any but I haven't lost anymore either. I know that change is important, with some things, but when it is a lifestyle change that one has become comfortable with and is working well for them, change isn't good. I need to loose 15 more pounds and keep it off. I heard that contacting WW about our concerns does nothing so I guess we are on our own. Just because you are OPRAH does not mean you know everything! Oh and one other thing "you can eat whatever you want" NOT

I am not thrilled with Freestyle...but I am doing it. I have found myself light headed the past two days. I don't think there is anything medically going on with me. I think it has something to do with the diet. It's weird. I lost and maintained for years on the past programs. I have never been light headed until the past two days. Got me wondering how others were reacting to Freestyle. And yea...its a lot of chicken! :/

the program works IF you work it.

again....zero points have calories...if you're not losing, add up you daily calories, it isn't hard, its in the tracker when you enter a food.

maybe your portions are too large?

maybe you're not drinking enough water?

maybe you're eating too many zero point foods?

I had gum surgery, no exercise and lost 1 lb for the week.

8 week total - 19.4 lbs...and I'm over 60.

The WW app doesn't support numerous WW programs nor does the web site.

For those of you who think that you should have the option, the chaos that would happen is unbelievable!

WW spent 2 years researching/testing freestyle.

They know what they are doing!

Freestyle might work for some, but for me it doesn't. There are many days when I do not plan to include turkey, chicken, beans or tofu. I might want a steak or lamb and on those days I've tossed away 7 points that I could put toward my alternate protein. I've worked it out and including 7 points is more important to me than being able to eat a bit extra turkey, chicken, tofu or beans, which have low points values. I choose not to follow the Freestyle program and do not believe there would be chaos if WW permitted their members to choose the program that works for them.

Here's the problem I have with those of us who've been very successful prior to Freestyle. I don't need to pay for a program and an app where I need to manually account for calories for foods that previously had a valid point value. Nothing is free so you still find yourself needing to weigh and manually track your portions however not tracked as points any longer to remain in the previous 30. I have lost 32 pounds on Smart points, and have lost and gained the same two to three pounds back off and on since the Inception of freestyle. Many of us need the discipline of accounting for what we eat it's that simple and it's a shame that the app no longer works that way for us. I will be giving it more time I have been very successful with Weight Watchers but leaving this open-ended so it's "free# and having to track it on paper it just not working. I also have to say I no longer see the enthusiasm especially from existing members at my meetings which I Faithfully attend every week. Unfortunately I'm sure freestyle will have to prove itself out by losing membership and seeing weight gains before they do something to address it because they really are pushing it. Not a happy Weight Watchers member at this time!

My weight loss has slowed significantly since switching to Freestyle - I am not losing but .3 lbs a week now :{ Any advice? I feel like I should be restricting calories too .....

Lost 40 pounds on the previous weight watcher plan. Do not like this new freestyle plan. Can not loose any weight on it as it is too restrictive. I am going to cancel my membership.

I love it.

I rejoined because the new program makes lower carb easier than ever.

For those who do not like the freedom and way of life that Freestyle offers, I would recommend NutriSystem or Jenny Craig. Then you would not be bound to the 200+ healthy foods on the list.

I hate it!! I finished my first week and lost all of .6 lbs. and I was starving the entire time. I had 7 exercise points but wasn't allowed to us them. The first 7 don't count. I wasted my money and wish I could get it back. I did WW back in 2003 and lost 100 lbs. I did put some back on so I tried it again but they had changed it and it took me 4 weeks to lose 1.8 lbs. I swore I wouldn't waste my money again but here I am throwing it away once more on a program that doesn't work. If they want to change the program fine, but why can't they leave all the others there too and allow us to pick the one that worked for us in the past. Back then you tracked everything and could save exercise point...it worked so well.

Here's the thing, we are paying Weight Watcher's, they are not paying us so I don't think it's all that unreasonable that our voices should be heard. No single program will work for everybody, my idea of flex is flexible - one program is not flexible. I love my leader and my meetings but just do my own thing when it comes to the program. The bottom line is it's my money my choice, or at least before I became lifetime.

Cheryll

Thanks for the warnings. I was a Lifetime member starting with the original points program in 2002 - Lost 185 pounds in 3 years reaching goal in 2006. I had my ups/downs in maintenance but things got out control when the slide cards were abandoned and you had to buy their scales/calculators to calculate food/recipe points. That's the abandonment point. Things got a little out of control because my job has me in "road warrior" status flying all over the US every other week. Was considering taking the plunge to rejoin for a month to see how the new freestyle plan works, but all I see is horror stories. Any better solutions out there that can incorporate a busy work life where your not in a situation where you can prep your own meals and cooking at home.

Very unhappy with new program😳! I’m a life timer and have been an all the other programs, but this one is so hard to stay on for life, I have maintained my weight for years, now I find small things I have used for years are pretty much out of the picture if I want to stay within my points. I eat a lot of salads, very lean meats, fresh fruit, but I also like to have a slice of good bread and other things that will blow me out of the water in one sitting. I’m just about to throw in the towel with some of my friends.

Not liking it too much so far. I'm a lifetime member from back in the day (1998). Have gained weight in the past years, but lost again using different WW programs. Last time I was on WW was in 2013 and it was very successful. Decided it was time to get back at it. I lost 7 daily pts with the Freestyle program. I'm struggling with only 26 pts/day, even with all those zero-point foods. Only took a 3 month subscription. Will continue on it and see how it goes.

I lost 40 pounds on the Beyond the Scale Smartpoints plan in 6 months and felt like I finally found a lifestyle and weight loss plan that I could stick to for life. Then Weight Watchers started Freestyle in December and I have actually gained 4 lbs, despite sticking to Freestyle faithfully since it started. Thousands of members are having the same results I did and we have switched back to Beyond the Scale Smartpoints on our own, and are losing weight again. Weight Watchers refuses to hear our pleas and give us an option to go back to the old plan. Freestyle is a failure for many. Even those who just started and are losing on the plan, will find that this plan is not a sustainable weight loss program. It is a restrictive diet, and science has proven time and time again that these types of diets are not successful long term. Listen to your members Weight Watchers, give us back Beyond the Scale Smartpoints!

WW Momentum worked the best for me..it was basically calorie based. I lost 110 lbs on Momentum. I love WW meetings but I went back on calories a few years ago when the newer programs caused me too many cravings. I have a major sweet tooth and when I tried to give up sweets several times, it ended up biting me as I gave in to the horrendous cravings and regained.

I gained about 10lbs during the holidays. I was looking forward to losing the weight through freestyle. Didn’t like the fact that I lost my daily points. Rollover points sound like a free for all. I really did give it a shot I lost 4lbs, after that the scale stopped. This program is too restrictive and in a sense too free. I want structure back. I’ve gone back to what worked for me before. Since I’ve hit a plateau for over a month, I’ve been frustrated.

Have been a WW member since 2015. I was looking forward to FS and excited about the change. I did it for 6 weeks. I lost 5 pounds, which is typical for me and exactly what I would lose on the SP program. The problem was, I felt like I was on a diet! It was so restrictive because I only had 23 points per day. I am back to SPs. I wish WW would accommodate the tracker for both programs, so that we could choose which worked best for us.

To all who loathe the new Freestyle program: YOU DON'T HAVE TO STAY. The beauty of Weight Watchers and the USA is that you have a choice. It is not the only weight loss/weight management system out there. I tried Jenny Craig and found it to be too regimented and not a way of life, so I am choosing Weight Watchers Freestyle. You too have a choice!

While freestyle sounds good because of so many options you do not have to count. In reality it’s Atkins on steroids. The same concept. What happens when one gets tired of protein . Freestyle is now a diet and not real life. I wish much success to those that love it. It’s just not for me therefore, I’m continuing with BTS because it is real life eating:-)

I hate freestyle. I lost 86lbs on SP and then they switch to this and put all these false advertising commercials on TV telling people they can eat whatever they want. Please! You can only eat so many zero point foods before burnout starts. I hated to do it, but I cancelled my WW membership and decided to download an app that had a SP like system. If WW truly listened to the masses they would try and offer both options and let the client decide which one works best for them.

Lawrence, you are correct- we don't have to stay on Freestyle, which is why thousands of people are switching back to Beyond the Scale Smartpoints on their own. But they shouldn't have to, they should have the support of Weight Watchers, the program they are paying for! There are several groups on social media to support people going back to BTS Smartpoints. The one I joined on Facebook has over 8,000 members, that should speak volumes about the failure of freestyle for so many! If it works for you, awesome! I'm happy for you, but it clearly is NOT working for many. Instead of saying if you don't like it leave, maybe Weight Watchers should address the thousands of customers who are reaching out and saying this plan does NOT work for us, please give us a choice.

First, I want to say that I love WW. With that being said, I tried Freestyle, for about 3 weeks and gained. Not a lot, but enough to know that I need the structure of SP, Beyond the Scales. It works for me, I've lost 55 pounds on it. I recently canceled my WW membership because I can't work my program on it,and I won't pay over $40/month for a program that no longer supports me. For the life of me, I can't figure out why WW wants to become a Jenny Craig or Atkins mini me.

I don't like the new Free Style Progam. I just was on CHAT with WW asking if they support the old Smart Points System....basically all they did was try to tell me just how great the new Free Style program is, then I finally got my answer, they don't support Smart Points anymore. Freestyle is NOT working for me. I want to go back to the Smart Points System, which I know

can do, but for $45 a month, they should support it with the app as well, especially now that I see just how many people are unhappy with this new program.

Okay so I am going to take a leap of faith and share what has worked for me. I feel sad that so many are struggling with their food plan. I am no longer with WW. One the money and two the constant hawking of unhealthy WW snacks at my meeting. That said all I can say is chack out nutritionfacts.org or The book How not to Die. As someone who had an incurable metabolic disorder and was severely overweight I had to take my health back and that website and book helped. The thing is it is a lifestyle change based on science and you have to change everything you ever thought about food. I eat a whole plant based diet that my plan. I never eat processed foods and I now love my whole life. I have energy and health. I just went post menopausal and I had only a few hot flashes and a bit of insomnia but the right food changed all that. The thing is I struggled my whole life with 50 odd pounds and even though WW was great it didn't change my health or my mind or taught me what real food really is. I no longer crave "normal" food because for me what is normal is totally different from the rest of the world. I don't consider what the rest of the world eats as food. I don't eat meals...I fuel my body and celebrate my life 3 times a day sometimes less if I am not hungry or more if I am. My whole body is better at 55 than it was at 25. My whole being is better. Okay off my soapbox. I hope this helps someone. If not I am sorry I wasted your time. Godspeed!!!

Perhaps I've seen one too many WW program changes over the years,but I found the change from Smart Points to Freestyle especially galling. Like many, I lost 7 points for the sake of accommodating foods that I can't eat. Allergies to poultry & eggs, and IBS that goes wild when beans are introduced.. so from a practical perspective, I found this plan unworkable. For me, Smart Points was effective & doable. But lets be honest, WW already has a history of " updating" their programs, knowing full well that we sheep will buy into the hype & excitement, and fork over more cash in order to buy new cookbooks!..after all, smart points cookbooks have joined the rants of other now outdated plans: points plus, core, flex points & 360.

I'm just a bit tired of the manipulation & group think that Weight Watchers is offering.

Many of you are reporting weight gains even when following the new WW Freestyle program.

For those of you who go to meetings, I'm curious to know what your WW leaders say about this. To follow a program but not lose weight must elicit some commentary. What do they say?

My experience with Freestyle has been good. I've lost weight consistently but slowly when following it.

Again, I would like to stress that if you are unable to supply 20%-25% of your day with the healthy options on the 200+ Freestyle food list, then what have you been eating on the SmartPoints plan? The 20%-25% drop in SmartPoints is filled in with the zero-point food options.

I hated it! Everything about it! It is a diet and very unhealthy in every way. If you want to lose the healthy way and the sustainable way, smart points is a much better way to go. I like thousands of others have made the choice to return to smart points, the plan that works and is much more easier to do and especially makes you healthier and happier. If you do the math on freestyle you will quickly see if you add up calories there is no such thing as free foods lol. Many people gain weight on it. Again so unhealthy. Causes you to feel starved and deprived.

I also find it interesting that the folks that are new to Weight Watchers have found the program to be successful, while those who are clinging onto the old program are having difficulties.

I think it is a nice addition, but after weeks of trying it does not work for me. I have been consistently GAINING on the new program, something’s that did not happens when I followed the prior program. After doing some research on connect there is a large chunk of users with a similar experience. I really believe WW needs to offer a spectrum of tracking options:

Simply Filling Technique: Low Tracking / Low Daily Food Variety for “offlist” Items

Freestyle: Medium Tracking / Medium Daily food Variety for “offlist” items

Beyond the Scale/SmartPoints: High Tracking Accountability / High Daily Food Variety for “offlist items”

For those of us in the “high/high” group, who need high accountability not to overeat, and who feel restricted by the new food list, the new plan is not working.

Many of us are petitioning WW to allow us the Beyond the Scale tracking option in our app. We will see.

first off -

WW is NOT a diet! It's a lifestyle change. If you go back to your old eating habits, you are going to gain weight. Its that simple!

At my meeting yesterday, my leader stressed IF you are gaining weight or not losing, your portion sizes ARE TOO BIG!

WW did not get rid of the recommended serving sizes in shown in the app when you track your food. The reasoning behind you don't have to weigh measure...is that you're not going to eat 4 chicken breasts, but you would eat 4 cookies. If you tried to eat 4 chicken breasts you would feel stuffed.....would you feel stuffed after eating 4 cookies? NO!

You would probably eat them until the bag is empty.

9 weeks on freestyle and I've lost 20.8 lbs.

I'm over 60...and last week I didn't exercise at all!

The program will work but please stop the excuses and lets use some common sense.

Zero point foods are NOT zero calories!

I have always succeeded with WW, until Freestyle came out. I was doing great. I dropped 36 pounds. Now I have lost, and gained the same pound over, and over. Why? Because it’s a guessing game, how many free foods can you, or not eat. I pay 50.00 a month for help, I shouldn’t have to guess. With Freestyle there’s NO structure, or limitations. You can’t just over look calories. Plus I don’t want to eat chicken, and bananas 24/7. If I don’t have any points left, then it’s back to the “0” list. Well what if I’m sick of beans? . I’m not big fan of seafood. With Smartpoints you could enjoy life better. For instance if someone invited you out to eat, you had more points to work with. I don’t want to eat eggs 30 days a week. I’ve decided that I’m canceling my membership this month. I will do SP with the calculator I bought. Much luck to everybody. 😘

I followed WW back in 2012-14 and lost 80 pounds. All the while, I was eating what I called “A real food” diet—focusing my eating on good proteins, having a glass of whole milk every day, plus an ounce of real cheese, in addition to lots of fresh produce, beans, etc. I got a lot of flack on the weight watchers boards for following something other than the plan—because I wasn’t eating low-fat, sugar free foods. I was 100% within my points range, happy, and losing weight. The general nastiness is people who hated how I ate really turned me off. I left the program (we most of us do, and gained back the weight). Once I saw that Freestyle was almost exactly what I was doing before, I came back to Weight Watchers three weeks ago. I’m down 12 pounds in three weeks—after an initial 9 pound loss in the first week. I love having hard boiled eggs and fruit for breakfast. I enjoy my lunches of cheese, beef jerky/chicken/turkey, and produce. I’m so glad that beans are included because they make for such a well rounded diet! I can get to dinner time and having most of my points for the day left. I use those points for butter on my potatoes, sauce on pasta, a glass of whole milk, etc. I don’t stuff myself at dinner, but I do have flavor and variety. This is exactly the plan I designed for myself within the limits of WW 5 years ago—and I’m thrilled!

I'm in the hate freestyle camp. I have never felt so deprived of the foods I love. I always ate zero points while on smartpoints. Smartpoints is the first plan that has been successful for me. I've gone back to it and have once again started to lose. It is just sad I am having to loose AGAIN the pounds Freestyle put back on me.

Old system was much more manageable. Better for dicipline.please change back.

I'm replying to those who are bragging about doing so well on Freestyle and are new to Weight Watchers. I'm thrilled at your success but you should not be shaming fellow WW members who have done the program for years and have been successful but now struggle with Freestyle. There is an emotional component to eating and some people feel better with more carbs and are successful when given the correct tools to continue enjoying them. Hurray for your success but stop the shaming and start encouraging.

Weight watchers freestyle is great, I reached Lifetime again after a year on Smartpoints.

But Weight Watchwatchers as a company makes it difficult to dis-engage with pre-paid plan, and charged me instead of congratulate me for making Lifetime for 2nd time.

Thats not ok, shows the greed instead of support of WW spirit.

Hey Cherryl - You're off to a great start. WW has devised and researched a user-led study for two years before launching the new program. It has been proven over and over how a simple carb eating pattern will lead to gains after losses. This does not include complex carbs. If you are missing the 20% drop in your points because it was simple carb based, then do you see the difference? Further, how many recipes have you tried on the new program?

Commenting again to share how much I still love freestyle and how wonderfully it's working for me. I have never had a diet be like this --- I'm eating as much as I want and I'm never hungry, I don't measure often (which I hate doing), and I get tons of variety and my favorite foods. Annnnd lost 6 lbs in 4 weeks! Usually I have to count on 1/2 lb a week because I lose slow.

How it works for me

-- I HAVE to cook. I'm making meal plans and freezer meals and Sunday cook for the week. My premade options aren't delicious enough for me to be satisfied and if I don't plan and get stuff done on the weekend, I'm too exhausted on weekdays.

-- Variety with different foods (all of these examples five points or under)-- black bean burgers, Chana saag (indian chickpea spinach dish), triple cheese spinach quiche, Spanish artichoke rice, taco chicken bowls, african peanut stew, etc. etc. oh, and trying to always have a 0 or 1 point meal on hand (often a yummy soup) so I always have a choice I don't have to measure and can bulk out any meal.

-- I eat eat eat. If I get hungry, I get into trouble, I love fruitsand veggies so I think about the abundance and don't think twice about eating any of them whenever I want and when I want to stuff myself on zero point taco beans and clementines I go right ahead.

-- on the flip side, I eat almost no "unhealthy foods". That's probably why I have the leeway to not pay any attention at all to the portions on the free food (and because I know my hunger/full signals...which was not always true for me). I use my daily points every day, but it's on rice and bread and milk and healthy stuff. My desserts are things like yogurt almond berry parfaits. I only eat my daily points every day usually, so my weekly ones are ready and waiting for me to go splurge and have cakes and pizza and French fries, but it's been enough to just know I could at any time. I haven't actually wanted to yet, which is unusual, but welcome.

-- I make it as low maintenance as possible. I don't record my activity points, but try to exercise daily. Calculating stresses me out and so many zero points foods means that I don't ever have to go hungry anyway. I don't measure things that I know -- I add a tbsp of pepitas to lots of things. I'll measure it from time to time to keep my portion estimate honest, but other than that I don't. I sometimes count full fat yogurt the same as the zero point one day free one because I feel like I need the satisfaction and filling of the fats. Etc.

And secondly, I LOVE Fran's comment above about the three tiered program system. I think that's brilliant! It even fits with research! The best weight loss programs play to people's strengths and help minimize their weaknesses, but we know that we all don't have the same strengths and weaknesses. I think I would have crashed and burned on some of the earlier programs, but freestyle fits beautifully with me. Good luck to everyone out there. We can do it!

I lost weight with the points plus plan. Smart points failed me and I found it to restrictive. Excited about this plan and hope to make it work.

Hate Freestyle! Hate the commercials eat anything you want, don't track! Doesn't work for me! Truly hate that WW won't give us a choice and let us that still want to follow Smart Points follow it. We can't up at or meetings for fear of being bullied and told to get with the program, and blaming us. All,other 3rd party apps allow people to follow,all other old versions of WW. WW has failed many if us!

In my opinion the program has one flaw, the leaders. They have very limited education in the area of dietetics/nutrition/biology nor do the have a psychology background and do not have the expertise to assist dieters in this lifestyle change. $45 per month is a lot of $ to be told to “trust the science” or “limit your portion size” while the underlying reason that each of us is overweight is more complex than we “eat too much”.

Everyone, please sign our petition! We are paying customers and should be able to choose the program that works best for us.

Keep in mind that Weight Watchers only tested Freestyle on 152 people for 6 months. That was clearly not enough to justify rolling out this plan to 1.5M+ members. Too many of us are struggling and having challenges.

The UK also has a petition to offer multiple programs not just Freestyle.

https://www.change.org/p/weight-watchers-to-have-weight-wat…

Not a fan if Freestyle. I lost my weight on Points Plus, then lost a bit more with Smart Points, and maintained for 2 years until Freestyle. Then started gaining.

I've put myself back on Smart Points, and have started losing again.

I’ve had great success with Smart points, but immediately went into a funk on Freestyle. It feels like a diet, not just a change in eating habits, because the “new” zero points foods are not what I’d choose for most meals. I feel like I’m being forced into a much more restrictive eating style that won’t carry me through long term.

I love Freestyle. It gives me freedom, but makes me responsible for the portions I consume. It’s changing my behavior.

Not a fan of Freestyle. No guidance. False impressions from WW regarding the whole plan. Eat all you want from this list of 200 free foods! And don't tell me everything in moderation! If I had that ability I wouldn't need WW to begin with! And if I have to count calories, again, why do I need WW? 7 weeks of headaches and going to bed hungry and gaining 6 pounds. Sick of chicken, beans and eggs. Back to Smartpoints @ 30 points per day for me. Instant weight loss over the past 3 weeks! Why can't we have a choice of programs????? My subscription is up March 20 and I won't be renewing. Feeling ripped off!

Freestyle is no good for me. I don’t care for meat much at all and I don’t eat any fish or seafood. My protein cane from protein shakes or powders that have points. I like beans and corn but they can reek havoc on a delicate gastrointestinal system. Freestyle was too reminiscent of theAtkins Diet to me and I’m done with diets.

I hated the new FS program, and have gone back to what was working for me, and was a program that I can live with the rest of my life...Smart Points, Beyond The Scale!! I was doing so well on that program this fall. After going on Free Style the first week in December, I started gaining, or staying the same every week. I was having constant headaches, my sugar levels were spiking, and I felt horrible!

I lost 51 pounds with PP and wasn't fond of SP while maintaining but kept all but 15 off this last year or so. Freestyle is not so great when you're used to the old plans.

I can't eat eggs, and how much chicken and fruit can I eat. If we had that choice to choose which plan we'd like, wouldn't be Freestyle. Very disappointed. I'd like my 30 smart points back please and be happy.

No to Freestyle for me. I have had problems with binge eating and I need to track and count what I eat, Freestyle is a trigger for me to binge. After all, the Zero Point foods still have calories.

I started WW in August 2017. I was very happy with the Smart Points plan and lost weight every week until I started following the Freestyle plan. I followed Freestyle for a month and a half to give it an honest effort. It totally stalled my weightloss. After switching back to Smartpoints, I am loosing every week again.

I don't like freestyle .. I gained for three weeks straight . I'm back on smart points old version .

Hated freestyle, felt like I was on a diet worried about everything I ate and how many points I was going to have for rest of the day. Smart points all the way for me I can eat anything I want as long as I stay in my points limit and enough points to not feel hungry or deprived of foods that I want.

I joined weight watchers last year and absolutely loved the program and was successful with it. I just rejoined and have been on it for a month and have lost maybe 5lbs. Last time I lost that within a week. I’m very disappointed with the new program and regret signing up again. I am a new mom who is just trying to lose the baby weight and now I am stuck paying for a 3 month subscription that isn’t working for me.

You couldn't be more wrong about vegetarians loving freestyle. I'm sorry, but most vegetarians I know, including myself, eat a limited amount of beans and tofu. I was never eating 7pts of free foods a day before this, and I can't manage them now, especially as I'm allergic to eggs. Also, this does nothing to help learn portion control and calories are never free.

I had no problem embracing Freestyle when it was introduced. WW frequently changes plans. But after 5 weeks of doing Freestyle I had to go back to the previous plan. I was so hungry on Freestyle. I was so afraid of overeating that I actually under-ate. I was still tracking everything but with so many zero point foods, I never knew where I actually stood on my intake. Not counting points (calories) makes no sense to me. I need the more structured plan.

I am disliking Freestyle. I have only gained where I had a steady loss for almost a year. I lost 70 on BTS Smartpoints. Started it again a week ago and finally a loss. Hopefully back on track.

I usually don't talk about it because even though I'm supported by my leader I find the most hateful group are the people on Freestyle and loving it. Not the group as a whole just the more vocal. I don't understand it. Why wouldn't they be happy for anyone's weight loss?

I have to imagine they're hangry.

Been ww on/off since mid 90s. Smart point was easy, have points, eat, deduct points. Freestyle, tried to stay with what I was doing,but it was like juggling. So I reset to maintainace and manually input my points. Found a fb group doing the same, finally downloaded another app, cancelled ww. I'm down 2lbs since switching. The new app seems to work pretty good.I am less than 27lbs to goal. Reading thru comments on various sites, the complaints are all the same.. bloated, hungry, cravings, guilt, feels like a diet, too restrictive, the list goes on. So, no I don't care for the program

I started the new Smart Point program on January 6, 2018. Lost 3 first week, .02 the second, now in the 5th week and have been the same weight since week 2. I don't want to give up, but I am doing all I am supposed to be doing, and the scale won't budge. I just don't get it. Getting very frustrated!!! I am on the fence, there is too much preplanning to just eat breakfast!

The HATE Freestyle, and I am vegetarian — so I don’t eat chicken, turkey and hate eggs, I eat some beans and tofu but also a lot of veggie burgers, temoeh, seitan and grain-based proteins as well as healthy fats like nuts and avocado, all of which have points, so most of the new 0 point foods don’t help me and I still lost a whopping 7 points, nearly a quarter of my daily points: lose-lose. I’m back on Beyond The Scale, the prior program, which is my favorite plan ever and I’ve done several.

It's interesting to read the comments made. I am wondering about the poster named "Lawrence" who really seems to like the new Freestyle program. I, like others, think it's terrible. It reminds me of the Atkins diet, something that threw off my chemistries and made me very ill. After recovering from that fright I vowed never to increase my protein intake, but rather keep it simple, all food groups represented. I am a member of WW and will continue attending meetings, but I will not follow the Freestyle program.

I am not at all happy with freestyle. I agree with all the previous posts that are preferring the Beyond the Scale program.

I think Fran's comment "WW needs to offer a spectrum of tracking options" is exactly what is needed and wanted by so many. I have been doing battle with myself over whether to continue the meetings but I don't feel like I can pay $45 a month for something that I disagree with. It is also like going to a pep rally for FreeStyle when you know in your heart that you do not like the program.

What you are seeing is a Contagion Theory of the Freestyle program. People are looking for like-minded folks who are struggling to make their journey more accepting and tolerable. I will ask again as to what people were eating before Freestyle? 80% to 100% of your points were spent on items other than the Freestyle zero point food list? Then there are unhealthy food choices at play here.

To Abigail Riley,

What is the name of the app you use instead of the weight watcher app? I will definitely do that as will most of my friends. I have been on WW maintenance for one year now. I figure that if Weight Watchers just doesn’t care what their members are saying, then I will just continue to weigh in monthly anyway (since I’m not paying for anyway) but will make sure that they know every month that I dropped their weight loss program long ago. I just don’t understand how they don’t care.

I do not see why someone is being questioned for loving the new plan - honestly, all of my friends and I love it and are watching pounds fall off with little to no effort. The amount of people complaining that they don't "like" eggs, chicken, seafood, beans, veggies is astonishing. I am busy, I travel for work, but I carve out time to make sure I have healthy and yummy meals which allow me to stick to the plan and have points for cocktails and cheeseburgers. I follow the suggested serving size for zero point foods, and I am full - even working out every day. Check out SkinnyTaste if you "don't like" any of the zero point foods - also? You are not supposed to be eating red meat and such every day; you will not be deprived on this if you start eating like you should. It really is not that restrictive, and most of us are on WW because we were not able to find the balance between treat and fuel.

Abigail - you mentioned an app other than WW. Please share if you would. Been hand calculating for Freestyle and it is a pain!

Thanks

I guessed from the beginning that I wouldn't lose weight on Freestyle if I used all of the points available to me---activity points, weeklies, dailies---and ate as much zero points foods as I wanted to. So I decided to assign points to all of the zero points foods except for non-starchy vegetables. I look up the nutritional information for all of the zero point foods I eat and "create" a food using the app. The app assigns points to each of the foods and then I save that food to my favorites. It's very easy to do once you've entered in all of the zero point foods you typically eat. Then I use my weeklies (and dailies and rollovers) but I try not to use my activity points. So far, I've been on the program for a month and have lost 9 pounds. I think it's working for me the way I've tailored it but I don't think it'd work otherwise.

i have been following the new program for one month. i have lost a total of one !! pound. not sure what i am doing wrong.

Lawrence, I don't know why you choose to keep commenting unless you work for Weight Watchers.

If anything the "contagion"/cult like attitude comes from those currently on Freestyle. For some reason the few members that are doing well on Freestyle have a need to degrade those that are struggling with the program by saying things like, "what are you eating", "you just don't like change", etc.

Why do you care what I am eating? Why do you care what diet does or doesn't work for me? If Freestyle is working for you then great, keep doing what you are doing. But stop judging people that the program does not work for. One size does not fit all. Stop with the Freestyle cult mentality!!!

Denise=

Lawrence is correct! I don't work for WW, never have.

I'm over 60 and losing more weight than what I lost on points plus.

Some people clearly don't understand that ZERO POINT FOODS DO NOT MEAN ZERO CALORIES.

If YOU ARE NOT LOSING... weigh out your portions. The guidelines are given in the app for what your serving size should be. These are the same guidelines that are on all packaged food. Those big bag of chips are not 1 serving.

For the person who asked what app other people are using - GOOGLE is your friend. I don't understand people who use the internet and can't figure out how to look something up - ask google a question.

Laurie,

Lawrence is not correct and neither are you. You made a big assumption that I was not losing weight, because I was not counting zero point foods. That is not why I don't like Freestyle.

Stay in your own lane.

I love Freestyle. I'm eating cleaner than before. I find I'm losing my Christmas weight very slowly. I'm okay with losing slowly because if we lose quickly or too fast, we might gain it back a lot easier. Our bodies need to adjust.

I do like the idea of a tiered tracking system. That would be fairly easy to implement. They already have Simply Filling and Freestyle. They could easily add a tiered system. There was nothing wrong with the program before this, but I do think this plan is better.

If they do add a tiered program, even though I'm not exactly losing, I don't think I would go back. I love not counting eggs, beans, and lentils. And because of those 0 point foods, I'm eating so much cleaner. However, I'm not losing much because I have trouble with portions. That's my problem. Not Weight Watchers. They aren't telling me to eat a whole block of tofu even though I can. I can also eat all of my vegetarian 0 point taco filling (lentils and beans), but should I? No. I have to find my balance. My problem is stopping. I love food just too much. I'm like a bottomless pit.

I don't think Weight Watchers will ever please everyone. People like the old old plans, and people like PointsPlus and people like SmartPoints, etc. People don't like change, but we know that research finds new things that we have to look at.

I do in a sense agree with Laurence. It's not that much of a difference when you look at all the foods that are 0 points. But, I also get that people are getting sick of the same foods over and over again. I haven't gotten sick of any of the food yet, but I'm a creature of habit. My advice would be to find different ways to cook those foods. There are plenty of recipes out there! But if you like your red meat, eat your red meat. Just count it. That's why we have weeklies.

I really get both sides. I love the program, but not losing much. I do know that's the fault of me and my portion control. Not Weight Watchers. That being said, if the program doesn't work for you, that's okay!! Do what some people are doing and find a balance or switch programs. Do what works for you.

As for both sides, we should be respectful of what people choose. I understand getting frustrating when people are bashing the program (not saying everyone does this) and I understand getting frustrated when people are just saying how much they love it and you're not loving it. No need to be disrespectful on either side. The internet and comments, unfortunately, don't convey tone. So things may come across as a little curt when people don't mean to be. We're all on a journey to get healthier. That's all the matters!

Good morning Denise,

Not many people are finding success on the Freestyle program. Luckily that small percentage is 91% 😊 I don't believe scientific evidence and research should be construed as judgement. But I also stand by the Contagion Theory and that problems should not come without a solution. That said, for those of you who cannot find success, it is time to find what works instead of complaining about it. Not all people nor "diets" are the same so it is up to each individual to find the solution for themselves instead of complaining about it. Good luck -

I posted a while back about how difficult I have found it to adhere to Freestyle. I still find it challenging, but I am happier with the program. One reason for this is that I have learned to cook several recipes that make enough for me to have meals for the week instead of eating frozen meals for lunch every day. Another and more compelling reason is that, for the first time in more than a decade, almost all of my cholesterol levels and ratios are NORMAL. I’m slowly getting a better handle on my emotional eating and portion control, too. Freestyle really does steer me toward much better food choices overall. I’ve not lost any weight yet on Freestyle, but I am healthier. Fortunately, I am able to eat eggs, beans, and fish. For those who can’t, Freestyle would be very difficult to follow, without doubt.

Denise - well said.

Lawrence - Like many of the others that you choose to judge, I have lost a considerable amount of weight with the old plan. One plan is not for everyone anymore so than one model of car is for everyone. My best to you with your journey.

Well I’ve heard about the zero points by reading your comments but No One has said anything about those of us that have to travel continuously and eat out! Please let us know where we can eat out and what! Would really like to try this but not at home enough to cook. Need restaurant and fast food place ideas

Denise - thank you, my thoughts exactly.

YOU GO, GIRL! I feel the same way. I am sure that Lawrence works for Weight Watchers. And now that he knows that he has been found out, I’m sure he will have miscellaneous others writing in to camouflage the fact that they all work for Weight Watchers. There are so few people that like this freestyle program, it’s hard to believe Lawrence, isn’t it?

Lawrence, how do you know that 91% of the members are successful with Freestyle unless you do work for Weight Watchers? There has not been any data provided to members or the press since the roll out. If I am wrong please provide the link.

The real question is how many members have quit since Freestyle was rolled out and how many will quit within the next month or two when they find out that Freestyle does not work?

91% of the remaining members (that did not quit) is not something to brag about. Especially since many of the existing members have had to rig the app to go back to the previous Beyond the Scale program. So the numbers of people that are successful on the Freestyle program are severely skewed.

I’m really struggling :( I lost 20 pounds on points plus, making it to my goal. Since then, I’ve gained and lost, staying within 5 pounds of my goal. Right now, I’m about 5 pounds heavier than where I want to be. The last three weeks I’ve been really strict. I had 19 points left over last week. NINETEEN. That’s a big deal to me. I gained a pound. I have never felt so discouraged from WW. I’ve been SO strict. And for what? What I’m wondering is... should I cut back on the corn and beans? I haven’t been eating beans too much, but honestly I have been eating a can of corn with dinner a couple nights a week. A can of beans used to be like 11 points, so I’m guessing the same for corn? How is it that it’s 0 points now. Do you all suggest I maybe cut back with these foods? It’s just frustrating because if I need to monitor my portion control with them... why make it 0 points? I eat a lot of eggs too. I’m going on vacation Sunday and am super bummed that I won’t be where I wanted to be despite the fact that I’ve been working so hard. Honestly, I miss points plus. That system was super flexible and it worked. I wish WW gave you an option in your settings to chose which system to use. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I’ve been a member for almost three years. I don’t want to give up int WW, but it might come to that.

And also, Lawrence, if you in fact do work for WW, I most definitely am considering quitting because I absolutely refuse to pay my money to a system that ignores the problems their customers are voicing, choosing to judge instead. If decited, longtime WW members are having a problem, SOMETHING IS WRONG HERE. Pass that on to Oprah for me

Dedicated

Thanks to Snack-Girl and the hundreds of comments, just what this WW member needs. I’m unhappy with Freestyle, think I might quit. It’s a continuation of WW trend to ever more low carb. What bothers me more is that it’s ever more complicated. It’s easier now to just track calories on, say, MyFitnessPal, and their data base of foods/restaurants far more robust. Plus, if you track everything you get full nutritional analysis. That all said, I still think attending real meetings with real people is great motivation for me. Facebook cold impersonal. So again, thanks everyone for your insights as I weigh (nip) my options.

Lawrence - I thought things through and here is what you are missing. Many of us are creatures of habit. We rise at the same time every morning, take the same route to work everyday...habits.

I did never considered WW a diet - I have always considered it a lifestyle. FS definitely has more emphasis on carbs instead of healthy eating. Let's be honest - all the eggs you can eat, all the chicken and tuna you can eat...really. I have my last 10 pounds to loose and I am just sticking with what I have been eating since October (creature of habit). I haven't changed a thing. I haven't added an additional 4 eggs to my 2 I was already eating for breakfast. I haven't added additional chicken breasts to my one breast that I was already eating for dinner. I have always considered fruits and vegetables free so no change there.

The Freestyle program works when you adhere to it. If you don't prefer it, there are several other programs on the market. I digress.

I do not like this program at all. I'm hungry 80% of the time. I'm sick of being forced to eat chicken and eggs, and I do miss those other points that I lost - 7 of them. I ate 9 points over my daily value but the next day I immediately gained 1.2 pounds and it has been 4 days and I still have not lost it again. I'm eating my daily points but I'm sick of chicken and eggs and salad. I would rather have chicken be a few points and then the stuff that went UP in points... beef and potatoes etc. be the same as before so I really COULD eat what I liked and still be on program. It's been really frustrating for me and my family and I'm seriously considering trying to go my own way instead. For $20 a month for the online, it's not good if I'm angry at home and hungry. I figure if I eat too much chicken or eggs... it's still calories right? So although I am losing weight, it's difficult. :( I'd rather have smart points.

Denise,

I'm not correct?

Well, I'm 64 yrs young...and I've lost 22.8 lbs since the first week of December. I weighed in this morning and I lost another 2 lbs...total of 22.8 at 64 yrs young. I do the treadmill 5x a week for 40 minutes...and a minimum amount of strength training.

So, I don't know what I'm talking about?

YEAH RIGHT!

My weight loss speaks for yourself.

Too bad you don't have a lane to stay in.

It would do you good to take some advice from someone who knows how to work Freestyle.

You need to learn portion size, portion control..and that zero point foods are not a free for all!

I do not like the new program. It Sounds okay, but I am just not losing the weight like I did before. I am a lifetime member who, unfortunately, went over my goal weight during the Christmas and New Year holidays. I have been back on following it almost perfectly, And have only lost a few pounds. It is very slow moving for me. On the older programs, if I followed the program I could consistently lose. This is making me very frustrated and making me feel like just giving up completely.

Lost over 40lbs on PP a few years back and loved that program...losing the weight really wasn’t too hard and I’ve jeot it all off!!! Didn’t care for SP. Rejoined WW in January to help me lose this last stubborn 10 lbs, BUT I don’t like Freestyle! I love all foods, literally ALL of them! I am very good with portion control, eating fruits & veggies and lean proteins, BUT occasionally I want bread, tortilla chips & salsa, a piece of cake, cereal & milk, maybe pizza with a beer, etc! I get the bare minimum on points and I was starving, I felt overly punished for eating any carbs, sugar or processed food. 90% of what I eat is healthy, but dang if I had 100% self control I wouldn’t need WW!! I totally get they are trying to get ppl away from certain foods, but many of us realize and accept that we are never going to totally swear off pizza or bread for the rest of our life and having access to a program that allows for these foods on occasion WORKS FOR US without a bag of guilt! Just my opinion, but this one size fits all Freestyls program is cheating WW out of members who would gladly join back up if WE COULD CHOOSE the plan that has been proven to fit our lives and help us lose or maintain our weight.

I am confused why people are saying they can’t have pizza, beer, etc.? I use my weekly points for pizza, burgers, cookies. I purposely save my weekly points for treats... either spread out during the week or all at once over the weekend. If I really want to go nuts, I use my activity points. For me, it works out to being able to have 2-3 slices of pizza over the weekends and a few glasses of wine during the week. I feel this is pretty reasonable to eat that and still expect to see 0.75-1.25 lb loss every week.

Everyone complaining about chicken and eggs...what about the other 198+ items on the list of zero foods? I love the rollover points....makes for one ah-mazing Saturday:)

Down 16 lbs :)) good luck to all! Please please you must try the awesome Freestyle recipes!!

I have commented on this thread a few times. I think this will be my last one. I don’t love Freestyle and I think it has some serious flaws which will become evident over time. I do plan to continue my meetings because of my leader and the supportive community that comes with it. I’m also going to stick with SmartPoints. I assume that there were also great minds at work when creating that program as well. 😉. I pulled the following statement directly from WW FAQ: There is no set-serving or portion limits on the zero Points® foods. I’m unclear where there are portion sizes listed as someone mentioned. Good luck everyone.

I love this program!!! I had never tried WW before, nor had I ever done a diet in my life, but after having my first baby and still having 15 pounds left to lose I decided I needed to try something. This has worked WONDERS for me!!! 2 weeks in, 4 pounds lost, still eating out and indulging here and there. I love it!!!!

Hi Debbie,

I think the default servings on the app. So for example if I go to track tofu, it says 3 oz automatically. Anything I track shows a default. I can change it for whatever I use though. :) Hope that helps!

I lost 50lbs in 5 months on smart points. I couldn't believe hiw easy it was. Freestlye i am struggling with. I find myself hungry more often. I was NEVER hungry on smart points. I dont want to eat chicken, beans and vegetables all day. Im a man. That stuff is not filling for me. With freestyle, i lost points, certain foods went up in points (like oatmeal). I ended up dropping out of the program because i was struggling too much. Going back to doing smart points on my own.

Rip Torn try an app called protracker, I am still using WW app but I am also testing protracker out, so far its a great alternative to WW

I would try this diet, but it doesn’t seem to be helping Oprah. She still looks very heavy.

Thanks for the pro tracker suggestion and thank you to the individual that said she was still using smart points. Being on the road freestyle just isn’t totally practical. So good to know some are still w WW and feel good about smart points. Thank you!!!

I am wondering...how many of the people making positive comments about Freestyle on this site are coming from actual WW users who have experienced the Smart Points program or even other programs before Smart Points and how many are coming from those who are perhaps being incentivized to comment in a positive way for the FreeStyle program? Can we ever know? Some of the recent "pro Freestyle" comments seem a little planted in my opinion.

Just started WW Freestyle last week and it is nothing like the old WW that I lost weight on before. I crave food all the time now and I gained a pound instead of loosing any. Signed up for 3 months but I think it was a waste of money for me.

Well I started Weight Watchers back in 2000 with the winning points program straight out of high school. It's the only thing that ever worked and I still have my old friend, the points finder. I have given all of these new updates plans a try and nothing compares to losing my first pound ever since being bullied for 12 years in school. Lost 50lbs on that plan. The new freestyle plan is more like a diet and not what Weight Watchers used to stress a lifestyle change. Zero point foods are good but I agree with a lot of people how much chicken fish and eggs can you eat? I had a heart attack last year and eggs are not my main goal for cholesterol problems. And let's be real I love Pepsi I felt a lot better knowing that drinking one can of day for three points versus the nine points now was ok. This new plan is not working for me going back to my trusty friend

Mel,

I am a real WW user. I became a lifetime member on points plus. I lost over 100 lbs.

Then smart points started and I didn't care for the program and then life's issues reared their nasty head.

I wonder - how many posters on here where never successful at all on ANY WW program and are trolls just spreading their negativity? How many are haters who just want WW to go out of business?

Since I started WW the first week in December when the program started - I have lost 22.8 lbs and I am 64 yrs young.

I still measure/weigh 98% of my food. I don't measure baby spinach in my salads.

Zero points does NOT mean zero calories. You still have to burn more calories than you eat. Zero point foods are not magical!

Laurie,

Members are upset with Weight Watchers for changing to a program that does not work for them and not being given an option to use Beyond the Scale (Smartpoints). We are paying members and want a choice.

I am sure that there were plenty of diets that you tried in the past that did not work for you for whatever reason. Why is it so hard for you to believe that WW rolled out a program that does not work for a large portion of its members?

It’s mindboggling that members like yourself belittle members that are struggling with Freestyle. Instead of providing support and encouragement, you make statements like, "they were never successful on any program and trolls spreading negativity”. It is not negative to want the option to choose Freestyle or Beyond the Scale. It is not negative to state that WW new program is not working for them.

Now now - no need for paranoia....the Freestyle program works if you actually work it. I've been on PointsPlus, SmartPoints and Freestyle through loss and maintenance. With over 200+ foods on the list I am curious to know what people are eating if they are "starving "? With all due respect I just don't get it. Honestly, if it doesn't work then find a program that does.

Laurie - no where on the WW website does it say to watch your portion sizes for zero point foods. This is taken directly from the WW site: "And it makes life simpler, too: You can forget about weighing, measuring, or tracking all zero Points foods!" For someone who has never dieted before, how are they supposed to know correct portion sizes? I agree with your statement "Zero points does NOT mean zero calories" BUT that is not what is promoted with FreeStyling. It is the exact opposite and you must be careful.

Watch the Freestyle commercials:

The girl eating at the food truck - really - I can guarantee that little goodie is probable more than half her daily points.

Bottom line is this: You shouldn't eat anything and everything. You shouldn't eat your points in pizza and chocolate. You shouldn't eat your points in fast food. You should be conscious of what you are putting in your body. WW is basically holding you accountable for what you put in your mouth every day. The new Freestyle seems to have forgotten about calories. Your eggs and chicken and all of the other "free foods" have calories. The FS is much like Atkins in that it is high protein and low / non carb. Difference is the fruits and vegetables. I have come to understand that any diet / lifestyle that limits your fruits and vegetables cannot be good for you nor are you going to be able to stick with it for long.

I am 10 points from my 45 points which I achieved with PP - I couldn't have been more pleased. I will loose the rest and maintain my weight with WW as my lifestyle. I now keep track as I did with the app by keeping a daily journal. It is a bit of a pain but it is working for me.

Laurie, I am 60 yrs. old. I was very successful with Smart Points-- lost 38 lbs. I've read most people lose at least 8-10 pounds in water weight when starting a decent eating regimen or starting up again having not been on one for a while. I'm certain that was the case for me, too, but still I've lost quite a bit and kept it off with Smart Points. I'm up several pounds on Free Style. FreeStyle is not an anti-inflammatory diet and that can be more and more important for many as we age. I was surprised that WW backed such a plan. Many (of course not all) are highly sensitive to legumes, eggs, and even some of ancient grains (in addition to gluten). Before I started WW on Smart Points I was eating a low, low glycemic carb diet -- a lot of zero foods by WW's measure. That, actually caused me to gain weight. Once I started on WW/Smart Points I was eating more food than I had been eating before and I had to make a special effort to eat more (not less) healthy carbs. Believe it or not, that made the weight loss difference for me. I wish you well. Obviously you've landed on a system that works for you. For me and it sounds like for many others that is not the case with FreeStyle. I do know that eating real food as much as possible makes a difference for me. For all interested, here is some recent research on quality rather than quantity https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/20/well/eat/counting-calori… I'd be all for WW if they allowed us to pick the platform that works for us rather than shuffle everyone into the same plan. There are many free and lower cost apps that now compete with WW. I've been using one alongside WW to test the difference. I'm planning to change to the other app full time next month (unless things change) as I'm not seeing much that justifies the monthly cost of WW for me with FreeStyle as the cornerstone plan.

Denise and others,

Has WW every offered more than one program at a time to its members? No. There is only one program at a time. Sorry but that is how it is.

To others that say WW doesn't tell you what your portion sizes should be -

right on your tracker or your app - when YOU enter a food, you will see a serving size.

So, why do you think there is a serving size posted? That is because that is the suggested serving sizes for foods determined by the USDA. All packages of food have suggested serving sizes....you will what amount you should be eating, what the calories are, how many servings per bag/box etc.

The program works when you work it.

Zero points have calories.

Lets all use some common sense. If the chicken breasts I buy are 8 oz...and the WW tracker says a serving size is 3 oz...and if you don't believe me, LOOK IT UP! You are eating more than 1 serving of chicken breast.

There are no magic foods that poof the weight drops off.

In summary, WW has never offered more than one program. If you go to meetings that would create havoc in the meetings when discussing points.

IF you're not losing weight - your portions are too big.

Portion sizes matter no matter what weight loss program you choose.

week 12 weigh in - lost 1.4 lbs
total of 24.2 lbs - do the math!
I'm 64 yrs young.

You can argue with me all you want - WW should offer a choice of programs - WW NEVER offered a choice of programs.

It doesn't say you have to eat specific portion sizes....well, why are portion sizess in the tracker? if you could eat as much as you want...those numbers wouldn't be in the tracker, would they? You might have portion distortion - you don't know what a serving size really is.

The program works if you work it with some common sense.

Weight Watchers currently offers TWO diet programs Freestyle and Simply Filling. Prior to Freestyle they offered Simply Filling and Beyond the Scale. They could easily add a third choice, but would rather have members quit.

There are lots of third party apps that offer multiple WW programs in the same platform such as iTrackBites, protracker, and the ultimate food value diary. There is not a valid reason why a large company like WW could not pull it off if small apps can do it.

I liked the Weight Watchers before they became a point system. In other words the food exchange system apparently worked for me because it was well balanced. I have tried the points system on different occasions but had no success with it whatsoever. Weight Watchers Points didn't work but the Weight Watchers food exchanges did.

I do not follow the Freestyle plan, I am staying with the smart points. I know several members who will have had better success on the points plus system and will reinstate that as their program. Those following Freestyle who are having success should certainly continue, but when an older system has been successful then that should be followed. It is unfortunate that WW doesn't take that into consideration. It would be easy for the WW site to allow different plans, but they continue updating their programs so that they can sell more items related to their new programs.

Laurie is right - all of this is common sense. I don’t think I can take much more of the whining.

Absolutely love it!

Hate it! Have gained weight! Bring back the old plan. Quitting.

I am not loving the new free style plan. I am on maintenance with 23 daily points and 21 weekly points. I cannot possibly eat enough chicken, plain yogurt, eggs and fish to make up for all the points I lost. It is also very difficult to follow when cooking for a family. I struggle to keep my iron up and feel this plan will not help in that area. I also know people who love the plan but I do fee the restrictions will not be sustainable,

Even though I am not following the Freestyle plan (sticking with smart points) I will continue to attend meetings, which give me incentive and doesn't revolve around Freestyle. I find the meetings very helpful keeping me on track. I understand why WW changes up their programs every two years, after all, they are a business in it to show a profit, but they should have more consideration for members not doing well on Freestyle and offer more choices insofar as programs are concerned. I also am disgusted by the television ads that are so very misleading - taco party - BS!

I personally am not doing WW but am doing a high protein/low carb food exchange diet and have lost more than 150+ lbs. I remember when WW had the high protein/low carb food exchange diet back in the late 60s,early 70s. And boy that really torched off the pounds with me and other people as well. Have tried to do points but because it doesn't work for me I went back to my HP/LC diet to get to my goal weight. Basically what WW has done is going from a food exchange diet to the traditional form of counting calories, but they doctored it up and are calling it Points. You still need a balance of the food groups (from the USDA food pyramid)as well as counting calories.

I absolutely can't stand the new Weight Watchers commercials that promote Freestyle. Really? Do we need to see all of these people stuffing their faces with everything from Food Truck food to cupcakes?

While a calorie may be a calorie regardless of whether its "zero" points, I have to say, I found myself decimating an entire rotisserie chicken breast on the regular, and lost 15 lbs in a month. I am never hungry, and I feel like I'm eating like an animal. I have as many fruits and eggs and beans as I want ( a LOT LOT LOT of eggs, and incidentally, my cholesterol has actually fallen to a healthy range! It was high before) I have not limited myself in any way when it comes to zero point foods - I grab one, and I just inhale it until I am no longer hungry. I tried just counting calories in the past and found I was losing weight very slowly, if at all. For 15 years I've been trying to lose weight and somehow this seems to be working for me. I haven't started working out again yet, but I think that when I do the weight is going to continue to melt away. I found this forum while googling why it works. Needless to say, I still don't know how or WHY I'm losing weight like this, but hey, its working and I feel great!

After losing 131 lbs on the classic points and truly being able to make it a lifestyle. The program has changed every couple of years to me restrictive like any other diet. I feel totally sabotaged by WW. No doubt it change again in a couple of years. No longer a fan.

I’ve been struggling on the new plan. Yes, it’s great that chicken is 0 points but I never eat more than 3-4 oz. at a time. Having 7 points taken away has seriously put a wrench in my weight loss plan. I’m always hungry. I wish they had an option on the app to do “classic” or “freestyle”.

Just doing the math here....Everyone has gone down 3 to 7 points with the new Freestyle plan. That is the equivalent of one or two granola bars. We can't exchange that deficit for some vegetable proteins such as beans or lean proteins such as turkey/chicken/shrimp? Can someone please explain what they are missing on Freestyle vs the SmartPoint plan?

I just joined this weekend and I ended up with 10 extra points after dinner yesterday. I'm a vegan trying to focus on a whole foods plant based diet, so my diet is heavily in the free foods camp. I also avoid cooking with oil. I was looking for folks that might be running into the same problem. It would appear that I'm in the minority. I'm also gluten free, so most "whole grains" I'm not particularly interested in. This whole free foods thing kind of freaks me out since that's the bulk of my diet already. I decided to join Weight Watchers because I am carrying quite a bit of extra weight and typically, the program does work. At the very least, it's helping me to track my food. I signed up for the 6 month plan, so we'll keep plugging along. I had set my weigh in day for Monday, even though I only signed up Saturday morning. Down 1.5 lbs. I did look at the points for non-dairy Ben and Jerry's, which I do have in my freezer right now and that would have been 13 points for 1/2 cup. I decided to pass since I wasn't hungry after eating my dinner.

I have been anti-Freestyle from the start. Let me preface my comments by saying I have lost 149 pounds so far on the Smart Points Plan. There are several reasons I do not like Freestyle. First of all, I need the structure of specific amounts and specific points for foods. I like knowing an exact amount/points in order to plan my food. Letting ME have the freedom of "0" point foods is not structured enough for me. I also resent WW basically now telling me what foods to lean towards; I purposely followed WW because of the freedom to decide exactly how I wanted to spend my points. Taking away 7 points a day (49 a week!) would seriously impact my ability to choose foods. I want my 30 points a day to do with as I see fit. I can choose chicken, fish, eggs, etc if I choose to use my points in that way, but I can also use my points for the foods that have kept me enjoying the previous plan!! I do not follow Freestyle but have continued to follow my Smart Points allotment of 30 daily points. People who say that we can just keep the old plan do not realize the extra work involved in tracking because the app now only reflects Freestyle. I spend a lot of time "double tracking" my foods and I should not have to: WW should have made this a "choice" of plans. And people who say "then go on another plan" are actually quite nervy. I have been following WW for a long time, and am entitled to some input regarding a workable plan and one being shoved down my throat.

I have been very successful with weight watchers and smart points in the past. Getting lazy with my eating habits I gain back the 30 or 40 pounds that I’ve lost but always knew weight watchers would work for me again. I joined freestyle in January and normally by now I would have lost easily 15 to 20 pounds. I’m actually gaining weight on freestyle and I despise it! I do track everything that goes into my mouth-even the zero point foods which, if you think about it, did not magically become foods with zero points. The old program they had points and I could count them that way-now I lost six points a day and again, we all know fish, chicken and eggs used to have smart points… And now magically do not? I actually had someone on the weight watchers chatline tell me to just go back to doing it the way I was before which of course now you can’t electronically track… Or take myself down to 17 points which why would I want to pay weight watchers and still do that--and then what I believe was finally the truth told to me, she said freestyle is planned that you either lose weight very slowly or don’t lose weight at all so you remain a member and pay the fee for a longer period of time. Now that made sense to me.

I think its way to restrictive now.. I think it turned from a lifestyle, to a strict diet that I can no longer be apart of..This shouldn't be a strict diet we have tons of those out there.. I think you should give us the chioce..

Freestyle is BRILLIANT- the best yet. With SmartPoints I was using my extra 7 points for crap. Now I eat on the "list" and don't have to track it. LOVE it!!!!

Okay, this sounds weird to say, but to respond to the comments earlier, yes, I am one of the people who loves freestyle and no, I am not a plant for weight watchers. Freestyle just works amazingly for me and I love it. I tried weight watchers before years ago and quit after a couple of months because it wasn't helping me-- so I absolutely believe that we all need different plans that match our lifestyles. I know that people are upset and discouraged and betrayed when they have something that was working for them and then Weight Watchers takes it away when they could so easily make a tiered system -- but it doesn't mean that people who love freestyle are wrong or delusional or fake. Different people are different!

I was losing weight consistently until the switch to Freestyle. I ate chicken and fish as a basis for most of my meals, but with the 7 extra points I feel like I had so much more freedom. I cannot put my finger on what changed, but the scale doesn't lie, and I have a blue dot day, almost every day. I used to go to happy hour and count my points, but still enjoy. If I do that on Freestyle, I am guaranteed to gain at least .2lbs - 2lbs. Disheartening.

Freestyle just doesn't work for me. With drastically reduced daily points under this program along with most anything other than chicken, eggs and fish now much higher point levels, I just can't eat another piece of chicken or an egg for a long long while. I've always had huge success with Weight Watchers - but with the entrance of Oprah, it's turned into a 'profit making organization' to my mind. If they truly cared about the customer, great to roll out new products but there is no reason they can't leave prior programs in place and give us the choice. No more WW for me - ever again.

I hate it. With the smartpoints I was rarely hungry but now with freestyle I find myself hungry all the time! How many eggs can a person eat! I want to scream every time Oprah comes on TV saying how wonderful this freestyle program is. I am trying my best but it is now too restrictive and worst part, I am not losing weight!! Talk about being HANGRY! Please WW consider giving people the option of the program they want otherwise I’ll probably quit.

Okay, I just have to reiterate this because I keep seeing the words "chicken" and "eggs". There are over 200 FOODS on the Zero list. That means the SmartPoints you are considering a deficit (3 to 7 daily points) can now be used as FOOD. That's right....lean proteins, fruit, veggies and dare I say STARCHES such as corn and peas can now be eaten without guilt! And when your stomach growls, you can eat more. What a concept.

I do not like Freestyle either. I am sad abouttthe change. This isn’t working for me.

25 LB CHARM @ weigh in this morning!!!!!

64 yrs young, started Freestyle the first week in December.

Total weight loss to date - 25.8 lbs in 12 weeks!

The program works if you work it!

So far I agree with the comments that I have read so far. For me personally I did a lot better on Weight Watchers when they were the food exchange system which was back in its earlier days bp(before points).Yes, it was controlled but it was healthy (the food exchange system). I plan on looking into Amazon in finding the older books from WW. There is another program that is online that is very similar to the older Weight Watchers program. That is Kim Bensen's Options program at WWW.KIMBENSEN.COM. Check it out you might be very surprised and like it as well.

I really dislike this free points program . I think it’s way two restrictive. I used to be able to eat bread , baked potato w/real butter and real sourcream , now if I have that it’s 1/2 my points for the day. I understand that some people do like this but why can’t we have a choice. I’ve been very successful on the smart point system, I’ve lost 60 Lbs.

I love Freestyle, I've been constantly loosing because I'm working the plan and it is working for me. I track everything that I put in my mouth; even the zero point foods because if I have a problem I need to know how much of the zero point foods I eat in order to adjust my food intake. I also weigh and measure because my goal is to loose. This size 14 I bought in December is now getting loose on me and that is all because of Freestyle. I'm 60 years old and have been a WW member for forever... But this is the first time that I can actually say this is something that I can do for life. I eat pizza, pasta, rice and anything I want I just marry it up with the zero point foods to make it work. That is what Freestyle is about.

Lisa, I must respond to your post. There are 200 "free" foods, but each fruit is listed as part of that 200, e.g. apples, applesauce, unsweetened, apricots, etc. Additionally, these are also considered "free" foods: arrowroot, artichoke hearts, artichokes, arugula, etc. Yum, let's have a meal of arrowroot. There are many items on the 200 list that are not even edible by themselves and yet WW advertises the Freestyle plan as though you can fill up on the freebies when in reality you cannot. I'm sticking to the old plan, will continue to attend meetings, and will be successful as I have been so far.

To add to Lucia’s comments most of the 200 free foods were already free on the previous Beyond the Scale program. WW added chicken breast, eggs, turkey breast, tofu, beans and starchy vegetables to the list for Freestyle.

On Beyond the Scale most fruits and non-starchy vegetables were already FREE. I don’t want to eat those newly added Freestyle foods EVERYDAY to make up for the 7 point loss in points. I was already eating fruits and vegetables for free on Beyond the Scale Smartpoints. No I don’t want to eat chicken breast and beans everyday.

I’m so disappointed in this new freestyle program! I miss the old, regular weight watchers program. This is way to free, and way too open to overeat zero point foods! How can they say all those foods are zero points?! All of those calories add up!!! They say you can eat as much as you want of zero point foods. That is not true because it can cause you to gain weight! You still have to portion those so called zero point foods! We can not eat as much as we want of them! They should say you can have a cup of them or something like that. It’s to free now! It needs to be more restricted and hold you accountable for almost everything we put into our mouths. The only things that should be zero points are green veggies and things like that...... I miss the old Weight Watchers Program!!!! I know so many people that have not been successful on this new freestyle and have gained weight. It’s not true that you can eat all those foods and their zero points! That’s how people are gaining Weight! Switch back to the old program weight watchers!!!!!!!!!! This is horrible!!!!!!!!! I won’t be a member again unless they switch back to the old program!!!!!!! Myself and my friends are done with this new program! It’s nit helpful, not holding u accountable , causing u to overeat on foods that they call zero point foods!!!!!!! What a disgrace! Why would they change the program that worked so wonderful!!!!

I discussed Freestyle with my doctor; she said this WW program has become WAY too restrictive and with the encouragement to load up on unhealthy eggs could be a serious health issue. Smart Points method truly allowed you to work the program and was very successful for me. Anyone that only eats fruits and vegetables and seriously curbs their calories will lose weight --- and does not need to pay Oprah and Weight Watchers their monthly fee.

Lucia and Rhonda,

To be fair, I do wish they could modify their program to accommodate all of the past programs to suit individual needs. Good luck to both of you.

I did not care for the smart points program nor do I care for freestyle I am not a protein person I did very well on points plus I lost 37 pounds in four months on it depends upon what kind of the way you eat. If you like your carbs and sugar free style and the smart points plan are not going to work so I do my points plus I still have the book and I follow that way . you can do any old weight watchers diet if you remember how to do it the points plus was easy for me to follow this new freestyle of adding points it’s too much work I’d rather just follow the points plus and just can’t eat any of the weight watchers products because they changed everything like the chocolate raspberry weight watchers bar used to be two now it went to four but I found an alternative fudge popsicle there one point .

That’s my point dannine that’s the way I eat to baked potato, you can have that on freestyle but it’s too many points 23 is not enough for me I like the points +26 a day +49 a week and I go into my 49 every day and worked well for me and then the minute they went to smart points I lost 10 pounds and stopped then it I tried beyond the scale. I used to tell them what happened to the points plus? they would tell me you can still do that if it works for you you can still do that so that’s what I’ve been doing I just started on on Thursday and I stay within my points. I can’t eat chicken and turkey and eggs every day and I don’t like beans and I hate yogurt . Good luck to all would you have a weight watchers program works for you do it you can still do the old ones I like to eat bread every day .

I took the plunge. This plan is easier because I am on the go. I lost over 100 pounds on Smart Points and gained consistently for 6 weeks on Points plus (and always hungry afraid to eat anything and never tapping into the plus) before I quit paying money to stress myself out. I returned almost 2 weeks ago. The week I started, I had a biz trip for 4 days. Still lost 2.4. I paid for 3 mos in advance and well into week 2. Lets see how it goes.

Can someone offer a shorthand response as to how the new "FreeStyle" program differs from the "Simply Filling" option on Smart Points?

https://www.weightwatchers.com/sites/default/files/2016simp…

I think someone above mentioned something similar to "Simply Filling" also existed for the Points Plus program.

The "Simply Filling" option was always available on Smart Points. It basically allows for very limited tracking if you eat within the parameters of the list. So...I'm wondering this: If "Simply Filling" is a lot like the new "FreeStyle" program and "Simply Filling" existed in tandem with Smart Points for our monthly rate why can't we have the option to do FreeStyle along with Smart Points or Points Plus on the monthly rate?

I hate the new freestyle program. I was losing weight and I really liked the control I had over my choices. I learned which food choices generated points, so I could make my own decisions. With the new program, my daily points were reduced by 12, which really means that I am restricted to the list of free foods for that last 12 points of choice. From my perspective, the new program took away my ability to choose my diet and made me blind to points I would have wanted to track. I'm not stupid, all those 'free choices' have points and WW just wants to trick people into thinking they are free. You could actually construct a diet abundant with 'free foods' and make bad choices with the points that are tracked, and then have no idea why you are gaining weight.

If they don't create an option to 'not' use the freestyle program, I'm going to cancel my membership. I want to count points using the old program because I remain in control of my food choices and I know I can lose weight.

I love Freestyle. Started in February and have lost 22 lbs so far. I am never hungry and have plenty of points to work with. Mind you I started at 398 and have a goal of 250. I like not having to weigh or measure. I am online only, hate meetings, tried WW 15 years ago with meetings and did not last one month. I have found some great low point yogurt. I track everything including 0 point foods. Once a week I have a splurge, Mexican or Chinese or hamburgers or steak. Sunday I went to a steakhouse and had 9 oz sirloin, baked potato with sour cream and cheese, salad with bleu cheese dressing, rolls with butter and fried okra. I counted/tracked it all, used all my dailies and most of my weeklies, still lost 5.6 lbs for the week. I did not get fat by gorging on chicken breast, eggs, fruits and vegetables. I’m sorry for those of you Freestyle doesn’t work. For me it’s like Oprah says - it’s freeing. It does scare me though because they could take it away at the end of the year and replace it with something that does not work for me. So I do get those of you who say it doesn’t work.

First, thanks to snack girl for this post without and underlying agenda. I searched on other reviews and I happened upon those from WW "ambassadors". I don't think I am going to find and unbiased discussion there. Anyhow, full disclosure, I did work for WW for 12 years and have been lifetime for 16 and a member for probably 26 years. To those that love the new freestyle, I asked two questions: 1) are these "free" foods ones that you were already eating 2) if not, will you be able to sustain these changes for life. That last part if key to whether you will have continued success. I am married. Husband hates chicken breast except for certain preparations. Hates almost all beans. I am not cooking separately for us as I never had to before, with the old flexibility I could make it work for everyone in the household, which at points included 2 healthy weight teenagers and no complaints. I am so thrown by this program. I have now been over goal for 2 months, which never happened in I-can-not-tell-you-how-many-years. Oh, and in June, WW is giving up being a weightless company and deal with health only. I think this is an Oprah influence. Since she struggles with weight, we now need to all just be "healthy". I am not putting down healthy, but I think too many over weight unhealthy people call themselves healthy. IMHO

I lost 30 pounds with the original plan. For someone who basically at mostly chicken and fish anyway, I feel as if I lost points because that protein was NOT 7 points. Also, I don't dare eat any other protein (beef, pork, dark meat poultry) now as it cuts into my 23 points too much. I also find fitting in that glass of wine is more difficult on the new program, and it was not on the old. Frankly, I'd rather have my 30 points and count everything than do it this way. I am a skeptic as to the 0 point value of some foods also, and if you do mess up, it blows your day. I too believe a BALANCED diet is most important, and agree with a previous post that if I wanted a high protein low carb diet I'd do something else. Weight Watchers has always been REAL LIFE, and it is a lifestyle that can be maintained; that's why people on other programs do not sustain their weight loss at a much higher rate. I'm not sure why they opted to change the program, but for me, I wish they would revert back. I am mentally doing it the old way

I need to hurry up and lose this weight before they get rid of Freestyle! It is absolutely liberating and I LOVE IT!! I don't track ANY zeros anymore...I am living a "normal" life and reaping benefits of losing in the process. I use the Zero list for healthy foods, SmartPoints for naughtier foods and Weeklies for wine or my SkinnyGirl margaritas ;)) Someone pinch me.

I'm wondering if men are having a more difficult time with this new freestyle program? Men require more calories than women. I found myself constantly hungry because they took points away from me on the new freestyle program. I don't want to eat skinless chicken breast, eggs and beans all day. And vegetables are not filling for me. On Smartpoints, I was NEVER hungry, always stayed within my points for the day, ate at restaurants every weekend and lost a lot of weight. Freestyle sabatoged me by taking away points. I couldn't do it.

I don't see this as a lifestyle change. I sit her with garbanzo beans for lunch. Why? It's quick, easy, and I don't have to plan or think it through while in a work frenzy. Yesterday I had a luncheon where they served salad (loaded with cheese) melon slices, croissant sandwiches, and raw veggies. I ate raw veggies and melon. I had no clue what the cheese was so I didn't touch it. I also had. I clue how to count the sandwich. It was a business Meeting and I wasn't going to start fiddling with my phone to figure it out. Definitely not sustainable. Sticking with it until I plateau. I never hit goal because I would plateau- never use all my points and never use the extra weekly point when I was a member on SmartPoints original. I did lose 103 pounds though before I maintained and gave up.i have about the same to lose this time around because none of the other points programs worked.

not sure but I have a hard time loosing weight on this program just like the last the only thing I know is there is nothing else out there either because they are so restrictive on other plans so I do have to say I like it so far even though my progress has been minimal at best

Uncle Toot - Hubby is not keen on the changes as well. He is a highly successful lifetimer at goal so he has known how to succeed in the past. He likes the new free eggs, but that is about it. Chicken breast and beans are not his thing and he has fewer points to make the rest work.

I lost 60 pounds on points plus and maintained lifetime status for several years. I know of several lifetime members who, after several years of maintaining their goal weight, have gained on the Freestyle program and have had to pay the fee at meetings. (One lifetime member lost 110 pounds on points plus and had maintained for nearly

eleven years.). I just ordered the points plus books and calculator online and plan to go back to the lifestyle plan that worked best for me. I have found the Smart Points/Freestyle programs too restrictive for me. I seldom used the 49 weekly points on the points plus program but it was a great option to use a few daily or all at once. I am so glad that several of the online recipe sites continue to post both the points plus AND smart points values for their recipes and some also post the nutritional values so the values can be calculated. I wish Weight Watchers had the same options as not all WW plans are being currently followed for one reason or another. I think WW members who choose to follow older plans should not be ignored because they are comfortable with the plan they relate to most. It would not take a lot of effort on their part to include the older plan values when they calculate values for their current program! As a lifetime member, I would continue to go to the meetings/weigh in even though I would be following a different WW plan. ( I used to go every week to weigh in but since I am over goal now just go monthly). I obviously am not a fan of Freestyle!

Hate Freestyle. I lost weight consistently on the previous SP plan. Gained on FS. It does not work for me. Weight Watchers I see losing its shorts on this one. Glad it works for some, but I am seeing a mass exodus with this change.

Weekly weigh in -
week 13 - lost 1.6 lbs
Total weight loss = 27.4 lbs

I'm 64 yrs young and exercise 5 days a week. I do Leslie Sansone walk away the pounds - 4 mile dvd and I go to the gym = 30 minutes on the treadmill and 30 minutes of strength training with the machines.

Weigh/measure your portions if you're not losing. Zero point foods are not free. WW supplies you the information for what a serving size should be.

Here's a hint - most seasonings are zero points...there are plenty of seasonings with no sugar in them. There are s/f bbq sauces, and low point tomato sauces, who says you have to eat plain old boring chicken breast.

Don't let the lack of your cooking skills blame the program for not working!

I don't like it. Even with all the free tofu, 😀. I lost 20 pounds with Points Plus and became a Lifetime member. Then I lost 7 more pounds with Smart Points, and maintained easily. My weight started creeping up up again on Freestyle, so I'm back to Smart Points. I still go to meetings, and LOVE our leader and our group. I'm glad it's working for some, but I wish we had a choice.

I LOVE FREESTYLE !!!!

Best Diet I have ever been on and have used all diets including other weight watchers diets., this is the first that is working no matter where I eat, Restaurants, Parties, Fast Food, and Home... I Don't understand why the Complaints I think the others are eating too much and not watching portion size and therefore can be misusing the diet because THE DIET WORKS.

For all of the people who are losing weight on Freestyle....good job. But for those of us that are not losing or find that it doesn't fit our lifestyle....don't assume we are not "working" the program properly. For me...points plus didn't work....but smart points did. I didn't go around saying nasty things about other people's eating habits...we are all different. Freestyle does NOT fit my lifestyle or tastes....I still attend meetings....I still follow smart points.....I am maintaining my goal weight.....2 years now.... which makes me successful. Find what works and stick with it.

I lost over 30 pounds on the old weight watchers, and have now gained back 10 on freestyle. I have asked multiple times if there is a way to go back to the old weight watchers and the answer is no. I'm very upset with this 'freestyle'.

I hate it. At first I loved it because it is so much more vegetarian and budget friendly, and the new zero points foods were things I ate anyway. BUT... I haven’t lost a thing in over two months AND it isn’t as balanced as it was before. Furthermore, the idea that size doesn’t matter is baloney. Nobody joins Weight Watchers because they want to stay the same size.

I lost 50 pounds on a previous WW plan. Around 2012. Cant remember the specifics, but I do remember that it was very calorie based. Points were around 1 point per 50 calories give or take a point. Didn't really matter what you ate. Kept it off until this last year. Bad year!

I don't know how well this new plan will work for me in the long term, but 2 weeks in and I'm down 10 pounds. Im not hungry on the plan because I usually eat tons of zero point foods. I figure that will catch up with me eventually. On the other hand, my intake is about a 100 times healthier on this plan! I eat more fruits, vegetable, and lean meats than I ever have in the past.

Freestyle seems to be based on making good choices and eating the right foods. I guess that enables you to be a little more frugal with amounts of food. The previous plan I was on was definitely portion control. Pretty much eat what you want just control how much. Freestyle is working for me at the present time because I can eat a lot of food. Hopefully this can continue for me.

I am noticing a common denominator here - Thise who don't like Freestyle are coming off of a previous WW plan. I hope the newbies who are finding success are not discouraged by the comments.

I hate Freestyle! I am back to paper tracking the previous plan which was awesome! Freestyle felt/feels like a diet! Yuck!

@Jenny, the question was asked if people loved it or hated it. That invites both positive and negative answers, and no one should be castigated for saying how they feel. I doubt anyone who loves the plan will quit it because someone else doesn't like it.

I myself don't like it at all. It's just like the Atkins diet, which never worked for me. I reached goal on the Smart Points plan and have maintained it for two years. Two weeks on the Freestyle plan resulted in weight gain. Plus as another poster mentioned, it's too limiting in variety. I want my evening wine with my husband and a sweet WW snack after lunch. I've gone back to Smart Points. People should do what works for them.

I read the comment "a calorie is a calorie" and that isn't correct. There are some foods that our bodies take longer to process and with those foods, we spend energy processing them as opposed to foods that directly spike our insulin levels, like simple carbs and sugars. The documentary "Fed Up" (it's on Netflix) explains not only that, but also the obesity epidemic that the US is facing. It's brilliant, I highly suggest it. I did the detox before I started freestyle and it's been very successful for me because it helped my cravings.

"Just doing the math here....Everyone has gone down 3 to 7 points with the new Freestyle plan. That is the equivalent of one or two granola bars. We can't exchange that deficit for some vegetable proteins such as beans or lean proteins such as turkey/chicken/shrimp? Can someone please explain what they are missing on Freestyle vs the SmartPoint plan?"--Lisa

Lisa... what they're missing are the "two granola bars." Life is not all chicken, eggs, and beans.

And to the people (Laurie, Lawrence and others) who say use common sense and count calories and/or portion size... tell that to WW, who, as someone quoted directly from their site, say you don't have to worry about portion size on FS.

To the person who said she assigned points to zero-point foods other than veggies and therefore FS is working for her--by doing that, you've converted FS back to Smart Points.

Many, many people in the past failed to lose weight on Atkins, which is basically what FS is. For one thing, it's boring so not something you could live with for the rest of your life. For another, some don't process protein as well as others (seems to work better for men than women).

FS is not sustainable. Smart Points and Points Plus were. And they tested this on only 152 people? Come on! It will be interesting to see what WW comes up with next. My guess is they will ditch this approach.

Lisa said, "Okay, I just have to reiterate this because I keep seeing the words "chicken" and "eggs". There are over 200 FOODS on the Zero list. That means the SmartPoints you are considering a deficit (3 to 7 daily points) can now be used as FOOD. That's right....lean proteins, fruit, veggies and dare I say STARCHES such as corn and peas can now be eaten without guilt! And when your stomach growls, you can eat more. What a concept."

Lisa, you are purposely ignoring the main complaint--that there is little variety in the new eating plan.

Laurie, we really don't care how old you are. Why do you keep bringing that up? It has nothing to do with the plan or your weight loss.

I see that a lot of the people who like the FS are new to WW. They may be losing weight simply because they have stopped overloading on fattening foods. It will be interesting to see if they continue to lose/get to goal.

I abdolutely hate this plan!!! I am not a big meat eater either but I’m eating so much chicken that it’s nauseating. Why do people mess things up when it’s working? All these zero point soups are horrible and I am not satisfied at all. I have lost 100 lbs one time and 70 lbs another time. I am so disappointed with this program. I will be giving it up!

Cyndy, I agree with you 100%. Freestyle is just like Atkins. A few years ago my doctor, who had success on Atkins, suggested I try it and I did. I developed gout from all the protein. I quickly stopped Atkins and that's when I joined WW. I've had success with the smart points program and continue using that system. I attend meetings and do notice new members love Freestyle because they're losing weight, but as you noted, it's because they're not eating the junk they were eating that caused them to go to WW in the first place. it will be interesting to see whether or not their success continues.

I have been on WW 14-1/2 months. Lost well with Smart Points but not Freestyle. Last 4 months I lost 1# each month. I think I am carb sensitive so eating extra carbs in corn, peas, and beans has slowed down the process. I have started loosing weight again by not having starchy vegetables and high carb fruits. I have only a few pounds to lose to reach my goal weight (50# loss) and this is helping. The extra protein was not the problem. Hope this helps people that are not losing well on Freestyle.

WOW!!!!! I'm not surprised that not too many people are too thrilled with the Freestyle program. I did better with the earlier days when WW did the point system. At least it was a little more structured than now. I know I did better on it when the whole concept of POINTS originally started. I think I'll just stick to what really works for me at this time and it is not the Freestyle plan.

Love it. Am losing weight and free is free and that is good. Many choices that I like. Down 7lbs and 55 more to go. Feeling good!

I think freestyle is horrible. Planning to quit WW. There are people who cannot eat unlimited eggs, and fruits and veggies because of the SUGAR. Please be real!!!!

I am in the hate-it camp. Lost weight before because I had enough points to feel in control and never felt deprived. I just made choices every day. With free-style, there are really no choices. You can add a zillion vegetables but that doesn't mean you are adding a zillion choices. Too restrictive for sustaining. And most of the people online saying they love it are working for Weight Watchers. They are doing damage control, majorly.

I agree that the new Weight Watchers is not realistically possible. There needs to be some structure in some shape or form. Having unlimited amounts of certain foods like protein, fruits, vegetables, or whatever isn't good. Weight control has always been some type of counting whether its points, calories or counting exchanges. There shouldn't be any unlimited food groups with the only exception of vegetables (non-carb) and drinking water. Everything else like dairy, protein, starches, fruit do need to be controlled, whether or not you like doing it. Nothing is totally free when you are working on losing weight!

These comments are quite funny. The one thing that I noticed is that everyone keeps coming back to WW. "I had great success with the past program, but regained." That's because you never learned anything from WW. WW is a money making business and will continue to change their programs so people will fail. Good Luck to all.

I hate this program. I lost 8 pounds in 4 weeks just as I should have on the old program. With the freestyle I am always hungry and I’m gaining weight and it’s so frustrating. If you haven’t joined, then don’t. It’s a shame it was such a great program. It’s now just converted into another high protein low carb diet. Will be quitting.

HATE IT !!!! Loved the old program this is terrible!!! I lost so much in the other program!!! So disappointed!!!

I loved the regular smart points system and was doing great. I hate Freestyle. I understand the philosophy but it takes away too much of your freedom making it feel more like a strict diet than regular smart points did. I was so excited with Smart Points and extremely disappointed in this change.

I had quit WW because it was so tedious to track and I felt like all my best "diet foods" like beans, peans and lentils were too pointy with the old system. So far, I love freestyle. I like feeling full and let's face it, I'm never going to stuff myself on chicken, eggs or tofu. The mere thought is unappealing. I eat enough though to feel full. Hopefully I lose weight.

Freestyle does not work for me and I'm not sure WW works for me any longer. I realize we must have a balanced diet which includes vegetables, fruits, proteins and healthy fats. That is a given but we also need to be able to enjoy life without an overexaggerated claim that sugar is evil and points values must be raised to an intolerable level if one should eat something with a little sugar in it!! I am very close to goal so I am questioning whether I should hang tight and go through maintenance or end my membership. This past week I have been using an app called Lose It! and have been tracking calories. Oh my gosh, this has been so freeing! I question WW new philosophy that weight loss isn't as important as being healthy (I think they are doing this because of the failure of Freestyle) but still tries to sell its members the worse kind of boxed crap (have you read the ingredients!) on their shelves. I like treats and they will continue to be a part of my diet and I am not willing to eat "0" point foods all day so I can have one. Those "0" point food have lots of calories when added up.

I am so tired of people Telling us to just stay with he program. It’s awful. Does anyone know how to access the previous smart points program? I do not have any of the original booklets that they distributed so I can’t access point usage when I eat.

Freestyle is working for me and I’ve been on and off WW for decades. I think this is the smartest plan. I love that some foods are free because you can eat something if you are hungry. My go to thing is the fat free Greek yogurt(plain). Add frozen raspberries and blueberries, smush it up - the frozen berries will freeze up the yogurt a bit. Great breakfast but for dessert add a few dark chocolate chips. A almost free Points DQ blizzard!

Filling too. Love freestyle!!!

I think that I'm over eating on the zero points freestyle. I've barely lost weight in 3week s (one pound) ? Some of the chicken I buy are marinated and the ground turkey depends on if it's ground breast (doesn't specify on packaging) so I'm assuming it's a zero point ,when in actuality one 3 ounce serving s probably closer to 3 or 4 .. I'm also consuming too many eggs and beans , people like me assume we can eat in unlimited amounts. Not true, because it's not working for me as the other program use to. I'm also one who wishes that we did have the option to choose which program we'd prefer. I really have to rethink this. Mabe I need to tweek it some. In any case points do add up if not careful.

Can't stand the freestyle Weight Wstchers program. All the free foods are not healthy for prefiabetucs who have to watch carbs and sugar in fruits and vegetsbles.

lmao -

not a vegetarian, don't eat tofu - and WW IS NOT A DIET, ITS A LIFESTYLE.

if YOU go back to your old eating habits, the weight will come back on.

Please!!!

Week 14 of Freestyle - drumroll - down 1.8

Total weight loss - 29.2 lbs!!!!

There are tons of recipes for the zero point proteins. You do not have to be a gourmet cook!

These excuses are so tiring!

So, I was having trouble with Freestyle, but the problem was because I overeat. I would eat a whole block of tofu, 4 eggs, tons of beans, chickpeas, and plus my points all in one day. I can't do that!! It was like I couldn't make up my mind about what to eat, so I ate everything because it was low points. I wasn't losing, but I wasn't gaining much either. The past 2 weeks I really focused on planning and portions. I'm not hungry. I just had to change my mindset a bit. Now that I'm more used to the program and know I have to plan and stick to it, I'm finding the program a lot better. I still eat ice cream, pizza, and chocolate. And I go out to eat. I just try to make good choices and not beat myself up about things.

If you are sick of chicken, try tofu or try a different recipe. You can make a chicken parm that's low in points. Pulled chicken. Subs or wraps. I do a lot of that with tofu (I'm a vegetarian) and even eggs. I poached eggs in tomato sauce. So good! And gave me a pasta or Italian food feeling!

My leader is all about don't overthink things. It's not a race. Slow and steady is the way to go. But what works for me, might not work for you. The program itself does work, but how you work it will be different. I don't follow it the same way as other people. We're all different, so how we work the program is different. The basics are the same, but how we make it work is individual.If that makes sense. Good luck everyone!

I had a negative viewpoint when I first heard about the changes, but I decided to give it a go since it seemed to fit in rather well with what I had planned to do. This is my third week and I've lost 10 pounds. I've not been hungry at all. I find that I look more to vegetarian meals as they give you more bang for your points. Lentils are an awesome meat substitute with tons of protein. Try lentil chili! I'm not a huge fan of eggs or most breakfast things so I find I enjoy a cup of hot soup first thing in the morning. If you think outside the box, open your mind to the possibilities, it's amazing what you can eat during the day for so little points. Fish tacos and the only points are the tortillas? Yes! Turkey sloppy joes and the only points is the bun? Get out! Chicken chickpea curry and Pad Thai for so little points? Wow! Know what you can and cannot eat and find recipes that fit it. I didn't think I could enjoy so much.

I recently joined WW Feeestyle and I am not happy with it. I think there are are certain people for whom this plan works, but there are a lot of people for whom that is not the case.

First,It feels like a restrictive diet and not at all well balanced (can I PLEASE get a healthy fat without going over?!?!). My problem is not overeating; it's food choices and eating too much of the wrong foods. Now, I feel like I cannot have ANY of the wrong foods because I have to eat so many low point foods just to feel full. Speaking of which, I never do. And the headaches and lightheadedness are not fun. This feels like a low-carb, low-fat, low-sugar, low-taste plan, which for me is not sustainable for the long haul.

I don’t like freestyle at all. It does not work for me and I was doing so good! I was telling everyone how easy it was and to join. Now I find it almost impossible.

I don’t know why we are not given a choice for service we pay for. I want the old diet back.

I've been on WW for two years. I tried freestyle and constantly bloated from beans. I am back on Smart Points. I don't like the fact that they changed the app to freestyle. Freestyle is basically a low carb diet. I know many people that were doing better on Smart Points. "Free" does not mean calorie free.

I do not like the new plan at all. I find that it is not true at all that you can eat as many eggs or chicken... It adds up!I spoke to a lot of people and they feel the same. I wonder if this is a tactic for weight watchers to to keep you on the plan longer because you are losing slower!

I'm in the hate it camp. I've gained every week since the rollout. They even tried to tell me that "as we get older our metabolism slows". As if turning 40 magically flipped some switch which just happens to coincide with their rollout. week before "fee-style" I lost 4 pounds while on vacation in Texas, but eating boiled chicken butt and turkey lips every meal I gain. Don't question them. They get snarky the minute you don't sing the FS praises even though every lifetime I know is gaining like a wrestler trying to make it to the next weight class. yes I have a negative attitude. Wouldn't you if you were on a free plan that had worked for two years and are now forced to one where you gain weight so they can charge a fee to be a guinea pig? Come on now. I feel cheated and I'm not happy about the excuses. Made me really mad when a "coach" called me out for asking on a group page if other LT members were gaining. Well you're not giving me a straight answer, so why can't I go straight to the horse? At this point the new "plan" feels like nothing more than another suburban soccer mom fad diet.

Cancelled subscription, doesn't teach portion control, it's still calories in calories out, nothing is free, if I could limit myself already I wouldn't need a program to help, went back to calorie counting app, sparkpeople, started losing weight again,with less restrictions, doesn't feel as much like a diet, feels like living!

Hi Angry Lifetime; I couldn't agree more. It's like putting a syringe of meth in front of a drug addict and telling them they can smell it, but don't inject. They tell us not to overdo eating turkey, chicken, tofu and beans, but they ARE zero points. I continue the Smart Points program and not Freestyle. Let's face it, if they didn't change the Smart Points program they'd have nothing new to sell like their books noting zero for white meat chicken, etc. Their advertising with Oprah's taco party is so misleading. WW keeps talking about 200 free foods which include vegetables and fruits, all individually listed, along with arrowroot. Then 7 points are removed from our daily totals which puts more limitations on choice. The new WW members like Freestyle because they're eliminating bad foods they've probably been eating, but at some point the weight will stop coming off and they will leave WW.

This program is not working for me! I am a 63 year old with about 35 pounds to lose. I have been on it for almost two months and the scale does nothing but go up and down. I have no idea what a "serving" is when entering my points and it might show the same food with different point values. I am so frustrated and keep thinking the weight will start dropping. I would have expected at least 8 pounds of weight loss by now.

I think that people who say "why don't you stay on the old program" don't really understand the lack of support and hoops we have to jumpt trouugh in order to do so. That is frustrating to me becuase it is NOT that simple! I know becuase I really do not like the new plan, and I do find it to be very restrictive, less of a lifestyle and more of a diet. I went back to my Beyond the Scale plan. I had to change my tracker, manually add anything that is on the "new" 0 points list like chicken breast, and track that way. WW did away with logs prior to the change, so I can't just "go back" and look at what I had prior. That is one thing that really bothered me. I am lucky because I have some actual books and literature with the prior program info, but alot of members do not, and access to it is rather limited. It feels almost clandestine, if that makese sense. Like I am being "bad" by speaking out and doing SP. There is really NO support for those doing the prior plan, except for the members who united together to create their own support group. But, WW does not help, since that plan is "gone". So, yes, we CAN go back and do what works, but it is not that simple. I am very happy for the members who have found success in Freestyle, truly! I think its great that they have and have been able to incorporate cleaner foods and healthier foods in their lives. But, so did we, on SmartPoints and BTS. That plan was not broken, it was working for many. I wish WW had given people a choice.. keep the old plan or switch to the new plan, with no judgement and the same amount of support for us. I am still on, doing the old plan manually, basically, but using the Connect function to keep inspired. I am seriously considering leaving though, as sad as that may sound. I just lost faith in the company and have not really seen anything from them to feel like they are trying to regain us at all. So sad, really.

Hate the new Freestyle. Fell off the diet wagon bc I wasn’t losing at all on it. Way too restrictive, I had the best results on the previous Weight watchers program! Please change it back!

I called WW and told them I did not like Freestyle. It is sad to say that the biggest way to get WW's attention is for people to quit paying for the program. In January our meeting was overflowing, now we have fewer people than we had in December. Another alternative to Freestyle is Simply FIlling. I am going to give it a try before I quit. You still have to think about portion control so most people will probably have a problem with it. It has all the free veggies, fruits, and Freestyle proteins but it also has low fat cuts of meat like beef and pork, light breads, whole grains like brown rice and oatmeal, sweet and regular potatoes. You get 2 teaspoons of oil a day and a lot of condiments like ketchup and steak sauce. Any cheeses, dairy, mayonaise, butter replacements have to be fat free which, in my opinion, taste terrible and I won't be using. I get 32 points a week for any thing not on the free list. No points counted or tracking for anything on the SF list. Weight loss will be as slow as on Freestyle I am sure but if you don't want the hassle of trying to figure out old point values and tracking of the old system maybe give it a try.

The thing is that before FreeStyle Simply Filling was available alongside Smart Points. I'm up 5 lbs from when Smart Points stopped and FreeStyle began. I'm cancelling my WW membership. This has become all too much work for the price. I going to try some of the apps that count points and cost a fraction of the price.

Fortunately, I was never a fan of keeping everything online or a phone app, so I have my little calculator from SmartPoints that gives me SP points for foods on that plan. And I have the little booklet that lists smart points for a variety of foods. Plus, I saved and printed recipes from the many WW bloggers (most of whom are now not giving smart points values, probably because they were only using online WW SmartPoints calculator instead of the physical one). Also, I printed out my favorite recipes from SmartPoints Beyond The Scale to have in a folder.

So I'm all set to remain on SmartPoints for my lifetime status. My only regret is that the meetings are skewed to the new plan, and I don't get so much out of them anymore.

I had great success with SmartPoints, but am very unhappy with Freestyle.

I find the new plan much less flexible than SmartPoints.

The new "free foods," -- combined with the lower number of points -- crowd out so many foods that I previously enjoyed.

Also, the "free foods" have become very boring and monotonous.

Eating out is a bear -- especially since tummy issues prevent me from eating most fresh vegetables, tofu, and milk-based products. (Also, I can't have tomatoes in any form!)

There just isn't much room to slip up on this plan -- and inevitably, I will slip up.

The old plan was much more forgiving.

I wish Weight Watchers would give us the option of reverting to SmartPoints.

That was the best diet ever!

I don’t like Freestyle. It’s too restrictive. There may be 200 zero points foods, but a lot of them you don’t eat. I lost a lot of weight on the Smart Points plan, but with Freestyle, I’ve lost nothing, in fact, I’ve gained. I think I’ll stick to the Smart Points plan, or one of the older plans.

I love Freestyle, but I love eating fresh, wholesome food. I love vegetables and I love fruit. People who complain about this program are the people who are unwilling to give up their fast food and processed foods. It's really weird some of the whiny comments I see on connect about people who claim it doesn't work and they hate it. Scroll back through their posts and they feed is filled with shitty, processed snacks and crap. Yeah. It's the program...that's the real reason why this isn't working for you. It's not the fact that you eat pizza and McDonalds and HaloTop and crackers....oh well. I love it and I love how I feel on it. And I am losing serious weight on Freestyle.

100% agree with Heather. If you cannot find 20% of your day to eat things on the Freestyle Zero List then exactly what have you been eating on SmartPoints? The foods on the Freestyle Zero List is what.you.should.be.eating.anyway. Those who "miss" SmartPoints actually "miss" the depletion in points for that extra junk. You are switching out one granola bar or pizza slice per day for lean proteins/starch veggies/etc. Work the program or find one somewhere else that works.

Frankly, you do not have the right to make many assumptions what others may or may not be eating. I do not eat processed foods, eat nothing but fresh fruits and vegetables and have followed this diet as presented. So quit getting on social media and blabbing your mouth about something you know nothing about. For some people this diet just may not work for them.

I see a lot of negativity about the new program. I want to give it a fair chance before I give up on it though. I can see it will require a lot of changes in my eating habits, but that will be a positive thing I believe.

For those that love Freestyle and are being negative towards those that don’t...

You really don’t have any credibility until you have met your goal weight and been able to maintain it for 5+ years. Yes, you have had some SHORT-TERM weight loss, but none of you know if you can or will be able to sustain Freestyle long-term.

95% of dieters gain the weight back in 2 years and 95-98% gain it back in 5 years.

Your short-term success does not make you a weight loss or nutrition expert. You really don’t have any authority to tell someone what they are doing wrong on their weight loss journey.

Y'know, I just don't agree with your view.

I never ate a lot of processed foods under the previous plan.

I had a healthy diet and I lost weight.

But 23 points disappear way too fast, especially since many foods I enjoyed have gone up in points value.

Even if a food has gone up by a single point, that turns out to be significant on a 23-point-daily budget.

It's great that the new program is working for you, but please don't give a blanket dismissal to those of us who are struggling with it.

I truly hate Freestyle. I am not sure why I cannot make it work but I have tried everything. Eating more. Eating less. Eating corn/beans. Not eating them. I switched up my workouts.

I have been on plan since Points Plus and got to goal on Beyond the Scale.(2.5 years now) 94lb down. I have gained 20 lb since Freestyle came out!! I am bloated, developed acid reflux and now depression has come back. BTS was a truly healthy way to live for real life. This is like less restrictive South Beach or Atkins DIET. I cannot say just how disappointed I am in WW. I was going to be a leader, never missed a meeting in 2 years now I can barely show up at a meeting.

WW said it themselves, more people lost weight (and made Lifetime) on BTS than any other plan (see their ads from last year if you dpnt believe me). I think they got greedy. New head of company used to run Home shopping channel. Not about health, its about the green. I am only still here because O am terrified of gaining that weight back.

WOW I'm not too surprised that many people are disappointed with the Freestyle plan. I was thinking of trying it again but as soon as I started reading a variety of reviews(and a lot of them were negative, mind you) I decided to go back to what really worked for me and that was way before WW even introduced any type of point system and we're talking about when they actually utilized the food exchange diet. Now that was a program that really worked for me, it was balanced. And I know that I can get those resources through Amazon, if needed. Weight Watchers really needs to start listening to their members to see what really works and what doesn't. Points don't always work for everyone. Some of us need more structure than others.

I lost heaps painlessly and quite easily ( with a few hiccups) on Smart Points, but have only managed to lose ONE miserable kilo in the last 4 weeks. I'm a person who needs the structure of the old system, and have not got the time to be wondering if I'm full, or thirsty, or whatever- too busy for that introspection and want the old SP system BACK!!

Lauren you have no right to tell anyone what works and what doesn't. If FreeStyle works for you, great, but for a lot of us it just doesn't. You shouldn't make assumptions about those of us who do not wish to follow the FS plan because it's working for you. A good point was made, how will FS work when someone is on maintenance, only time will tell. In the meantime follow the program that works for you. I still attend meetings and find them useful and invigorating, but don't follow FS.

I hate this new free style and I don’t eat processed foods ! Or JUNK foods I’ve lost 60 lbs average 2 a week on the smart point , never feeling deprived at all , I was always telling people how easy this is .

This WAS a typical day for me with 30 it’s...

Coffee with cream and sugar 3 pt
Toast 2 pt
Butter 1pt

Lunch chef salad 10 ( usually go out to lunch)

Dinner
3oz sirloin steak 3pt
Baked potato 4pt
Butter 2pts
Sour cream 2pt
Toss salad 0pt
Ranch dressing 1 low fat
28pts

At night I’ll eat fruit or a 2 pt ww sweet

23 points is not enough!! You feel deprived and never feeling satisfied

DOES THIS SOUND LIKE A PROCESSED AND JUNK FOOD DIET !

Agree with all other negative posters of FS. Wife and I were very happy with BTS. Surprising to me that WW does not offer members a choice on what works for them. I get it that it's $$, but they could retain happy customers willing to pay for the program that fits them instead of increased cancellations.

Looking at what someone posted for their meals - I can see why they are not losing! Yes!!!

You should be eating LEAN protein at every meal....having toast for breakfast is not having protein. It doesn't have to be eggs, you can have zero point deli meat.

So - WEEK 15 - I upped my AEROBIC EXERCISE. you know the fat burning exercise - and I LOST 2.8 LBS!

WEEK 15 of Freestyle - I've lost 31.8 lbs....and I'm over 64 yrs old.

Look at your choices of what you're eating - not for nothing...but sugar is not helping you. Sugar is addicting.

Eat MORE OF THE ZERO POINT FOODS, BUT ZERO POINT FOODS ARE NOT MAGICAL...THEY HAVE CALORIES.

isn't it easier to blame WW when you're not losing?

ie - the program isn't for everyone, I'm special, different etc.

are YOU on medications? you know steroids, etc that actually keep you from losing weight?

if YOU are, you need to be more diligent, strict...you know...get a scale and weigh/measure out your portions. But, but but...WW says you don't have to. Really? WW gives you the option but if you are taking meds that may slow down your weight loss, you really need to watch your calories.

IF we could lose weight eating 1000 - 1200 calories in M&M's, reeses peanut butter cups, mcdonalds, etc....don't you think EVERYONE would be following that plan? Sugar can derail your weight loss. Snack girl even made a post about hidden sugar in all foods = bread, ketchup, etc.

No one is really all that special, yes I said that, the program works if you follow it. Being older....I really need to eat less calories than I ate 5 or even 10 yrs ago. I strive to up and maintain my metabolism by doing aerobics and strength training most days of the week.

The program was tested on real people. There is science behind the program. Maybe try to be less stubborn?

Isn’t it easier to be a narcissist and think everyone

has the same body metabolism and reaction to foods and exercise as you do?

The thing about science is that it is fluid. With new discoveries old “beliefs” get

augmented and/or rewritten. Wasn't there "science" behind the past WW programs? Good for you-- this program works for you. However,

your approach to the content of this column is more like that of a bully than someone many of us would choose to turn to for advice. Maybe you can find it within yourself to accept that people are different and just celebrate your own successes rather than try to call others out for what you perceive to be their "unscientific" practices.

I was so successful on all prior WW programs -- then Oprah buys into Weight Watchers, Freestyle is created and the vast majority of those of us successful in the past - find Freestyle just doesn't work. Honestly and just my personal opinion, Oprah carries enough weight *pardon the pun* that Weight Watchers has turned into only being interested in being a "For Profit" money grubbing business and endeavor. I don't feel they WANT us to lose weight quickly because they make money the longer we keep our memberships. It's no longer about caring for people but rather, the Almighty Dollar, which is all that Oprah has honored her entire life. Regrettably, the Weight Watchers brand is has gone down the toilet.

I HATE it. This is starvation and the best thing about WW was allowing you to eat like a normal person, but still lose weight. Now it's like every other diet out there.

Laurie, if there's one thing you should understand from posts that declare their dislike for Freestyle is that it doesn't work for everyone. You have to calm down and stop acting as though you've got all the answers because you don't. Happy FS is working for you, but with so many not liking it you need to understand differences in people and not try to change peoples' minds about whether or not they like FS, it doesn't work for everyone and that's a fact.

I think it's fair to blame Weight Watchers for changing a delightful, effective program into one that is difficult drudgery.

For those that are finding success on Freestyle, Way to go!! What I am seeing is that most of the people having success are those relatively new to the program. No offense to you in any regards but many long term lifetimers are havinng a hard time. To suggest we dont know what we are doing or that we are eating crap is absolute ignorance. I have been on WW for almost 3 years and lost 94lb on PP and BTS. There was no learning curve. Follow the plan and you lose. You find ways yo make it your own by introducing new foods. I rarely buy anything in a box. I dont eat sweets (anymore) etc. Occasionally I do like to have a slice of pizza or birthday cake. This isnt about that. Most days I am eating within my daily sp without going over. This week I was under 5 days. I gained 2lb. I consistently gain with freestyle. Months of gains while trying to figure out this plan. Months. No other plan was like that. Again, I am working the plan as I have for years. I showed my leader (who is also a cardiac nurse) my tracker. She could not pinpoint the reasons it isnt working. Oh and I had bloodwork done just to make sure it wasnt health related.

We lifetimers are crying out for help! I loved WW. I believed in WW. They gave me my life back. But with this new plan I feel abandoned by them. I planned to stay for life but now? If they dont support me any longer why should I continue to support them with monthly fees (which I have had to incur since Freestyle came around) or product?

Oh and for Lawrence, not sure what your agenda is here but you have some very skewed statistics

1. Most of the "200" free foods were already free on BTS. They added some proteins. Many of those are spices or herbs, cant really fill up on oregano.

2. They tested this on a very small # of people for a very short time.

3. 91% where on earth did you come up with that number?? Please cite your references. No way thats true. How can they measuee that? Cant go by # of people joining or leaving. Cant go by losses or gains since we know for a fact at least 10k are using the old system (check out their Facebook page #backto30)

4. Your responses seem visceral. Why are you so dismissive?

I disagree with other posts. I dont think he works for WW. I think he works for one of their competitors

We are frustrated because WW is a part of our lives. Many of us need the structure and support we get from the plan and the meetings. It isnt about simply "finding something else". We; in many ways; are fighting for our lives. Our healthier lifestyle we have gotten with the help of WW

Went in for a hair cut the other day and my stylist said, "Wow, you look really good!" I'm doing that new Weightwatchers Freestyle program," I told her. "So is practically everybody who works here!" she said. "Hey guys, another WW fan here ...." All of a sudden everybody was calling out, "Me too!" and "I love it"! Consensus: it's the best.

I was a member before SmartPoints (before Oprah jumped onboard) and recall a vegetarian leader who made a few comments to me that were shocking. I picked up from her prev comments she read lots of diet books on the market - I appreciate! I love having the latest "scientific" diet book in my possession, also. I'd just weighed and no loss and she quietly told me until I gave up bread I would be unable to lose weight - I didn't tell her I ate bread! I was the thinnest one in the group other than she and perhaps a lifetime member who happened to attend. I don't eat junk bread but high fiber, wholegrain, etc., and limited and I counted it. WW was telling everyone to only eat those goofy sandwich thins. She didn't even recommend those! I'd never buy WW's gum ball goo in boxes! She also made comment that if Atkins knew what the diet cos. were headed for he'd roll over in his grave! This was years before SmartPoints -- I guess WW had discovered the holy grail and was steering toward the high protein cult following world in the background?! These 2 comments shocked me and I couldn't figure out what she was referring to. I noticed right before Smart Points (there's been so many new WW "scientific" diets) the leader would drone on about eating protein -- someone mentioned yogurt and she wasn't happy about comment unless they clearly meant high protein/low fat Greek yogurt. I knew all about Atkins and high protein diets (along with 90% of the free world) which make me literally sick and dizzy as I need carbohydrates -- all nutrients. High protein works for many but I'm not going there again, ever!! If I can't eat nutritious whole grains (in moderation) I'm not hanging around!

I agree with comment above about WW professing their eating programs are scientific -- are they referring to pseudo science?! Who are the scientists -- are they renown or they're combining info from all the latest (doctors who refer to themselves as scientists) diet books which we've all read! What a jokefest! They're relying on a dab of the healthiest carbos stuffing people and high protein making the appetite subside (which is fine) but this knowledge has been around for decades -- guess it could be scientific from the scientific-nutrition community - complex carbs help fill one up and keep them full. One can diet on candy bars all day long and if they have a caloric deficit lose weight -- or eat their meals at McDonalds and lose weight as it's been proven or anywhere!

I realize the importance of group support WW offers -- it's great but I noticed so many members boasting about the program (to please the leaders) like it's an infomercial - boasting sessions but whatever works is my motto. If one attains nutritious knowledge and psych help to lose weight/be healthier it's a gold star for sure.

Good luck everyone!

I have gained weight consistently since starting Free Style. I lost 25 pounds on the old system. I hate the new system and am completely discouraged so I am going back to the old way.

I hate the new program. Please go back to the old WW program

Getting skeptical! Week 1 -6.1 lbs. Week 2 -3.6 lbs. Week 3 -3.4 lbs. Week 4 -1.4 lbs. Week 5 +1.0 lbs. Haven't changed anything. Never even hit my points total any day. Hopefully week 6 is better, but getting concerned.

Not a fan. I understand the concept, however unless you eat enough chicken, fish, beans, etc. to make up for the 7 point loss, you're pretty hungry trying to stick to the 23, and therefore not eating enough which is also weight loss sabotage. I love shrimp, fish, etc., and while I'm excited that they're 0 points, they were only 1 before so it's not a huge difference. It's really making me feel like WW just changes it up every now and then to make sure people continue to pay as opposed to being so used to how many points each food is that they don't need to pay anymore.

I have been following Freestyle for 4 months now and I do not like it. I have gained weight. I am switching over to Simply Filling to try to get back on track. First time ever I want to quit WW.

I tried ww years ago and couldnt stick to it. I started Freestyle Jan 2018, it is now end of March and Im down 22lbs with a few setbacks along the way. Still moving forward and liking it for now.

LOVE IT!!! <3 <3 <3
Week 16 - LOST 1.8 lbs
TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS - 33.6 lbs
and I'm 64 YRS YOUNG!

I sure hope that Weight Watchers staff and executives are reading these comments and take into consideration that there seems to be more disliking than liking the new program Freestyle.

Alison, WW IS reading them--her name's Laurie, and she's 64 years young! Then there's Lawrence...

I would be very disappointed if Laurie works for WW. Her posts have been very condescending, rude, and negative towards paying members. I would hope that WW would not have someone with her attitude representing the company.

We get it Laurie. You like the plan. You have posted 29 times already. Each time saying the same thing. That does not add to the conversation.

I sure hope the Weight Watchers staff aren't posting here under an alias!

I love it. I've been away for a few years, back when Smart Points was the agenda. I like this so much more. I started three days ago. I love bread and I'm concerned that I will have to closely monitor how much I eat. Even staying within points I think bread is slowing down my weight loss. Will be monitoring this and making some adjustments I can't complain. I have lost 1.8 pounds in those three days, but can't help but think it could have been more if I'd substituted another starch for the wheat.We'll see.

Laurie, Laurence and Lauren: (all the same person) Give it a break already! You’re nasty, arrogant, and condescending! After 38 years of teaching experience I have learned that demeaning people doesn’t help at all! You’re like the bully in the schoolyard that everybody hates. Go away, troll!

Obviously Freestyle works for some and not others. However, we all want to lose weight and should support each other no matter what. I’m doing well on this program but hated SP. PP worked the best for me. That doesn’t make me a better person. We’re all just doing the best we can. Good luck to everybody no matter what program you’re following. And Laurence, Laurie, Lauren: Have a blessed Easter! Go to church. You need it.

Hate it!!! I have no control over portions so the zero points have messed me up! We will see how well everyone likes the plan after a few months. Freestyle is not a lifetime change that people can stick with.

I began WW for the first time in January, and I LOVE Freestyle. It may help that I have no other systems to compare it to, but in all honesty, I'm glad I joined when I did, because I'm not sure whether I would have liked any other iterations of WW as much. I admit I am puzzled by everyone who says they can't stand the monotony because they feel they're eating chicken, eggs, beans and tofu all the time. I've lost more than 33 pounds in about 3 1/2 months, and I do NOT eat chicken, eggs, and beans all the time--and I hate tofu, so I don't eat that at all! In fact, I think one of the reasons I love the plan is because I decided right from the beginning that I was going to avoid getting in a rut by continuing to eat the things I love, even though many of them are not zero points, along with the zero-pointers to keep variety in my menu and avoid boredom and deprivation. I do think that if you try religiously to stick to nothing but zero-point foods, yeah, you may get bored rather quickly! Also, it doesn't help if you hate chicken breasts and/or fish or other seafood, unless you're a vegetarian or vegan anyway. But I am a meat eater and I have no trouble coming up with variety. I do like chicken breasts, but I also eat turkey, turkey sausage, turkey bacon, tilapia, and shrimp quite a bit. And yes, there's even room for pork and a little beef or ham if you don't overdo it! As for not being able to make chicken interesting without adding points, try some of the WW recipes--they're my lifesavers. Every week I pick one or two new ones to try off the website and plan to make a few of the ones I already have tried and liked. I cook one day of the weekend to make a big batch of something I can either dole into serving-size portions and freeze, or just keep in a big container in the fridge and dole out a serving-size portion into a microwave mug for lunch. Although sometimes I switch things up by making a point-friendly sandwich with WW chips...anyway, I make sure to try different recipes using different meats and veggies and different flavors or ethnic styles of cooking. I also tend to stick to the same 3-point breakfast most of the time (WW oatmeal with coffee and a low-point whitener) so I can spend more points on the rest of the day's meals. I even have room for little desserts, from WW chocolate bars to PB2 spread on rice cakes to (shock!) VERY small portions of regular ice cream (not all the time, but sometimes!). I think one of the things that's really helped me in Freestyle is having a mindset that I was going to control portions and make interesting meals so I could lose weight without feeling as if I was torturing myself. And I have! No, WW isn't paying me and if Freestyle wasn't working for me I'd be the first to say "Not working! Too boring!" But it's been the exact opposite...for the first time in decades, I feel I can get down to a weight proportionate to my height and build. It feels great!

When Freestyle was debuted, WW was singing the praises of free food with no points. We were told, "They (WW) figure you will not binge on chicken, fish, and tofu." No WW literature said anything about having to restrict the portions of these free foods. Now I am seeing that for the people for whom it's working have instituted self-restrictions on portion size. And yet they have lost 7 daily points. I could eat anything I wanted on Smart Points Beyond the Scale, and I had 7 more points per day to do it with. It worked for me. I achieved goal and maintained it for two years. My two-week trial of Freestyle was a disaster. Of course, I never succeeded with Atkins either and became incredibly bored with it.

I'm glad it's working for those folks who are practicing portion control, but they are not following Freestyle as it was presented. And for people who are constantly hungry and struggle with portion control, this is a disaster.

I was looking for reviews back in February. I first joined with the original point program back in 2000 and was a member until 2004. I moved for a better job and the new area, I just felt I never "fit in" with the crowd. I returned in 2010 after putting 50 pounds back on. They had the "no tracking" and "tracking" options. I tracked, don't fix what's not broken. I lost almost 45 pounds that round and then they switched (over Thanksgiving) to the metabolic calculations. No more slide cards, it became very expensive buying special scales and calculators. The on-line tools were really just developing and it kept crashing. That's when the "zero point fruits/veggies" came out beyond just the green veggies. That plan was AWFUL. It was complicated, impossible to stay on plan when traveling. Even though I militantly stuck to the plan and tracked everything I put in my mouth - often NOT EATING when on business travel if I couldn't figure out what I could eat and the point value and gained weight consecutively week after week. That was the end of WW for me. I got a new job that is very stressful on the body because I am the "road warrior" on business travel 75% of the time. I was huffing and puffing hiking though an airport and that's what got me looking at WW again. I was leary, I am not into buying a lot of tools because I don't have the room in my kitchen for them AND I am rarely there to use them. The app is my go to on my phone. The barcode scanner makes life so much easier than the last generation. When I am on travel, especially in business meetings with Key level executives - I am getting the hang of what to order without clunking around with books, phone, etc. I do wish the "cheat sheet" for different styles of restaurants was easier to find in the app but no complaints. 5 weeks in and I lost 11.4 pounds. This included 4 days at an extended stay in Hanover, MD, 3 days at a traditional hotel in Annapolis, MD going home for 30 minutes to head up to Kingston, NY arriving that night for 2 days, then 5 days out in Framingham, MA, and another 3 days back south to Chestertown, MD. The week I had to run from MD to NY, it was a disaster for dieting. The restaurant we went to had one option on the menu for St. Pat's Day and there was way too much Wine involved along with a slice of birthday cake. YIKES! I got on the scale and was shocked I lost 4.8 pounds that week and I can only calk it up to being conscious of that day and making a point to take a few extra walks that weekend to try to counteract the damage and just not make the scale scream. Although I am losing - it's only 5 weeks in. The real test will be at the 16-20 week mark if I am still losing the pounds. The body will lose weight with dramatic change... once the body adapts - that's when there is usually trouble and you know if the program will work long term. So far, so good and I am optimistic.

This plan requirements is really easy. I am surprised at those that were doing previous WW plan who are having difficulties with this one because portion control is key to any weight loss plan. the zero point foods are zero; can't figure out why I would by pass that and heap zero foods on my plate (calories still count) instead of portion controlling those items even the fruit can't be over eaten. People must find their groove in this plan and then it is totally a plan that you can manage for life. It just takes a little work and most don't want to put in the work. Its working for me because when I have a problem I take my food log out and compare it to when I didn't so that I know what works for me and what don't. Funny thing is I had to do the same thing on SP go figure.

I’ve been the weight watchers free style and not liking it. This isn’t realistic way to enjoy all the foods you love. Your lucky if you do lose a pound a week. If you eat to many fruit you gain. I like the plan you were allowed so many points based on your weight, but could still have carbs/chocolate bar/cake. Every item should have a point, all the things you love they increase them. I think 1 - 2 lbs per week would keep all happy. This .2 , .3. 6 per week gets depressing. Life has many foods to enjoy . This is got to be the worst program yet. 😪😪

Hate it. I can't be successful no matter what I try. Is there an option available to return to Smart Points, as an individual user?

I joined EW in the fall and lost 40 lbs in around 90 days. I like the balanced approach to tracking what I ate, and knowing I had enough points to trade things up if I wanted. Since switching to freestyle I have lost very little and actually gained some weight. I live on fish, chicken, eggs, veggies and fruit, and am surprised I am not surrendering weight in a more predictable fashion. I don't hate freestyle, but it has left me confused and disappointed.

I admit to being a little baffled that anyone ever got the idea that just because a food is 0 points that you can eat unlimited quantities of it and lose weight. I mean, it's still food...it has calories. The 0-points foods are 0 points not because they are calorie free, but because you're supposed to favor them over foods with points when you can, especially if you're feeling hungry, so if you have some of those for a snack when you're a bit hollow, they do minimal damage vs. a bag of chips or a piece of cake. I don't know, I just never thought to myself "Oh, I'm hungry so I'm gonna eat 20 eggs because that won't count..." It's true, when you first start WW you can feel pretty hungry just because you're portion controlling (take it from a person who used to eat second helpings as a matter of course, or pour a whole heat-and-serve frozen entree into a pan, cook it up and eat the WHOLE THING). But eventually you get used to eating less, especially if you practice mindful eating and go slowly and savor what you eat. Which will be much easier to do if you actually like it and haven't condemned yourself to eating chicken breasts, eggs, beans and tofu all the time...anybody would hate that! I would recommend making a list of all the food you love MOST and feel as if you HAVE to have (for me, carbs were big: pasta, rice, potatoes, bread), then look for WW point-friendly recipes that include them, and try making some. I found that, OK, maybe I had to swap in whole-wheat pasta or brown rice, and couldn't eat as much bread, but so what? I could still have it and that was all that mattered. Maybe use skim milk in that sauce rather than 2%. Maybe use less shredded cheese, or reduced-fat cheese, if the alternative was using fat-free cheese. (You pick your battles. For example, I think fat-free salad dressing is gummy as heck, so I'll spend a few points on the lowest-point versions I can find of the real stuff. Your mileage may vary.) The point being, don't start out by thinking "Uggh, I'm on a DIET, so I have to eat this limited set of foods all the time and deprive myself for the greater good." You'll hate every minute, and even if you lose weight you'll gain it all back as soon as you go back to how you used to eat. No. Say to yourself: "I enjoy food, and it's not a sin. I'm going to make sure that while doing this plan, I continue to enjoy food!" Then do it! The difference will be, you shaved off calories in the way you cooked it, and you didn't eat as much, but you were still satisfied. If you're not, and you just wait a half hour or so before giving in to the urge to eat something more, you may find it actually goes away, especially if you think of how it will undo your efforts and you don't want to be regretting it on weigh-in day. I'd be the last to say it's easy to cut down. If it were easy for me I'd never have had to start WW to begin with. But it can be done. How your body will respond is up to your individual body--but wishing you well!

Freestyle renders their barcade scanner and nutritional information points calculator useless! There is no way to determine the chicken/bean/egg/fish content of packaged foods or restaurant foods, and because of that you'll be punished for eating out or not being able to cook. I lost 100 lbs on smart points, but am struggling with freestyle due to losing 7+ daily points and not being to use the scanner for accurate points calculations. It should have been optional and frankly, I believe it was a very poor decision.

Here's the thing, those of us that are having trouble with Freestyle are probably foodaholics. The previous SP program limited the amount of food we ate and although fruit was 0 points I bet a lot of us overate it and didn't see success on the scale that we thought we had coming. We have the righteous that keep telling us to smart up and stop eating so much of the zero foods and that limiting portions of food that we are told we can eat as much of as we need to is easy. I don't think WW has thought about foodaholics. They need to do some research and include us in on a new program. What WW is doing is like telling an alcoholic not to drink alcohol but they can have a shot of whiskey a day. Some of us really don't have a clear sensation of eating just to that comfortable feeling until it is too late. I've decided to put my big girl panties on and give Freestyle another try, along with being very serious about portion control, and adding lots of variety to my menu so I don't get bored and want to chuck it again. I feel like I have not been on any program for the past couple of months because of the scale going up and down continually and giving into tempation because I didn't see any results. I hope with a new attitude and extra perserverance I will be able to continue with WW.

I like freestyle pretty well. I don't know any other version of WW though. I do the online version so it's affordable, I like the community support and tracking app. I was eating 3-4 lbs of non-starchy veg daily before I started and still do with 0 points. The rest of my food comes in around that. Balanced whole starch/carbs and lean proteins with some fruit each day (not much I don't do well with more than 1-2). I don't cook with any oil and haven't in 3 years. I don't use my weeklies or activity points (I am a longtime runner so I have a lot of them but I am testimony you can't outrun extra calories!) and it's working well for me. I confess sometimes I use points for alcohol but I just eat zero point dinners those nights. I feel like despite eating fairly healthy before WW my body wasn't liking bowls of oatmeal and big servings of rice with meals and freestyle keeps all that reigned in.

Freestyle is too free for me. I was successful on the smart points plan and wish I didn't change. I even lost weight during the Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's holidays. Then I changed to Freestyle and I've gained 10 pounds since Jan 10th. For someone who loves large quantities and is given a list of zero point foods, I thought I was in heaven. It turned out to be hell because now I have 20 pounds to lose instead of 10 to get to goal. I'm going back to Smart Points. But what about the food scanner on my app? Can I get back the other that calculates the Smart Points? By the way, I saw Oprah on TV just yesterday. It doesn't appear that she's seeing much success herself (in terms of weight, not dollars!)on the Freestyle plan.

week 17 weigh in-

lost 2.8 lbs!!!!

total weight loss - 36.4 lbs!(started freestyle the 1st week in december)

not bad for a 64 yr old woman

How?

I upped my exercise...I get in at least 16,000 steps a day and do some strength training 5 days a week.

I watch those zero point foods, and I measure out my portions!

I know you can continue to follow any one of the old WW plans, but I really wish they would give you a choice on the tracker like itrackbites does. That way, you could choose Point, PointsPlus, SmartPoints or Freestyle----whichever works best for you.

Yes Laurie we get it. You love Freestyle. Come talk to me when you have been on plan 3 years and have been through at least 2 other plans. I am hapoy that it works for you but you have no other plan to compare it to.

To Laurie: Some of us have a life. It seems you are a bit obsessive. I'm 65 years old, so what.

The smartest thing I did on Smart Points was to invest in the physical calculator for that program. I didn't want to rely on my phone exclusively for tracking or calculating points. I am using that plus the nutrition information plus the little book I got when I joined the SP program to stick to that program.

For those wanting to stick to SP but have lost the app, perhaps eBay would have the calculator. Otherwise, I know the point values of the meats, beans, and yogurt that WW made "free," so when I'm tracking I add those points in.

WW is a business, and changing plans is how they continue to be profitable. I don't buy the "scientific studies" that they profess--the latest study used very few people to be reliable. It's more like marketing than anything having to do with weight loss.

Hate it!! I just had the smart points down and my routine set and I was losing weight... I am highly allergic to poultry and freshwater fish so my options for zero points are not that great and I've lost 7 points a day...so disappointed.

Good idea, Cyndy.

I'm all about freestyle. I like it because I have more options as a vegetarian and definitely eating cleaner now.

That being said Cyndy just posted about finding a calculator on eBay for Smart Points. If you can't find one, there are apps out there that will calculate old programs. Also let's say you don't want to leave WW because of the support, recipes, Connect, or whatever reason. If you want to point value for 0 point foods, put the nutritional information for it in the calculator on the app. You can save it as one of your foods so it'll be there. The calculator doesn't know what the nutritional information is for, so you'll get the points. You can also switch to maintaining to give you more points. I don't know if you can still adjust the point value from that. Anyway, there are options if you can't find a calculator and/or don't want to give WW up for whatever reason.

Like I said, I do like Freestyle. I love the eggs, tofu, beans, and lentils are 0 points. I never get sick of them because there is so much I can do with them. I also eat pizza regularly and go out to eat. Going out to eat for me is difficult, so I usually use weeklies for that.

But anyway, good luck! Don't give up your health because WW changed! Do whatever works for you and that you can make a lifestyle from, not a diet!

I’m in the “love it” camp. I’m never hungry, usually have rollovers, and usually save up all my weeklies for a nice big restaurant meal. I tried Weight Watchers years ago and was constantly hungry, hated the meetings with a passion, was bored with what I could eat, and I quit after losing 10 lbs. Now I’ve lost almost 30 lbs since February. Love this diet.

Count me in the hate it camp...I really liked Smart Points, but the free foods are a joke. I’m allergic to fish, and at this point I’m really sick of dry chokey white meat chicken. Beans are fine, but after a few days they get boring, and I find the Freestyle program anything but freeing. Actually, this Weight Watchers plan is the most restrictive so far, and unlimited fruits makes no sense to me...gorillas weigh over 350 pounds on a diet of mostly fruits and veggies, and that’s where I’m headed if I don’t cancel WW. For me, My Fitness Pal is the best option if you consult your dictor and get the correct numbers of protein, carbs, and sugars to enter into your settings. Good luck to everyone else, but I’m a Weight Watchers gone girl.

This is not a new program for weight watchers, just a different name from about 10 years ago. People just didn't like it and didn't lose weight. Love the smart points though.

I was one of the first commenters on this thread and have enjoyed (well, mostly enjoyed...) reading the comments posted over the past few months by other readers. I’m the one who is on freestyle and had the 6 course French dinner over New Year’s. I am not a WW employee; I’m just a regular, professional, mid-30’s woman with two young kids, a demanding job, and find it hard to find time to exercise, grocery shop, and eat right. I have a fondness for wine and cheese. And chocolate chip cookies.

Now that it’s been a few months on the program, I thought I would check back in. I’m still on Freestyle. Overall, I still really like it. It gives me control. If I follow the program honestly, exercise, and keep my stress levels in check, I consistently lose. If I get lax about tracking (free foods or not), I tend to gain or not see the results I hope for each week on the scale.

I eat pizza every week. I drink 4-5 glasses of wine a week. I eat chocolate. However - I can enjoy these items by structuring my environment... if I keep an entire Costco sized package of chocolate around, I will binge and eat it, so I only buy one chocolate bar for the week. If I want fries, I order them but share them with my husband/son and get the apple slices, too. I drink a glass of water before the glass of wine so I’m less thirsty and (hopefully) a little more full.

It requires commitment and attention. It isn’t easy but it’s doable. It’s easier to just not plan, think, and eat whatever you want. But I don’t have the body that can eat that way and stay healthy, so I just accept it and am trying to live a different lifestyle and choice every day.

I think of WW as basically budgeting or balancing a checkbook. Yeah, we’d all like to have endless supply of money (points), but in order to get it you have to work (exercise). Nothing comes free. Too bad the program is called freestyle, huh?! :)

WW is good, but it’s not easy. It works for me, but requires my attention and thoughtful planning. I’m sorry to hear it is not working for other people. I’m sure that is really frustrating and could leave you feeling hopeless. I think there are lots of options out there (apps, etc)... but also... WW is a patented program and you can look up the points equations on the US patent website. Create an excel file for your personal use and voila! Points calculator. ;)

I prefer the older versions of WW before they went to points. For me, it's back to the food exchange program. Besides points is just a WW fancy term for calorie counting -- straight calorie counting.

To Cyndy and others who advised revising the program back to SmartPoints again, a big thanks.

I've purchased the things I need an am prepare to go forward with it.

But I do have a question.

Under Smartpoints, I remember that I was on 30 points a day.

BUT, I can't remember how many flexpoints I had.

Can someone remind me?

Someone mentioned earlier that they wanted a comment from people who had been on the other plans of WW before freestyle. I have. I have been doing WW over the last 20 years. This is what I find to be true in my case. When I follow the plan....no matter which plan it is...I lose weight. When I don't keep a record or stick to it, I don't lose as much. When I don't lose weight it is always because of me. I often lack discipline to be consistent. I don't give up totally. It just make take a little time for me to get back on the wagon. No matter which plan I've been on, if I wanted a steak, or glass of wine or candy I calculated that into my points for the day. So If I have steak tonight, maybe I will have more veggies instead of a baked potato, and 4 oz of red wine. The nice thing regarding any of the plans you can actually eat what you want, but just not everything you want on the same day or the same week. Regarding the zero points... mix it up. If I roast brussel sprouts, tossed salad with lemon and olive oil(1 tsp) and have grilled shrimp and a glass of wine, that a very low point dinner and good. Have fun with it.

I do think that if something is not working for you, feel free to change. Be happy that it is working for someone else. I agree that it would be nice to have a choice under which program you would like. But why does anyone have to be stoned to death. Individual users or WW. Human nature is so interesting. When people like something they will defend it to the death. But once something change (Good or Bad) it's up to Frankenstein's castle to burn it down. Is it possible to have discussions without attacking?

Mrs. G, it's 35 extra points per week.

Hello, I'm from the old program and have been trying to continue with the old system, however haven't been all that successful....just maintaining and not losing. The old daily allowance for my range was anywhere from 22 -27. Now I understand that if I was to do the Freestyle, that number would change. Is anyone from this old system doing the freestyle programs? If so, and if you were in this range, what would the daily allowance be on the freestyle program? I would like to do the Freestyle without having to join of go to meetings

I hate the plan so much I quit. I was on a roll last year - had lost almost 35lbs and then they changed the program. I am not a big meat eater and am so sick of eggs I could scream. I find the plan way to restrictive and it's a lie that you can eat out and have anything you want. You can eat out if you starve yourself all day and then have two bites of anything high calorie as your "eating out"

I want to go back to smart points also but its difficult since you would have to work to minupulate the tracker app. Some of the foods that were lower in points are now higher with freestyle. I too was highly successful on smart points. On freestyle, i have crashed and burned. Im starting back on smart points to the best of my ability. I just wont be able to use the tracker app. Shame on WW to force everyone into this new freestyle program. One size does not fit all!

I hate Freefail! I was eating way too many 0 point foods and then binging on bad stuff. I dropped WW entirely, and I am using the Protracker App and back on Smart Points. Check out the Facebook Group ReturnTo30, there's some 12,000 people who have done the same thing! Freefail might work for some, but it does not work for all, and shame on WW for not giving us a choice of plans. Both Protracker and iTackBites give people the choice of Points Plus and Smart Points, so there is no reason WW could not do the same!

I'm so happy I'm not alone in thinking Freestyle is not for me. I, too, was successful on Smart Points but now have gained 10 pounds since starting on Freestyle. What's worse was when I expressed my disappointment at my weekly Weight Watchers meeting, my opinion wasn't supported at all. The leader was contradicting herself saying just because it's zero doesn't mean it's FREE! Well then why is the program called FREEstyle??? It's very misleading and probably works for those who don't eat in large volumes, but eat the wrong kind of food, i.e. sugar and bad fats.But for those of us who love all kinds of food, giving us a list of 200 "zeros" with the message that you don't have to count these, we will follow that rule and not succeed at our weight loss goal. Some of the members in my meeting started lecturing me that I must be eating too many of the zero foods! I was so tempted to quit right then and there. Instead I'm going to go to a different meeting to see if that group and leader will at least understand that this isn't for everyone and maybe give constructive advice. Shame on WW for not giving us a choice because of course the app is now just for Freestyle.

I really have to 'watch' the free stuff. I can't eat too much and still lose weight. I prefer Smart Points and if I really need to get back on track I count EVERYTHING and use 28 points a day. I can't eat all free stuff, spend my points on junk, and lose. Won't work for me. I wish WW would allow us to choose the option that works best. It's not a one size fits all.

I have a question about the old SmartPoints calculator recommended by Cyndy and others.

I'm trying to set it up.

It leads me through a series of questions, like age, height, weight, etc.

And then it asks if I am imperial!

What exactly does that mean?

Free style is great until life happens and you start eating carbs again....it won't be pretty.

I don't care for the free style program unfortunately I'm on my second month and of only 2 pounds when I was doing Smart Points I lose 40 pounds in 6 months

Let's Comment on the Freestyle Program please and stop trying to throw in a slander on the sly.

I love freestyle. When it doesn't work for me is because I and not WW is not working the plan.

I don't love it. The new zero point foods do not offset the loss of daily points. To the commentator who said that eggs are bad for cholesterol is not up to date on new research from the American Heart association who says you can eat eggs to your hearts content. The yolks are not going to raise your cholesterol. Also be very wary of the beans, peas ,corn etc. zero points as they are large creators of purine, which increases your uric acid, which can cause gout as a fellow WW friend found out by increasing her zero point beans and legumes to daily consumption. In order to get rid of the gout they had to be completely eliminated for weeks not just lowered in amounts. For me I am waffling up and down a pound a week going nowhere. But then I had the success on the original points plan.

To all who want to go back to the smart point . Go to settings and choose maintenance and scroll to your original points . This will set your points on your app. Now you have to put in a fried egg to get 2 points , that’s how you manipulate the app. I also ordered a pocket a-z food Smartpoints on e bay to help with the other free foods that used to have points. Such as peas corn beans . Good luck I hope this helps someone, I feel I got my freedom back and I’m loosing weight again !!

Smart Points are available the inexpensive and easy way on a great online app called itrackbites - there's a mass exodus leaving WW Freestyle and on itrackbites. They have the various WW programs available (including Freestyle but names of WW programs are different) and a year's cost is equivalent to a month of WW!

Just sayin!

My thoughts on new WW. I dislike it a lot. They need to stop making changes on a yearly basis and stick to one method that really works. I know why don't they go back to the food exchange method. Many people did very well with that (and that includes me). All these constant changes makes me feel dizzy and very unsure about ever doing WW again. I'll just find a very good food exchange program and follow that. Now that's a program that really works. I remember when WW did that program back in its early days and it worked as well.

In the event you check out/sign in on itrackbites and to avoid more diet angst, I'd recommend you learn the lay of the land on the app before canceling out your online WW app -- the itrackbites app is great and they seem very efficient answering questions on the 'Community' section.

The title of this column/blogpost is, "New Weight Watchers Freestyle Review: Hate or Love?" and the columnist, Snack Girl, asks, "Please share your review of Weight Watchers Freestyle. Hate it or love it?" People offering their opinions doesn't constitute "slander on the sly" simply because they differ from someone else's.

I’ve been logging calories on the app called Loseit! alongside my 23 Free Style points on WW for a few months now. On most days my 23 FreeStyle points amount to between 1200-1300 calories on Lose It! I exercise 5-6 days a week. On WW Smart Points I seldom dipped into Activity Points. With Free Style if I exercise at a moderate-to-vigorous pace on any given day I’m tanking a lot. I’m finding that I need to eat more calories than 1200-1300 to feel normal. I’m not liking this plan at all.

I think that WW needs to re-evaluate whether or not points is a doable program or not. I've seen more people who are so disgusted with WW and its so called point system. That form is nothing more then straight calorie counting. Go back to the days when they had the food exchange system. At least it was balanced and people were much more satisfied and happy.

To the person setting up the SmartPoints calculator, "Imperial" means grams and kilograms, so say No to Imperial if you're American.

To the person who reminded the snarky commenter that we were asked for our opinion, and giving a negative opinion does not constitute slander, AMEN! Thank you for saying what I was going to, only you put it better.

To the people advocating itrackbites, it seems to only be available for IOS systems--i.e, Apple. No Android, etc., unfortunately.

I'm loving the freestyle program! At one point I did hit a stopping point on losing so I dropped my points by one and surpassed my goal! I do agree though that Weight Watchers should make available any of the past plans that have worked for other people that the Freestyle plan isn't working for..how frustrating that is..been there with some of the past changes.

I have been on the new freestyle Weight Watchers program for a little over three months now, and I love it! It included so many of the foods I already eat. I love chicken, beans, seafood, fruits and vegetables! I just had to cut back on lots of condiments and sugar laden sauces. I am learning how to re-cook and add flavor with minimal use of healthy fats, and much less sugar. I still use butter on my shrimp and crab legs though!! There is plenty of room for a weekly indulgent meal or treat. I even go off plan on holidays such as Easter and my upcoming birthday. So far, I have lost 18 pounds, and I am very pleased with the rate of my weight loss.

Alison, they change every year or two years so everyone has to go out and buy more of the stuff they peddle, they’re not making money off the Lifetime members if they don’t. Weight Watchers is a business and they’re in business to make money. I can’t fathom people who think this is a lifestyle change and not a diet. Do you change your “lifestyle” every two years because WW tells you to? No, you change your DIET. Thank Goddess I don’t have to go to meetings, it would drive me insane. (For those who get something out of meetings, great. I hated them worse than poison).

Re: Itrackbites and Android use per Cyndi's reply above -- the app does work with Android and there's many on the site who are using same.

I really appreciate reading about all the positives re/WW Freestyle here. Good to know!

Kelley -- now that's funny/LOLOL re/WW meetings but I can certainly relate/never had time. Going online was their best concept EVA! I do understand the motivating factor -- monkey see/monkey do, etc., psychology and eating tools.

I did the old point version and felt at least I could eat different things. Everything now has sooo many points if it isn't on the zero list. I'm not a fan of a low carb diet, so this sucks. I paid for the first month so I guess I will stick with it for the month if I can.

Backto30 on Facebook has over 13,000 and counting --

I've not confirmed but many on these other sites like itrackbites, etc., have people not even on Facebook. How can WW afford to lose so many people -- can't they tweek their program and avoid the avalanche?

I hated the new program, I’m a life timer and did great on the last program and the many others but this one started to gain weight so I opted out and counting calories till they come up with something better. Unfortunately I recycled all of my old programs. Not a healthy diet to be on, do not like it!

After 4 months of suffering with Freestyle and gaining 15 I finally went back to 30 and immediately saw a loss. I was distraught, leader couldnt help. Came back with the loss and excited and she told me maybe I should think about weighing in and leaving each week!! 3 years with her and she does not want me to "taint the other members" with my opinion of Freestyle. I was devastated!! The lengths they are going to protecting this program is insane. I was at Goal and now paying due to Freestyle so she wants me to pay for meetings and not go? This is not the WW that I signed up with 3 years ago.

I think the problem with Freestyle is those 200 so called zero point items are not in fact zero. They do add up and WW doesn't address that. In fact, they discourage weighing or counting the zero point list. What about the legumes? Are you kidding me? Zero points for lentils, chick peas, kidney beans, etc? They are so high in calories and carbs. Over 500 calories in one measly can of chick peas and Freestyle says that's zero? My non-supportive meeting members were astonished that I could eat one can as a snack. Really? Aren't we all on WW because we have issues with food? Needless to say, I don't go to that meeting anymore. I found another that I find more supportive. And I'm back on Smart Points and was able to lose 3.2 pounds this past week.

Trish - I just read your comments. That's HORRIBLE! I feel for you... I too gained weight on Freestyle after giving it a 3 month try and had to change otherwise all my hard work would have been reversed. I'm so sorry to hear about your awful experience with your leader too. SHAME ON HER. I hope you're able to find another meeting that's supportive.

Trish-So sorry you were treated like that by WW leader.

I've tried iTrackBites and ProTracker. In my opinion, ProTracker is better. It is less expensive, easier to use (one online source) and syncs to Fitbit. With iTrackBites you have several places to find point values. You never know which one is going to work so it can be time consuming. It is more than double in price. It doesn't sync with Fitbit. They both will calculate SP, PP, and calories and you can decide to switch when you want to.

Hate the Freestyle. I lost weight with the old point system, but not with Freestyle. WE, you fixed something that wasn't broke!

I’ve been on and off WW for most of my 60 years on this earth. I was doing really well with SmartPoints, joining again in 2016. Lost 50 Ibs. Obtained my lifetime status after 8 months. THEN! They switched to Freestyle! Tried it for a couple of months and found I was gaining weight, even after tracking everything I ate. Guess what? Calories ARE calories. 0 points does not equal 0 calories! Chicken may be free, but if I ate a whole chicken that’s a lot of calories!!! I had to pay for the first time I made Lifetime. I was devastated! I went into a horrible depression. Felt like I failed miserably. Stopped going to meetings because I wasn’t going to pay because I was 2 pounds over my goal weight. So! What did I do? I started eating things I shouldn’t have been eating. I gained back 8 pounds! Oh no! That’s it! Now I am on a plan of Clean 20 which is a plan Dr. Ian K Smith developed. 20 days of eating 20 clean foods; no preservatives and short ingredient lists. Been on the plan 1 1/2 days, down 2 pounds. That wasn’t happening on Freestyle. I feel better. Have more energy, not tracking but being aware of my calorie intake which is easy when you’re eating clean food items. Just after 1 1 1/2 days.

Sorry this turned out to be a long post, but I’m really glad to read I wasn’t alone in my struggles with the new plan, because I thought I was going cuckoo!! I hope those of you who are struggling find another plan that works better for you, like I did. Thanks for letting me vent. 😋

I'm not on WW but probably should b; I have a lot of weight to lose. However, as someone with compulsive eating disorder, being told I can eat as much eggs and chicken as I want...not something my disordered mind should hear. It sounds so attractive but, yeah...no.

With WW a point is a point is a point. And points is just a WW term for calories. Calories in, counts out. Sorry Weight Watchers not everyone likes the point concept, period. And points are not calories. There was a time when Weight Watchers included the calorie as part of the equation of points. That is what they need to go back to the original point system when it first came out, period. Something needs to done before WW starts losing people.

week 18 - lost 1.8 total weight loss = 38.2 lb!!!

it STILL amazes me that some people 'think' they know more about losing weight than Weight Watchers. what exactly is your background in weight loss?

It is all about calories, and how much of them you eat.

Zero points does not mean zero calories.

Your zero point foods are the base or where you start planning/cooking your meal.

Zero point foods are the foods that satisfy you. The foods that stop the cravings....and this I'm an expert on! No sugar cravings!

Please, stop the insanity. Stop saying that WW doesn't know what they are doing..when they do studies.

People were moaning that they didn't want to track, count points etc......sometimes people are their own worst enemies!

How is it for vegetarians? I just became a quasi vegan and probably won’t eat that many eggs. I do still eat and occasional egg as long as it is from a humane farm.

Does it work well for vegans and vegetarians?

Laurie - My issue with FreeStyle is the way WW sold this program. They advertised that the 200 items that are zero point don't have to be measured or counted. They are the ones who advertised that they are "free". Those of us who took it literally and eat in large quantities found ourselves gaining weight. It's not because we're insane. It's because we trusted the WW message and wanted to give it a chance. Bravo to you for making the new program work for you. That's no reason to insult those of us who tried the program and realized it didn't work for us. I believe WW knows exactly what they are doing. They create new programs that work for some but not for all and do what corporate businesses do best - make profits.

What Julie said. Yes Yes YES.

Hey Laurie, with 36 posts here you should be on the WW payroll...if you aren’t already.

Hey Laurie-just as we are all ecstatic that Freestyle works for you and your 64 year old body, you need to be happy for us that the PREVIOUS program worked for us and in my case, my 58 year old body. Freestyle does NOT work for my 58 year old body and since my goal is WEIGHT LOSS, I am going back to the program that worked-the previous one. But go ahead and continue to post your success. I lost 40lbs on the previous plan and gained 8 on Failstyle.

AMEN Cathy S!!! AMEN!!! Congratulations to all of us who went back to the Program that worked for us rather than quit altogether out of frustration! It takes a lot of determination to step up and take that kind of control and not let negative feedback bring us down. Good luck to all of us.

Julie is 100% correct. There are lots of nasty remarks being made about those of us who did not do well on Freestyle and that's unacceptable. We are members of WW to lose weight and when someone has a problem with over-eating giving them "0 point" choices is an invitation to overeat. Although I'm still a member of WW and attend meetings, I am following the smart points program since it's been successful for me.

Let me chime in with Julie and friends.

The program as advertised did more than just say we could skip measuring and tracking 200 foods.

It also said, "Trust us. You'll lose weight."

So I trusted them, and I didn't lose weight.

When I first saw the program, it seemed too good to be true.

But I suspended my disbelief when I read those words: "Trust us. You'll lose weight."

Until then, I always DID trust Weight Watchers.

But now, I don't.

Laurie (the one who has posted 36 times) what is your name on Connect? Would you please

Post before and after pictures there so I can visually see your success?

Thanks!

Only the beginning of my 3rd week. Only have 23 points each day...down 6 pats from their earlier format. Concerned that I'm not getting enough fiber. I was actually eating very healthy foods before...but too much of it. I'm missing having nuts, alvocado and more whole wheat...too many points. Only lost .4 lb this week and I'm following the program.

I loved smartpoints. Lost weight easily.

Freestill is AWFUL!

I have put on weight since the new plan started.

This is my 4th time to join W.W. in 15years, this plan is the worst.

W.W. use to understand women and how they lose weight.

Seems like all they understand now is keep women heavy...make more money. :(

Started Freestyle a week ago and I am starving! I prefer the older program when you checked the points on everything thrn decide whether to eat or not. At first I was very excited so joined for 3 months. I am so regretting that decision now.

I have not been successful on the Freestyle program. I have maintained, but have 5 pounds to goal. I want my Smart Points back, as I lost 16 pounds on it. Hate it, but continuing on.

For those of you who are not being successful on Freestyle do what I'm doing, not Freestyle. I am continuing the points plus. Of course, you cannot keep a record of food eaten on the app, but that shouldn't stop you from following a successful program.

I lost 42lbs 5 years ago on Propoints (I think that's points plus in the U.S) but I was working in London and able to pop out for Sushi, Vietnamese food and Big Macs - definitely gaming the system.

I'd put 30lbs back on over the years - particularly a year living out of a hotel for work and was ready for a change. Freestyle points have been an absolute revelation. I've lost 14lbs in 2 months by following recipes from WW-friendly blogs and really feel this has helped with portion control (changing to one slice of toast, understanding what a portion of pasta is). I don't feel like I'm gaming the system now, merely that I'm eating a balanced diet. Everyday I have points left over for dessert (a packet of maltesers typically)and weeklies to go on a weekend blowout (this has been a visit to a steakhouse, a curry or a few pints of beer).

I want to change my earlier comment. I think the plan is just way too meat-heavy for me. I recognize that everyone’s body and taste buds are different, but I am just not able to get in enough carbs to fuel my running on this plan. And they are charging me an arm and a leg to cancel.

How about this thought about Freestyle? Maybe the Freestyle works best for the men who do Weight Watchers but not so well for women. You need to remember that men metabolism is quicker and higher than women metabolism. I think that Weight Watchers may have to look at this differently and realize these vast biological differences are apparent. Not just in losing weight but also calorically and in other areas as well,

I HATE FREESTYLE. I lost about 75 pounds before the switch to FreeStyle. i was doing really well but the psychout of so many more foods being zero points has caused stagnation. I am not a sweet eater and love my protein. And I am a binge eater. so if you tell me 3 oz of chicken is zero point and 10 oz of chicken is zero points .. i will pick the 10. my big problem is dips and sauces. so i now make them with zero point greek yogurt. i know i over indulge and try not to but there is not the accountability anymore to stick to portions controls. i can manage with my lower number of points because for the most part the foods i like are now all zero points. big trouble for me. i will probably not be continuing on WW after my yr contract is up.

Lori - Your experience with Freestyle was exactly mine. I too am a big protein eater so this program was a disaster for me. I’m back on Smart Points because it works for me. I’m also going to the weekly meetings to face the scale. I need that kind of accountability. When I say I’ll just weigh myself every week and keep track, I often times will cheat and not get on the scale until it’s 10 pounds or more up. I’m going to a WW meeting with a leader who is not pushing Freestyle. She’s more focused on how we’re feeling, if we’re tracking and moving, and helpful hints to combat our hunger.

I lost 50 pounds on WW LAST YEAR....it was the only thing that has ever worked. I have 50 left to lose. I understand that differeny things work for different people..I despise the new freestyle. I really think it would be great for WW to allow members to switch to either program. Please please can we have the option to go back!!!

Hate it. I actually joined twice. I quit both times within days and thankfully got a full refund. This is basically a low-carb AND low-sugar AND low-fat diet. Most low-carb diets are high fat, so I am not even sure what WW is doing anymore.

I don't understand how WW can say 12 oz. or even 24 oz. of plain chicken is ZERO points, but if I eat 4 oz. of ground beef, it is 6 points. Similarly, three bananas are zero points but 10 cashews is 6 points. There's no logic anymore to this diet.

If you don't eat chicken, eggs, tofu, and beans every day for every meal, you will be starving. Forget about eating out anywhere.

I disliked Points Plus as well. It was actually too much food. Going back to Momentum, which seems to make the most sense to me where every food has points. As it should. The zero points list was the biggest mistake that WW ever made.

I have not commented in quite some time, wanting to give freestyle another try. On smartpoints when I started WW and lost 32 lbs total in 6 months then came freestyle. I was 5 lbs from goal. I have been struggling with the 5 ever since up and down .5 lbs every week, more up the past few weeks now 8 lbs from goal. I have tried this for months, and I am not a binge eater but I am now back to tracking and measuring all zero point foods. Using itrackbites thanks to suggestions here! It is a wonderful thing. Down 2.1 lbs my first week back on SP. No longer using my WW tracker, I like the weigh in I need it, but freestyle is not for me. I see no enthusiasm at my meetings from most if this new plan, and it appears we have lost many in my 11 months here, that is a shame.

Here's what I have gleaned from reading the comments: the people who like freestyle and have lost on it have admitted that they limit portion sizes. What WW pushed when introducing freestyle was that you had to lose 7 of your old smart points to make up from having NO LIMIT on, and many more, zero-point foods. Yet the people for whom it's working are criticizing the rest of us for not limiting portions. So in effect, they are not following the freestyle diet as it was presented.

So basically, WW has taken away 7 points from us, plus intimating that yes, we must limit portion sizes of zero foods. Where's the gain in this (other than on our bodies, I mean...)?

A poster above has it right--it's a low carb diet without the benefit of satisfying fats that go along with a low-carb diet. I couldn't live (or lose weight) on the Atkins diet. Smart Points worked well for me. Now WW wants me basically on the Atkins diet minus the fat. Why do they think this is sustainable? I could not do this for the rest of my life.

I LOVE it! I've tried Weight Watchers three times previously and, while I had some limited success, it ultimately proved too difficult trying to track every little thing and I would give up. When my husband and I decided we needed to get on the diet ball at the beginning of the year, we ended up going with WW Freestyle for several reasons; the large selection of free foods, the cost of the online membership is good and, lastly, no meetings with the online membership (my husband refuses to go to meetings). We set our expectations realistically and we've both been losing weight steadily since. We both find that the free foods make sticking to our points very reasonable - yes, sometimes we decide to eat a piece of fruit instead of a cookie, but we find that does the trick and isn't that really the point of learning to eat well for life? My biggest joy with WW Freestyle is hearing my husband say that this is the first time he feels like he's making a change that's a lifestyle change rather than being on a 'diet.' I agree.

I am still loving freestyle, its a great lifestyle plan if you figure out how to incorporate it so that it works in your life. I build my foods around the zero point foods. True the zero point foods don't need to be weighed, measured or tracked you should be able to eat just until satisfied (not full or stuffed) but me being me and knowing why I am over weight in the first place is because I don't read my bodies signal to tell me that I am satisfied. Satisfied normally means getting away from food with the feeling that you can still eat more but you shouldn't. Until I can completely trust myself to read my signals I choose to weigh and measure the zero point foods because they have calories and because of this the plan is working. Once my stomach shrinks from getting used to eating less foods I will no longer need to weigh and measure. My leader says don't look at it like it is a endless smorgasbord because it is not. Hope you all figure out the plan cause once you do it is great!

@Cyndy The diet is working for me and I do NOT count free foods. I track them as 0 points. I keep a bag of roasted chicken and some fruits in the front of my fridge and eat them if I'm hungry and do NOT count them. Now I will say at first I was losing 5 lbs a week and now it's slowed to 1-2 lbs but I am still losing. I ate out 3x last week and still lost. I am never hungry. I truly empathize with those for whom this diet isn't working. I am trying to get all the weight off fast because they will change it again in 2 years.

Hate hate hate the new program. Long time fan of WW, always able to keep my weight in check counting points. I have gained weight for the first time in 18 years on free style. In addition, hungry all the time! Just not enough points to enjoy healthy carbs which in the past helped keep me full and energized. Too restrictive. Gave it 6 months but done

I Hate the new program. I was doing so good, until they changed to freestyle. The point of weight watchers was never to feel like you are on a diet. It’s almost impossible to not eat over 23 points. I wish they gave you an option to keep the old system.its so discouraging!

I believe the new plan is too restrictive to make it a lifestyle for a lot of us...at least, if you don't eat your activity points. I think my activity points are exaggerated, so I try not to eat them. I have a fitbit, but sometimes moving my wrist will register as a step, so I'm getting way more steps than I really should be and therefore more activity points. I think the freestyle plan assumes you will eat those 7 points in 0 point foods. While I do eat some eggs and some fruit. I don't eat enough 0 point foods to make up for the points they took from me. I could be out of points for the day, but then when I go to My Fitness Pal I might only have 800 calories. How is that healthy? I would rather have to track everything and have my points back.

For those people who don't like Freestyle there are apps like iTrackBites and ProTracker that let you choose WW diet plans like Power Points and Smart Points. For accountability get a few friends, work partners, or neighbors together to weigh in every week. There are also websites and Facebook groups you can be accountable to, where people talk about recipes and encouragement, and post their loss or gains. Giving your money to WW to weigh-in while following a different program still makes WW the winner. WW will never know Freestyle isn't the right plan for many of us if they are still getting our money. 20 months is a long time to wait for another plan and who knows what kind of plan that will be. Add up how much money WW will be getting from you. I think we have brain washed ourselves that we have to physically go to a meeting or we won't lose weight and because of this WW will not feel the dissatisfaction of the Freestyle program. Many of us are still going to the meetings, fixing our online to maintenance to get those 30 points back, and buying WW products and books. So who do we have to blame, WW or those who don't take a stand?

I meant to say Points Plus not Power Points.😊

Hate this freestyle plan. Lost 48 lbs in six months on the old plan, since the new plan, 0 weight loss. The WW freestyle plan is a marketing plan to entice new members, while really not helping their clients, us. WW lets go back to tracking everything, and have a successful program for everyone.

It's only fair to let Weight Watchers know that Freestyle doesn't work for everyone and that you may have to resort back to a version that actually works for you. Thanks for the info on apps that utilize the older versions of WW.

@Barb I am online only and very happy so I sure am not brainwashed into thinking I have to go to meetings to lose weight. I am accountable to myself only and I love Freestyle. I’m terrified they’re going to mess it up in 20 months.

Reply to current post. The fault lies between both parties. Meaning both Weight Watchers and its members are both at fault. I never did like Weight Watchers when they became the point system. They were a lot better when they had the food exchange system way before they even introduced the Point System in general. Points is not what it is cracked up to be. With the food exchange you knew it was going to be balanced and that it is much better for weight loss. If you can't stand WW and its points system go somewhere different like TOPS. There you get the support and do whatever diet works for you in taking off the weight. And, heck, it cost a lot less than WW. I personally do the food exchange and have lost more than 100 pounds, actually close to 200 pounds lost. And that was in doing a food exchange diet that is balanced. Yes, I've tried the Points System but it didn't work for me because I knew that the food exchange system works best for me because it was a balanced program. And yes, at one point in time with Weight Watchers (back in their earlier days before points was even introduced) program was a food exchange plan and a lot of people really lost the weight.

I lost 30 lbs on the original points program and reached my IBW for my height. It worked well and I have been a successful lifetime member ever since. The best thing about the old program is you actually could have anything you wanted. I loved the meetings but no longer go because I still use the old plan. I don’t think Oprah is a good role model for sucessful weight loss.

The best program for me was the classic points program. I lost 25 lbs. Over the years, especially when I hit middle age, I gained a few back (not all). I struggled to take it off with points plus, smartpoints, and freestyle. No luck!

My husband urged me to try the classic points again on my own. So, I'm following that now, and feeling more successful.

Joined WW 1/2017 and lost 42 lbs on SP plan. I am not an APP person and never used it, so I purchased the comprehensive SP Shopping Guide, Dining Out Restaurant Guide, SP calculator and scale. I AM SO GLAD I DID! I have gone back on Smart Points manually and now, I truly am back in control of how I lose weight. I hate Freestyle. In the 2 months I tried it, I gained 9 lbs! Why? Because I was over-eating because I felt hungry. I went from 33 SP plus 40 weekly bonus points I never used before to 25 freestyle points per day, which weren't enough, so I was digging into and running out of weekly bonus points. I called WW for help where the guy told me if I am hungry to eat more free foods, "as many as I want" like eggs. I don't care how they try to sell it, but there's no such thing as "zero points" or foods free of calories unless we're talking water. Nonsense. Three eggs is 210 calories - not ZERO points or calorie consumption that does not need to be accounted for. On SP, eggs were calculated as 2 points each, which is why many of us used substitute to save points. The FreeStyle Commercial running on my local TV network angers me because it is SO deceptive and dishonest. One, Oprah didn't have her major weight loss on FreeStyle - she was a Smart Points loser like me. One of the actors in the commercial dances around a plate of sushi and says "I have the freedom to dine out and dig in." Uh... NO YOU DON'T. Let me explain as someone who eats out frequently and still managed to lose 42 lbs on SP. On Smart Points when I had 33 points, eating that Chicken Parm dinner at 13 points daily and a slice of cheesecake weekly for dessert were doable. The 13 points came out of my daily total and the cheesecake out of my weekly bonus pts. I also was still able to eat normal breakfast and lunch and snacks within the day and not go over my daily allotment. Not anymore. Now, I have 25 pts, so those 13 points means that over half my daily pts are sucked up in one meal, which screws me for lunch and breakfast. I don't have any weekly bonus points left for the cheesecake, because I have to tap into them everyday just to get through the day without going nuts from hunger. The math doesn't add up calorically. As long as WW counts fruits and beans as "zero points or free foods", Freestyle will never work like a low-carb Atkins or South Beach diet. One cannot attain ketosis this way, which is why high protein-low complex carb, NO simple carb diets cause weight loss. By not accounting for actual daily calorie consumption, which is the one thing people whom are overweight and tend to eat more need in order to be successful, it's now doubt I gained on Freestyle. I was taking in too many calories. It doesn't matter if the calories are healthy fiber or protein - they are still calories. FS is being marketed as a weight loss plan. It is not. It is a healthier eating wellness and maintenance plan for people who've already reached their goal weight like Oprah.

Amanda, totally agree with you. And I didn't even know Oprah a) was on WW SmartPoints,or b) even lost any weight! Her weight is all over the place--up, down, up, down.

I'm astounded the WW guy told you to eat more zero points. Calories in, weight on. Ridiculous.

Like you, I bought the calculator and still have my quick guide to smart points, plus I had reached goal and maintained for over a year. So I pretty much know the point value of foods by heart. I have to run the food bloggers' recipes through the calculator to figure out the old SP value, and some of them are astounding. One blogger had a recipe which said 1 Freestyle point, and it was NINE old smart points! Tell me that isn't going to sabotage one's weight loss.

I'm not renewing my membership. When I joined last year I was very successful, the first diet that ever worked for me. Yes, it was more measuring, but I lost a lot more weight. I've been on the freestyle (200 "free" foods) plan for two months and gained weight while following it 100%. I'm done with WW. Very, very disappointed.

Before I read all the comments, I wanted to say that I'm pretty happy with Freestyle after a week. It's on me to make the right choices regardless of the point value. I've mixed up a few things and am enjoying every single thing I eat. It's all about the delicious. I'm not trying a lot of new things right now, but who knows? I just might. I, too, miss the lower points of red meats; I will still eat them, but will have zero point items to go with it. I felt the last program was too restrictive and quit it. So far, there's nothing I want that I haven't had or was able to have. I'm even going to start going to meetings. It's all a process and a bit of a puzzle, but it's one I can live with right now.

Laurie (of the 36 posts) hasn’t posted in a while. Hmmmm

Four weeks and never once have I exceeded my freestyle points. Not lost any weight. Would rather give points to everything if that would help me loose.

I recently re-joined WW after an eight-year absence. I had reached my lifetime goal on the Points Plus program within seven months, but put some of the weight back on. I was hoping to have the same success with the new Freestyle program; but after a month, I have not seen the weight loss I had hoped for. Even with the 200 zero-point foods, I feel that the program lacks variety in the types of foods I can eat and still meet the 23-point daily allowance. (For health concerns, I need my daily milk and cranberry juice, which takes 6-8 points right off of that 23-point allowance.) This program may work well for some, but it may not be for me. I'll probably quit after my 3-month introductory stint and look into using one of the tracking programs mentioned in previous posts.

Freestyle is not the program for me so I have quit WW because of it. I have food allergies to include eggs, dairy, and wheat. I find Freestyle to be VERY limiting and seems amazing close to Atkins or Dr. Oz's new diet. With the Smart Points program I could truly eat whatever I wanted and still lost weight. I can not eat whatever I want on Freestyle. I am highly disappointed that WW did away with the Smart Points program in its entirety instead of running both programs simultaneously. I was very successful on the Smart Points program. I've gained a lot back trying to play around with the Freestyle program. Boo to Freestyle.

I've been fat for the last 15 years and was 360 lbs when I started this a week ago, now I'm 345.6 lbs after just 7 days! I know that when you are as heavy as me the weight flies off the first couple of weeks, but I have lost 50 lbs+ 3 times before and I was always a lot more hungry than on Freestyle, I have had points left 6 out of 7 days and about the only thing I can't fit into my budget is Chinese takeout and fast food, but I think that holds true for every healthy diet. My wife is much smaller than me and she lost 4 lbs in her first week too! I will admit that sticking to your budget is MUCH harder for women with a lot less weight to lose than big fat guys like me but if you stick to it it works. 16.4 down, 93.6 lbs to go!

I love the smart points of WW! I just started 1-2-2018! I lost a stone and a half.

But still have to lose more for the summer and this is my new lifestyle!

I like to experiment with food and just made yesterday a zero points brownie!

You like the recipe! here we go.
3/4 cup low fat yogurt,
3 tbsp Hershi Sugar free coco powder

2 small aubergines cut in cubes or 1 big aubergine,

1 egg , 1 apple, 1 banana

2 little pouches of Stevia, 1 tsp baking powder, pinch of salt.

bring all the food in a food processor (as last the baking powder),

Mix well, the mixture should look really mashy, because you do not use any flour!

Bake in oven about 40 minutes on 180 degrees/ 350 F.

cut in small cubes. Nobody will taste you put aubergines in it! Good luck.

Well, the good news is, that after switching back to the old SmartPoints plan, I'm finally starting to lose the weight I gained on Freestyle!

A calorie is a calorie. And a point is a calorie at least it is a form of it, no matter how you slice it. WW counts calories into the point system equation whether or not you accept that or not. And there is no such thing as 0 calories no matter how you slice it.

I love Freestyle. I have had no problem switching to it and in fact find it easier. I love that I can add peas and corn or chickpeas to my salad and not have to count those points. I really feel I am eating better than I was before and the rollover points saved me during the holidays. I actually lost weight.

I am not a fan of Freestyle and get tired of people who love it telling me that it's not that big of a change. I'm someone who either doesn't eat or doesn't like most of the items on the zero point food list. So to lose 7 points a day doesn't balance out the 3 ounces of chicken I would normally count when on SmartPoints. I'm steadily either maintaining or gaining weight and am frequently hungry. I understand changing programs, but when you find things that work, why keep forcing people to change? I don't think it would be so hard to make it so that there was an option on the WW app to choose if you're following Freestyle or Smartpoints to keep more customers. You make your choice and the points allowance adjusts accordingly. I know I'm not the only one to quit due to this change.

Allison, can you stick with what was working for you (the old program)?

I hate it. It is good for a maintenance diet but not losing. I have been on this diet for 3 months. I have lost 11 lbs. The month of May lost only one lb. And I have been following it to the letter. The original point program of the late 90's I was losing 2 lbs a week and never plateaued.I actually thinking about going back to that program and I have the old calculator.

I joined WW June 2015 and liked the program better. Although, once I lost around 50 lbs, I was playing more, because your daily points always stayed the same. I called WW and said that my Dr said the daily points should be decreased for each 20 lbs. So, WE didn't go back to the time when they would do that and when Freestyle came about November 2017, my 75 lb weight loss has gone up and down. Partly because I'm eating more points with the so called "zero" point foods. Those eggs, seafood, beans, corn, all have many calories. So,while you think your staying within the 13 - 23 "healthy" eating some, you may be eating MORE than the prior program. It's misleading people and just a way to REEL IN MORE MEMBERS. People are forced to eat less carbs to lose or get to goal. You hear so many people complaining about ups and down.."hello" your "zero point" foods are a lie to your body! I'm frustrated! I pay 45 a month to hear" maybe you should count your "zero points" on paper, so the App doesn't reflect you're not in the healthy eating, or to actually how many points you are REALLY eating". I don't want to pay money to do my own program! WW Free Style is making me be more in my head about how many points I'm REALLY eating due to "zero point foods ". I should sue....lol

I'm a big guy. I had 62 points before and now have 50. That's fine, but what's to stop someone like me (not me because I wouldn't do this) from saying "Well as long as I stay within points I'm good!" and eating nothing but chicken breast and beans while filling up on 50 points worth of cake?

FREESTYLE IS A GREAT MAINTENANCE DIET. BUT I AM LOSING VERY SLOWLY like 2-4 oz. A week.

I’ve stopped the auto payment. Actually I stopped and they still tried to take it out. I knew they would so I blocked auto pay on my account. I lost between 20/25 lbs from September through the end of December. I haven’t lost a pound since. I’ve gained and lost the same 3-4 lbs since. Ive gone back to the old program using paper and pencil.

Smart idea, Mary for doing the program by pen/pencil and paper. I found that that is the best way to do it no matter what weight loss program you do. I personally like doing it pencil/pen and paper myself. A much stronger accountability.

I have a question when you join do you get 23 or 30 daily points and 35 weekly ?

Thank you for this thread, it has been very informative!!!!!Thank you for ALL of your comments. I have almost joined WW several times the last couple of weeks. Was trying to decide if I wanted to do the online app or meetings. Even sat outside one of their offices/ stores last week....so glad I didn’t join. Seems like there are so many more negative than positive posts. Thanks for the information on the other apps. And Facebook options.

I stopped the app and going to meetings. I’ve been lifetime for 25 years and have now gained weight on this program. I can only eat so much chicken and eggs. I don’t like fish. Maybe in January they will change it back. It’s too restrictive and am shocked that they changed the program to tell us what we must eat.

I do DO NOT like the Freestyle! It was hard enough that before Freestyle in November 2017, the Daily 30 Smart Points was just not allowing me to lose after 75 lbs. I still have 22 to go. Weight Watchers needed to go back when for every 10 lb loss your Dailies would go down. Like my Doctor said, you either exercise till you drop OR reduce your Dailies aka calories to continue to lose. I told the Weight Watchers Chat person that I was going to go back to the 30, and NOT do Freestyle. I 'll count my chicken, beans, eggs, fish, Fat Free yogurt as the points they were before, AND, I will decrease my Dailies as I lose. She said it was OK. But, the APP is NOT designed for it. I KNOW that! Dah...

I hate it. I lost a good amount of weight on Smart Points--almost 30 pounds, and was really motivated, loved the way it gave me flexibility. I'm on steroids, so it's hard for me to lose weight, and I'm also anemic, so I need to eat things that are high in iron. Making shellfish "free" with freestyle is helpful there, but losing 7 points a day meant that a lot of other things that are high in iron aren't on the list anymore--red meat being a big one, as well as dark meat turkey.

If you read the 200 "free things" list, a lot of those things are INGREDIENTS. You don't eat arrow root, lemon zest, lime zest, etc. as FOOD. They're additions TO food. So yeah, you could put lemon zest on your chicken....but for the most part, you're eating white meat turkey, white meat chicken, and eggs, as your protein sources. Oh, and tofu. That's a lot of "white" food.

Also, bringing back the starchy veggies as "0 points" is a mistake. You can eat a lot of baked potato and corn on the cob for "0" points, and peas. It doesn't make sense.

There's also no healthy fat that you can have. Olive oil, avocado....that's high in points. So that "7" points that everyone says is a granola bar? That's two pieces of avocado toast from a WW cookbook on SP. That's a smallish steak for me. That's really filling, quality food that I need.

So, yeah. Not a fan.

I was all for Freestyle when it started. It did not seem like that much of a change and it is (supposedly- see below) science based. I have become frustrated and annoyed after giving it a go for 7 months. I have lost 12 pounds at most since the switch. I still have a lot to lose and this is frustrating. So, I started digging and reaching out to others. I double tracked for a few days and woah. No freaking wonder. So I looked for this science my leader was mentioning. It was a single study of around 150 people. That is not enough of a sample size plus it was paid for by WW at the University of N Carolina - science teacher here shaking her head. I do not have access to enough of the study to see how many of those 150 were over eaters but I suspect this is the problem many of us have with Freestyle. I have to have structure and limits or I will overeat. Period. I don’t have a healthy relationship with food. I see Freestyle as an ideal. An ideal I would love to achieve but The 4 months I was on Beyond the Scale was not enough for me to build better habits yet. I am keeping my membership as I need and enjoy my group, but I am going back to what I was doing before. I am glad it works for so many but I am not finding success anymore.

I am in the not loving Freestyle camp. In a year on Smart Points I lost every week except for two. Since switching to Freestyle I gained every week. I switched back to SP and immediately began losing again. Unlimited beans, peas and eggs does not work for me. I wish WW would give you a choice because what works for some does not work for others. WW is the only eating plan that I have ever had success with so I wish they could find a way incorporate different eating plans for different people.

I hate freestyle. It leaves to much room for error and I'm gaining again. I need more structure, and the 30 day smart points plan had exactly that. I miss it terribly!

I agree. I,too, need a little more structure with the point system. I may have to go back to a time when it was a little more structured and not so much flexibility. Looking for the materials from the when points was first introduced. Anybody remember the name when points first came out?

I know I posted a few times since joining WW in February. I have a job that has me traveling 3-4 days a week. I am usually home ONLY on the weekends and typically too tired to cook :). I put on a lot of weight (and needed a seatbelt extension on a plane) and was huffing/puffing through various airports. So far - just using the app I lost 28 pounds in 15 weeks. The zero point food list is the "go to" for the times I don't have time to figure out how many points is this or that. In restaurants, I can guage meals (mostly hotel restaurants or airport restaurants not in the quick look up menus). It helps me keep in control. The meetings themselves are helpful - especially when I travel to meet locals where I am working and hone in on restaurants with healthier choices. Another big change was extended stay's for any trip more than 1 night at a location. I can stock up on foods that I like and manage things a little better. I hit at least 2 meetings a month - I don't go every week because of the work schedule/travel schedule. I also find that I am making time to use the hotel gym's a lot more because I am trying to hit a "fit point" goal tracking on my iwatch. So far -- so good... Sticking to it... not fixing what's not broken.

I'm in the "not liking it at all" camp. I actually canceled my WW membership because of it. It's not working for me (note, I said FOR ME), so I didn't see the point in paying for something I couldn't use. I loved the original (classic) program, didn't care for points plus, and did really well with smart points. Free style is just not my cup of tea.

It's now been 6 month on Freestyle and I still hate it. I haven't lost - I've gained.. I'm active and that is the only thing saving me. I will most likely discontinue WW after this month.. When you can't have any sugar free things (due to allergies) the freestyle is so very restrictive. The Smart Points worked well... and I was almost at goal.. thanks a lot WW!!

I'm going to pull out my Beyond the Scale Books and here is why:

First time on WW was in 1989! Lost 80 lbs in 2 years.

1994: Had 30 lbs to lose after having a baby. 2 years later 30 lbs gone!

1998-2000: Thyroid Disease....resulted in 30 lb gain Joined WW....lost and gained same 10 lbs for years...(points plus & all those plans during this time period just did not work for me!)

2017: At Work Program had the new Beyond the Scale! FINALLY after 17 years of yo-yoing....I was losing steadily again!....started Sept 26....by Christmas down 15 lbs! and a dress size....hello Size 10...(in 1989 I was a size 22!)....

2018: Freestyle introduced! ....I find myself not being able to stick to the 23 points a day....also going over the 35 weeklies I had....I also found myself bingeing more on junk I hadn't eaten since I was a teenager.....I was eating more eggs and beans and chickens (a lot of tacos)....but I'm so sick of it....when I want my old BTS program breakfast of oatmeal and a nonfat latte (it's now 9 points!!!!).....so I tend to just not eat it because of the points.....

Suffice to say: It's July 2nd and I have now gained back all my weight. I am miserable. I also noticed some weeks I would double track WW and My Fitness Pal just to see the calorie intake and found I was only eating about 800 calories a day. I also was feeling light headed a lot (and surprise at my annual physical the dr said I had LOW glucose levels....told me to snack on nuts when I feel dizzy)...does he know how many points nuts are???!!!! LOL....

Freestyle is not for me. I am going back to Beyond the Scale for these 30 lbs I need to lose...I hope for 2019 WW will give us the option of BTS or Freestyle.

I am so discouraged.....and I am so miserable having gained back the 14 lbs....I was so excited last year when I joined on my 49th birthday and thinking I'm finally going to reach my goal weight by my 50th birthday...but here I am yet another summer of feeling like a failure.....

Beyond the scale, lost 52 lbs, slowly but steadily over a 1yr period. Along comes freestyle, and 0lb loss over last 6 months. I followed both plans as planned. Started using I track bites and found out I was eating on average 10 extra points a day on fs. Now ww is using healthy is the new skinny as their marketing plan. All of this equals people being on the plan longer, less people making goal, less life timers, all of which equals bigger profit for ww. Hopefully ww will start looking at helping people lose weight again, instead of the bottom line.

I also am frustrated with Freestyle! Chicken, eggs, beans, non fat yogurt.....all ZERO points...not to my body. 23 daily points, ridiculous. I was down 80, but when Freestyle was introduced November 2017, I was frustrated when I gained. This Freestyle is too inconsistent in calories according to my Dr. We should SUE out of mental anguish. I won't quit working on losing weight. but Weight Watchers needs to rethink their program. I already called Weight Watchers and made my complaint.

I totally agree that different versions of WW points system works better than others. Like the older versions work better than the newest one, Freestyle. Still looking for the older ones like the 1997 version. Could use some ideas on where to find them. I believe in counting every point (or calories) however you look at it for every food. Ideas?

I agree. The older program 1997, I was losing 2 lbs a week. In the last 2 months on Freesyle I am losing 4 oz a week. So discouraging. I believe it is to keep you coming, less life times. Weight Watchers should go back to the old programs that worked and showed some hope in getting the weight off.

For those who ask because Freestyle is not working and older versions were more successful, here is a list of old programs:

1997 - 1-2-3 Success - The First Points Program

2001 Winning Points - Redesign of the 1-2-3 Plan

2004 Turn Around - with Flex and Core. New Core Plan - Later to be known as Simply Filling - Allows for a list of foods to be eaten 'until satisfied' - without counting points. (Some concepts similar to South Beach Diet) Activity Points can be earned, but used that day only - no banking of points.

2008 Momentum - Points Program that takes filling foods from the Core concept and combines it with the Points program. Core has been eliminated. Simply Filling is the new name for Core. You can earn 35 weekly points and activity points based on weight, duration and intensity of exercise. Activity Points can now be banked weekly. There is a range of 18-37 daily points.

2010 Points Plus - Points Plus and Simply Filling Technique (Simply Filling is similar to previous Core plan) - There are new daily target ranges, new point values, all the points are now referred to as Points Plus. Points are now calculated with 4 values instead of 3 - carbs, fat, fiber, and protein. Daily point range is now 26-71 daily points, with 49 weekly points - A substantial increase, however, most food now also has a higher point value.

Simply Filling Technique (SFT) also gets 49 weekly points to be used for non SFT foods. Both plans earn Activity Points, which can be banked weekly.

2012 - 360 Points Plus and Simply Filling with the addition of Behavioral and Environmental changes. No changes to food values!

Not loving Freestyle. I am hungry and I'm sick of eggs and chicken! I need a little sugar in my diet to stay on the program. 😞

I had to quit after trying freestyle many months ago. It absolutely is not freeing.. but actually felt a lot to me like trying to do another round of Whole 30... and please do not take this offensively, but I feel that freestyle works seemingly pretty well for those that have a significant amount of weight to lose. I'm sure with it being such a drastic change in someone's diet they absolutely are going to lose. If you think about it, someone who is 50+ lbs overweight is having to eat a lot of calories to maintain that weight. Once they start freestyle, their bodies are confronted with such a drastic change in their diet that of course they lose weight. But for those of us that have quite a bit less to lose the plan is a dud. I sure wish they'd bring back the 30 sp!!

I agree totally that the freestyle works for people who have a significant amount of weight to lose. Freestyle is so similar to Atkins. My mom, my sister, and I also tried at I agree totally that the freestyle works for people who have a significant amount of weight to lose. This is been so similar to Atkins. My mom, my sister, and I tried Atkiks. My sister always much more than my mom and me lost 30 pounds. My mom lost eight and I lost six. We were on it for about a month or more. I have some of the diet plans from a couple of years ago as well as points plus. I had come back to weight watchers in September and my Christmas had lost 25 pounds. I did not lose another pound. I stopped paying for weight watchers and following the program. I have now lost weight back to my December weight without dieting. S I had come back to weight watchers in September and buy Christmas had lost 25 pounds. I did not lose another pound. I stopped paying for weight watchers and following the program A few months ago. I have now lost weight back to my December weight without dieting. In the fall I’ll go back to doing some of these without going to weight watchers. Right now I need a break from thinking about it.

Since it is very evident that Freestyle doesn't seem to work too well for a lot of people, where can we find the older versions of points for WW. I would like to find one of them and give it a try to get the remainder of my weight down about 20-30 pounds to my goal weight which will be close to having lost 130 pounds in total.

Thanks for sharing this. I'm just starting on my fitness journey and I really want to make a change towards a better quality of life. I know I lack the persistence but having somewhat a program will definitely help to ensuring that I be on track. I've heard a lot about weight-watchers and what it does. Been reading through a fair bit of a review prior to deciding to commit. There were definitely two distinctive sides to it; some say it does help and another where it is of no use (and that it's better to look for other viable fitness programs instead). Then, I am tear between as well with this program review that I get to stumble upon throughout my research (sorry, I do try to learn more about things before taking action) which looks suitable for beginners like us that comes at a one-time price commitment. https://greatbigminds.com/best-diet-to-lose-belly-fat/ Though I am not certain *yet* as well if it is as easy as it's saying it to be. I would definitely love to hear a second opinion from an expert in this field and given that you are one, would you think WW is a viable commitment to undertake? Thank you for the help.

I HAD TO COPY/PASTE THIS COMMENT -

The people who love Freestyle are vegetarians who eat beans and tofu (zero points!) and others who find that the new zero point foods were already in their plans.

I eat fat free-refried beans and that's the only kind maybe 2x a week, and that is just so it doesn't go bad in my fridge.

I have NEVER eaten TOFU on Freestyle.

Since the first week of December when Freestyle started, I have lost 50 lbs!!!

Yes, 50 lbs and I will be 65 in September!

I watch my portion sizes - the chicken breasts that I buy are at least 9 oz cooked! I eat all the green veggies that I want!

WW never eliminated the SUGGESTED portion sizes in the WW tracker.

A woman stopped me after my meeting last week to ask me how I had lost 50 lbs. She was thin - I asked her how much she had to lose - 15 lbs. I asked her if she measured her food, she replied no.

I asked her how much fruit she ate each day and what kind...did she measure out her grapes, cherries etc? No. You can't eat half a watermelon...that is not a serving size.

Hi there-

I am actually shocked at the amount of negative reviews of WW Freestyle program. Name any fad diet you can think of and I've probably tried it. Even crazier? I probably even succeeded with it. Worst part? I gained all of the weight I lost PLUS some back. I tried the "old" weight watchers and became extremely frustrated because I felt like I was starving all day long. There's a difference between starving from lack of protein (old ww) versus craving sweets (new). Needless to say-- I quit. When the new Freestyle program came out, I decided to try it (After all, I was at my heaviest weight and miserable...Nothing was working long term! Since January, I have gone from being considered medically "obese" to "healthy weight" and I feel great! Of course this program doesn't allow for many sweets. I mean, sweets and carbs are likely the reason many of us are even searching for a program such as Weight Watchers to begin with! This new program makes it MUCH easier since individuals such as myself are able to choose healthy options. After awhile, that is what your mind is programmed to choose, for the most part. Weight Watchers still allows for celebrations and while many previous comments mentioned the loss of points, you have 35 weekly points. Even greater? If you move you get more! (and you still lose!)

I lost 32 pounds on the 30 point program. I was so happy! Then the program changed to freestyle and I gained back 10 pounds. Since Oprah took over, it is a joke. Maybe her chef makes the correct meals for her, but I could not. I want the 30 point system. I quit my subscription and am stuck. I finally found something good and it was taken away!

I read here that someone said "a calorie is a calorie" -- that is not true. A calorie out is a calorie out ... but a calorie is reacts differently depending where it came from.

Laura -

No one ever put on weight eating too many green veggies. We all know that.

A calorie from protein is going to keep you fuller longer than a calorie from sugar. When you eat sugar, you're left wanting more, more, more. You're only temporarily satisfied.

Another poster said, she doesn't have a chef.

Well, I don't like cooking and I cook for one..so I don't want leftovers in my freezer.

Keep it simple!

I take a chicken breast and I put on it either salsa or sugar free bbq sauce or some seasoning and I bake it. I even use foil so there is nothing to really clean up!

I roast my green veggies, or I eat 1/2 a sweet potato, make a salad to go with it. There are plenty of low point salad dressings on the market.

I earn 120 activity points a week because I choose to do low impact aerobics for up to 2 hrs a day. One hr in the morning and one in the late afternoon. I even do it while watching my favorite tv shows. I exercise so much because I'm about to be 65 and I want to lose weight faster. Down 50 lbs since the first week in December.

I joined Weight Watcher's June 2015. I lost 75 lbs, but since Freestyle I've been struggling. My Doctor said, you can't eat those Zero point chicken, beans, corn, fish, tofu, eggs, nonfat yogurt if your daily points are not consistent like when you had 30 each day. Anyway,I'm frustrated. Two friends are quitting due to inconsistencies. I am not giving up, but $45 per month not to get consistent results is not right. Weight watchers office told me to go back to the 30, but said of course the App will not work and to find the old books and calculator. Not right!

Sharon,

Zero points doesn't mean zero calories.

Measure/weigh out your portion sizes for 2 weeks. The info is in the tracker as to what the portion sizes are.

Yes, I know the point of freestyle is not to measure...but your portion sizes could be too big.

I don't measure out my salad greens, asparagus, broccoli, green beans- veggies like that because no one put on weight from eating too many veggies.

How much fruit are you eating? Its easy to consume too many grapes, cherries, watermelon. Eat only 2 - 3 fruits a day. Don't buy the largest bananas, apples, etc in the store.

Sharon said: I joined Weight Watcher's June 2015. I lost 75 lbs, but since Freestyle I've been struggling. My Doctor said, you can't eat those Zero point chicken, beans, corn, fish, tofu, eggs, nonfat yogurt if your daily points are not consistent like when you had 30 each day. Anyway,I'm frustrated. Two friends are quitting due to inconsistencies. I am not giving up, but $45 per month not to get consistent results is not right. Weight watchers office told me to go back to the 30, but said of course the App will not work and to find the old books and calculator. Not right!

@Sharon, do you still have your materials/calculator from an older WW program that worked for you? If not, apparently itrackbites.com has an app for that, or you could get on eBay and see if you can find the materials you need.

@Laurie, if you have to do two hours of aerobics per day in order to lose weight on Freestyle, it's no wonder people are discouraged with the program and are not losing weight. You live alone, apparently you have enough free time in your day to devote two hours to aerobics. Unusual for most people. Also, your sample menu is not something I could live on for the rest of my life. I obtained goal on SmartPoints, with the biggest advantage being you can eat whatever you want, as long as you count the points. That's variety; that's a lifestyle, not a diet. Freestyle is restrictive. Any eating plan that is restrictive is not a lifestyle that many will stick with for the rest of their lives.

Weight watchers is in the business of making money and changing the programs are how they do,it keeps it interesting for some and derails others.

If weight watchers was the diet miracle for everyone weight watchers would not exist.

#Sharon,

I agree with you.

In October 2017 I was three # away from my 75# weight loss goal. Now in July 2018 I am 12# away from that same goal.

It is DEVASTATING!

#weightwatchers should give us options stay on Freestyle I'd it works, or go back to an older program that worked if we choose to.

Please #WeightWatchers there are SO MANY of us saying the SAME thing #HELPIFYOUCARE. :(

Ok really? Laurie and Alyssa you are hired by weight watchers to say positive things. Your names keep popping up every now and again with your scripted comments . You guys insult our intelligence.

The program is a fail. It needs to be revised . Go write a script and tell the WW people over and over again “ you failed “

Hi there Dianne and others! I hope everyone is having a great Monday morning. I am not scripted to write for WW. Although that would be nice as I am a college student (extra $ would be awesome!). I carry an 18-credit hour class load, works 2 jobs, travel with the ball teams, and have mandatory volunteer hours and 3 Bible college chapels a week. I in NO WAY say that to brag or bring attention to myself. I just say that to be open about my "normal" (as in, everyone has similar crazy schedules), busy lifestyle, I don't have much of time for sleep or fun times with friends, much less time to exercise. Somehow, I still manage to exercise ~45 minutes 3-5Xs a week. I know that isn't much but it is better than nothing. I definitely understand the time limitation and the struggle of fast food choices and the struggle to have enough will-power to say "no" to brownies. You know... all of the good, cheap stuff! ;) One reason I believe this has worked for me is because my body does NOT do well with sweets. I had a snack sized snickers bar (because who can pass that up and it was within my points), stuck to my points the entire week, exercised for 45 mins or so 3 times that week, and that was the only week I gained during my first 3 months or so. However, my roommate (also a WW member) cannot eat too many fruits (even though they are zero) without gaining but she can have a sweet or two and still lose. I never meant to offend anyone and hate that this program is not working for others! I know how frustrating it can be to get used to something and then it's gone... change is HARD! I am a regular girl who loves food just as much (probably more) than the next. Perhaps not every diet works for everyone, I don't doubt that. Thankfully, this one definitely has worked for me. In fact, it also worked for my grandfather, who was on dialysis 3X a week for over FIVE years, until he dropped 50 lbs in less than a year, went to his annual check-up and found out that by doing so, he put his name further up on the list. He received a kidney less than 3 months later, in June and that was a huge answer to prayers and thanks to his new focus on fruits, veggies, and lean protein. Perhaps you all could suggest the option for one plan or another to WW. Maybe they would recognize they have the potential to target a larger variety of metabolisms.

Boy, everything that I have read on Snack Girl about the new program with Weight Watchers is so true. I'm going to start searching around for the older versions of WW back in 1997 or go with the earlier version of WW points. That one worked well for me. I know that that one really works for me because I need to count the points (or calories). Freestyle is out for me.

I'm still attending meetings for accountability, but I started doing Keto a little over two weeks ago. I want to see what it brings to me. The back logic to it is very interesting dealing with your hormones, insulin, leptin, gremlin and oxidative priority is all making me look differently at foods I was eating, even the HEALTHY ones.

There are apps for those of you that would prefer to use older point programs. For Apple users the ProTracker app will let you choose any of the older WW programs. I really liked this app. It's easier to use than iTrackBites but if you use Android that app would be an option. The apps are a fraction of the price of the WW meetings program or online. There are also Facebook communities for old Smart Points and Points Plus users that you can search out. Return to 30 is one of them. The members are wonderful in helping with support, recipes, and weigh in accountabilities. At this time I am getting off the diet rollercoaster and working on my behaviors and habits. I've gone off diet soda and artificial sweeteners and on to real food, the kind that doesn't come in a box with lots of ingredients that no one can pronounce. I'm staying off the scale and trying to get more sleep and enjoyable exercise. I am also practicing eating when hungry and stopping at comfortable. Dieting is so stressful for me. This approach is starting to help me feel better. I don't feel like I'm failing all the time. We are all different so we have to find what works best for ourselves. One of the most important questions to ask yourself is can I do this for the rest of my life? If the answer is no then keep searching for a weight loss style that you can do for life. Quick fixes and white knuckling it until you lose your weight are going to fail. A great book to read is Mini Habits for Weight Loss by Stephen Guise. Wishing success to everone!

I have to agree that it feels like a maitanence plan. The most popular guy on the WW connect boards, Monte King has been at goal for YEARS. He also works out like a fiend and is ripped. So he and others who’ve been lifetime for years, aren’t exactly where you should look for freestyle success stories.

I’ve noticed that whenever I see someone trending, having lost 80lbs in a year it 100lbs in 13 months, a good 80% of the time it was people that cut sugar and most carbs from their diet. Or people that don’t eat weeklies.

That to me isn’t how they advertise WW to work. If I was going to do low carb and sugar free I’d do that for free. It makes me think no one can successfully lose weight on Freestyle by eatinghow they do in the commercials.

I also listened to a podcast from a famous Youtuber who said when they lost weight their agent was approached to do a brand deal with one of the famous weightloss programs. He wouldn’t say which. When he said “but that’s not how I lost weight” they said that didn’t matter. That brings me to wondering if Jennifer Hudson or Jessica Simpson really lost their weight with WW. Not to mention the celeb embassadors on connect rarely update. I don’t think DJ Khalid has lost anymore weight, and I think Kevin Smith is at the same weight he was when he first started. I say this because when he was first interviewed about starting WW a few months ago he says he’d almost lost the 50 his dr wanted him to lose via the potato diet but wanted to lose more with WW. He posted a week or so ago that he’s almost lost 50lbs total. I’m like wait.. that’s what you said at the start. He’s always in the baggy jersey too.

Alyssa,

You're looking at the commercials for WW and thinking they eat like that at every meal - you said -It makes me think no one can successfully lose weight on Freestyle by eatinghow they do in the commercials. That's right...that's a splurge, the difference between a snack and a treat.

Seriously?

To me, that commercial is people out with their friends, not every day life.

Do you go out to eat with friends every day?

You can't lose weight if you eat out every day, that is a no brainer. You have no control as to how much salt, butter/oil is added to foods when you eat out and you don't know the portion size of what you are eating. Is that chicken breast 4 oz or is it 8 oz.

Okay, I had posted negatively about FreeStyle in the past but I had to do something - so I tried it. Three weeks in, and I have been absolutely diligent. Throughout the day, it's fruits and veggies; maybe chicken noodle soup. At night, salads, maybe grilled chicken. Swimming, walking. Pounds lost? ZERO!! After three weeks on the Smart Points program, I had lost six pounds. I am not complaining that I am hungry, or it's too hard. I have figured it out. But I am NOT losing weight. I think is trying to be "it's about health, not weight" and they lost sight of their core market - people who want to get rid of bellies and fit into their clothes. Simple as that. I'll give it another week and then find something else. (And by the way... I had a coach at first who was absolutely useless; when I said the program is more restrictive, she just started reciting the coach pledge: "If you really look at all the foods you CAN eat..."

Laurie, the thing is, I’ve done basically all the WW plans in the past and while maybe not hear from a health standpoint, I was basically able to eat whatever I wanted, everyday by tracking every bite. I could the healthy stuff plus have bread, sugar, fast food, whatever and still be in my points and still lose. So to me, those plans really did represent you can eat what you want, just obviously not in mass quantities.

With Freestyle the points are too high for fitting a lot of things in and doesn’t quite work the same.

I really like all the comments on Snack Girl! I am going to stay on Weight Watchers for now. However, I too lost my 70 lbs BEFORE Freestyle. I joined June 2015. I have been up and down since then Freestyle. I still have 25 lbs to goal. I know I had 4 real cheat times since Freestyle and are accountable for that, But the other weeks I've been tracking and planning my meals, exercise and still ups and downs. I'm now tracking on paper and adding up the "zero point " foods as true points and making sure what TRUE points I'm eating. It is more effort this way, all because of the Zero point foods. If you don't track the zero point foods and be consistent on how much each day, the scale will go up and down...one step forward, two steps back kind of deal. Weight watchers is making so much money! All the people losing I know of, DON'T eat their Weeklies and limit the Zero Point foods, so that is NOT what Weight Watchers advertises. I won't give up! As far as the Keto diet, a friend didn't lose for a year, so, it's easy to go off any program. She ate a lot of butter and bacon , so that can't be healthy. Weight Watchers does have a sensible program, they just need to revamp the Zero Points and go back to before Freestyle.

Sharon, I totally get your thoughts on "bad" butter and bacon. But, for the moment lets think about where you are getting the idea it is bad. It is what we all have been living and taught. I'm trying it out. If you actually read, listen, study the science behind the Keto concept it is super interesting, diets impact on your hormones which impacts fat storage and release, oxidative priority, and other topics. Really really interesting. I am trying it for a few months. My goal is to achieve fat adaptation which takes weeks/months. At that point, your body has actually manufactured more mitochondria and it is capable of using body fat as a primary fuel. Big key is combating inflammation. I look at all food so differently. Oh, and I am trying this first and foremost for brain health, weight loss is a secondary perk.

You know what?…… I have been following Snack Girl since the inception of Freestyle end of 2017.…… And it all boils down to this…… If you do your research, you’ll see that Weight Watchers was not doing very well. In order for them to save face and appeal to potential new members, they had to change their program. By being able to advertise that they have a “new and better” program, they would be able to attract new clients. It’s all a bunch of crap. People were maintaining their weight better on Smart Points ( myself included )so Weight Watchers lost money and had to do something. Nobody is in business to lose money. This program sucks. I’ve been keeping my weight off doing another program but still weighing in at weight watchers because I am Lifetime. But the weight watchers program is crappy now. And I make sure every month when I weigh in that I let them know that I haven’t done their program in seven months.It just doesn’t work and it’s obvious by all these comments that I am not alone in my thoughts

Maybe it's time that Weight Watchers re-consider and re-think on what originally worked for everyone when it comes to weight loss. It's time for them to start listening to their members to what works and does not work. Then consider a revision.

I HATE the new freestyle. I wish we could go back to the old way.

Note to the wise: when you find a WW program you like in the future, Don't Rely On The Digital Version. Because for sure it will change, and all your "help" things--like your tracker app, your guide to points, etc.--will disappear. I tracked SP on paper and kept the points guide booklet, and bought the calculator that was set up as to SmartPoints. I'm so glad I did, because when Freestyle bombed for me, it was easy to go back to SmartPoints. Obviously a lot of the recipe bloggers (skinnytaste.com, emilybites, mealplanningmommies, for example) still list the Points+ but not the old SmartPoints. I have to think it's because they don't have it on paper or can't be bothered to run it through the old SP calculator.

For sure, WW will change their program. It's how they stay in business and draw more people in. So save what you like and just stick with it if the change doesn't work for you.

I hate Freestyle. It is a very slow losing diet 2-4 oz a week. I have been on since March and only lost 16 Lbs. Last two months only 2 lbs. Weight Watchers keep changing their programs whete you lose very slowly so you continue to pay them and it is harder to become a lifer. Weight Watchers originally cared about the weight loss, now it's all about how much money they can make. I am only eating about 1000 calories a day and losing 2-4 oz a week. So frustrating. Ready to find a different diet. Does Weight Watchers read all of these negative reviews of their diet plan on this website? I wonder if they do?

Do not fall for the freestyle Weight Watchers program and the unethical business practices of WW. The freestyle WW is nothing like the point system. The online program is difficult to follow. I was ready to give it up after my first week. I had let almost 2 months go by before canceling. At this point an immediate cancellation would cost me 39.95. I optioned to end at the end of my 3 month subscription, an additional cost of 19.95. Some how it became a 6 month subscription for an additional $60 cost. I was scammed! Never will I use or recommend WW. I do not recommend their freestyle or the unethical way WW does business.

I hate it. I had lost 30 lbs on the old plan and had gotten into a great routine. Having everything change was blow to my motivation. With some many zero points foods I stopped tracking altogether and have regained 13 lbs since Freestyle. i'm considering quitting WW except love my group so i'm going to have to bite the bullet and re-learn the plan from the beginning, or, go to back to smart points and track manually (not use the app for tracking)

update
started freestyle 12/18
going to be 65 yrs young in sept.
down 58.6 lbs so far!

looking for 60 lbs lost on my weigh in on saturday

if this old bat can do it, so can you!

Lisa, I couldn't agree with you more. The Freestyle plan is terrible and I too gained weight while on it even though I didn't overdo eating chicken, eggs or tofu. Corn was also limited while I was on it, but it didn't matter, I gained weight. WW needs something to pull people in and their ads are extremely deceiving, making it seem as though you can eat anything as much as you want. I am also dismayed that we no longer receive our monthly pass in the mail; I was told to save an old pass because the registration number was all that was needed. Yesterday I found out that they will no longer be pasting a sticker into our book, but that our weight would be shown online. I do have a smart phone, but don't like using it; however, now I'll have to go online to see my weight loss or gain. These measures are saving WW lots of money, not having to generate or mail paper to their members, but you can be sure we won't be seeing any reduction in cost even though WW is saving lots. I do need to go to our weekly meetings (I do like our leader) because I need to be held accountable for either loss or gain, but I do not follow Freestyle and continue following the old program where I have had success. However, I am quickly getting sick and tired of services diminishing and am waiting for the weekly handout to only be available online, which would save them more money. Sorry to say, but since oprah came into the picture WW has gone downhill.

It's all part of WW's evil plan to take our money and make us gain weight. Seriously, people?!? C'mon.

Accountability. You are gaining weight from not tracking everything? Then track everything and exercise if you go over points. You hate eggs? Then eat a banana. If it doesn't work for you, then find something that does instead of complaining about it. I see those on Connect that have zero excuses and have lost weight or maintained on SEVERAL WW plans. They ALL work if you work it.

Jut go back to Smart Points. Do what works for you.

Alison M - Many would be happy to go back to Smart Points that worked for them. The thing is that for the money they are charging members Smart Points is not supported, Freestyle is. I think there would be less complaints if the old plan were supported for those who lost their weight on it.

Lauren - Sure, if Freestyle was appealing, I would push myself and it would work. On smart points, I could feed myself on plan WHILE feeding the rest of the family the same foods so I could cook one meal for everyone and everyone was happy. Yes, I eat everything, hence why I need acccountability but my family members do not. Free chicken breast and beans does not help me. Corn is easily bingable. All in all, this plan is way more restrictive despite their advertising claims.

Hubby is WW member too and he goes to a different meeting than me. Every week his leader is having to defend the program and explain work around. That does not make it a good program.

Myself, as I have stated above, have gone another way with a diet that emphasizes controlling ones insulin, gremlin, leptin and therefore hunger and fat storage. Everything the WW program encourages goes against those concepts. Giving it a few months and we'll see that aI think. But at least there is REAL science behind these concepts not the "we know best" science of WW.

Thanks for the replies, and after reading everyone's comments I'm just glad to know I am not crazy! Glad Freestyle works for some, but what I object to most is not the plan's merits or defects itself, but how WW blithely pulls the rug out from under those of us who worked hard to learn a new system, had success with it, and then just takes it away from us, giving no choice in the matter. I don't know why it never occurred to me that I could simply go back to tracking smartpoints (DUH!!) but I downloaded itrackbites and I am so relieved. It is a little clunky to use. But I did see where some folks are just using paper and pencil, and referring to the old smart points hard copy materials. I never throw anything away, so I can just dig those out and use them, and just go to the meetings as normal. This thread has validated my experience and given me new hope that I can get back on track. I do feel sorry for our leader who has to keep giving us news of changes that seem like not-so-good ideas (.i.e no more computerized weight stickers) and she knows it. We were all so bewildered when the new plan came out. When I joined in early 2016, people were still grumbling over the recent change to smartpoints!

Note to Laurie...12/18 hasen‘t happened yet, you‘ve posted 49 times since January, and a sustained constant weight loss of 2 pounds a week (which you claim) is a goal that few can achieve on any diet, much less WW, with its high carb 0 point choices. Good luck to you, but I for one don’t believe you...

Lauren: “If it doesn't work for you, then find something that does instead of complaining about it. I see those on Connect that have zero excuses and have lost weight or maintained on SEVERAL WW plans. They ALL work if you work it.”

Great advice, and Free Style didn’t work for me at all. Although Smart Points was better, I decided to take my money and go to an MD specializing in weight loss. What did I find out? I discovered that I’m very resistant to weight loss, (no secret here) I cannot have fruit and beans in the quantities encouraged by Free Style, and that with a total of 1200 calories a day with a stress on protein, with no more than 40% of calories coming from carbs, I too can lose weight. I consistently lose a pound to a pound and a half a week, I feel great, and I can stay on this plan for the rest of my life. Although I can eat anything I want, I just cannot have as much as I want of some foods.

Don’t be so hard on people who claim that WW doesn’t work for them...for me, Free Style didn’t work, although I followed it and tracked foods diligently.

Lauren: “If it doesn't work for you, then find something that does instead of complaining about it. I see those on Connect that have zero excuses and have lost weight or maintained on SEVERAL WW plans. They ALL work if you work it.”

Great advice, and Free Style didn’t work for me at all. Although Smart Points was better, I decided to take my money and go to an MD specializing in weight loss. What did I find out? I discovered that I’m very resistant to weight loss, (no secret here) I cannot have fruit and beans in the quantities encouraged by Free Style, and that with a total of 1200 calories a day with a stress on protein, with no more than 40% of calories coming from carbs, I too can lose weight. I consistently lose a pound to a pound and a half a week, I feel great, and I can stay on this plan for the rest of my life. Although I can eat anything I want, I just cannot have as much as I want of some foods.

Don’t be so hard on people who claim that WW doesn’t work for them...for me, Free Style didn’t work, although I followed it and tracked foods diligently. WW is popular, but it’s not for everyone.

Lauren and Laurie,

I thought the point of Weight Watchers was to support people, not to judge them.

You sound like two angry, judgmental women -- and possibly paid shills for corporate WW.

Here's a little news for you:

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/06/weight-watchers-earnings-q2…

This diet didn't work for me at all. I followed the program for 3 months and lost no weight. The old program was so much better. I feel I wasted money buying into this program. Not happy at ALL!

Bought into this program April 2017, by Dec 2017, I lost 49 lbs. Everything was working as advertised, then along came freestyle. For the last 7 months My weight has not changed, and now I feel like I’m on a diet. Freestyle is a good maintenance plan! Not a weight loss plan! Now ww says things like “healthy is the new skinny”? If my Doctor says I’m healthy, will ww put me on lifetime? No! Because ww will only use the scale for you to make lifetime. All of this amounts to one conclusion, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY. The longer ww Can keep you from making your goal, it’s all money in their bank. And really, is Oprah losing weight, but she is making more from ww. Thank you for my rant.

I remember when weight watchers was small enough to actually care about its clients to help and support your weight loss goals. It was gotten so big that it is all about money. I am not a big fan of Freestlye. I follow this diet to the letter and losing 4 - 6 oz. A week. And at the cost per month, it is not cost effective. My doctor told me 1 to 1.5 lbs a week is a good safe amount to lose a week. That has never happened since I started this diet.very disappointed in Freestyle. I hope Weight Watchers is reading these comments on here because it is more negative than positive remarks about their diet. But of course they want you to lose very slowly because it takes a lot longer to get to your goal and you will pay longer for their diet. I am thinking of quitting as I think $45 a month is not worth 1.5 lb of weight lose for the money.

Anyone else notice Laurie and Lauren always post within a day of Each other, if not the same day?

Why is it ao hard for you to accept that others struggle on this plan? Why are you quick to judge, put down or assume? I noticed this from my leader when i showed my frustration with this plan. She was judgemental and defensive. 2.5 years with her and had never witnesses that side. A few months into FS changed that. I was at goal when FS hit. I missed 1 meeting in 2.5 years. I havent been in months because of this plan. We always had 40+ people all year. Very popular meeting. Today i ran into someone from my old meeting. She is still at goal but struggling. She does not like FS either. She said she no longer goes to meetings either. Weighs in 1x a month to keep her free status. She said most everyone is gone. Just the group of teachers are still there. Again, i was there 2.5 years and most of the people there my first day were there 2.5 years later- many at or close to goal by then. They are all gone. Each time I run into one of them they all say the same. The meeting is depressing now. No excitement or productive tips or positive vibes. Freestyle did this. With all the lost members at meetings they also lose the revenue from their products we used to buy while at meetings. Maybe that is another reasonW

WW is trying to reduce costs. WW is already seeing loss of members and true number would be much more if it werent for those of us working the older plans but staying only for Connect. I used to believe in WW.

Not anymore. It makes me sad.

I so agree with what you are saying that WW may not work for everyone. I know what works for me is when WW was the food exchange program. Now that worked beautifully for me because it worked not just calorically but also in how many exchanges I needed everyday in order to lose the weight. Anyone else here doing exchanges?

WW may not work for everyone? Why?

Are your portion sizes too large?

Are you eating TOO MANY zero point foods?

Zero point foods still have calories, especially chicken, fish.

Are you going to not lose eating green veggies, I don't think so.

Even on the other WW plans - ie Points Plus, if you ate too many fruits its stalled your weight loss.

I'm going to be 65 in one month. I've lost 60.4 lbs since the first week in December. I now do Walk Away the Pounds - Leslie Sansone - 5 miles in one hour, every day. I didn't start out with 5 miles, I've worked my way up since December. I limit the amount of junk/sweet no nutritional value foods that I eat. Once a week.

Do you think junk food is supposed to be eaten every day?

I went back to the 30 points

that was before Freestyle and still having difficulty losing. It's been 3 years and down 70, but still have 30 more. I may have to go down to 28 daily points. I also count my eggs, chicken. seafood, etc.

Laurie, one of the problems most dissenters have with Freestyle is the false advertising and misinformation being handed out by WW. It is not printed anywhere that one must limit the amount of "zero point foods" that one might eat. Additionally, the ads on TV are completely false, with people apparently enjoying all the food they want. Of course common sense tells us that everything has calories and must be limited, but WW is advertising the notion that one can eat all they want on the new FS plan. It's all a lie, smoke and mirrors, leaving our leaders to point out the obvious, that food must be limited and so, because of the limitations, we the members are disgusted with being lied to. I had success on the previous program and gained weight on FS WITHOUT overdoing it so I follow the old program, but, unfortunately, my belief in WW has waned to the point where I am now considering leaving since I don't like being deceived.

Laurie, your comment ignores everything that was touted about Freestyle back in December:

WW may not work for everyone? Why?

Are your portion sizes too large?

Are you eating TOO MANY zero point foods?

Zero point foods still have calories, especially chicken, fish.

Are you going to not lose eating green veggies, I don't think so.

Even on the other WW plans - ie Points Plus, if you ate too many fruits its stalled your weight loss.

I'm going to be 65 in one month. I've lost 60.4 lbs since the first week in December. I now do Walk Away the Pounds - Leslie Sansone - 5 miles in one hour, every day. I didn't start out with 5 miles, I've worked my way up since December. I limit the amount of junk/sweet no nutritional value foods that I eat. Once a week.

Do you think junk food is supposed to be eaten every day?

"Are your portion sizes too large?" you ask. WW said zero point foods didn't have to be counted at all--NOTHING WHATSOEVER was said about portion sizes other than they thought nobody would binge on 0 point foods.

"Are you eating too many zero point foods?" you ask. NOTHING WHATSOEVER was said about how many zero point foods to eat or not to eat.

"Are you not going to lose eating green veggies?" you ask. Did WW say you should limit zero point protein and just eat green veggies? No. They didn't. This is something you made up.

"Do you think junk food is to be eaten every day?" you ask. Hmm... WW sells junk food. On SmartPoints you could fit some of it into your eating plan every day. It's the fun stuff that makes it an eating plan and not a diet. It's the fun stuff that makes you realize this is a lifestyle change you can live with.

Basically what you have done, whether you realize it or not, is dumb down Freestyle to make it fit into the old SmartPoints. I agree with others that you probably work for WW. And you've said in former comments that you do a lot more than one hour of exercise per day. Not many people have the time to do that because they are working and busy with a family.

Stop lecturing people. You are in the minority on this site.

Thank you Cyndi for telling it how it is...the beauty of Weight Watchers used to be having a structure for dieting and maintenance without having to count each calorie...what FreeStyle has done is remove the structure and made some wholesome foods more difficult to eat. What Laurie has just confirmed is that FreeStyle doesn’t work unless you start counting everything again and exercise like a fiend, LOL.

Hate, hate, hate Freestyle. Last year I started in April with Smart Points and lost 25 pounds by July. I stopped going in October and opted to just do online. That didn't work and needed the accountability of meetings. I joined again in April of 2018 using new the new Freestyle program and have yo-yo'd losing and gaining a total of 8 pounds lost. I've been doing this 4 months, I should see better results than this as I did in Smart Points. Very frustrating when you work so hard and don't see results. I have joined with 3 other friends and we attend every weekly meeting and they are seeing the same results as I am. The WW rep said that she actually gained weight when she first started and said it's a slow process. I don't like all if the "free foods" and don't over indulge in them and feel like they have taken away 7 points and given me nothing in return. I also don't appreciate them taking away paper towels for the scales and writing in our books instead of printing out the stickers to put in. Getting very cheap, when they are not cheap to use.

I HATE the Freestyle program. I'm getting sick and tired of eggs. I feel it is restrictive unless you eat vegetables, fruits and protein all the time. Too many points are given to healthy grains, which is important to my health. I am going back to the old points program on my own. Hate, hate, hate Freestyle!!!

I didn't like Freestyle from the moment they rolled it out. I have stayed with the program as it was prior to Freestyle. Freestyle has never appealed to me for numerous reasons: I need a more structured program. I need to weigh and measure my food and know the exact points I am consuming. Making all of those foods 0 points is just too lacking in structure for me. I also resent that they took 7 points a day (49 a week!) away from me because of the 0 point foods. I don't want to be forced to use my points in a certain way. I want my 30 points a day to use as I please, not the way Freestyle restricts you and forces you in a certain direction. It is cumbersome to track the old way because the app reflects the Freestyle program point values. I still track using the app but I also now use a paper tracker and my old WW materials to track the "old" point values. I really wish WW would "listen" to those of us (many, many of us!) who do not like Freestyle and at least give us the ability to choose to track either way using the app. I have lost 156 pounds on WW and I feel no need to tamper with a program on which I have been successful.

Hi Maggie,

May I ask what foods you would use the missing 49 points on if you were on SmartPoints?

25-30% of our daily intake should be lean proteins - and they are all zero points now. There really is no difference between SmartPoints and Freestyle except where you choose to spend your daily nutritional intake.

I disagree. When you are paying 44 dollars a month for weight watchers and you are losing 4 oz a week or a pound a month. Hardly feels worth it. Lean proteins are good and so is all the free food, but they still have calories. So I also use Spark People to enter what I eats I can see how many calories I am eating. I lost weight the fastest in 1999 program. Losing 3 lbs a week. But Weight watchers want your money creating programs that you lose very slowly, making it harder for you to reach your goal. I myself am getting ready to quit weight watchers and find another plan that has faster results. Goodbye weight watchers. Hope someone from weight wstchers is reading all these comments and open their eyes. There are more negative comments than positive ones.

So where can I find an older version of WW before Freestyle. I need a little more structure than what they (WW) has right now.

Hi Kathy - it is probably time for you to quit WW. It is important to realize what works for your individual program and what doesn’t. That is very wise of you. Personally, this program has been successful for me because I do prefer the recommendation of 25%-30% of daily protein. It is a natural appetite suppressant and the decrease in caloric intake has yielded amazing results. Good luck to you!

Hey Kenny, I did not realize ( and personally do not think) that the freestyle program has a different protein recommendation than the smart points program. If I am correct, then your reason for preferring freestyle over smart point due to its 25% - 30% daily protein, actually does not make sense. In fact on freestyle, it would be very easy to eat 100% proteins as there is nothing in the program that required a balanced diet. But that is not my issue. The primary distinction between the two programs are the zero point offerings (not "free" which they emphasize constantly). In an answer to your question directed at Maggie, please explain to me why pork tenderloin is not free and chicken breasts are? For me, yes, I could likely do freestyle for me, but the restrictions of the program mean I either cook separately for myself or the family must eat the same food. Hubby does not like chicken breast (with certain exceptions) or most beans. While we both love chicken thighs and could eat them every day. Those 7 points gone are in essence my chicken thighs, my lean pork, or lean beef. I also resent the every two year change when it is clear that the changes are not always true improvements but changes to the program that force product or subscription sales. I began working for WW in 2001 and I will tell you that the focus was very different. The member, the person, was the focus. By the time I left 12 years later, focus was on sales sales sales.

Hi Sher - I'm unsure why the math doesn't make sense to you. Freestyle subtracted roughly 25% of points from the daily allowance. If you are not replacing those 7 points with zero point lean proteins then I would be curious to know what you were choosing when you had 30 daily points.

People either lose weight or complain about it.

"Kenny" is definitely working for Weight Watchers. He loves the new Freestyle program even though it doesn't work for a huge percentage of members. He always comments on negative posts with his seemingly helpful remarks, but it's clear he's a mouthpiece for WW. Go away Kenny!!!

Hi Kenny—I think that Sher was perfectly clear in her explanation of protein points. Beans, chicken breasts, eggs, and certain fish, are not everyone’s cup of tea all the time. I am allergic to fish and seafood, so the WW Freestyle menu became nauseatingly boring after a while. Dieters do like to vary their meals with hamburger, lean steak, chicken legs, and pork tenderloin, once in a while. By taking 7 points away from the WW program, the point price for these other healthy proteins are just too dear...and the fruits are another matter altogether. Yes, fruit is healthy, but there is just too much sugar even in a few pieces to lose weight consistently. Instead of burning fat, your body will always grab the sugar first. And a note to Lucia...I think you’re right about Kenny, especially since Laurie has been shot down by posters so many times for her ra ra sis bum bah Freestyle posts.

PS, Kenny, in case you’re curious, I quit WW because it flat out didn’t work for me, and I went to a bariatric doctor who put me on the right path...25 pounds in 5 months consistently, and I’m thrilled with the results. I also am not an exercise fiend. Another bonus is that the wellness program offered by my employer supplied health insurance is paying for this.

LOVE IT!

I'm going to be 65 in 11 days.

I've lost 63 lbs since the first week in December, the week that freestyle started.

I have taken off 3 weeks total since the start of my journey.

Saturday, is my weigh in day.

I use that day for my treat day. The day that I will have a snack higher in points, ie a 7 - 10 sp treat. During the week, I keep my treats to only 3 sp.

I eat balanced meals with lots of zero point veggies. I eat 2 - 3 fruit servings a day.

I do measure all my zero point food servings.

My chicken/fish servings are between 4 - 5 oz. I don't weigh/measure green beans/baby spinach, asparagus, tomatoes, cucumbers etc those veggies that I eat.

I do Walk away the pounds - 5 miles in 60 minutes - at least 6 days a week. Some days I do it 2x. I do low impact aerobics.

You do have to exercise or walk if you want significant weight loss!

I’m afraid I’m in the “not a fan of FS” camp. I respect everyone’s individual experience with the program and how WW has tweaked it over the years. My mom did it 1961- can you say “cottage cheese on toast topped with cinnamon???” Yuck! I appreciate the forum to express my opinion, thank you, snack-girl!

I hit Lifetime in October 2017 and initially maintained with little difficulty. The great aspects for me were that I developed life changing habits which clearly served demonstrably well- as evidenced by the scale

and BTS proofs like clothes fitting, energy, stamina, reduced meds etc.

I’ve diligently worked the LS program since its inception and have struggled. Those same habits just aren’t serving me well. I’ve brainstormed with my coach and have also been struck by a defensiveness or a blaming attitude (like a what “What are YOU doing wrong”) when clearly, I had been successful in the past.

The result is a steady increase in weight and a more restrictive diet than before. The best advice I’ve gotten is to increase my goal weight so I’m not so stressed out at weigh in. Last week I was counselled to stay away from bananas, watermelon and other high sugar fruits. (FS???) Having alot of digestive issues with all the veggies too. I eat 80-100 grams of protein per day (lean meat, beans, Premier Protein shake) and exercise 700-800 extra calories daily- 7 days!! At 57- it’s exhausting!

Today I’m researching calorie counting apps which I’ll do along side of WW. I’ll keep trying until Dec 31, 2018. If by then I’ve determined a different method is more successful for me, my feet will do the voting for me.

In the end, do what is right for you. You are the one who wants to lose and keep it off- unsuccessful programs only hurt YOU. Probably it’s a matter of when you came in to WW ETC. I feel badly for the WW employees- they have to promote it. I would recommend to them at least be honest with your folks, you owe it to them. Respect their personal experience and above all, communicate their concerns to the heirarchy!!! The free market will sort this out, sooner or later.

Happy Sunday, all, now let’s go out there and live!

Kenny, I assume you are capable of reading or was my paragraph longer than you can comprehend? Point 1 – I am 5’5” and 130 lb, that is with me gaining 12 since freestyle and then cleaning 6 back off NOT doing freestyle. Does that fit your “lose weight or complain about it” comment? Point 2 – I worked for WW for a decent chunk of time and you definitely sound like certain rah rah co-workers. I personally was not the best at towing the WW line and always addressed the good and the bad of any given program as my priority was the member. Point 3 – If you can read, I told you that my household likes chicken thighs, lean pork, lean beef and OCCASIONAL chicken breast and fish. Are those not proteins? You said I did not list any. Point 4 – You have not addressed my question about your 25 – 35% protein claim. Where in freestyle, or any of the point structured plans, is there any control of the % protein consumed? Please correct me and show me what I am missing or your reason for why Freestyle is “the best” is moot.

Tess88, thanks for addressing Kenny’s inability to read. It was people like Kenny that helped me see that WW was no longer the company I wanted to work for. Sadly, I do miss certain fabulous co-workers that cared first and foremost about our members, as well as the members that I looked forward to helping each week. It was a tough decision.

Last comments that I’ll add are: I am still a member (lifetime); I still go to meetings; I paid for those meeting during those months when my weight got too high; And, I have noticed that our leader has gained visibly over this past year as well and she periodically comments how she is having some struggles as well, though she never indicates the cause. Maybe it is freestyle for her as well, maybe it is not.

Tess88 – You awakened the kraken – Laurie is back. :P

GraMJ55 – I’m 57 as well.

Laurie— “You do have to exercise or walk if you want significant weight loss!”

Sorry to say Laurie, that the above statement is false. I’m 63, work a full time job, and I help take care of an 80 year old aunt. There’s is no way that I can squeeze in walking 5 - 10 miles a day, six days a week in order to lose weight. When you have to go to these extremes, the diet plan is faulty. If this is how Freestyle works, WW had better go back to the drawing board...and they will, because sure as rain, there will be another great plan in 2019, which you will be head over heels about as well. I couldn’t figure my weight loss puzzle out until I went to an MD specializing in weight loss, and WW was not the be all and end all for me.

GraMJ55, LOL, you’re right. ;)

I can't say I necessarily hate the program, but I am disappointed in it. Fortunately, I love all fruits and vegetables, chicken, fish and eggs, but I'm tired of eating pretty much the same things all the time. I love my leader and my group and they're so supportive because since Freestyle came on board, I've been losing and gaining, losing and gaining whereas with SP I lost weight consistently. 23 points is very little when you start adding non-0 point foods and 0 point foods do have calories. Also, you cannot eat everything, like the program has always stated. Very restrictive eating over the long term isn't successful. It seems like the people who are successful on this new program eat very restrictively. I can't imagine going to a wonderful restaurant and ordering a piece of grilled chicken and steamed broccoli. I might as well stay home and not spend the money.

I just cancelled my WW membership. I started out ok but now this new plan isn’t working. I feel like punching a chicken if I ever see one again. And now the thought of eating another egg makes me nauseous.

I have ceased Ww freestyle. Th diet is so restrictive. I AM so sick of eating chicken and beans. With this diet points are lowered and if you do not eat the free foods you go over points. I have been the same weight now for 1.5 months. I am going back to the 2010 program where I was losing 2 lbs a week. There are more negative comments about this program than positive. WW needs to do some big adjustments to the program or go back to the calories, fat and fiber formula because it worked. You could also have want you wanted to eat and still stay within points. You can't do that with freestyle. If it isn't free it is high points. Such as lite bread.

Points Plus was definitely my favorite program. That being said, one year ago I got really serious and stuck with the new freestyle program and have lost 66 lbs. and am 2 lbs. under goal. It’s the first time since the late 80’s that I’m at goal! I hated SP when it replaced PP, and it threw me off completely. I’m not sure if it was the change in program or my own mindset. Maybe it was a little of both. When they introduced freestyle I was fortunate that I like many of the 0 point foods. It has been a VERY slow process, and the last 3 months I struggled to lose my last 5-7 lbs.

Now WW is making changes again, and they claim they are not going to change the freestyle points. I look forward to additional help but hope they don’t make changes to my lifetime status or how I keep the app at no cost if I stay at goal.

Hopefully if/when they do change the weight loss part of the program again they keep the previous plan. That seems to be where they made their mistake and lost so many people.

I've heard a few similar comments from others. For some, this food plan seems to be about eating primarily chicken, fish and eggs. I am eating those things, but they make up only a small part of my diet. I'm loving all the fresh fruits and veggies. They make up the bulk of my eating day and the chicken, fish and eggs take up a much smaller space. I'm fortunate that I enjoy beans as well, so lots of mexican style dishes, soups and chiles. There are so many options!

I have been a WW member on and off since 1980 or earlier, back in the day, when we had a set menu....you could choose from 1 of 3 or so...Breakfast...1 slice of toast, 1 tsp of jam....etc...and I have lost on every program until this stupid freestyle....I agree with many people posting here, that WW should offer more than one choice...my favorite is Points Plus and would love to go to meetings where I could get the pointers and recipes for that plan, I tried Freestyle for 8 months....gained not lost and I hate counting calories, that is why I joined WW in the first place, they always boasted about not a diet, not counting calories, and this Freestyle..is just that...more like free money for WW...Hate this plan...I think WW is on the way out...and so sorry, because, before this plan...loved the whole WW concept...

We'll see how much longer I last with weight watchers with all their new changes. They are now WW not Weightwatchers, are meetings are workshops, our leader is a wellness coach, receptionists are wellness guides. There is even some supposition that they will be changes to lifetime and its offerings since if weight and your lifetime weight goal no longer matter then how can they offer "free" anymore, but nothing has been announced so we'll see.

@Sher My leader said that there will be no changes to Lifetime or weighing in. However, they don't know a lot of changes just yet. They'll find out more in November when they have a general meeting.

As for Freestyle, I like the program in theory. I'm eating cleaner and I know my problem is portion control. When I'm working the program, I do lose. Not great amounts, but I do lose. If I'm not working the program, I don't lose (of course). I find that I'm not working the program as much. My mindset just isn't there. Hoping these new changes will help me change my mindset.

Anyway, I can definitely see why people don't like this program. I do like that it's teaching me what to eat, but definitely difficult to not eat 4 eggs every sitting. lol

I'm hoping they'll move to No Count (Simply Filling), Half Count (Freestyle) and Full Count (SmartPoints). I can't say if I'll go back to full count because I love not counting beans, eggs, and tofu (I'm a vegetarian). I do think it'll be a good idea for members that struggle or get too comfortable with Freestyle. I'm definitely not sick of eating tofu, eggs, beans, or lentils. There are so many things I can do with them. I love experimenting with different recipes.

Good luck to everyone!

Kelly Lynn, I hope your leader is correct regarding lifetime. I was reading between the line talking with a friend (she and I are both ex-WW staff) who is still well connected. We were talking about the known changes and then she started saying something about lifetime and stopped herself. I stated to her what I assumed she might be starting to say and she did not counter. She did then made a comment about how does WW offer a goal to be a free lifetime if weight no longer is important in their new philosophy. That is a logical question and with that it makes me think that it would not be illogical for a change to be coming. In my meeting, over 50% of the attendees are free lifetime members paying nothing to attend.

I would be very happy if WW went with your suggestion of three tracking options. That would keep me coming.

Hate it! First time ever in all the years I've belonged to WW as a lifetime member that the plan has not worked for me.

I think Jean Neiditch is rolling over in her grave!

I don't understand how people are saying Freestyle is 'healthy'. First, I went from 29 to 23 points between the prior WW program and Freestyle which would be fine IF every single thing BUT the 'new zero point' foods had not all gone up several points per serving.

I could manage a wide variety of foods with prior WW programs - the zero point fruits and veggies are still fine but Freestyle forces you to eat only white meat chicken, eggs and fish till you literally gag. Nothing healthy about that.

I am so glad to have stumbled onto this post and all the comments. I lost 40 lbs on Smartpoints and loved it! I have been struggling since Freestyle was introduced in January and have gained back 7 lbs because it is just not a plan I can stick with. Too high protein - not for me. So I have made the decision to go back on SP and lose the weight I have gained. It's hard because WW does not support this, but I use the app and put in my points each day. I add in points for the new zero point foods - and when I hit 30, that's it. I don't get any blue dots, but that's okay, I know what I am doing and its best for me.

I think it is time to go back to counting all points. That is the only way it works for me, period. Will be looking for past resources to do this. Do know that Amazon might have those resources available? Any ideas from someone else?

I would like to find the 2009/2010 program where you counted fruit as a point. I was losing 2-3 lbs a week on that plan. With Freestyle I lost 2_4 oz a week. I have been now the same weight for 2 months. And I am paying for this. I am paid up to the beginning of December and then I am quitting WW. And find some other diet that works better.

My wife and I started weight watchers April 2017. In Dec 2017 I had lost 51 lbs. and my wife 41 lbs. Since freestyle I have gained 10 and my wife 6. All the time paying 90 dollars a month for what? The meetings now focus on healthy is the new skinny, what bs. All freestyle does is to keep people on ww longer, without reaching their goal. Which means more money for ww. Meetings have turned into a group of people, who wanted to lose weight to look better, feel better, to a group of people who lie by saying gee you look so healthy and no, horizontal stripes don’t make you look bigger. And now let’s offer up cheap awards and discounts on overpriced ww items, just because you walked around the block. Ww has gone nuts and has lost their way. We both have just quit ww, and will use what we learned from points plus to get back to finding our why, and yes losing weight and not just in the wallet.

So sad to see all of the new changes. I do not blame it on them bringing in Oprah. I blame it on their new CEO. She ran the Home Shopping Network. It's all about bringing in new clients and screw the others. For us this is our lives. WW helped give me my life back and with FS and their absolute disregard for our feedback it makes me sad. Notice their stars do not ever post and rarely see photos of them. I have looked. Wonder why. So so disappointed in WW. The only reason I am still here is because I hit lifetime before FS and pay the lower rate (gained some back as soon as FS came out)

Don’t have to track zero items - I feel like I’m living a normal life while losing - Dream come true! I only have to track the pointed items. Let’s face it - 25-30% of our daily intake should be lean proteins. It’s simple math. I am so glad they nudged us away from spending 30 points a day on what probably wasn’t balanced anyway. Kudos WW!

I agree with so many comments. ALL previous WW programs promoted healthy eating but you could still splurge and stay within your points. Since Oprah came in and "Freestyle" was born, they lowered the points significantly on EVERYthing so you are forced to gag on an abundance of chicken, eggs and although I love fish, you can't eat it every meal, every day. WW used to be great - now it's just about how slow can folks lose weight, causing them to take much much longer to reach their goals.

LOVING FREESTYLE - More and more! I'm now down about 6 lbs. and on a short person ... that's a lot! It's SO easy and I truly hate counting points. So now there are so much less points to figure out. Thank you WW for FREESTYLE!

You sound like you just started. I have lost 20 lbs. On Freestyle since March. However, I have stopped losing and have been the same weight for 2 months. I am so tired of Chicken, beans and eggs. This diet is very restrictive in the fact that the daily points are so low and if you do not eat chicken, beans and eggs it is very hard to stay within your daily points. If you do you are starving hungry. I am obligated till December. Then I am quitting and going online to find the 2009 program. At least on that program you can have a treat without busting your budget for the week. So disappointed that I have been following the diet and have not lost any weight for 2 months. Monthly cost not worth it.

I started Weight Watchers and September of 2017 and had lost 25 lbs. Once the freestyle program started I haven't lost a single pound no matter how hard I try no matter how 100% on track. I am I don't lose weight.

I still think that earlier edition of WW food points (when it was first introduced in the 1990's) works best for weight loss. The newest one might be better for maintenance.

It's totally horrible! I have food allergies which limit what I can eat, but I was able to make it work with the previous plan and lost over twenty pounds. The new plan has no wiggle room for people who can't eat some of the zero points food, and I wasn't able to stay healthy and lose weight while on it.

Can someone explain why there seems to be so much hatred of Smart Points? I get frustrated b/c they come out with a plan and market it to be the greatest plan ever, then a year or two later come out with another one. I've been on and off for years starting when you filled out menus by hand and had the little boxes to check off with your allotments. I remember when they made carrots and fiber one points b/c they were originally zero points and people were loading up on them.

I agree with the misleading marketing about "eating whatever you want", you can, but you have to plan for it and sometimes hoard points for a special event like crazy.

I just saw Oprah Winfrey on TV speaking at a political rally in Georgia...and her jacket was so tight that her arms looked like two Polish sausages bursting out of the sleeve casings. This woman is not sucessfully dieting, and it actually looks like she’s gained back weight again. I’m not faulting her because we all struggle to lose weight, but seriously, WW has to start reintroducing accountability back into its diet plan because FreeStyle sucks.

@tessa88 I agree Freestyle sucks. I started when Oprah started and lost awesome on PP and BTS. Did nothing but gain on FS and now lost focus because I no longer go to meetings because they aren't for me anymore because of this plan. I feel abandoned and now their stock price is feeling it. They refused to listen to their customers and now they fell short in earnings and stock price. The best gauge of success is your customers, especially in this market where people can SEE our success and failure. I know of so many who have left because of this plan. I am only here because I pay lifetime rate (thank God I hit it before FS)

Tess88 - I agree and was surprised at how much weight she has gained probably because she's on Freestyle!

I hate it already! I’ve been doing simply filling on and off for a while now and it’s the only thing that works for me. My diet week is from Monday through Sunday. Today (Thursday) the geniuses at Weight Watchers decided to change my plan, mid-week, without my knowledge, to the new plan. Simply filling is no longer an option and I am not happy. This totally messes up my week. Does anybody at Weight Watchers care what we want? Maybe they’ll have a change of heart after Oprah gains all her weight back…because you know she will!

After tolerating Freestyle for a year, I still hate it. I can't stick to it. I generally track for 4 days, end up a bit over the allotted points and still hungry, so I give up and stop tracking until the system resets for the next week. I never had this problem with the former Smart Points system. These days, I don't like the app itself, either. It was pretty good until they updated it a few weeks ago. Although I'm disappointed with the changes, I still consider WW a good program. It's probably more effective for those trying to lose. I'm just trying to maintain a healthy weight. I'm doing so, but only by following my own version of WW, which is more like the old program than Freestyle.

For those of you that dislike the Freestyle version of WW so vehemently, just go over to an earlier version of WW points. Those materials are available either on Ebay or Amazon. Do the research to find your niche.

When I followed the Freestyle program I gained weight so I went back to the previous program, but after losing the same 2 pounds for the past six months I decided I needed a break and ended my subscription. I will probably go back in January. Frankly, going to meetings was getting me down since all they talked about was Freestyle and the success many were having.

That's what I do, Alison Maleski. I quit Weight Watchers and now follow Smart Points. I use the book I was given when WW was all about Smart Points. That works for me and no monthly charges! Freestyle does not work for me.

Lucia - I agree completely. Same here. I just think my body and me need a break. With holidays coming I have learned enough about eating the right foods in sensible portions so as not to go completely out of control. Start fresh in January. Not sure what direction I will take but honestly tired of loosing 30 pounds on Smart Points and since Freestyle have not lost a pound. Good luck in your journey.

Hubby went to his meeting today (he and I go to different meetings, but we are both longtime lifetimers). I member mentioned that she was struggling on freestyle which led the leader to ask who in the meeting was struggling with freestyle. Apparently "80% raised their hand" according to my husband.

Good job. You need to do the Weight Watchers that works for you. For me (since I do have the older versions of WW when it was based on food exchanges) having a balanced program is the most important way of eating healthfully and losing weight at a steady pace. No extremes whatsoever. And by doing that I have lost over 100 lbs. Just wish that Weight Watchers would just come to the realization of that.

Weight Watchers has lost it's original vision to help people lose weight. It keeps replacing its program that worked for a program that you lose 2-4 oz.a week.$40 A month for 1 lb a month is extremely amount for the weight lose. IF YOU HAVE TO LOSE 35 LS. THAT IS $1400. SO NOT WORTH IT. I have to wait until after Dec 12 and then I am quoting. I am going back to the 2009 program that worked for me.

Linda A. Peterson - I also lost 30 lb and will take my break and decide about rejoining in January. I'm sick and tired of losing and gaining the same 2 lb. Maybe WW will make changes in the new year, I can only hope.

Freestyle is a huge disappointment. I have been following this plan for almost three months and have strictly followed the plan, have never used any weeklies, have never gone over 20 points per day and do not ever go overboard on zero foods. I actually keep track of the points of every zero food and never ever go over 7 points for those zero foods. I do not lose on this plan!

I totally agree with you. I have said from day 1 that Freestyle is a terrible plan. I need more structure than that plan offers, which is basically none! I refused to even begin Freestyle when it came out, and I have continued to attend my weekly meetings and follow the previous Smart Points Plan. I have lost 156 pounds and will NEVER follow Freestyle.

I think this plan is the best so far for not only losing weight but keeping it off . WW smartened up and took out the loop holes for saving points through rollover and exercise earned points to be spent however one wanted . I banked mine to literally eat a whole box of Russell Stover chocolates or a whole 1/2 gallon of Light ice cream and still lose 2-5 lbs a week. Problem was I didn’t change my habits entirely . This freestyle plan has way higher point levels for sweets and other junk food so moderation can be learned . It’s tough but I want to not only lose but keep it off . They outsmarted me and I thank them .

First - don't even bother reading the "Laurie" comments. I've been through every comment on this blog and it total BS. Secondly, I've been on 1-2-3 success, points plus and smart points and freestyle since July. The weight loss has been VERY slow on Freestyle but consistent. It was much easier to be on the other programs because I could eat pre-made meals. I lost more weight and much faster but I was eating much more processed food. It's more difficult to stay on Freestyle and can be very discouraging when one piece of cake equals an entire day of points. I've found that if you basically follow the program and just don't count that ONE piece of cake you can still lose weight but I do think it is pretty much a maintenance program. If you want the old calculators you can go to calculatorcat.com and it will do smart points, points plus and the previous points system all on one page so you can compare the foods that you WANT to eat that will make you HAPPY to continue the program. Good luck everyone!!

Wanda Rains on January 3, 2018 - This is what Oprah actually said, which says nothing about white people. So she is still good for WW. :) "Of course the problem is not solved. As long as people can be judged by the color of their skin, the problem’s not solved. As long as there are people who still… And there’s a whole generation — I said this for apartheid South Africa, I said this for my own community in the South — there are still generations of people, older people, who were born and bred and marinated in it, in that prejudice and racism, and they just have to die."

As a older white woman, I have to say I still like Oprah and excited to start a new food lifestyle. :)

I do not like the new program....takes the freedom to eat different foods away. I have to watch my cholesterol and can't eat eggs which I love....so the extra points from previous program helped. I lost 66lbs and now I have gained 40 back. I was going back on the

old program when I started gaining the weight back and the new program was already in place...I got so discouraged with it that I just quit even trying. Now I've gone back on the new program and just got my weekly points cut....seriously....how motivating is that...I was told that as you lose weight your weekly points go down. Where is the freedom in that!!!!!!

I joined WW in March of 2018. I have lost 23 lbs. However in the last 5 months I have only lost 3 lbs. Do sick of eating, chicken, beans and eggs. Points for everything else is so high that you can not stay within your daily allowance. I just quite a week ago and using spark people the free app to enter my food into their journal. Keeping my calories at 1200. Journaling keeps me accountable and I do not get upset then if I have an ice cream cone. WW is so far from what it use to be. They create programs where you lose 2-4 oz a week. Not worth the money

Well of course your points go down as you lose. Otherwise you’d just plateau.

Tap your picture on the app and then go to settings , hit food settings and adjust your points to what they were before the program change.keeping in mind that you will have to keep track of points that useful to be.eggs chicken beans veggies etc. for that I down loaded a app that had the same points that smartpoints had . It’s free. I can’t remember the name . I also ordered on eBay the old point counter from smart point that is good too. You can manipulate this program back to smart points. I to gained weight and am very disgruntled at the new program . But I got lucky and was told what to do via telephone call by a WW operator. Good luck I hope this helps!

To Joan: the app I downloaded to get the points was ITrackBites!

Hope this helps

Thank you ...will try what you suggested.

Dianne...do you use both apps???

I just went to food settings and was unable to change my points back to my SP level (30). There isn't any option to adjust offered. Perhaps they removed it? Or am I doing something wrong?

You need to go to the maintenance settings to set at 30.

As Ms. G said, you have to switch it to maintenance and then you can adjust from there. Good luck!

Debra....I had that same problem with trying to change my points and I did download that app, iTrackBites and when I tried to upgrade I was unable to and contacted customer support and got no response except to say they got my comment..... that was 5 days ago.

Debra:

I went to my settings and went to food settings and there’s a little arrow hit that and I’m still able to change it . I went to my picture first and then to settings and food settings . I’m so sorry if this is not working for you. It’s been a life changer for me to be able to manipulate the program. Call them and tell them !

Don't like it at all. Been a member since January 2001. Been struggling to maintain on this. I have diabetes. Some of the 0 point veggies aren't for diabetics. Peas, corn, beans. Also my husband won't eat chicken. I think it would be nice if they gave you an option to be on point plus or freestyle.

Like they say about it on their website - everyone is different and every day is different. I don't think it's fair to jump on people who are less successful with Freestyle as if it's their fault. What ever happened to playing nice?

My second day, I will say I am not a fan. Does not sync well with Fitbit (steps but no extra food points). Not enough food options, 1/2 roast chicken? Am I suppose to bring a scale to Dallas BBQ and weigh everything? Very hard to manage. It is my second day, I will keep trying, just find it very annoying. Fitbit is much better so far - calories, food options, exercise. I will keep an open mind, however.

I am in the hate camp. Just can’t stick to it. So restrictive and sets you up for failure if you eat one thing because the points are so high. I have searched for the old plans as lost program materials in a recent move. I am not a fan of Oprah and think she has ruined the brand for those of us who have been lifetime members for decades

Check out the Facebook group returnto30, there is also a website with the same name. We’ve all gone back to SmartvPoints or Points Plus. All the info you need is in the group files. Good luck!

Sticking with SP. Tracking and trying to watch my sugar intake. It's the devil. Once you get on that train, you can't jump off. Ugh!

I hate the new WW FS. I had lost 45 pounds on the points plus program. Then they switched to smart points and I got nowhere. slowly started gaining and continued yo-yoing until they started the fs program. gave it a try, but hated it, too. I'm trying to do the points plus program. but with everything geared toward fs,it makes it hard. I feel they are trying to make everyone use that stupid app, which I lso hate. I like to track by writing everything down in a tracker. now it seems as though they may have discarded them as well. Have been on the verge of giving up. But I've been at this for 5 years and don't want to throw in the towel. What can I and others like me do?

Sharon - I had the same experience with FS. After losing 33 lb and going on FS I gained. I continued attending meetings, but nothing discussed applied to me since everything was geared toward FS so I quit. I'm going to go back to the Smart Points program on my own and hopefully I'll have success without having to attend meetings. FS is such a huge disappointment although there are those who seem to like it. It reminded me of Atkins which I had a problem with. After eating too much protein I developed gout. I stopped Atkins and have never had a problem since and certainly don't want that to happen again which was a concern with the FS program. Good luck on your journey and know that you're not alone.

I also lost big on points plus and I hate Freesyle and smart points. Itrackbites is an app that gives you three choices. Freestyle, smartpoints and the old program that you track fat, calories and fiber which I use. It gives you a daily and weekly points

Kathy....do you like iTrackBites??? When I tried to upgrade it would not upgrade and I never got a response from customer service after I emailed them except to say they got my request.

Hi Joan. Yes I really like Itrackbites. It gives you 3 choices of programs. I upgraded to Pro and I had them charge my Verizon account for the year. The upgrade gives you so many more Restaurants than the WW app. I just locked my self in with WW on line until October with a special, but that was before I found this app.

I hate it.

I used to love weight watchers, now it seems like an its trying to find its place in the modern world, but its does not know how.

calling something "freestyle" as an excuse to not put in the work.

the app seemed rushed, if it was really about wellness, why not suggest alternatives so when white bread is scanned, suggest a rye or wholemeal.

tracking activity in food points but then saying that these point should not be used defeats the object of tracking.

Well i signed up for six months so that will be the only pounds I lose.

Tammy. Try Itrackbites app and go for the Pro which is 36 a year. It gives you 3 choices of ww plans. I chose the older plan which tracked calories, fat and fiber. It gives you a daily and weekly points and tracks it to you as well as activity. It has a great food data base and has a very large restaurant data base, a lot more than the WW app.I too am signed up for 6 months with WW, but I found Itrackbites after I signed up. Give it a try.

I don’t just like FS; I LOVE it. The weight just falls off with little to no effort. I’m already dreading next January when WW will replace it with something that may or may not work for me. So believe me when I say I do understand those who are upset that the old program that was working for them is gone, because next year that will probably be me.

I started on January 12, I’ve lost 9 lbs. have not lost a pound since .....do not understand the stand still?

Freestyle gives people A false sense of freedom. Zero points does not mean zero calories. Healthy foods have calories too, and eating too many just because they are zero points will dramatically affect your results. I do agree that the program helps you to make healthier choices, just may make losing weight harder for some people that don’t have a strong understanding of the basic calorie in and calorie burned.

Charlotte, I did great on Smart Points (the program before Freestyle) and then went over to FS and started gaining weight. After a short time our leader told us everything had calories and that we needed to watch what we ate and not eat too much, which certainly is not the way FS is advertised. In addition, it reminds me of the Atkins diet. When I went on Atkins I developed gout and after blood testing my doctor concluded that I was eating too much protein which caused the gout. FS is not only unhealthy for some, but the way it's advertised is completely dishonest. Needless to say, I quit WW and am going back to Smart Points on my own. It's unfortunate that WW doesn't allow their members to choose the program that works for them.

Lucille - I couldn't agree more with you! The Freestyle advertisement is completely dishonest. I too quit WW as I too gained weight on FS. I'm now doing Smart Points on my own. I recently bought a "clicker" to track my points which has been very handy as it's a lot faster to track points than any other method I used.

I lost over 60 pounds on the smart points program, but stopped losing weight when W.W. switched to freestyle. Since most fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and fish are zero points, I stopped tracking and stopped paying attention to portion control for those "free" items. I think tracking was the key to my success on the smart point program, so I have since switched to a different program (Real Appeal) that encourages tracking.

As I am reading comments I find it interesting people are interpreting FS. Some things of it as a "high protein, low carb" diet similar to Atkins or and "0 pts "all you can eat" buffet. I find FS to be a wonderful, healthy plan that has me eating a lot more fruit and veggies and subbing them for higher calorie foods. The water and fiber in the produce makes me feel fuller and I find I feel better when I snack on those things and less likely to over indulge. I am eating more beans, greens and fruit, but not any more meat or eggs then I ever have (not much). If anything, less. I find this to be a very healthy and satisfying plan.

I am NOT liking Freestyle. I am so used to the Points Plus and Special Points and have ALWAYS lost on those programs - now, i am averaging between .2 lbs and 1lb a week and that is not what I am used to. On the old programs, I would lose between 2-3 lbs per week. I find WW Freestyle makes me even more strict than I was on the old programs with way less results.

People are not gaining weight from eating too many beans, eggs and oranges. Gimme a break. Freestyle nudges one toward a healthy eating pattern. I would like to see someone's weekly food diary who is gaining weight on Freestyle.

Aaron, all foods have calories and telling someone who overeats that certain foods are zero points is allowing that person to lose control. Furthermore, men tend to have more lean muscle tissue, which burns more calories than body fat, even during rest; and when men and women cut the same number of calories, men usually do lose more weight. Don't judge Aaron, what works for some doesn't work for others.

Lucille, that was very well put. Calories in vs calories out, and when Weight Watchers promised you zero foods with no restrictions, as they did when announcing Freestyle, it's also wrong to criticize people for not realizing it's all about calories and portion control. People were misled. The main ones who are losing weight are the beginners. And of course you're going to lose weight when you suddenly quit eating french fries and ice cream, and Hershey's bars. I want to see how the beginners are doing months from now. Those of us who were at or near goal either stopped losing or gained. I never had success with Atkins, and Freestyle is too much like Atkins. I'm back to maintaining goal with the SmartPoints program and have quit going to the meetings, something I miss but they aren't relevant anymore.

Arron, One of my big issues is the advertising. WW claims freestyle is the "most freeing" of their programs and you "can eat whatever you want". Even you have to admit that that is not true and "eating whatever you want" is a problem.

For me personally, they gave me free foods that I do not want and made healthy choices that I do want not fit in my now much smaller points budget. My favorite was points plus. Was it perfect? No, but I was very successful and healthy on it. Freestyle messes with me mentally.

Don't blame WW for stalled weight loss. EVERY program works if you follow it - Be it Weight Watchers 1975, WW 2019 or Nutrisystem. Everyone wants to blame the program. Take some accountability. If you don't like the misleading commercials, USE ANOTHER PROGRAM TO LOSE WEIGHT. Lord knows there are plenty to choose from.

Incidentally, Lucille, I'm not a man so there goes the muscle mass theory.

I'm struggling. 10 years ago I lost 15 pounds very easily! Just started back two weeks ago and I am starving all the time. Also never want another chicken breast, salad or egg again! Very hard for me. Wish they would just leave old programs in and let us choose which works best for our bodies.

Aaron, I have a couple comments. Yes, any program will work. Duh! Try addressing the advertising that WW freestyle is the most "freeing" because you can eat anything. That is really a big sticking point for me.

Second, don't ding Lucille for assuming you are a male given you are posting under a man's name.

Aaron,

Thank you for making the (unhelpful) point in such a condescending tone that all diets work if you follow them to the letter and that accurate food journals should explain why people are struggling/failing on whatever diet they choose. I’m sure many readers here were unaware of these points and have never thought to blame themselves for their weight loss problems.

I’m a physician. This is like saying “oh, your infection didn’t get better after being on 10 days of antibiotics? Well, everyone gets better by taking this drug so you probably didn’t take it when you were supposed to.”

That’s ridiculous.

Weight loss is complicated. There are lots of things people can say that may be *true*, but not applicable to sustainable, long term weight loss. For example, the calories in, calories out argument. If you create a calorie deficit, you will lose weight. But our bodies’ metabolism will fight back (it’s not advantageous to our evolution to lose weight - our bodies want to hang on to it), so over time progress will stall.

The key is lifestyle change and having a clear definition of what “healthy” means to you. Most people want to use weight as a measure of their success. I’d suggest using other objective measures such as A1c, blood pressure, ability to walk distances without getting short of breath, cholesterol, and just overall feeling of well being.

I lost a lot of weight on weight watchers (150 lbs), back on the old points plus program. I no longer participate in WW and instead find that a plant based, lean protein, whole grain diet (Mediterranean inspired) works for me. If I start gaining weight, I might go back to measuring portions or decide to get more activity into my day (nothing crazy - just parking far away, taking the stairs, maybe doing an extra 5 minutes at the gym). I eat a cookie if I want a cookie. The difference is that I don’t eat 8 cookies anymore :)

And yes, my weight went up after eating this way. But I find it’s easier to maintain this weight and it doesn’t feel like a diet or punishment.

If you are struggling with WW or any other program, please don’t blame yourself or assume you are “the” problem. Get hooked into a good physician who cares about weight loss and a dietician. Make the investment to learn about your body and its status.

And please ignore people who try to kick you when you’re already down.

Aaron - I disagree with you. I believe MOST programs work when you follow them but WW Freestyle is not one of them. Those who struggle with portion control and follow the program precisely as it is advertised - 200 "free" items- are setting themselves up for disappointment. I do agree with you when you say there are plenty of other programs from which to choose. For me, Smart Points seems to work the best combined with moving!

Aaron,

Have you read the news today?

WW's membership, along with with its stock, have tanked:

https://www.ft.com/content/b8a95d74-3a10-11e9-b856-5404d381…

It's all over the Internet.

Any theories as to why?

if I join and than don't like it can I quit

WW success of FS is proven everyday in the stock market, and I quote from Bloomberg News today...

“Weight Watchers plummeted after a severely disappointing full-year forecast, so it’s turning again to the name that fueled its last rally: Oprah.

The wellness company that’s been rebranding itself as WW tumbled as much as 34 percent late Tuesday after warning member recruitment will decline in 2019”

The plan never worked for me, and I landed up going to a physician specializing in weight loss...no pills, no hocus pocus, and I’ve opted to forego surgery. I’ve lost weight slowly but surely, and I can see that the WW FS Plan bears some but very little similarity to the plan I’m following now. All I can say is that beans and fruit, while they are healthy foods, are not your dieting friends...

Aaron...”Don't blame WW for stalled weight loss. EVERY program works if you follow it”

If you’re a physician as you claim to be, you should know that too many carbs, which one can easily overeat on FS, will inhibit weight loss. Please post your Curriculum Vitae so that I may ascertain the validity of your weight loss expertise...

@Aaron and @Laurie:

What are your thoughts on Double You Double You stock tumbling?

I'm bummed by the stock news. This is the only diet that has EVER worked for me long term and I feel like I could actually stay on long term. I know they will change it in January because they change it every 2 years. I know that many of you don't like it and I totally understand, but there are so many diets out there where you can count calories if that's what you want to do. This diet works for me because I don't have to count calories and I can fit in any food if I really want to. Hopefully I can at least continue to follow the diet on Itrackbytes when they change it this January.

Kelley,

You made basically the same comment two weeks ago.

Both comments say that you are VERY, VERY UPSET because (wink, wink) WW will

start something new next year.

(AFTER ALL, THEY ALWAYS DO!!!), Kelley says.

Poor dear!

You sound like a corporate plant, trying to save face for WW's disastrous rebranding decision.

Here are your comments from Feb. 16:

I don’t just like FS; I LOVE it. The weight just falls off with little to no effort. I’m already dreading next January when WW will replace it with something that may or may not work for me. So believe me when I say I do understand those who are upset that the old program that was working for them is gone, because next year that will probably be me.

Kelley on February 16, 2019
I rest my case!
I

Ms. G,

I don't think Kelley sounds like a "corporate plant". I think she just sounds like someone for whom freestyle suits. Those people do exist.

For me, freestyle is not freeing and is a real struggle. I will say that Kelley does miss the point when she says "there are so many diets out there where you can count calories if that's what you want to do". Counting calories is not what I want to do and with PointsPlus (my favorite of the WW programs) I did not have to. Actually with Freestyle, I am having to count points AND calories to try and find a workable balance. Struggling to find my motivation and success again. I am over goal now after YEARS of being safely under goal.

I find all these comments disheartening. If you like the program, that's okay! If you don't like the program, that's okay too. I hope you find something that works for you. But what some people on both sides seem to be lacking is respect. It doesn't matter if the program works or doesn't work for you. What does matter is how people are treated. It is possible to be respectful when there are different opinions.

Kelley,

So sorry, didn't mean to hurt your feelings!

I personally hope that in January, the new WW program will be successful for me, and for you, too!

Here's to a new plan that will work for all of us!

I want to thank all the wonderful woman here who shared the site ibites. I to tried Freestyle for 3 weeks with no weight loss. I did not over indulge and followed the instructions. I go to the gym and do Yoga. In the past I lost 40 LB on 123 Success. I have tried other WW through the years and lost weight also. 123 has always been my favorite. I regulate my sugar consumption myself so that is not a problem. I have been looking for that diet for about a year. Thank you again, I have everything I need now to start losing weight while still enjoying the foods I love.

Wow, that’s kind of a reach. My only other experience with Weight Watchers was 15 or so years ago with those horrible meetings. I was starving all the time and struggled to lose 10 lbs. It is pretty funny someone thinks I’m on their payroll because of a couple comments I made on a website I doubt WW knows exists. It’s common knowledge they change their diet every 2 years so they can peddle all new junk to all the lifetime members. This is hardly a state secret. Jeez.

Going to be interesting. WW did some house cleaning this week with firings and talk about direction........

Th y need to do something. They lost the main reason of their business. To help people lose weight. Freesyle only allows for me 2-4 oz. A week. Too expensive for that amount of weight loss.

Who got fired?

Just wanted to check in again to let you all know that the ibites WW diet (the one that counts calories, fat and fiber) formaly know as 123 success still works beautifully. I was on it in my Forties and now again in my Sixties. Down 4 lbs the first week. I know that will slow down, but going in the right direction. I am eating everything I love including pasta. Measuring and weighing of course. Thanks to this site I found Ibites. I don't think WW will recover from this mess especially now with the other options that are so affordable. Sad. Thank you again for guiding me in the right direction.

Can anyone tell me which ITrackBites is the 123Sucess? Is it the Pro Flex?

Very disappointed I want my hundred dollars back hey wait a lifetime member for years and years a long time ago this morning. I thought it was really smart the way it balanced all the food groups oh we don't do food groups anymore she said I think that if I wanted to join Adkins I would join Adkins but I didn't I joined Weight Watchers because I thought they had a good balance and they taught you how to eat properly thinking about going into ketosis from not enough carbs in too much protein makes me sick to my stomach just to think about it. In addition I don't have a scanner on my phone and that pretty much makes the plan unworkable

Bridget, it's the last diet on the list. It says it counts Calories, Fat and Fiber. just watch your sugar and weigh and measure. You will love it!

Did well on WW in the 80s (lost 50+/-), logging food groups. Started Freestyle in July 2018. Went off track due to family stressors (mom's stroke, sister's back surgery as I took care of her for a month). WW changed (emphasis no longer on weight loss) during my sister's surgery/recover and just haven't been able to get back on track. Still doing Freestyle with going up/down the same 10 lb. Purchased iTrackBites and started Freestyle but just recently changed (yesterday) to their SmartBites (2nd metric of calorie or nutrition stats). Love the extra 7 points a day eating what I want. On Flexstyle I have 23 points, on Smart 30 points. I'm not a big meat eater and get a lot of my protein from yogurt (0% fat plain or 2% fat Fage or Dannon light & fit). Tracking on both WW online Flexstyle and iTrackBites with SmartBites and see how it goes.

Thank you, Joan. I’ll start using that option. By the way, I love the features on ITrackBites more than the WW App.

Hi, I just read your thoughts & they are very important to me at time as I’m thinking about going back on weight watchers.

I have a lot of weight to lose. What do you mean when you say the emphasis is no longer on weight loss?

I think you’re saying there is more than one kind of program at Weight Watchers. If I do digital it seems that they are only offering me free style. Is this true? I’d be grateful for any thoughts.

Many thanks,

Isabella.

Ps I am a vegan. Anyone think that freestyle will work for me?

To Joan, I think maybe you mean itrackbites and not ibites? I can't find a google hit on "ibites."

Isabella Fiske McFarlin - If you're thinking of going on WW I, for one, will discourage you. The Freestyle program is extremely similar to the Atkins program. There are numerous parts of this program that are very disturbing. Protein-rich foods are zero points, which should not be consumed in large quantities, but that's how Freestyle is advertised. Eggs are one of those proteins. Recently, a report was released that adults who ate about 1 ½ eggs daily had a higher risk of heart disease than those who ate no eggs. The study showed the more eggs, the greater the risk. The chances of dying early were also elevated with the culprit being cholesterol. The list of 200 "free" foods include white meat turkey and chicken, eggs, tofu and beans. The rest of the list includes vegetables, each listed separately, and spices, each listed separately. Sugar and carb products have a lot of points. You are allowed 23 points per day and as our leader told us, at the time, you need to limit your intake of even the "free" foods. I quit WW after being a member for years because with Freestyle I no longer lost weight even after limiting my portion size. Here's a link to a vegetarian diet that might interest you: http://www.eatingwell.com/category/4283/vegetarian-diet-cen…

Isabella,

I think that as a vegan, Freestyle is a perfect fit for you as many of the 0 points foods like beans, tofu, veggies and fruits are both healthy and vegan. Sometimes as vegetarians and vegans we gravitate towards prepared vegan/vegetarian foods that can be very high in fat or we eat too many high caloric things like nuts. Freestyle should help you figure out how to make your vegan diet more healthy and help you to learn protion control. Good luck!

iTrackBites offers several of the older WW plans and calorie counting with their free app. Their Pro app includes a plan comparable to WW Flexstyle. WW did change their approach in fall 2018 to Wellness Wins, which was disappointing as they weren't focusing recipes etc on weight loss. I recently purchased the iTrackBites Pro and really love it as it gives me the option of changing from 4 WW plans (Flexstyle, SmartPoints, PointsPlus, Classic) or calorie counting. I started with iTrackBites (Pro) FlexBites and am now doing Smart. iTrackBites facebook sites (participants, Flex, Smart, etc) are moderated by Lisa Wood and she has so much helpful information in the "file" section including a guide for the latest version. Pro version is a yearly fee ($39.19) when I purchased and the price will not go up once subscribed. I'm not sure what the current price is. I think they also have monthly pricing but price may not be locked in. Pro includes these additions: FlexBites (Freestyle), additional online database, restaurant, snack, beer guides, recipe building, secondary metric (calories or macro), FitBit integration and more. So give the free version a try and consider upgrading to the pro version.

Yes...sorry.....did mean iTrackbites....good luck.

I also find the free style very limiting in food choices. I am hungry all the time and basically don't eat very much in the day in order to lose weight. I try not to go over my 23 daily points - I have to avoid the weekly points in order to lose weight. I also exercise at least 5 days a week at a high level (always have). I have lost 13 lbs since Jan 1/19; struggling with the last 5. It is very unlikely I will be able to maintain the weight loss... I prefer the very old system where each type and quantity of food had a point - even a banana was 1 point.

I am new both to this blog and to freestyle. I was a Weight Watchers person twice or three times; sometimes I lost weight and sometimes I didn’t. I believe that Weight Watchers has a very detrimental policy of changing the program every year and a half or two years.

I think that this is the most ridiculous barrier to losing weight on weight watchers. But they probably do it so that they can get you to do it for longer and get more money out of you.

Once you learn smart points or any other program you don’t really need them. Well except for Weigh ins, i suppose.

I plan to take the excellent advice to try it for three months and see if it works for me.

I am a vegetarian (Have been for many years) and have recently become vegan, about a year ago. I am not sure freestyle has what it takes for somebody like me. Obviously I’m not going to eat chicken breast. But there are plenty of zero points foods that I can eat

I joined again because it’s the program I know, but I can see that everybody is just as miserable as they were the other times the program changed. Everyone: this is what they do. But one thing bothered me. T said “if you are not focused on weight loss..” why would anybody join this program other than to lose weight? So I want to see how it works. It’s not a problem for me to eat fruits and vegetables, I will not be eating eggs or anything like that. I joined the Weight Watchers vegan group. (Any tips that vegans or vegetarians might have for me would be great!) I am going to wait and see but hearing all of these complaints and miseries I think maybe it might not be the right program for me or for many of us. I heard there was a shake up at weight watchers. Let’s see what happens. Thanks for listening.

As of yesterday, I am giving my fitness pal a go. I can't cope with the degree of punishment for small treats (3" cookie being 10 pts) combined with the reduced daily points. I ate great yesterday and did not feel stressed enough by food options, that I binged. Curious if this will work for me.

Get the free version of iTrackBites if you want to do the older WW programs (Smart, PointsPlus, Classic) or iTrackBites Pro (subscription fee) if you want to try them all (Flex, Smart, PointsPlus, Classic or calories). I started with WW in July 2018 and recently switched to iTrackBites using the previous Smart Points (SmartBites is what ITB calls it). I like it much better than Flexstyle as I get more points (30 Smart vs 23 Flex). Zero point foods are fruits and most vegetables except starchy (corn, peas, legumes, potatoes) on Smart. Flex zero point includes lean proteins (white meat chicken, fish, soy proteins), vegetables (including corn, peas, legumes) and fruit. I prefer having 7 extra points a day to eat what I want (rice, potatoes, dark meat poultry, more beef). There are many ITB facebook support groups for participants and plan specific. The only downside is it's for Android or iDevice phone only at this time (not Windows or Mac), may work on some tablets.

I have iTrackBites Pro on my Apple phone and pad. Recently I’ve been using the calorie version. You pick the desired weight you would like to lose in a week and according to your height, weight and activity level, it picks the number of calories you should eat in a day. I know it’s not for everyone but I like the concept of a calorie is a calorie and nothing is free. With calorie counting you don’t have to figure out points when you are at the grocery store looking at the food’s nutritional information and healthy food has less calories so it steers you in that direction too. I love the app no matter what version but if you are in a slump try calorie counting. You will be surprised at how all the “free” foods add up.

Hate it.

The #1 thing I learned is that a program where foods are ‘free’ doesn’t work for someone like me that has trouble with portion control. I stopped weighing and measuring and all hell broke loose. I gained 15lbs and now am going to count using the Lose It app. I lost consistently on SPs, but then the new program didn’t work for me! I hate Freestyle and wish we had the option of going back to what the last program was. I wish we had a choice to stay on what was working.

I have been following the Smartpoints program by choosing the maintenance option and setting it to 30 points a day.

It looks like there have been some changes on the site, and it's no longer possible to set it for maintenance.

Can someone tell me how to get the site to calculate the old SmartPoints

Ms. G, the WW ap/site does not offer the old SmartPoints as an option. People who are wanting Smartpoint, Points+ or classic Point use an AP called ITrackBites. You can download it onto your phone or iPad.

Thank you for the ITrackBites app info, I have already checked it out, downloaded it and set up my account... You see, I hate Freestyle and was tired of trying to modify the WW app to work with SP. With FS program I managed to gain 18 of the 52 I had lost and I am stuck. I hope tracking with the old program I will see some losses.

I went back on the previous plan, Smart Points, because that's what caused my weight loss and Freestyle after 3 months, caused me to gain weight. Having said that, I refused to use the app from the get-go, so I purchased the calculator and Smart Points books from when I started in 2017. So glad I did. You don't need to be dependent on an app, that may or may not disappear over time or be accurate to the plan or at the mercy of WW as it changes plans to do the diet if you have the books and the calculator. Just be careful with the internet replacement apps. Today, I used a user-provider app on her blog to calculate my daily smart points and it was giving me an inaccurate total - very low. I figured out that she had updated the calculator in the last year and was using the Freestyle formula to compute daily smart points, but was still advertising her calculator as a smart points one based on smart points daily points formulation. They are not interchangeable no matter what they try to tell you at the meetings when they were first selling FS. You must pick between the plans the one that works for you to be successful and stick to the rules of that plan.

An update to my original comment on hating FS from May 4, 2018. I recorded, froze frame-by frame and photographed a WW commercial that aired on my TV in February 2019. Check out the fine print folks. In every example provided of a FS loser the fine print was asterisked and it said that the individual lost on a "prior WW plan." Voila! There you have it. The people featured in the most recent commercial - all of them announcing their whopping weight losses, were SMART POINTS losers. The last scene of the commercial, the fine print explained the FS claims were based on 1 study performed by a North Carolina University and sponsored (PAID FOR) by Weight Watchers. FS is a marketing scam folks. Most people I know personally who were Smart Points losers have quit in frustration because they gained weight or were only losing a fraction of a pound for weeks on FS. It's a glorified wellness plan, not a weight lose plan that teaches portion control, which is why they changed the company's name from Weight Watchers to WW and now claim the goal of their program is "better health, better sleep" and weight loss MAY come along with it. People went on Weight Watchers for decades to learn portion control, get weight loss support and lose weight - not be on a $45 per month wellness plan I can do for free on my own. I don't care how they move the goal posts or change the objectives to conform to their marketing scheme of zero point foods and avoid false advertisement lawsuits, for most people it's about losing weight. And those of you who used the app from the get-go, fasten your seatbelts. It's now a opened a door to harass you through your mobile device for WW to start advertising Oprah's cauliflower pizza and market her products. Or better yet, remote or virtual meetings replacement in stead of having the great- in-person support of physical meetings with other members. Give it time, it's coming.

Amanda, Your comments are 100% correct. I too lost on Smart Points, but gained on FS and then quit. Thank you for summarizing this so brilliantly.

Rose, glad to help. Just repeated the info/help I had gotten from everyone else here. My husband has downloaded it. He is going all the way back to the original points ("Classic" in ITrackbites). He said he has not been as successful since fruit became free.

Amanda, great observations. I love your freeze frame photos. I had noticed those declaimers in the early FS ads, but it is very telling that with the program solidly over a year old, they are still not using members that succeeded with freestyle. I have heard rumors of changes coming and I will be very interested in seeing what actually manifests next year.

Myself, I am still attending meetings for the accountability and support. I am, most of the time, a free lifetime member so as long as WW continues with this option then the meeting only costs me my morning. I am not doing FS. I am actually giving MyFitnessPal a go and seeing how it works for me. There is an extensive database which is great. Real chat boards and not the "Connect" that is really WW mini-facebook. I like being able to have real full conversations on a variety of topics. I will say though that MFP needs to work on their recipe builder. It does work but requires patience and effort.

Amanda and Rose,
Thank you for your contributions.
They are spot-on.

I gave up on FS a long time ago, but have continued to use the Weight Watchers tracker by selecting the maintenance option, setting it to 30 points,and continuing to follow Smart Points (with modifications for chicken, fish, beans, etc.)

Now WW has removed even that option, leaving me with no choice but to learn a different method to calculate my SmartPoints.

I've known about these alternatives for a long time, but I've just been too lazy and set in my ways to switch to itrackbites, etc.

Now I'll do that.

This is good for me, but bad for WW.

All this time, I've been paying them for the only remnant of SP that still works for me.

Surely they must know that many longtime members do this--

-- Yet they're prepared to lose more money by making even that option impossible.

Today, I read yet another article today about WW's continuing financial decline.

To WW, I say:

Why are you shooting yourself in the foot?

You have lost not just money, but also the goodwill of your loyalest members.

Thank you Amanda, for the insight I find that very interesting. All along I thought it was just me, that I was doing something wrong... I am so glad I found this blog and to learn that its not just me.

Originally I lost 76# and made lifetime in 01 using classic points kept it off for 6+ years. Then it started to creep up to 13 over from were I started. I went back to WW it was PP and it worked I lost 33 on the program then they introduced SP not happy but gave it a shot and was able to lose the additional 19# for a total 52#. I am still going to meeting at least for a while longer for the accountability and the friends I have made.

Mrs. G - If I am reading what you wrote correctly, you believe that you cannot change your Daily SmartPoints Target to 30. I just went in to check, as I have played with it in the past as well. I just changed mine as a test. Could it be that they have change the "where" or "how" so you are not seeing it? Anyhow, login, click "account" in the upper right corner and select from the pulldown "settings". The click the title "focus". Under it, select "healthy habits" and there you can customize your daily and weekly smart points. This was all done on my computer. I believe computer and phone/ipad interfaces are not the same, at least they were not the same in the beginning. Actually, it is on the phone as well. Open Ap, click the head in the upper right corner, then click the "gear", then select food settings. Daily and weekly target edits are there. What is odd is I had changed mine on my phone a few weeks ago, but I noticed doing this exercise that the edit I did on my phone was not reflected in the default setting on my laptop. I did not notice the impact on my tracker. I think the laptop tracker did receive the update I did on my phone, but did not pay attention as I have been using the MyFitnessPal the past 3ish weeks. So far I am down about 5 lb. Hard to tell cause I am on vacation and my travel weight scale is not as accurate. BTW, if you still can't make these changes, maybe you are in a different version and reflecting what options are do come. Are you using a Beta version? I never opt for those.

Thank you for this information. I was able to change my daily to 30 but unable to change my weekly. I wanted to keep it at 28 but then it reverts back to 17. All in all this really helped.

Mrs. G - Glad that was of help on your daily but thoroughly confused about your weekly. In that same spot, I am able to edit them both and also 28 is the default number for the weekly. Another help option for you on this is, when using the computer, to click the help/chat function in the bottom right corner. The WW staff may be able to figure what step is missing to get you the number that you want. If you learn anything, do share.

That's odd! I had no problem setting it to 28.

Haha Joan G and Mrs. G, I thought you were the same person due to subject matter and I assumed you just signed off differently. :P

I've never been able to lose weight at all on any Weight Watchers program except for the original points system that was in effect in 2007. I lost 17 pounds on that program, but I had to reduce my points intake below the recommended daily minimum to lose the last 5 pounds. I gained 10 pounds on the point plus system. Fortunately, I was able to find Weight Watcher books using the original points system on eBay. Now when I start to gain weight I go back to the old program.

Freestyle is not the best working WW plan for me. I have finally figured out how to make FS work but this is what I have to do:

Track every single thing, including 0 point food

Never use any weekly points

Never go over 15 points per day

Keep track of calories also and never go over 1100

Never have treats, sugar and meep carbs low

I need to find some of the older PointsPlus plan materials which worked for me so much better than FS. I cannot follow this FS indefinitely!

I have lost 51 pounds on FS since last September but it is not easy. 40 more to go.

Connie, that isn’t freestyle.

Kelley - I think Connie is making her point that Freestyle is not working for her

Connie - Hubby is using ITrackBites and is using the Classic setting (which is the original points system). He splurged this morning on the 1 year of the "pro" plan for something like $35/year. He is excited by what he sees. For the moment, I am using MyFitnessPal and we'll see how that goes for me.

Sher,

Thank you for all your helpful comments.

I'm so glad that you participate in this discussion!

I purchased iTrackBites in December (~$35 annual) and finally stopped my WW online membership (~$20/mo) this month. I love that iTrackBites supports so many of the WW point systems (which are similar to Freestyle thru ITB "pro" paid subscription only, Smart Points, Points Plus, Classic) and calories. The Freestyle on ITB isn't exactly the same as on WW as it's been indicated they weren't able to exactly duplicate the formula. I'm currently doing Smart Points, which doesn't have as many "free" foods, but more points per day. The ITB facebook support groups are great.

Kelley - So true. FS is not FS after I’m done tweaking it. It’s something else for sure. My friend follows FS exactly and loves it!

Sher- thank you. I will try it out!

Mrs. G - What nice words! <3 I always like to help people if I can, which was the main reason I worked for WW for 12 years. During almost all those 12 years, it was a system that I truly believed in and my job felt more like public service (which was good because there were times my job cost me more in gas than I made that day). I still attend, but because of the people - staff and members - and attend despite the program. FS is just not connecting with me and, IMO, the statement "you can eat anything" feels like false advertising. But, that is just my feelings........

MIne, too!

You know it’s bad when Monte King, the king of Connect finally left WW because he admitted freestyle has been making him maintain no matter how hard he worked out. He realized he needed to start counting calories because those delicious bowls of fruit he was making daily were doing him in.

Bridget - Very interesting update. I have never used Connect. Reminds me too much of facebook and on facebook I am not interested in "look at me" aspects. I like the informational groups. Anyhow, I just looked up the Monte King. Yes, he has left WW and according to his most recent post, his "goodbye" message got taken down. Would have live to have gotten to see his original and exactly what he had to say.

Before I left WW, I followed Monte King. He was having problems when I was actively checking Connect in the fall. A lot of the WW YouTubers are experimenting with using the older WW plans with iTrackBites or similar apps. iTrackBites Pro allows you to have a secondary metric in order to track calories or macros. The ITB plans are basically Freestyle (available on pro only), Smart Points, Points Plus, Classic or calories (WW similar names have recently been switched, e.g., Bites Plus/Points Plus is now called Carb Conscious). It seemed that most of the people I was following in Connect were in maintenance and had actually lost all or most of their weight in one of the earlier WW plans.

I'm a long time WW life time member. I just cancelled my membership because the free style is horrible. I feel you lose weight but its a terribly long road due to the high fat content you are allowed to eat (eggs, beans etc..)there is no room for sugar or carbs. Yogurt is a tremendous amount of points. The old programs were so much more enjoyable. I stuck it out for as long as I could. WW has changed so much should have left well enough alone. Disappointed

I understand that you don't like free style and that you have not had a good experience with it. However, the reasons you have given: that beans and eggs have too much fat, is not accurate and may be misleading to others. Beans have 0 fat and eggs have minimal fat. These are low cal foods.

We all like our sugar and carbs! It sounds like the reason that you don't like free style is that you want to be able to incorporate more sugar and carbs while still being on a weight loss plan.

@margo, I think you are largely right. I lost 35 pounds on Smart Points, which allowed me modest amounts of carbs and sugar--enough to keep me satisfied and happy and not feeling deprived. That is one thing that people don't like about Freestyle, taking those opportunities virtually away by assigning them high points and taking 7 points per day away.

The second thing that people don't like is the fact that after the "first blush" (everybody loses weight that first week or two), the weight loss is very, very slow or not at all, all while taking one whole component of food pleasure out of the diet.

I keep my weight off by following the Smart Points maintenance plan. I tried Freestyle for two weeks and gained weight. I refuse to do that.

There is only so much turkey, beans, and eggs one can eat before becoming totally bored. WW used to preach "You can eat anything." Now that's not true.

I am going to bd very curious about what comes in December, the month the recent years’ every two year program change would logically occur. In about March, there were a large number of firings in the company including one entire department. Not fully surprised as someone(s) dropped the ball with all the changes that came since freestyle.

There might have been a lot of firings at WW because so many people are leaving because of FS; I certainly did.

@tifoz I dread that so much since Freestyle is the only diet that has ever worked for me. I guess I could try Noom (but so expensive) or use itrackbytes for Freestyle.

I just finished reading all the comments here. Whew! People sure have their opinions.

Anyway, this is my second time on Weight Watchers. The first time was maybe about ten years ago. I don't remember the name of the version at that time, but I do remember that all I could have was 23 points. I don't remember there being any rollover points or weeklies, but then I didn't actually join and go to meetings. I winged it with info on the internet and a slide thingy to calculate points and eventually a points calculator that a friend bought for me. I didn't have that much to lose, but it took 4 months to get to goal. I was always hungry.

Now with Freestyle (only been on it a week) I lost 2 lbs. I find it freeing because when everything had points, 23 points didn't go very far. I see people complaining that they only have 50 points! I would really be gaining if I had that many points to spend even though it works for them.

This a.m. I had a fried egg and a half of a meat stick from Costco (1.5 pts) For lunch I had shrimp louie that I make and it is zero points. I ate 8 tortilla chips with it for 3 points. I was still hungry so I ate a half can of corn. The way it was before I probably couldn't have had that corn.

Tonight I will have a chicken breast that is now marinating along with a green salad. I use Italian dressing mostly and never count the points since it's Good Season's mixed with vinegar and seasoning, and I just can't tell how much oil I am getting. So zero points unless I add a little cheese to the salad.

From what I've read, we need to eat at least up to 10 points less than the daily points. It used to be we had to eat the whole daily points. We can deduct a point for every 10 points of protein. I don't exercise so can't subtract activity points.

I see the dire warnings about the newbies who like this version probably not being able to maintain this way of eating. Maybe, maybe not. I hope it's not just sour grapes. But I hope to get to goal and then continue this or maybe a tweaked version to maintain.

I lost a few pounds on the Whole30 eating plan. It's a plan that doesn't concentrate on weight loss (though most people do lose weight) but takes away all known inflammatory foods (kind of like Paleo) so that at the end, when you slowly reintroduce those foods, you can tell which ones are making you sick or in pain, etc.

Some people incorporate whole30 along with Freestyle as I've seen on YouTube.

I guess if I was a paying member I would be very upset about all the forced changes. But since I get all my info and calculators off the internet, it doesn't stress me.

I hope others who feel cheated and betrayed by WW will do what I've done and just find the old calculators online or buy one and keep doing what has been working for you. If you feel you need moral support, there are support groups online.

I wish you all the best in your weight loss journeys.

Hey it serves them (meaning WW) right for dabbling too much with Weight Watchers food plan. The original one (and I don't mean any of the points plans) when it was based on the food exchange diet. That was the one I lost the most weight of 200+ and been able to keep off. Weight Watchers still doesn't get it right that a balance of all the food groups is essential as well as calories when it comes to weight loss.

Alison, I agree with you wholeheartedly!

I started iTrackBites March 2, using the first Smart Points program. I’m down 15 lbs and enjoying all my favorite foods. I can live with this program. So sad to see WW disappoint so many of their loyal followers. I did try FS and lost nothing in 2 weeks. That was enough for me.

I have not been a fan from the minute they rolled out Freestyle. I continued to follow the previous Smart Points Program and I continue to attend my weekly "workshop" (code for meeting) because the leader and group are a wonderful support. I find it hard to believe that WW is not aware of the negative feelings toward Freestyle. Many members have left WW and others are probably soon to follow. I am hoping that they will realize that many members (dare I say most) are disillusioned by Freestyle, and will redesign a program closer to the previous one. Even if they just offer both options, that would be a move in the right direction.

I wish Weight Watchers would take a lesson from the time Coca-Cola changed its formula and rebranded itself "New Coke." (This was many years ago, but the lesson still holds.)

The rebranding was a disaster.

Loyal customers demanded that that original Coke be brought back.

And Coke was smart enough to listen.

They brought back classic Coca-Cola.

And they admitted they had made a mistake.

I wish Weight Watchers would do the same.

Maggie, you are so right!! I hope WW is listening!

Ms. G You nailed it on the head. Unfortunately as of yet they have just dug their heels in deeper and refuse to believe their stocks crashing and subscriptions declining are due to anything they have done. They are instead doubling down and blaming low carb diets.

Sigh.

I’m so sick and tired of Oprah the Illuminati Queen, putting her face on EVERYTHING and her ANNOYING CHANTING on top of it all. Enough is enough! Then, the ad is played every stinkin commercial break!Gees, whatever happened to the sweet and very talented Jennifer Hudson as the Weight Watcher spokeswoman??????? Anyone but Old Oprah!!!!!!!

I’d rather see Don King than Old Oprah!

Oh man, Fred. You made me laugh, and I agree with you totally!

Oprah is not exactly an inspiration, what with her own successes and failures in the weight-loss arena. But maybe she'll give us all a car if we manage to lose more than a pound on Freestyle!

Fred you made my day.

I couldn't agree with you more.

The commercials where Oprah is calling and congratulating people on their weight loss - How about calling me and apologize for screwing up the only weight loss plan that worked, really worked!

Yah, I had such faith in Oprah -- to me she was Everywoman.

Now she's just like all the other billionaires, fleecing the little guy for a few extra bucks.

Oprah, if you run for President, run as a Republican.

Yah, I had such faith in Oprah -- to me she was Everywoman.

No more.

Fred, Cyndy, Linda...,Oprah is s joke!!! I’m with you Linda....she did screw up the only plan that ever worked. I wish she would sell WW to someone who actually cares!!!

I think the cat’s out of the bag about Freestyle...people are not losing weight, and they used to lose weight before. As for Oprah, I saw her a couple of weeks ago attending some kind of ceremony for her partner Stedman, and she was wearing a beige dress. Perhaps Oprah has lost a lot of weight on Weight Watchers, but not according to my eyes...she

looked like she always has looked, which does not look like diet success to me.

The original Weight Watchers with points worked better for me because it was closer to counting calories which is essential in losing weight as well as portion-control.

Freestyle is too similar to Atkins to feel safe using it. Our leader told us that "nothing" is free, that everything has calories and that we needed to "watch" what we were eating, which is certainly not the way Freestyle is marketed. It's really too bad, I did well on the points programs and started gaining weight on Freestyle even after "watching" my portions. As far as Oprah is concerned, yes, she's a rather large person, not someone who should represent a weight loss system, but that's not what it is any more now is it, it's a healthy way to live program although that's not why people join, they join to lose weight. I quit last year and am waiting for WW to change from Freestyle to something that works. If they don't, WW will cease to exist. As for those new members who are losing weight, it will be interesting to see how long that lasts.

I agree go back to original points where the only thing free was nonstarchy veggies. I lost the most weight on that.

Enough with the Oprah bashing please. It's not helpful to you, me or anyone else. If you don't like WW or Oprah, maybe you should look for another program.

Either quit WW or don't but stop complaining about Oprah making money off a program that doesn't work.

Margo and Batty: The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech. This site is for people to express their opinion of WW. You have no right whatsoever to tell anyone to leave.

Well said, Batty.

Lucia,

Please note Batty's comment:

"Stop complaining about Oprah making money off a program that doesn't work."

Read carefully and you will find she is a clever lass.

Lucia, I didn't tell anyone to leave. I said that it doesn't seem productive to hang out on this site complaining about Oprah and how the program doesn't work. Complaining about it isn't going to make it work better. Maybe it's not the right program for some people and maybe they'd be happier with a different weight loss plan that does work for them. But if they prefer to stay, by all means, stay.

Mrs. G Please leave political comments off this site. I think many people are sick to death of peoples political preferences being dragged into every venue that is discussed.

I would love to see Weight Watchers go back to its original point system. That seemed to work better for me since it was a little more structured.

Margo, you're missing the point. This is a forum to discuss whether or not they are successful on WW, if you only want praise for Freestyle go elsewhere.

Lucia and Ms.G, I never Implied that you should stop commenting about the WW program. I said STOP complaining about Oprah making money from owning WW and just quit giving her $$ if it bugs you that much.

Margo & Batty...in case you’ve forgotten, the very purpose of this website is to offer opinions about Weight Watchers, WW, and everything concerning the program...”New Weight Watchers Freestyle Review: Hate or Love?”

How did Oprah get into this mix? Surely you must be aware that she’s now a major stock holder in WW, a promoter of WW, and the veritable face of WW. The fact that most people associate her with the latest Freestyle program is no accident and was in fact planned by the WW corporation. You have the right to champion Oprah and others also have the right to voice their opinion of her. If your sensibilities are offended when Oprah is referenced negatively in connection with WW, that’s just too bad.

Joan said and I whole heartedly agree!

Mrs. G Please leave political comments off this site. I think many people are sick to death of peoples political preferences being dragged into every venue that is discussed.

I read the comment about "stop complaining about Oprah making money off a program that doesn't work" as not defending Oprah, but rather a dig. I found it amusing. Did I misunderstand? It didn't sound to me like a defense of either the program or Oprah.

Either the subtlety didn't come through in print or the statement really was an admonishment to others that was poorly worded. Maybe the author of the statement will explain?

The SmartPoints program was so much better than the Freesyle program for this reason: I'm allowed the same number of points with Freestyle as I was with SmartPoints (23 points with both programs), but under Freestyle practically everything I eat is zero points: vegetables, fruits, and lean protein. So theoretically that means that I can fill up on junk to get to 23 points (+5 extra points per day if I wish). So even though I go to meetings, I went back to using the old plan (SmartPoints), and I'm losing weight so much more quickly now (7 pounds in the last two weeks) rather than just inching along. NOTE TO WEIGHT WATCHERS (NATIONAL OFFICE): I KNOW THAT YOU'RE READING THE POSTS ON THIS SITE. PLEASE DROP FREESTYLE AND GO BACK TO SMARTPOINTS. P.S. The advertisement featuring Oprah in which she gushes, "I love bread! I eat bread every day! are very misleading, suggesting that bread can be the staple of a weight-loss routine. It cannot. I am disappointed with Weight Watchers for creating such a nonsensical advertisement. Instead, Weight Watchers should advocate eating at least five servings of vegetables per day in its advertisements as my doctor recommends (and which I'm doing). And no, you cannot cook the vegetables in butter or bacon grease and expect to lose weight. COME ON, PEOPLE! WE'RE ADULTS!

I love WW. I loved pretty much all plans, including SmartPoints right before this. I really love this plan as a lifestyle. I think it is very doable. However, I think it is better as a maintenance plan. I am over my goal (I know it's my fault; not WW. Just not motivated.). Because I don't eat meat, I love 0 point eggs, beans, and tofu. I don't think I could go back to counting them (especially beans). I would like WW to offer tiers when it comes to plans. One No-Count (Simply Filling before it went away), another half-count (Freestyle), and the last would be full-count (SmartPoints before this). It would give people options.

@Knowvillegal I believe you can eat bread every day and lose weight. At my most successful, I would eat bread and pasta a lot. Usually not both on the same day, but I am the type of person that I need carbs and bread. But I know other people that can't do that. Everyone is different.

No matter what people do, the important thing is being healthy and respecting everyone's opinions. And I really hope WW doesn't take away my 0 point banana, lol.

Kelly,

I think you are right on the money.

Your "tiered" proposal makes sense.

I would definitely bet that WW will accept your insightful comments, possibly with a few tweaks!

Kelly, I agree with your idea of having different tiers of the Weight Watchers with their various points-based plans. I know that I did better with their older versions of Weight Watchers with my weight loss than with what they have come up with most currently. I guess I am the type that needs to count every last calorie (or points). Apparently I did pretty well when they introduced the first version of the point system. I would like to see some type of change made that can be more accommodating.

I liked the earlier versions of the points plan before all these different changes. Am looking for earlier versions of points to follow so I can take the rest of my weight off. No more of these up-to-date versions of points. Need a little more structure than current version. Open to any ideas?

I love the new plan, I’ve been on it for just over 2 months and have lost a total of 13 pounds. I never tried the original ww plan but I love this one. So easy and it’s the only “diet” that’s ever worked for me while making me feel good.

I have done WW many times, and I reached goal with the Smart Points program. I unfortunately (as a pretty consistent yoyo'er) gained all back. I rejoined WW and about 4 months into it they changed to Freestyle. I not only gained back the 19 pounds that I lost, but I was made to feel like in the meetings that I was the problem. "You have to work the program." I loved my meetings leader, but there were so many rules with FS. "You can't call them free foods, they are zero point foods." Well zero points does not mean zero calorie. On the contrary. I started to use a calorie counting app and realized that even measuring and predominantly zero point foods, I was consuming over 2,200 per day! If they ever change their program I might try again, but not until FS is gone.

Hang in there, Marianna!

If you follow this thread, you'll see that you have many kindred spirits.

As a result, WW got hit in the pocketbook.

Its stock was in the basement until investors got word that a new and better plan was in the offing. Then it surged.

As others on this thread have predicted, starting next year, WW's revised program will be one we can lose weight on.

Moral of story:

Capitalism works, even if Freestyle does not!

Marianna - you nailed it!

I lost 30 pounds on smart points. While on Freestyle I have gained 10. I did plenty of research to understand what was going on and yes just because it is a zero food does not mean it is calorie free. You must be conscious of your calorie intake. Just as important, for me, are carbs. I was adding a large banana a day to my protein shake and then for my afternoon snack I was eating another banana. To my dismay I realized now that I was adding 200 calories and 50 grams carbs a day and that was with a zero point food! I have been on Freestyle for a week and have lost 5 pounds. Granted those pounds are more than likely fluid weight but I know that I am heading in the right direction. What I am doing is keeping track of my calories and carbs. Very eye opening! I now use strawberries instead of bananas. One cup of strawberries contains 49 calories and 12 grams carbs. I have also switched from milk to almond milk, another smart choice when considering calories and carbs. One last comment. Calories in and calories burned.

Make sure that you increase your activity.

My bottom line is not to be fooled by zero point foods. Count them!

Good luck on your journey - you CAN do it!

The answer is SIMPLE. If SmartPoints worked for you, GO BACK TO IT and STOP WHINING!!!

The answer is SIMPLE. If SmartPoints worked for you, GO BACK TO IT and STOP WHINING!!!

TNGal 13 hours ago

TNGal, you've forgotten that the of purpose of this thread was to invite comments on whether people loved or hated Freestyle. So NO ONE is whining.

I finally quit Double You Double You because freestyle doesn’t work. I found a new plan that has been amazing. I guess maybe some changes are coming? We’ll see.

But I doubt I will be back. My new plan is $17/month and I signed up through 5/2020 and it’s working for me at this point in my life.

I miss my meeting friends and my leader though. Just wasn’t worth it to spend $40/month anymore.

TNGal Your comment was insensitive.

Totally insensitive. No reason not to air frustrations with the plan.

Cathy what is the new plan that you are having success with?

I had fair results with the app My biggest problem was that when I tried to cancel my subscription they made it pretty impossible to do and I keep trying to cancel it and the automatic bill just keeps popping up I actually called and spoke to a real live person and was assured it was taken care of only to have the automatic bill submitted and charged again to my Apple Pay Now apple is saying that my complaint to get a refund is not valid either Ugh!!!

I have been on weight watchers often on for many years did very well on the points plus. Tried all programs in between and found that points plus it’s still the very best and fastest weight loss for me. As each new program has been introduced to the public I have tried them and I must tell you that with each new program I lose weight more slowly with each most recent program introduced. That makes perfect sense to me because weight watchers doesn’t want us to lose weight rapidly. It would not be financially sound.The problem with the new program with is that a calorie is a calorie. You need to take into account every calorie.

It's simple: use the plan that works for you, not with what Weight Watchers is promoting at the moment. THINK ABOUT IT: DOES IT MAKE SENSE TO LET YOUR HEALTH GO DOWNHILL BECAUSE WEIGHT WATCHERS IS NOW PROMOTING FREESTYLE? Stop being martyrs!!! Stop jumping off the cliff like so many sheep!!!

TNGgal - The point you're missing is that if someone doesn't do well on Freestyle, as you say do what does work for them, but that eliminates members' choice insofar as meetings and online is concerned. No option is given. If you wish to be online or at meetings all attention is directed to Freestyle thus leaving members with wasting time and money attending said meeting or online service. By the way, this site, Freestyle, love or hate, is here for people to leave their opinion and experience, any comments are welcomed whether or not you agree.

No, you are missing the point. I don't like Freestyle, either. I count every single point, and so can all of you. Don't blame your lack of success on Weight Watchers (even though it now offers a crummy plan). TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN LIFE AND YOUR OWN WEIGHT LOSS!!!

TNGal, please read your comment.

We paid good money for a crummy plan, (your words) that didn’t work for many of us. So who should we blame but Weight Watchers who put out the crummy plan.

We were taking responsibility for ourselves by joining and trying to lose weight. I just don’t understand you and your comments. You sound angry.

Yes. It’s true. We DO need to take responsibility. However, the way WW markets Freestyle is misleading. Having been on and off various WW programs, old school points counting and the “bite it write it” tracking works. But there is no need to make people feel bad for their opinion on this horrific WW plan.

Honestly....

If anything else that you purchase doesn't work, you bring it back.

If the sellers are ethical, they will fix the product within a reasonable time frame, or refund your money --

--not blame you for the problem, and preach that if it's broken, to go out and buy a better product somewhere else.

I know and believe that Weight Watchers will give us a new and better program next year.

Hooray!

But they also should take responsibility for failing large numbers of their paying customers.

They won't, of course.

They will simply blame me.

Hey all, I am hoping to find out more, but from the one sentence I heard, the "new plan" will be being released earlier this year than the releases of the last several programs. I am hoping they do and hoping it is something that actually connects with me. At this point, a "modification" will no longer cut it as IMO each modification has made the plans less weight loss successful.

TNGal, I suggest you read the title of the article on which you are commenting.

Joan, I agree, TNGal does sound quite belligerent. When Freestyle came in my weight loss stopped and it became weight gain. I went back on the points system, but while attending meetings they became irrelevant since they no longer addressed the plan I was following with all talk about Freestyle. I was wasting money going to a meeting that was meaningless to me so I ended my participation.

TNGal - OUCH!

I think that you might be misunderstanding the reason for this thread. If sometimes it sounds like a pity party or a gripe fest - so be it.

We are just venting as we have the right to. I too have vented a time or two. I have always received support and understanding and yes the occasional misguided nasty comment.

Please do not be so judgmental - Lord knows we get enough of that just judging ourselves. In the perfect world we all would be happy in our own skin - bodies that we loved - eating anything we wanted...well you get the picture.

Weight loss is not an easy task as I suspect you know.

When we all find something that works it is a blow when we are told that what worked for us is no longer available. I am 66 and it has taken me since I can't remember to find a program / lifestyle that worked for me. Imagine how I felt.

I have been counting points as before and trust me I do not feed into Zero point foods or "free" foods - it all counts.

All of us are just trying to find fellowship. Your harshness is very puzzling to me and to the others. Compassion my friend compassion - please or find another thread that better suits your needs.

I do not like Freesyle either! So I don't use the damned plan. I count EVERY SINGLE POINT, and I am LOSING WEIGHT (4-6 pounds/month). I only go to Weight Watchers meetings about once every month just to get weighed in and/or to receive a prize. Anything that doesn't apply to me I just ignore. Most of what is said during meetings doesn't help or apply to me. Since I'm only spending $11/month on meetings, I'm getting my money's worth. MY MESSAGE: MAKE WW WORK FOR YOU OR QUIT THE PROGRAM. I'VE MADE IT WORK FOR ME EVEN THOUGH I DO NOT FOLLOW FREESTYLE.

TNGal,

Why does it sound like you're giving us an ultimatum?

Hi TNGal, What is the name of the program you are using and how do you know the points value? Would you happen to know if its listed on the Itrackbites app?

Thanks

I love this thread. I too am a meetings girl. I have been on and off since liver was required. And, every time I have struggled in my life, going to a WW meeting felt like home. And I am a Lifetime member. But I too fell off the rails with Freestyle. And I did try to stick with SmartPoints while still attending meetings, but it just didn’t feel like home anymore. The sessions seem shorter. I don’t feel part of any discussion, tips, motivation related to the plan. I have been at a loss for a while now and recently started NOOM (I don’t work for them). Now I am counting calories, with daily motivational tips, and I like it so far. One thing I have realized, I have to count something - whether it’s points or calories. This is a 4-month program, so when it is done, if the rumors are true about WW offering a different plan option, I might go back. But for now, I feel oddly betrayed and I’m not sure I could ever trust them again.

And TNgal, please stop typing in caps. It is considered shouting on the internet and is quite rude.

Hi, Marlene. I'm using the old Weight Watchers SmartPoints program. I saved my old materials, so it's quite easy to use it instead of Freestyle, which I do not like. I don't use apps. I write down my points with a pen or pencil and paper. It's a lot easier (for me) that way. I go to meetings about once a month to get weighed in and to receive charms (when I've earned one) and possibly to learn some tidbit of information. I've been losing weight steadily (4-6 pounds/month) since March 2019 by more or less creating my own plan. That's what I've been trying to say: if Freestyle doesn't work for you, just don't use it! Create your own plan or try NOOM (as Debra is doing) or try the sensible Mediterranean Diet or whatever works for you! Don't stick with Freestyle and then complain that you're not losing (or that you're gaining) weight! It just doesn't make any sense! We're all adults here. Obviously Weight Watchers has made a mistake introducing Freestyle. That doesn't mean that we all have to jump off the cliff like lemmings along with Weight Watchers!!!

Thanks for the information. I love the concept of weight watchers. Love the support you can get at meetings. Especially the tips. I will try the Smart Points. I hope WW changes the plan for 2020.

TNGal, Your latest comment was logical except for the part about not complaining. Maybe you would be correct somewhere else, but the specific topic of this post and therefore its comments is "Weight Watchers Freestyle Review: Hate or Love?" So this is actually the exact place a person should complain if that was their feelings - adult or not.

Still loving Freestyle and so happy I can continue it on iTrackBites for less than $40 for a whole year!!!!

Hate it. I had lost 25 lbs on the old system, and never felt deprived. Now I want to lose 10 lbs. but find this new system very hard, and I feel very deprived. I have a simple breakfast and a simple lunch and have very little left for dinner. How much chicken can you eat? And--I'm alergic to eggs!!

Cher, please tell me how complaining helps you lose weight.

I love iTrackBites pro. It gives me the flexibility to use both old and new Weight Watcher plans or keto, calorie counting, for a reasonable yearly fee (free version does not include Freestyle/latest WW, keto). Great to be able to try the app out with the free version. Lots of support through the app or ITB FB groups. ITB Pro has additional great features including sync to FitBit/Apple Healthkit, recipe builder, larger data base, secondary metric etc. I did not like WW Freestyle and have been much more successful using an early WW plan. No way would I pay for WW meetings (particularly using their current plan) or their online only as they cost too much. Freestyle, for me, is great for maintenance or those just starting out on their journey. Don't know how TNGal only pays for 1 meeting a month at WW. When I went to meetings years ago, I had to pay for all missed meetings, but that was under a monthly plan. WW website does not indicate a week only fee so am not sure if this is available in my area, but their would be the registration fee too. After any WW promotion, the monthly fee on WW in my area would be $44.95 workshop+online or $19.95 online only. ITB pro price stays the same for me on my annual subscription of $35.99 (~$3/mo)and doesn't go up annually. It costs more now for the annual subscription, but they may run specials for those starting with the free version.

TNGal,

How many different ways do you need to be told to knock it off with the condescending and demeaning comments?

Your self acclaimed perfection is not helpful to those struggling. Be nice, and offer constructive help or ZIP IT!

" Cher, please tell me how complaining helps you lose weight.

TNGal 21 hours ago"

TNGal, how many different ways do you have to be reminded that this thread from the start invited people to chime in with their opinions about Freestyle? Please stop harassing people. This is not your blog, not your thread, and not your right to be lecturing people and asking them loaded questions.

But here's a question for you: How is it that you only pay for one WW meeting a month? Do you work for WW?

TNGAL, when your complaining your not eating....this is how complaining helps with weight loss.

The reason why she only pays for a meeting once a month is probably that she's lifetime. Lifetime members only have to get weighed in once a month. If they are at goal, they don't pay.

Everyone has the right to their opinion and the right to complain. When people complain, those who like or hate the program can offer support. For me it doesn't matter what program WW has, it's the support. No matter what program or lifestyle people follow, they need support and that's why people come here.

TNGal - I just have to assume you struggled academically given your determination to drift from the subject of this post/thread.

Cher, nice try at attacking me personally, but I possess a Ph.D. in science communication. Kelly Lynn is correct. I'm lifetime. No, I do not work for Weight Watchers, never did, never want to. And it's perfectly possible to complain while stuffing cheese puffs into your mouth.

I am lifetime WW and never pay for a meeting. Just keep within the goal limits.

TNGal, I’ve been reading the above posts, and I was just wondering if you work for WW? A PhD in Science Communication sounds like a natural fit for a company such as WW, despite what you claim. How about me? I quit WW last year and sought out help at a regional medical center because Freestyle was a disaster for me. Im finally losing weight...posters have the right to complain because they’re not getting what they paid for, a weight loss program. They shouldn’t have to “make it work.”

Touché, Tess!

TNGal - your responses are ironic given your degree.

More irony is that I did work for WW for over 12 years.

This is my first time on WW and I love it. You really can eat anything you want as long as you eat everything in moderation. I love the SP system and YES, I've had a slice of pizza for dinner, M&Ms as a snack, chocolate, frozen margaritas, you name it. You do however have to use your SP wisely. I am not a huge fan of chicken, but I love ground turkey and fish. Lean pork is great as well. I love this system and it works (for me, at least). I've lost 23 pounds in 4 months and I couldn't be happier. And for those who say this WW plan is boring, google WW recipes. These work wonders when you wanna break the cycle and can't afford to use many points.

Read some previous posts and LOLed.

TNGal - I was invited to respond to this "Hate it or Love it" thread and to me, this is a place to share, praise, vent, complain, however you want to call it. No need to be so condescending. You're right to shout to the world how your way works gives everyone on here the right to express their feelings however they'd like. So relax and pull that WW stick out of your butt. Have a nice day!

Sorry, that was "your" not "you're" for the grammar police out there lol!

I don't understand why Tess is so paranoid, practically insisting that with my background, I "must" work for WW. No. Never did. Obviously people are not reading my posts. I dislike Freestyle. It's an awful program. So I'm taking the parts of WW that I do like--from the past--and using them now, as well as attending meetings once per month so that I can get weighed in, primarily. Why do all of you have a problem with that? And as for Beca, you are just plain crude. Pull that WW stick out of your butt, you xxxx-ing x-itch.

Dear TN,

Well, I did go back and read your posts, and you are NOT an imposter.

I sincerely apologize for making this mistake.

I’ve been on the new program since 8/19. I weighed myself today and I’m back to exactly where I started. I hate the new program. I want the old system. I’m stuck in a 3 month commitment but after that I’m gone. I’m out $ and as of today weigh exactly the same as I did a month ago. Very disappointed!

Elaine, we know. So many of us feel the same way. I just saw the new commercial’s with Oprah still pushing this program. I really have lost faith in Oprah and WW. They really don’t care how people are struggling with this plan with no results. Even if they come out with a new plan I don’t think I would ever go back. I’ll use iTrackBites. Its sad because I have been on and off Weight Watchers most of my life and it always worked for me, until now.

Something knew is definitely coming. Attended my weekly meeting despite my increasing weight. But guess what! The scales, and food and dining companions are "at their lowest price ever". A clear sign that they will soon no longer match the program offered. I like the people at the meeting so I am hoping that soon their is a program I can live with.

Yes, something new is coming. You can tell by what's on sale at the meetings. That's why I restarted Studio (meetings). I want to get in on the ground floor. Flexstyle is okay when starting/maintenance and will prevent me from regaining or even losing a little in the meantime.

I have to retract my earlier defense of TN Gal's authenticity.

If you're wondering why, just check her comments on today's "Not Losing Weight on WW Freestyle" post.

Even if it seems inconvenient right now, go there, check it out.

Then compare those words on her post there, to her post here on Sept, 5, as well as those she previously posted.

Suddenly TN Gal, who on this thread, seemed born to be nasty, is all sweetness and light to a member finding success.

Now she's become an a damn cheerleader.

No snark. No sarcasm. No verbal abuse.

So, I take back the words I wrote to her: "You are not an imposter."

Yes, she is.

Ms. G - Personally I have believed from early on that TBGal just cannot be wrong or lose an argument. That is something that I feel I am seeing more and more lately in people. I also speculate that she is a millennial, but that is just a guess.

TNGal -

Takes one to know one ;)

It's funny to me how someone can have the audacity to call someone "crude" while responding in an even cruder way haha. You had me at xxxxing xxxitch darling. *muah*

Ms. G. You said exactly what I was thinking. And she is definitely a millennial. Lol

Debra - watch for mid-november

According to Market Watch, for 2020 WW plans to add more structure--yay!!! I've started counting calories instead of points, which are meaningless under loosey-goosey Freestyle.

Not loving it. Cancelled after my 3 month trial. I lost 4 pounds then gained 2 then lost 4 then up 5. Just not working for me. The 0 points is a joke! I loved the old program but this new one I don’t love!

TNGal- coming in November I was told. Personally been getting back on track with myfitness pal while attending we meeting.

I know there are many who would like to see more structure. I like the Freestyle plan and hope that they keep it for those of us who do. I cannot see going back to having to weigh and measure everything I eat. Freestyle is the first WW plan that has really felt like a "doable" lifestyle change for me rather than a "diet."

I hear the items for sale ar meeti gs are on sale- a true tell for a new plan. I was on WW for 3 years for Points Plus then Smart Points and got to goal with 94lb loss. My meetings were awesome, i made friends and i loved my meeting leader. She used me as an example of success. Then came Freestyle. I gave the an honest try and gained 10lb for my efforts. My leader became short and condescending telling me i wasnt working the plan and making snide comments about my food choices (even though i was well within my points). I quit meetings soon after. I was hurt by her and WW. I felt betrayed. I am now on iTrackbites and dont think i could go back to WW even if they come out with a new plan. The company did not listen to any of the tens of thousands of loyal customers so i no longer feel I can support them with my money

Margot - here is the quote I saw. “We believe our 2020 innovation will appeal not only to our current members who love the flexibility of WW Freestyle but also to potential first time and returning members who are looking for a more personalized program that provides the structure and support for sustainable results,” she said. ~from Market Watch.“ Here’s to hoping we are both happy!

Trish, I feel exactly the same. I cannot get excited about the new plan. I’ll stay with iTrackBites!

I dislike the way WW puts its members at fault for FreeStyle's failure, but

I'd be happy if they changed it into something better.

(SP, for me, was by far the best.)

Most of us are complaining only because we loved the older programs and and want them back, in a version that we can follow, or at the very least, live with.

(And, BTW, SP was my favorite.)

My anger at WW is real -- and it's mostly blaming its members for a program that failed them.

If they fixed the program, I'd forgive them.

(Did I mention that I liked SP best?)

But I still wish they would apologize for failing so many of us with FS.

They should know that corporate defensiveness is a relic of the past.

Get with it, WW!

(And P.S., I miss SP!)

Ms. G - For me, Pointsplus was the best. Smart Points had already gotten too loose for my personality. But I think WW is much more likely to work off of the SmartPoints system, with whatever they are doing, since Freestyle uses it and WW plans to keep freestyle but add something else with more structure. I think they will share the SmartPoints backbone.

Sher,

Based on its checkered past, I don't know what in the world WW will do next --

--But, P.S., I miss SP!

Ms. G - I’ll be hopeful. They did at one time have an innovative program. I just can’t understand their researchers and makes their decisions.

Technology like MyFitnessPal has made actual calorie counting easier than points. WW needs to understand their true value adds, like the actual real people weekly meetings.

I do not like freestyle! I gained 3 1/2 pounds in 3 months and looked pregnant! I have IBS irritable bowel syndrome. Also I’m lactose intolerant and allergic to eggs and dairy. This was the worst program for someone like me. I went back to points plus.

Yup, I have the same problem.

Irritable bowel, lactose intolerance.

Also, can't eat leafy greens, tomatoes, etc.

SmartPoints made it so much easier!

Freestyle is a failure. I'm even counting calories instead of points, and I only go to meetings when I hit a milestone b/c the meetings are not worth the money. WW had better get its act together soon or it will go the way of the do-do bird.

I'm really liking new WW too. Very flexible. Easy. I find it much easier than counting calories. They have some great recipe ideas.

TNGal - I love Freestyle so much and was worried they would take it away. I have good news for both of us. I have heard unconfirmed reports that what they are coming back with in January is that you can pick from 4 plans, including Freestyle and some of the older plans. If true, good news for everyone.

Kelley - Interesting to hear that it is going to be 4 plans and I don't have that detail .....yet. But I have been told that it will be mid-November this year.

Kelley,

Where have you been getting these continued reports?

Im no longer using the WW app or going to meetings. Im doing points plus on my own. It would be nice if WW would have 4 plans to choose from. We all have different bodies and health problems.

Freestyle is awesome - you see people reaching their goal weight every day on Connect - it works. People just got mad because their sugary snacks increased in points. All of the past plans have worked too. You just have to be consistent. I’m excited about the new rollout!

I don’t think I’ve been providing continued reports. If you Google “Weight Watchers rumored changes 2020” there will be some links. Quite honestly I don’t remember where I heard it.

I had read that SmartPoints was nogg Th changing and that there was something (singular) structures coming. In confirmed that rumor with staff I know. Then was told new program is in November (yes I have the date).

CAGirl said:"I had read that SmartPoints was nogg Th changing and that there was something (singular) structures coming."

CAGirl, what does that sentence mean? Could you restate it, please? I'm hoping they bring back SmartPoints (the old one), but I can't tell from what you typed. Thanks.

Kelley,

Your comments always give me a chuckle.

This exchange will stop when WW gives us a better program to follow -- as your "unconfirmed reports" indicate.

So, I hope to be saying "goodbye" to this thread - and to you - very soon.

Kelley, I'll miss the laughs!

Not sure why any of this is funny or why you would find me funny. I’m actually switching to iTrackBites which costs $40 forever and on which a person can follow any WW plan as well as some others. I thought the unconfirmed reports might interest some people who hate the current plan, and I still hope that is true and that the info might help someone. You could always not read my posts, as could anyone else who for whatever reason finds them funny. I’m just glad I can stay on Freestyle through iTrackBites if nothing else.

Cyndy - IMG I am so embarrassed. I think I typed that quickly on my iPad.

Sooooooo basically I am referring to the following that was posted on another thread in September.

“We believe our 2020 innovation will appeal not only to our current members who love the flexibility of WW Freestyle but also to potential first time and returning members who are looking for a more personalized program that provides the structure and support for sustainable results,” she said. ~from Market Watch.

I showed that to a current employee, and her comment was "oh, my god". I got the sense that it was accurate enough and she was shocked that it was out there as staff are instructed to not share details. (I used to work for WW too). I also singly asked, "is that accurate" and she nodded. She did not know more as training for the new program was still to come. I believe training was during this month, October. I am not putting her is the awkward position of getting her to tell me into that would compromise her. I did push the limits slightly by asking for release date. I do know the exact date, but I will only pass on that I was told a November date. That is approaching fast anyhow. :) I would be shocked if she intentionally told me something false and also staff tend to know those dates accurately as adequate staffing is important due to surge in attendance so WW would want that known.

Lol!

I love free style, by far the best diet that I have ever been on, and it really works... love, love , love it !!!!💕

Fabi, how long have you been on Freestyle?

I am in the hate it camp. I have used weight watchers numerous times, always with good results, but then they moved to freestyle, and I feel like I can't eat anything I love. Before I felt like it was balanced, now I eat one thing that I love and all my points are gone.

I think the three new programs will make most of us a little happier but we need to remember that even with the new programs and more points that the points are probably not being restructured from what I've heard. Something that was 15 points will still be 15 points, they aren't going back to 6 and 8 points candy bars but having a few extra points a day may help some of us. For some reason when I go over my points I just stop tracking so a few extra points might prevent me from giving up for the day

I have heard we will have three options. You all will get to try them before me as I cannot be there the week of the release.

THANK YOU, WW!

hi I am a 70 year old lady, I did WW years ago in 1990's. I like freestyle because it is easier for me so I can manage it better because I have my husband. I never overeat not stuff myself. I do

realize you cannot overeat and loose weight. Only on 1 week so far

will let know, and if does not work back to smart points> Connie

Add a comment:

(required)

(required, never published)


© 2024 Snack-Girl.com