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Weight Watchers
by Larrabee
Like many women these days, I've struggled with my weight on and off over the years. With all the tempting food around us, the social occasions that revolve around food and the time pressures we all face I think its a rare woman who hasn't gained at least a few extra pounds every now and then!
I first tried Weight Watchers 5 ... years ago and got to my goal weight, which I managed to maintain for several years. Then a change in circumstances led to me slipping up and falling into old habits, I put a lot of weight back on so now I'm back at Weight Watchers classes counting points and watching the scales go down, 16.5lbs so far this time and counting!
The basic principle of Weight Watchers is to count your food carefully so that you eat less energy than you burn. Sounds simple, doesn't it? Rather than a simple calorie counting diet though Weight Watchers has a few subtleties that differ a bit. You count 'ProPoints' with each food having a different value, and each member having a tailored amount of ProPoints that they can eat each day plus a weekly allowance of 49 that they can spread out however they choose. The vast majority of fruit and vegetables are 'free', to encourage people to start making healthier choices. Some foods are classed as 'filling and healthy' and you can have days where you just eat un-measured amounts of these good foods.
You can follow Weight Watchers either online through the website and mobile app or by attending weekly classes. Online membership is cheaper, and you have access to all the tools you need to follow the plan successfully, including a thriving online community with message boards and facebook style 'social network' element. With the meetings you can also access all the online elements but you have the added support of a face to face weigh-in with a leader each week and a class where a different topic is covered each time.
There are lots of Weight Watchers products available both in supermarkets and from the meetings/website and some people seem to be under the mistaken impression that you need to buy a lot of these products in order to follow the plan, this is not the case at all! The plan encourages you to eat healthy, fresh ingredients and to cook from scratch (there are hundreds of low ProPoint recipes available on the website as well as in the various cookbooks) but the products are there for those who want them, and some of them can be worth buying depending on your lifestyle and food preferences.
A monthly pass that allows you to attend any meeting and to access all the online content currently costs just over £20 a month. It sounds like a lot but you do get quite a lot for your money. The online tools alone are invaluable, and the mobile app is a huge help when out and about, or when life springs a surprise on you but you still want to stick to the plan. You can work out the ProPoints for pretty much any food anywhere in a few seconds if you have a smartphone. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's stood in the supermarket aisle using the ProPoint calculator before adding something to my trolley!
Meetings vary, this is to be expected because they are all run by different leaders who will all have different personalities and styles. The basic format is the same everywhere, the first half an hour is spent weighing everybody (this is done discreetly, nobody except you and your leader need to know your weight) and the second 20-30 minutes is spent in a group discussion led by the leader, loosely based around a theme decided by Weight Watchers for that week. The meetings also run a little 'shop' where you can buy products that are exclusively available there if you so wish.
Weight Watchers works for me in a way that no other weight loss plan ever has, its the only thing I've ever been able to stick to long term and the only thing I don't get fed up after a while and start craving massive pizzas and chocolate bars the size of a door! The beauty of Weight Watchers is that nothing is forbidden. While it is strict in the sense that you need to limit your portions and stick within your ProPoint limit, there are no rules on what you 'spend' those propoints on. It makes sense obviously to try and have healthy, balanced foods and lots of fruit and veg, but its wonderful to have the flexibility that if you really fancy something a bit naughty, or if you have a social occasion or are stuck somewhere without many options, then you don't need to cheat and feel disappointed about it.
Lots of people think its silly to pay for something that technically you can do yourself, but the fact is that lots of us can't do it ourselves, not for our whole lives anyway. There's nothing wrong with getting a bit of outside help when you need it! When you reach your goal weight you become a 'gold member' and can then attend meetings for free as long as you don't go more than 5lbs over your goal. The support is there for life if you need it.
Lots of people end up joining Weight Watchers every January and never losing very much, but that's the same with every weight loss plan, gym membership etc. This plan works if you are willing to stick to it and put the effort in.
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Coinstar
by catrocks03
Coinstar is a machine found in many supermarkets which simply counts your change for you so you can redeem it as a money off voucher, swap for cash at customer service desk or donate to charity. You do have to pay a commision fee for this though which is a set price per pound.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Well you pop to your ... nearest coinstar with your jar/purse/container of change. There's a metal tray for you to tip the coins in with a handle on. When you pull the handle up the tray tilts forward and off your coins go. Try not to overfill the tray as coins may get a little stuck and take longer to go down, make extra fill ups of the tray if needed.
It's very noisy so be prepared for the money crashing sound, it reminds me of when you're playing on the 2p machines and get a big win (we've all been there!).
Coins will sometimes be rejected- sometimes it's because you've accidentally put in a foreign coin, othertimes the coin is too dirty or faded, other times it seems that the machine simply doesnt like your coin!
There is an interactive screen which counts your money as you go, it can be quite fun watching it all total up if your unaware of how much you have, it could also be quite depressing if what you have turns out to be an awful lot less than you had estimated!
When all counted you will be given two options- print your money out on a reciept or donate to charity. If you print it out you can either use it whilst paying for shopping or take it to the customer service desk to be swapped for a more convinient amount- hopefully note form!
WHAT'S THE CATCH?
Coinstar works on a commision fee- taking a set amount of money per pound. I believe its 8.9p per pound, it may of gone up since I last used it as it was less than this on my first use! I suppose it doesn't sound like much but almost 10% can be quite a bit if your putting in an awful lot of money.
HOW OFTEN HAVE I USED THIS
The hefty commision fee obviously hasnt put me off (maybe Im lazy) as I'm definitly in double figures as to use of this machine. I've used it when my penny jar was full but more often I've used it when im a few days short to pay day and need some emergency bread/milk etc. I dont mind popping a bit of change into the self service machine (in fact I tend to use self service for the sheer purpose of using up my change) but when you've got more than £2 of copper you start to get irritated looks!
Yes, I know I could go to the bank but this is more often used when I have £5 of assorted change and need it for essential items. Also I'm a bit clueless on where you even get the coin bags etc! So for now, for me, its Coinstar all the way.
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