Let’s talk about the new WW PersonalPoints program and their new point system. I have some thoughts and want to share my opinion on some of these changes. These are my thoughts and feeling coming from someone who has always struggled with my weight, is actively trying to lose weight, and trying to recover from an eating disorder.
What I Like about the new WW PersonalPoints Program.
Top 3 reasons I’m sticking with this program.
1- Custom PersonalizedPoints system
So with this new points system, you had to take a little “quiz”. I had to answer questions about the foods I love, enjoy eating, what I eat most often and what some of my favorite foods were. Then it recalculated your points, meaning the points value for some foods changed. It now made some of the foods you enjoy eating zero points, or lower in points, and the foods you weren’t eating as much or didn’t enjoy as much higher points. So I really, really love that. I feel like I am more satisfied with my food and meal choices and really enjoying the foods I am eating again.
2- The WW App and recipes within the App
The second thing I love is the recipes in the app. You can actually type in certain foods, like chicken, and it will pull up tons of recipes with chicken. Or you can type in the foods you have in your house and it will help you create a meal around what you have. I also love that they have so many different restaurant options. The way these are directly in the app, make it easy to track foods you do not eat or make at home.
3- Being Able to Eat Anything
I love that no particular food or food group is off-limits. You can really have anything you want and make it work for you. This mindset has helped me with my relationship with food. Knowing I can eat the foods I love and not labeling certain foods as “good” or “bad” has also helped me get rid of the scarcity mindset. Thinking of food in this way has helped me with overcoming the feeling that if I “cheat” I have to binge out on that food because I don’t know when I will have it again. This new way of tracking and point system helps me to know that I can enjoy whatever food now, and it’s ok to have it again later. This way of tracking has helped me really be mindful of the foods that I’m putting into my body and how those foods make me feel.
All right. So let’s get into the top three things that I do not like about the WW PersonalPoints program.
1 – You Can Earn More Food
I know so many people love this. If you drink more water, eat veggies, or even get a workout in, you can “get more points so you can get more food”. I get that is supposed to help reward you for making good choices, however….being rewarded with food is not the answer. This reward system can be so harmful to so many people. I purposely don’t use this new feature and do not track my workout, water, or veggies to “earn more food”.
Being someone who struggles with having a healthy relationship with food and exercise, being rewarded for working out or eating veggies can add to an unhealthy way of needing to do these things so that I can have more food. We should never have to earn food, even if we are on a weight loss journey. We should eat veggies, drink water and get some movement in because those things make us feel good and are healthy for us. Being rewarded makes it seem like we HAVE to do something in order to EARN more food instead of focusing on making those choices because it feels good and is healthy for you. This way of thinking can be a very slippery slope and dangerous slope, in my opinion, especially coming from someone diagnosed with an eating disorder and who has also struggled with my relationship with exercise.
2- The Scale
I know this is a big part of their program, but it’s something that does not work for me. There is a lot of emphasis put on your weekly weigh-in. I get it, the number allows the app to figure out how much food you can have and when to lower the points. I know when you’re on a weight loss journey, that’s a big part of losing weight – tracking your weight, tracking how much you’re eating- all of this plays a role in weight loss. But I also think it can get very obsessive on that number. A lot of people who struggle with their weight or their body can also struggle with that number, and constantly need to track their weight. If we are not aware this can quickly become an unhealthy obsession with the scale and what that number says.
So I know some people love weighing themselves and don’t have a problem with it. And that’s great. But if you are doing either WW or another program where you are weighing yourself, just really, really make sure you’re being mindful of it. And know your worth or your value does not come from what that number on the scale says.
3- Food Value
As much as I love the points system, attaching a number value to food can be tricky if you are not careful. Personally, the food value does not affect me in thinking things are bad or good, but constantly thinking of your points- how many you have, how many you have used, how many you have left…can become obsessive. Also, this can add to you not truly listening or trusting your body when it comes to feeling full or still hungry. This can especially become a problem if you only rely on the points and not the signals your body is sending you.
This can become unhealthy if you’re physically still hungry and have no more points that you’re allowed to eat. If your body is actually hungry, and you do not get enough food or go for a while with a prolonged restriction, it can eventually lead to a binge because you are so hungry. Binges are most common after long periods of restriction.
I have really been working on being flexible with my points and hitting a range, rather than needing to exactly hit an exact daily point target. I am really working on being mindful of what my body needs and is trying to tell me.
Overall, I do really like this program and I am going to continue to use it. I have some areas I need to be mindful of and some areas I am still personally working on while I am trying to make weight loss and recovery work for me. This journey is hard but I just have to take it one day and one step at a time. If you are interested in trying the WW app here is a link for a free month. I’m also sharing the link for these biker shorts. I know as a plus-size shopper it can be difficult to find things that fit comfortably and these ones let’s just say chef’s kiss.
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