For the eating part at least:
In Weight Watchers everything is done a “point” system rather than individual calorie/fiber/fat gram counting.
In addition to tying the participant tighter to the program resources (which feels to me like a conflict of interest), the goal is to direct participants toward voluntary adoption of healthier food-choices.
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I really do appreciate the point system, because it provides a single number for comparing food values.
It’s also a useful for a way of looking at foods in terms of what percentage of my daily caloric need each food provides.
For example, under the new Points Plus plan I have a budget of 29 points I may use each day. This is considered a minimum, and a “weekly allowance” of 49 additional points is included to add flexibility)
Knowing my body needs 29 points, I can know that the 18-point Brewster’s hamburger is a (potential) budget-breaker, requiring over half my daily points.
I see Weight Watchers as a training program for improving eating habits, not just as a means of losing weight, I don’t do anything (seriously) that I’m not willing to do “forever.”
That is, other than a short experiment, I’ve never seriously thought about giving up sugar or fat.
Currently my unofficial method is to divide my points by the three meals and tell myself I have roughly up-to 10 points per meal. Most of my meals are less than that, so the difference is where my snacks come from.
I try to include fat in every meal (whole milk on my oatmeal, butter on my pancake), becasue it seems to keep me full longer; and a good portion of protein with both lunch and dinner.
I do a lot of soups and chilies. Not necessarily with a lot of variation. {grin}
