Categories
BlahBlahBabble

Flex Points?

I just came across this article with tips on Diet at your Desk and it reminded me that I received an e-mail from Weight Watchers the other day announcing a new flex point system, and then I contacted the FitnessTrainer.com trainers to start getting into fitness. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any information on the website to allow me to learn more about it. Anyone know? Anyone have any details? I may just have to start going to the meetings in downtown again to find out – I’m really curious! If you know anything about it (or want to share Weight Watchers tips), leave a comment! Better try to visit MassGainSource.

By Christine

Christine is an Avenger of Sexiness. Her Superpower is helping Hot Mamas grow their Confidence by rediscovering their Beauty. She lives in the Heights in Houston, Texas, works as a boudoir photographer, and writes about running a Business of Awesome. In her spare time, she loves to knit, especially when she travels. She & her husband Mike have a food blog at Spoon & Knife.

94 replies on “Flex Points?”

Hey girlie!

Actually they are doing the upgrade this weekend so I can’t copy what I read the other day. It was something to do with instead of banking it will be more flexible with what you eat.

I found that lettuce, tomatoes and carrots have 0 points and peanut butter cookies only have 2. 😉

This is what I understand it to be. The deal is you have a target range. Like if your range is now 22-30 or something, your target is 26. These are random numbers to explain. So you eat your 26 points worth and that’s it. Instead of banking, you have 35 flex points that you can use however you want. It’s in WW magazine’s new issue.

I’m starting again in two weeks. I’ve already started journaling but haven’t signed up for meetings. If you are cheap like me go to journaltosuccess.com and they have a good automated journal. The pop-ups are annoying though. Also, tonibaby.com has a list of every food you need to know points for in her “weightloss” section.

Carla’s made it a little more confusing than it needs to be. Ranges are almost universally five-point ranges. (When I started WW I was 20-25, now I’m 18-23.) With FlexPoints, you no longer have a range, you only have the lower end as your target. My target, every day, will be 18. So what happened to the other points? That’s where the 35-point FlexPoint bank comes from. Seven days, five points a day, equals 35 points. I’ve done the math, and you still get the exact same number of points per week – it’s just a different psychological way of counting. We could all have been doing this all along, if we counted right. We’ve always looked at Points as a day-to-day number, when really it’s a weekly number that counts. They’re just modifying the system so that we think in terms of a week rather than in terms of a day. It’s purely mental.

I agree with Meredith on this one…Actually, it is much easier this way, I have done this since I joined in September of 2001 and I have lost the weight steadily…In fact, I lost too much and purposely gained back 10 pounds..I am 52 years old, 5’6″ and do NOT make an attractive size 4-6…It is just taking the low end, and know that you have the “extra” 35 points to use during the week. Just everyone remember that this is truly NO different than the old idea of watching what you eat, along with balancing a daily excercise program. If you look at it as a “miracle DIET”, you will not be able to maintain your new weight. Losing is easy, learning to adjust to a healthy way of eating is the harder part..Don’t set yourself up to fail, every time you eat a carrot, your body smiles!!!

i just started WW again today and the flex points sounds a whole lot more like real-life. if you have party to go to you can just eat the low-end of your range all week and then enjoy yourself. of all the diets i have ever been on, ww seems to be the most nutritionally sound and realistic.

I’m not sure about the flex points….i got a brochure about it in the mail, but it’s very vague. There’s a great website though….dottisweightlosszone.com. It gives points for just about every restaraunt out there. check it out!

I have created an online automated flex points journal.

You must create a free account to access the journal because the system needs to know which journal is yours.

You will never be asked to pay for the journal.

Can anybody tell me how the points should be broken down? I was reading that for breakfast=4 points, lunch=6 points, dinner=9 points, snacks=3 points. This was just an example. But what types of foods for each meal? I was in WW years ago and we used exchanges. I guess I need to know how many points for breads, milks, fats, protein, fruits, etc. Can anybody fill me in? Thanks.
Sherry

You need to get to a meeting or get ahold of a points book..It is impossible to figure this out unless you do….There are point values assigned to each and every type of food…”YOU CAN’T WIN IF YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO PLAY THE GAME”…. 🙂

Sherry, breaking down points per meal isn’t the best way to use WW. Everybody is different, and the object of the Winning Points system is that you get a point target per DAY – you can eat it however you like. wannabe is right, though – you will find it easier if you join a meeting or get other WW material. (I’m an online-only member, myself.) You can buy some stuff online through eBay, too.

Exactly!!! WW does not give you a point value that is for all “breads”. Each kind of food item in each catagory has a points value given to it…Again, it is much easier to go to a meeting or go online and join…..

I started WW in Oct of 2002 and it works
and the new flex points are great. Stay with the plan and you’ll achieve your goal. I’ve lost 87lbs on WW and tell everyone that’s interested all about it. It’s always fun sharing something good.

I weigh 188 and I need to know my target. I know my range of points from the “old” program, but I do not know about the new. I have purchased many products from the ww center, and I am not a member. I know I do need to attend a meeting, but it gets expensive – Are there web sites out there that can help non-members? Please help!!

200 to 224 pounds—24-29 points; 175 to 199 pounds—22-27 points; 150 to 174 pounds—20-25 points; less than 150 pounds—18-23 points

Thanks! I have already lost 12 pounds on the old program – I am just starting the new. I have some friends that want to start – they have been doing Atkins – but they don’t want to gain their weight back – any suggestions. Also, do you need to try to NOT eat your flex points?

Great!!!!! As far as gaining back what they have lost on Atkins, they shouldn’t. My daughter went from Atkins to WW with lots of weightlost….And flexpoints, if you don’t use them then you will see a better weight loss….Think about the fewer calories???? Use them if you have/want to, just don’t “save them” up for weeks..I know someone who thought they could save them alllll till Christmas, and end up with thousands of “extra” points to use for the week of Christmas and New Years….

Thanks for the breakdown of the points Meredith….what about higher weights, like 300 lbs? Do they just start at 29 points too?

I know spending money is painful sometimes, but I *really* really recommend signing up with the WW Online program or going to WW meetings. WW Online is $60 for 3 months if I remember right, and it will give you all sorts of tips, info, tools & support. A great investment, I promise!

Hi,
I’m 49 and a full time college student just trying to get my feet on the ground after divorce. People say I look good, but I can’t. I’m 5’6″ and weight 169 pounds. It’s harder to lose these days. I’m active. I want to get involved in Weight Watchers, but just got my job and haven’t even gotten a paycheck at this point so joining is out of the question. Could anyone help me so I could get started until I can join? I just need advice. I want to lose and be healthy. I need advice.

For the past 5 months I was on the Dr. Bernstein Diet and it was a bit brutal. I had injections to take 3 times a week and eat very strickly. Its expensive but well worth it for people that have a really hard time loosing weight. The downfall to it is that you loose your weight quit quickly and one false move and you gain easily. I’ve made it down to 190 lbs from 245 lbs. I want to try WW to finish taking off about 40 lbs. I have my target range, food value points but am not sure still how to eat. On the Dr. Bernstein diet you could only eat 3 protein servings, 2 fruit servings, 2 bread servings and unlimited veggie servings a day. Does that apply to WW clients? How do you balance out each food group so that you are not over eating proteins or carbs? Is a meeting I have to go to find this out or do I just eat my points away according to my target for the day?

Could you email me at shades_26@hotmaiol.com and let me know please 🙂

Thank you

Hello,

I’ve never attended a weight watchers meeting, but do have my way of doing the program. The following calculation will estimate points for ANY food if you know the calories, fat and fiber content. Of course, WW now says that fiber should be NOT greater than 4grams per serving when calculating points.

Formula to Calculate Points:
Points = (Calories/50)+(Fat/10)-(Fiber/5)

I keep a Microsoft excel journal for myself that automatically calculates, daily/weekly points. I can easily plan ahead for any event and know when I’m getting in trouble.

Good luck!

DS

Hi Barbara, I think WW is the best program around. You DO NOT have to eat like a rabbit or restrict yourself to certain amounts of protein, etc. to lose weight. If you use WW points, you DO HAVE to plan what you are going to have and keep track of everything you eat. Let me tell you how I lost weight on WW. I had WHATEVER I wanted, enough of the time to keep me happy (usually on the weekends), this included Margaritas, Pizza, Beef Tacos, Hamburgers, French Fries, REAL Cheese, Candy…I usually save as many points as I can until dinner so at least ONE meal a day is completely satisfying and not too restricted. This method works for me, we all have to find our own way and that is why I love WW, you CHOSE how you want to lose weight! I also (as in my previous posting) keep track of my points using a simple formula. It is NOT as exact as WW, but then, it’s not their formula, BUT it is close enough that it works just fine! I do also have the WW books and ruler (fr a friend who went to the meetings, ate way too restricted for me and didn’t do any better than I). In addition to the formula I use, I have a file with all my favorite foods and how many points each has. I pick out meals in advance to plan my week, more than I need so I can change my mind based on what I am craving. I lost 40pounds in a few months doing this and everyone was amazed when they watched me eat, they could not believe what I was eating was on any diet. My reply is that I’m not on a diet, I’m on a budget! The most important thing I can say, is make you own meals, whenever possible! Nothing is as tastes as good or is as good for you as what comes out of your own kitches (or a family/friend, if you don’t like to cook).

You will reach your goal if you can see your goal and believe in yourself!!!

DS

DS – that formula is correct! (There are other ways of calculating too, I’ve found various formulas online but they all have the same result. I think that’s the easiest.)

The “don’t count more than 4 grams of fiber” is not part of FlexPoints, but rather part of WinningPOINTS. The 1-2-3 Success plan let you calculate as much fiber as you wanted, but under WinningPOINTS you can only count up to four. (That is, if the serving has 6g fiber, you can still only count 4.) Those who were on 1-2-3 Success, though, were told to stay on that plan rather than switching to WinningPOINTS.

I just want everyone to know that I have gone from 201 to 179 in 3 months doing WW. I have not even been to ONE meeting. First of all – I did go by the WW place in Mississippi about 3 weeks ago and the lady was EXTREMELY rude to me. I told her that I wanted to buy some products and possibly join depending on the cost. She allowed me to buy anything “sell-able” so I purchased a calculator, books, bars, etc. My point of this is – I know that people say that you need to join and I agree to an extent. I would join today if I had to money to go weekly to a meeting, but I don’t! I just want to thank every person that has helped non-members on this web site and other sites for helping those that want better health, but can’t afford an extra 40-50 dollars a month. And as for the lady at the WW place, she completely ruined my outlook of attending a meeting in the future. Why would I want to spend my extra money if I had it to associate with someone like that. I just wish that WW in Mississippi had nicer employees, and maybe more people would join.Thank you again to everyone that made my weightloss easier!!

Thank you so very much for all the information you all have posted. I was looking for the point ranges all over and could not find them, until now. You’ve saved me lots of $$$.

Thank you!

I am currently on the Winning Points (not attending meetings or anything though) and I’m interested in switching over to the Flex program. I am currently adding bonus points for exercise (2 pts/1 hr of exercise a day) though, and I don’t see that this fits in with the Flex program. Does anyone know anything about this? Do extra points apply with exercise, or is it strictly 35 points a week?

I to could not continue to pay for the weekly meetings. I found the web by looking for info on the Flex Points. The info I have read today has been very very informative thank you from someone who enjoys weight watchers but can’t afford to go.

Hi. I do the WW at home with no meetings. I have been successfull in the past with maintaining 140lbs. Can you update me on the activity points. I hike for an hour, or walk/jog for an hour 5 days a week. (and lift weights) How many extra points do I get for an hours worth of activity? Thanks Patti

I just got my WW kit and still do not have info on what my point goal is each day. Is there a formula to figure this for me? Please email me and let me know. I am 5’3″ and weight 201. I would like to loose down to at least 150. Tx in advance.

Hi! I am going to start the WW flex program this week. I just received the kit (I bought off ebay) but I don’t know much about the flex portion of it. Any info would be great! By the way, if you go to the U.S. patent website, you can read the WW points patent (it is public domain) and it gives the point allotments per/day and the formula to calculate the points if you don’t have a book of them. Good luck to everyone!

I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET MYSELF STARTED ON THE FLEXPOINT DIET I HAVE THE NEW BOOKS AND ITS PRETTY EASY GOING AND IT MAKES YOU FEEL FULL ALL THE TIME AND YOU HAVE VERY EASY PLANS TO WORK WITH ITS PRETTY GOOD ALL THOUGH I AM NOT ONE MUCH FOR DIETING BUT I WOULD LOVE TO LOOSE FORTY POUNDS

I got married in Febuary, and had gotten down to 130, thank to WW. Sence we got back from our honeymoon, I have “fallen off the wagon”. I went to my doctor yesterday to see if he could recamend a way for me to lose the weight. He told me that he always recamends WW to his patients whom are trying to lose weight. He said that it is the healthiest, and most managable plan he knows. He also said that for his extremely Obiese patients, that he will occationaly recomend Atkins or South Beach to take the initial weight off, but he then has them change to WW, because the others are not very healthy.

Comments are closed.