What To Say about PointsPlus?

I've known for quite some time that Weight Watchers was releasing a new plan, months before any of my fellow meeting members had any clue.  That's what happens when you're zipping around on the net reading blogs and message boards.  The plan was first released in the UK/Europe earlier in the fall then in the US shortly after Thanksgiving and as of December 5th, in Canada.  As usual we're the last to get anything... really we are!

What do I have to say about PointsPlus?  Well Weight Watchers has made a move in the right direction, they are trying move us away from focusing on the all mighty calorie its friend fat.  I'm not sure exactly how points are now calculated... yet at least.  I used to be able to eyeball a package and know exactly how many points it was without plugging in a single number into a calculator or using a slider.  Points are now calculated based on Fat, Fiber, Carbohydrates and Protein.

Why did Weight Watchers change?  The Momentum and previously the Points Plan worked wonderfully for so many people for 13 years.  Research and science has as usual changed things, with current research its been discovered that not every food is created equally in terms of how your body processes it and what energy it uses.  So now the points represent the energy left over after your body has used some of it to process the food.  Am I making sense? 

So what's the good things to focus on and the bad?  Before we used to look for low calorie, low fat, high fiber foods.  Now we are asked to focus on high fiber and high protein foods and try to reduce the high carbohydrate and fat foods.  This is not a no/low carb diet its just our body benefits more from high fiber/protein foods they leave us feeling fuller longer and heck these foods are good for us and just make sense.

You're all wondering, Dani what do you think of the new plan?  I'm really enjoying it!  I now get more points per day I've gone up from 20 to 29 points.  I'm still really having to plan my food to eat all the points each day I do find I'm eating more than I was before  My weekly "bonus" points have also gone up to 49.  So I have more points per day as one person said, call it a raise to cover the cost of living, as the cost of some foods have gone up as well.  High fiber/protein foods are now lower in points than foods that hare processed which are often high in carbohydrates/fat.  Oh yeah, not only are most veggies free, now fruit is free as well!  I think the reason why I'm struggling to consume all my points is because I didn't realize just how many points a day I was spending on my beloved fruit.  I've been shifting slowly over the last 6 months to move towards more "whole" foods, giving up granola bars and 100 calorie treats.  So WW is moving in the right direction, one I started going on naturally.

Basically, its the same plan they are just trying to get us thinking more in terms of real food not fake low calorie foods that's full of artificial flavours, colours, sweeteners, in other words... chemicals.  The plan hasn't changed, its still eat less and move more, just think of eat less, eat better and move more!

As I grow with this new plan, I'm sure I'll have more insights to share with you.