Weight Watchers Announces New Momentum Plan

Forgive me if I laugh a bit, WW, but your new "plan" sounds like a laxative. In fact, I think in the medical world, there is one named that. Tired of that cramped, bloaty feeling? Try MOMENTUM. It'll blow the top off your colon.

I digress.

Those of you not on WW, may wonder what I'm talking about. Basically, WW is launching a new plan that combines both their flexible Points plan and their Core plan (which I know nothing about, really). The gist of the plan? Eat low Points value foods that make you feel fuller longer.

While this is brilliant marketing intended to capture the after the holidays, New Year's resolution folks, I don't think this is anything new to those of us on the plan for a while. In fact, when I read the new material, I offered up a big, "DUH!" to the great WW gods in the sky.

I don't think it takes many Weight Watchers clients more than a week to realize how to manipulate the system so that you don't get ravenously hungry. When I hear people complain about being on WW and being hungry, I always reply with, "you're doing it wrong, then." Because it's not that hard. Eat things that make you feel fuller longer. Again, I cry, "DUH!"

A 5 Point breakfast could be two pieces of dry toast (high calorie bread) or you could have one egg and an egg white scrambled (with spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes--all "free foods"), a whole grapefruit, two pieces of light bread toasted topped with one tablespoon of honey, and a cup of coffee with fat free flavored creamer (almost a latte).

Weight Watchers also is pushing soup as a filling food. Another "Duh!" here. This one gets me every time. I can no longer watch the show Survivor anymore because the size zero people are wasting away, there's usually someone who claims to be a great cook or professional chef, and yet, they don't make soup from the one fish and the handful of rice they have. Heck, they could make soup out of the fish heads and bones that they don't eat!

It's OK Weight Watchers, I think this is just a marketing move and really isn't anything new to us oldbies on the plan. And it does sum up what most people very quickly figure out while on the plan. Is it going to sign up more people making the dreaded New Years Day Diet Plan? Probably. Maybe it will help them stick with it past February.

To me, though, learning this for myself was so much more important and so much more crucial to my success. I see WW as a learning tool--allowing me to learn a new way of eating, a new lifestyle. It's more about self discovery for me and that's why I think giving this bit of information away to your clients isn't really going to help them in the long run. (Although, your goal is to make money and not necessarily to teach your clients to no longer need your services, right?)

Enough of the fat rant. I'm off to clean my house. I did cardio for almost an hour and I feel GREAT.