ProPoints – New WW program in NL

Last Tuesday I went to my meeting, as my leader Ellie had asked me to do, and in that room filled with a bazillion ladies and 3 guys we learned about the new program, ProPoints.  Apparently Germany and Denmark are already using ProPoints; makes sense to add us to the other countries (“us” being Benelux).

To be honest, I’m always a bit reluctant when WW changes the program, and believe me, in the 10 years that I’ve been a WW member, I think this is about the 4th or 5th time it’s changed – not because I don’t like change, but because I have so much in my head leftover from the old program, I know my staples, my recipes, etc., and I know the points out of the top of my head.  So, it’s more taking the time to re-learn that makes me reluctant. Because, well, I’m lazy sometimes with certain things.

I don’t have any problem with change though.  Not in the vague sense of change.  I like it for the most part, it makes things more exciting, more challenging, and keeps me interested.  So changing the program is OK and I never doubt why they do these things.  There are constant discoveries in health and nutrition and sometimes programs have to be updated.

Weight Watchers to me is such a great program because it encourages to eat correct portion sizes AND nutritionally sound food and drink.  On the other hand, they also say, “Look, we’re giving you this information and we want you to be successful, however, it’s up to YOU to choose how you are going to spend your points.”  I like that.  I am not easily amused by other programs telling me what I HAVE to eat and when.  Or that things are off limits.  In fact I hate that so much I never really tried a “diet” program, because I’m already turned off by the “can not have” lists.  No potatoes or bread – What? Are you freaking kidding me?  Only fruit before 11am?  You can not be serious.  I think you get my drift here?

So.  On the old program, I had 22 points daily and I could “save” points to use later that week.  So let’s say I saved 1 – 2 points a day, by Saturday I could use those points for a few glasses of wine.  We had activity points that we could also save.  So if I knew I was going out for chicken and mushroom pie and cold beers with my mate A, I could save daily AND activity points to do so, because that was my choice, to have those things.

Now, I have 29 points a day, and 49 “free” points a week.  Sounds good right?  Like I got MORE points!  Well.  I didn’t. Not really, because some things actually increased in points value.  Basic things like bread, skim milk, cheese, etc.  Also, the daily points?  You are meant to eat ALL of those points.  You are not meant to eat under that level.  Also, you can not SAVE those points anymore.  If you eat only 27, too bad, that’s it then for the day, you can’t have 31 the next day and use the 2 leftover.  You have to use your “free” points.

We also had “comfort foods”.  Certain food items, like chicken and turkey for example, were 3 points for a “free” portion that you ate until you were satisfied (to get us to learn to eat slowly and enjoy our food and listen to our bodies when we were full.  Full, not stuffed to the gills).  Potatoes and rice were 4 points.  Yeah.  Free portions.  Imagine what I did at first?  I would  eat like a pound of potatoes and call it 4 points but be stuffed.  I think everyone goes through that and then we later learn what “full” actually feels like.  So these items are now 5 and 7 respectively.  Other things are added to this list too, one I remember already in particular, Eggs.  I can eat 1 egg for 2 points or 2+ eggs for 5 points.  Would it be healthy for me to eat 6 eggs in one sitting and call it 5 points?  Probably not, so I’ll most likely just use 1 egg and 3 egg whites (for an omelete) like I normally do.

Fruit and Vegetables, most of them anyway, were 0 points.  That is still the case and in fact, some things that were 1 point are now 0 points.  Again, this isn’t about sitting down and eating a kilo worth of carrots and calling it 0 points.  It’s about encouraging us to eat fruit and vegetables, enjoy them but be moderate and not overload ourselves with too much.  Obviously fruit and vegetables have calories too. 

Activity points seem to have different values as well depending on what you do and what intensity level.  It’s not totally clear to me yet if you have to use your activity points on the same day you earn them or if you can save them up.  As soon as the online program has been changed I’m sure this will become more clear.  I haven’t been exercising (because of the Foot, but in the last week I was sick and on top of that I hurt my back) so I haven’t been struggling with figuring out points for that yet.

I think that’s pretty much it in a nutshell.  So far I’ve been working the program since Wednesday and the only real “difficulty” (I put it in quotes because it’s really not that difficult!) is working out recipe points that were tried and true.  Looks like a standard 12 point dinner goes up to anywhere between 15 and 17 points.  At this point I’ve used 30 free points for the week, leaving me still 19 between now and next Tuesday evening, which I think is really reasonable.  I don’t plan on using them at all today, maybe tomorrow (we have a concert to go to) and Tuesday should be a within-point day as well.

Honestly?  I’m looking forward to the new program, especially when the online program changes over – I like anything that adds to my motivation and acts as a sort of challenge.  I love planning and working things out to be exact in my plan and I love at the end of the day when I’ve made that plan a reality.  I’m looking forward to being able to work out again.  And, as I saw on the scale again this morning (at home, au naturel), I love seeing the scale KEEP going lower and lower (today 81.8KG or exactly 180 lbs).  I love the reaction I get from my leader when I weigh-in on Tuesdays – she really helped me get through my little breakdown that I had just after I got married in March (as did the chicks over at 3FC and I’ve been going strong ever since).  I love the bloggers that continue to inspire me on a daily basis.  I’m ready, willing and able and am going to reach my goal again.  I don’t know when, but it doesn’t matter, I’m in this for the long haul anyway.