I know I've read that there are WW'ers on this board. I have a question of you, who is on flex and who is on the core programs. I am thinking of switching to the CORE program for summer, and wondering how it works for you. PM me or reply here, okay. Thanks so much!

cathy j

I've done both. With counting points I tended to eat less healthy foods. Like Denise mentioned, I was one who would avoid healthy oils, etc. to be able to save points for treats. I also would skip breakfast and save up points for later in the day. Counting points also made me feel very obsessive. What if I counted wrong? Did I figure those calories right? What if I run out of points and I'm still hungry? It would consume my thoughts and make me anxious which then would lead me to want to eat even more. I did not do well on points.

On the Core program, I did much better. I didn't feel as restricted. I ate many more nutritious foods and a lot more fruits and veggies. You do have to be very careful though to not overeat. And if I remember correctly, certain foods had to be counted as points-like desserts because they were not Core foods. Is it the same as I remember it? And while you have more flexibility because you may be able to eat more, you then limit what you can eat. And we all know how hard "eat only until full" is. I think both plans have their advantages/disadvantages.

Cathy, any particular reason you want to switch for the summer? For me personally, I think I would do better in the summer on points because of the availability of really great fresh produce. I tend to eat lighter in the summer (except for wanting more Italian ice and ice cream) and would probably use less points.

I'd say give it a try and if it works for you, great. If you find that you end up eating larger portions and not stopping when full, then you could go back to Flex because you know that it works for you.

Jill

Yep. I watch it go up, then I watch it go down, then up, then down, etc.

I’ve done both WW plans… the Flex plan… and the Core Plan.

I liked the Core Plan a lot. I think that it is especially good for people that are trying to eat healthier. Many people who are counting WW points (or calories, for that matter) don’t want to “waste” points/calories on fruit or fat free dairy products or 2 tsp of healthy oils. Many people will happily eat 2 points of 100 calorie Oreos… yet don’t want to eat a piece of fruit that is 2 points and/or 100 calories.

Actually, my WW leader says that if a person is eating really healthy (with some treat foods in moderation)… his/her food log is going to look the same… regardless of whether they are on Core or Flex. In a perfect world… Core and Flex would be the same exact program. Mostly healthy food with a few points of treats added in. But, I think that it helps if a person can eat fruit, vegs, whole grains, skim milk, etc… and not have to worry about using up their points - and Core was great for that.

Personally, I was a little worried about “eating until satisfaction” and I was worried that I wouldn’t recognize when I was “full”. I found that if I put the portion sizes recommended by WW (or the USDA pyramid or the American Heart Association or the Diabetic Association…), it tended to be the right amount of food.

I found that if I put 4 oz of chicken breast…1/2 or 1 cup of pasta… and a cup or two of vegs on my plate… I found that was enough food. IF I was still physically hungry, I would have a small portion of seconds… but my experience is that if I started with the right amount of food… I didn’t need more food most of the time. I never start with a whole chicken, a pound of pasta and 1 baby carrot and start eating and hope that I would recognize when I was “satisfied” and stop.

And this suggestion works pretty much for any person… (counting points, on Core, counting calories, doing the Dash plan, whatever)… If I’m standing in front of the fridge… and it is filled with healthy food - chicken breasts, brown rice, vegs, fruit, skim milk… and nothing looks good to me… then, I’m not physically hungry. If he only foods that sound good to me are cookies, pizza, ice cream… that isn’t physical hunger. That’s a craving or wanting to stress eat or something. When I’m physically hungry, good healthy food looks good to me.

If you follow either plan… EITHER will work. Truthfully, I don’t REALLY do either WW program right now… and pretty much have most of my healthy habits down pretty good at this time in my life… but if/when I’m ever in a position of needing to be more structured in my food plan… I think that Core is one of the best out there.

Follow WW’s health guidelines… and follow the Core plan and eat MOSTLY healthy food… with a few points of treats worked in… and it is a good plan. And best wishes with it!