Updated December 8, 2011 – Note this is in reference to Weight Watchers Canada Points Plus 2012 changes but some information may be relevant to U.S. Weight Watchers subscribers.
Weight Watchers has just announced it’s new Points Plus 2012 program changes. Don’t fear – all the Weight Watchers PointsPlus 2011 calculators, cookbooks and food scales are still useable on the current program. Here is what’s changed for Weight Watchers members in 2012. For detailed program information visit your international Weight Watchers website – here are the hi-lights.
1. Weight Watchers E-tools Free for Lifetime Members
It looks like the many complaints from lifetime members has finally gotten Weight Watchers to listen. This is going to be a big incentive to lose the weight and keep it off. Finally e-tools will be offered free for lifetime members. As a lifetime member you will be given a code at your monthly weigh-in which you can enter into your online account. A really great
2. Weight Watchers 2012 Points Plus Program Changes
The program in it’s core has not changed, the new Points Plus values are still calculated in the same way. The changes are to further improve the plan and allow you greater flexibility to adapt the plan to you. Which is what Weight Watchers is all about, losing weight and learning to apply a healthy lifestyle and once you reach your weight goal, staying on with Weight watchers for no charge and living the program forever.
Daily Points Plus Targets – Points Plus 2012 Flexibility
Some members have entered the forums and openly vocalized in weekly meetings their concern that their points plus daily targets have been lowered. Personally my daily target did not change. Members who liked their old daily target can go to their settings and change their targets back up. For those of us that want to jump start things we can lower our daily targets by 1 – 3 points per day. Your Weight Watchers leader can help you decide what’s best for you or if you are an e-tools only subscriber customer service will be all too happy to help you out. If you are new to the program it is probably best to stick to what your calculation is and see how it works for you but no one can go below 26 points per day.
In addition to your Daily Points Plust target flexibility, you can also change how your activity points are spent – or a new feature not spent you can set the program to not use them at all when you enter your food items and only use your daily or weekly points allowance. Your weekly allowance is still 49 but you have the flexibility to change that number and use less points per week.
Weekly Meeting Changes
For many of you who attend meetings you will notice that your leader’s hand drawn flip-charts are going bye bye! The meeting topic flip charts will now be standardized, Weight Watchers materials. Also you are welcome to attend the regular Weight Watchers meeting but in addition this year Weight Watchers are offering a 3 part session called PowerStart in place of the old program knowledge sessions at the end of regular meetings. This is to help members absorb the program easier into their lives, rather than pummel you with information up front. You get program knowledge piece by piece in three sessions.
Power Start Sessions – After each regular weekly meeting there will be one of the three new mini-sessions providing program information and strategies and program materials only available to you if you attend. Once you attend the three sessions you are done, you can attend them three weeks in a row or catch the repeats as the next time they come around as they will be rotated each week. If you want more details on these sessions you can visit Weight Watchers web site. (I don’t want to get sued.)
3. WeightWatchers.ca Changes
Canadians have complained a lot about the design, un-ease of use, poor navigation of the Canadian Weight Watchers website. It looks like there will be some website changes, and maybe some cool new e-tools features. Other possibilities paying for memberships using PayPal (another rumour I heard from a member still not confirmed). Since the changes on the website were two days late and only now we are seeing some small changes so far the website is it’s usual hard to navigate self. I’ve been online checking out some of the new features and it has been super buggy. I have my Program change on Saturday so hopefully they will be 100% up and running by then, however I’ve learned not to hold my breath when it come to any Weight Watcher Canada web or technology. They don’t even have a Facebook Page or Twitter account for Canadian members. Shameful when over 80% of program subscribers are Monthly pass subscribers.
Activity Target
When you log-in and click on the what’s new image you can take a fitness assessment which will ask you what activities you participated in during the week and for how long. You will then get an activity points total for that week and then will receive an activity points target which you can strive for to push you to do more activity each week. I have my target calculated but it doesn’t appear anywhere on my planning tools — did I mention the Canadian technology thing yet?
Pre-Track your Meals?
I am wondering now if this was always available, and if I just never noticed yet. But you can go forward now day by day and pre-track your meals for the entire week helping you to plan ahead when you have special engagements and especially challenging weeks, or to help you stay on track on an ordinary week.
New Weight Watchers iPad Application
There is still no discussion on an Android or Blackberry full Weight Watchers app (the calculator only apps are available) but iPad users will be happy to get their Weight Watchers app expanded for iPad. So far like most Weight Watchers e-technology the reviews are dismal and there are reports of crashes, and connection problems, which the iPhone app has been experiencing lately as well as Weight Watchers transitions to the new more flexible Points Plus 2012.
