I never ever thought of that kind of dilemma. I can only relate to the "effort" of counting carbs (for Brendon) in addition to counting points for myself. I actually took a break from WW last year just because I couldn't handle looking up everything we ate...plus I would get mixed up and tell Brendon to enter 5 points into his pump rather than 40 carbs.
For you: According to the "Dietary Guidelines for Americans", half of your daily calories should come from carbs. Now, each WW is worth 50 points. Say you're on a 30 pt plan. So that is 1500 calories per day. Half of that is 750. There are 4 carbs in every calorie. Divide 750 by 4. Your total carb intake should be 187 grams for the day. Do that equation for however many points you've been alotted. I just used 30 pts as an example.

I meant to write "each WW point is worth 50 calories".

Of course I think of more to say:

So if you want to count carbs, you can do so knowing that you won't come above your WW point alottment.

(last comment...I promise...LOL). Forget what I said about just counting carbs and knowing you won't come above your WW pts. I think I was wrong on that comment. The rest of what I said in the first comment is good though.

I started WW in mid-January, thinking I had a fairly good handle on carb-counting (less than 150 per day). After two weeks of trying the core plan one week and the flex plan the next, and continuing to have higher glucose readings, I have given up their food plans and do only my carb counting. I could not endure all the extra stuff to think about and do, either! Now my readings are much better, and I am still losing weight, which I needed to do. I am using WW, however, as my accountability factor, and training in various weight loss components, so it is still worth my money each week. I wish you well in your endeavors with getting the two plans (WW and carbs) to work together! I couldn't figure out how to do it, but I feel sure there must be a way! Blessings to you, George!

I feel your stress of how to eat..I too followed ADA advice..did not work..then went to southbeach meals..loved them..did not get numbers down...then started testing..testing..after all kinds of carb meals...lower the carb and type of carb..lower the numbers...eat healthy..I am not going to drive myself nuts anymore..eat to the meter..it will all fall into place...believe me...

Hi;

Like you I struggled on WW. In fact, my glucose numbers were not well controlled and I gained weight. This program did not work for me.

I think the trick is you have to find the one that works for you and each diabetic is different in how they respond.

For me, after 4 years, I finally found one that I am losing weight on tremendously and controlling my numbers. The program is the Nutrisystem program for Diabetics. They figured out everything for me so I didn't have to struggle on my own and I have access to a counselor who can handle my diet program with the diabetic factor tied in.

Keep trying until you find a program that works for you and your lifestyle. Force yourself to have an exercise program as well. I had many failures until incorporating one that actually worked.

I have been on WW for about a month now. I know what you mean. I have also been on insulin for Type II for almost a year. The most important thing for me is the carb count. I know if I eat foods with higher carbs my blood sugar goes real high. What I use the most from WW is the point calculator that you get on the first week. Then I look at the foods with reasonable carbs that I feel I can eat and calculate the WWpoints for each. Then I make my choices. So far I am down 10 lbs and my blood sugars are actually better. It is a lot more work, but that is diabetes. If you are not sure about your carb limits talk to your doctor or to a certified diabetes educator. They can help.

I am not d, but my husband and son are. I have been doing WW for about 1 yr. and have done points and core. While points are nice, be cause I can eat "anything", core is almost the same diet the boys follow, so it is easier. You still have flex points, so you can have some "fun" things, but core is a much better choice for d. Give it a shot, you may really like it.

You could be talking about me; I feel exactly the same way. And the problem with carbs vs. points is that I'm not losing any weight or keeping my BG under control either. I'm sorry you're having these problems but I'm so glad to know that others feel this way.

I also am on weight watchers. I do not do the flex plan I do the core plan. I feel the core plan is diabetic friendly. I have lost 48 pounds doing the core plan since I was diagnosed diabetic. I can count my carbs and stay on program a lot better than if I was counting points. The only points I do actually count is the 35 extra points and those are some of the carbs that are not on core. Try it for at least 3 weeks. It might help with your sugars. It does mine.

I joined Weight Watchers in February of '07 and I lost about 20 lbs. In May of '07 I had the best A1C since being diagnosed with diabetes - 6.3! You can count points and still stay within your recommended allowance of carbs. I admit that it is more work, and we all have plenty of work to do just dealing with diabetes; but, if it results in weight loss AND great A1C readings, it's well worth it. I suggest that the points that you eat come mostly from the "8 healthy guidlines" recommended by Weight Watchers. If you do this, you will have an easier time staying within your carb allowances. Lean meats and lots of veggies! Lo-carb yogurts! You can do it!

I count carbs. If I don't my blood sugars go up. I try to stay 14 or under carbs per Weight Watchers, Lean Cuisine or others prepared meals.
If I eat the 30 - 40 carbs prepared meals, I am in big trouble...
Most of the prepared meal do not have whole grain.
When I make my own food, I use small portions of whole grain or low carb pasta with lots of vegetables. With a little meat on the side.

I had the very same issues and I got very littel support from the WW Leader. She suggested I go on the Freechoice program and I said "If I could stop when I was full whould I be here?"
I went off WW and wnet back to follwoing the diet I got from my local diabetes center. I watch my carbs and live my life much less stressed!

I'm assuming you're a Type 2? I'm a Type 1 and Weight Watchers worked wonderfully for me, I lost 25 lbs. and have kept most of it off for 5 years. But I have a pump and can bolus myself for whatever carb and it covers it fine. I have good luck with higher carb meals as long as they are not fatty, so WW meals fit the bill. It's the fatty stuff that makes my BG's high for hours.

WW is really good for you. The first time I was on it I did quite well, but hit a plateau. This last time I tried going back to WW and it just did not work for me (when you're older it's harder to lose). At any rate, the whole thing with WW and being diabetic is reading the labels on all of your foods. The carb count is there. The problem is the sodium--the frozen meals are quite tasty, but that sodium is something else. I would suggest your staying with WW, but leave the frozen meals alone (some of their leaders will tell you not to rely on the frozen meals alot). It's just that they are so easy to use, especially when you're working. Hopefully this has helped you.

WW is really good for you. The first time I was on it I did quite well, but hit a plateau. This last time I tried going back to WW and it just did not work for me (when you're older it's harder to lose). At any rate, the whole thing with WW and being diabetic is reading the labels on all of your foods. The carb count is there. The problem is the sodium--the frozen meals are quite tasty, but that sodium is something else. I would suggest your staying with WW, but leave the frozen meals alone (some of their leaders will tell you not to rely on the frozen meals alot). It's just that they are so easy to use, especially when you're working. Hopefully this has helped you.

I am a life time member of WW I do not have diabetes but my husband does he has type 2. We are not on WW program right now but when I was on it my husband did it with me and his sugar went down. I have found a site it is www.onetouchgold.com they have meals that you can use. We both started last Sept.so far my husband has lost 45 pounds and his Dr. has taken him off of two of his diabete meds.I have lost 69 pounds. WW is a good program but the onetouch is made for Diabetes. You should take a look at it.

I am not d, but my husband is Type 2, insulin dependent. We both went on WW last year, and his numbers have been great. Last A1C 5.3! HOWEVER, I cook everything from scratch! No prepared meals/frozen meals at all. When we do eat out, we really watch. Most of the carbs come from fiber-richs sources, which are satisfying and fulling. All the weighing and measuring is a pain, but I can honestly say that it's been worth it.

I have used Weight Watchers as a type 1 diabetic. I think it is a great program to help with portion control and good healthy weight loss. I will tell you what I have done that works wonderfully. I take 4X6 cards and put my whole days food allotment on it. I have made up 30 or so cards (wanna buy em? ,just kidding). Take a card and put your dinner item on their 1st keep track of the points allowed then fill in breakfast and lunch items. Keep the points values in a column on the right side of the card. Then pretty much I have standard breakfast and lunch menu that I use and fill in the points for all those items on the right side as well. It is an easy way to see exactly what points you have as you go.
Then I write down my carbs on the left side of the card, totaling them up for each meal and I circle the total amount of carbs for that meal. This makes it so darn easy. It takes a definate time investment initially, but once you have a bunch of card made up, it is really quite simple. The part I like, in addition to everything else, is the fact that when I make up my grocery list for the week, I just pull out 7 cards for that week, and make my grocery list from the cards. If I have found a particlar WW recipe that I like, I put the recipe on one side of the card and all the other info on the other side of the card. This way, again when you make up your grocery list, you have the recipe right there to look at the ingredients.
I hope this helps,
Joyce

Please always count your carb intake and stay focus on that 9/2006 I had a A1C readinding of 8.5 3 months later under 6,18 months later 5.3 from 9/2006 to date 175 lbs weight lost just counting carbs and exercise no meds of any kind!If you want to do it and only if you want to do it will weight lose and blood readings be lowered!

Hi George,

I have been doing WW for awhile. Have stopped and started because of health problems, but for the most part it really works if you can get in the groove. I devised my own log sheet that has the points, fruit/veggies, milk and carbs and then put in sections, breakfast lunch dinners and snacks with totals (all on one page). This helps keep everything in one place. (I have it in a notebook with slide) I had diabetes education which your insurance may pay for that included a nutritionist that helped with how many carbs per meal and for the day you should be targeting for. Although somethings are a little hard to equal with the points and carbs it can work. I prepare things ahead of time like cut up celery and then it may go with a quick peanut butter or low carb/low fat dip. Fruits and low carb roll ups are easy and tasty lunches without the extra carbs that some of those ready to eat meals can give you. WW has a really good soup that you can make a bunch of and freeze eat as needed. I know it can become overwhelming but you have lots of support!! Don't forget some wkout, even a walk helps alot with the sugar levels.

I had considered trying WW since my sister and BIL had such great success with it but after looking at everything it seemed higher in carbs than I try to do. I also tried the whole Atkins and the south beach stuff. I found I did better by myself counting my carbs and reading labels and being really aware of what I put in to my mouth. I can normally keep my carbs to around 50 to 60 a day. Don't get me wrong though, I'm not perfect and I do cheat.

I also could not stay on Weight Watchers. They are wired more towards carb eating and less towards protein and fats. They kinda penalize you if you want to lean to more protein/fat based foods than the carbs. And their core plan is hard to follow in that it requires so many non fat foods and I don't like eating what I call artificial foods, like those tweaked to be lower in fat.

I tried weight watchers a few years ago and felt like I never stopped counting. It got to the point where I was forgetting to program my carbs into my pump after I figured out the points, forgetting to give myself my insulin! I ended up consulting a diabetes educator/nutritionist who gave me guidelines on how many carbs I should have at each mean. I try to stick to whole grains and the carb limits help with portion control. I also mix flax seeds with my breakfast which cuts down on my appetite for most of the day.

I need so badly to loose wgt. but I try all the carb thing and I was a faithful WW follower, but was told WW is not for diabetic, I'm spiraling out of control. I think I'm doing ok and I get on the scale and I find I've gained 1 more lb. When I'm not at home,and go out, I tend to go with the flow and not watch my carbs. But my BG is fine, so I think well thats good for me.I'm in a vicious cycle. I really need to get my act together once and for all. I guess I just need to see this in words, what is going on for me. Maybe someone out there felt like me and you have suggestions for me????!!! I'd sure appreciate any and all suggestions. I have the insulin down, I take my other pills and I do what I'm suppose to, except for the eating.

Hi. I've been on WW in the past. Now that I have Type 2 Diabetes, I'm counting carbs and doing well. I've lost 13 lb. in the past 12 weeks. I find counting carbs works well for both dieting and keeping glucose level under control. I met with a nutritionist who gave me a pamphlet on carb counting and told me how many I should have per day(roughly a 1200 caloria/day food plan for me). Some WW stuff is low in points but higher in sugar/fat than you might want. You have to find what works for you, but you can lose weight very nicely by counting carbs and balancing them with protein. I do recommend seeing a nutritionist (dietitian). Good luck!

PS to my other comment. I'm exercising more, too. I do water aerobics 2 or 3 times a week and use the exercise bike and/or weight machines a couple of times a week - all this at the local Y. I am not taking any medication yet for the diabetes. Last week my fasting blood sugar was 87, and my A1C was 5.9 (down from 6.6 three months ago). So carb counting DOES work, and the exercise helps, too, of course. I am motivated by fear! I've seen people go blind, lose toes, and have heart problems from not taking care of their diabetes. I don't want to join them.

I have Type II diabetes, I am considered a senior and I have other medical conditions so I take many medications. I recently joined Weight Watchers. I knew their points system was based on the traditional low-fat, low meat diet (meats because they can be fatty are many points meaning you tend to avoid red meats and pork), I had tried low carb but could not stay with it and gained all my weight back and then some. I took the view that in the short-term my blood sugars would be higher ut once I lost the weight my blood sugars would come down even on this type of diet. Bottom line insulin is more efficient if you are thin. So I think WW is a viable approach even for diabetics.

My problem arose that although I stuck to the points religiously I gained a 1.4 in the month that I attended. I concluded that my age and medications also played a role and I would need to reduce the points so low that I would fail on them. I am now trying to lower carbs again but not so low as I did before to see if the increased variety allows me to follow it longer.

Eileen

I've been following WW since the first of the year. I was diagnosed at the end of January. After my diabetes classes I decided to continue to follow WW but first I count carbs—then I count the points. This has helped me because it forces me to make smart decisions with low carb foods too.
On a happy note I've lost 20 pounds--but the month of March I went down .2 then up 2.4 and then up .2-- it wasn't until the last week of the month that I FINALLY lost--frustrating --I had followed the program and counted carbs the whole month to weigh .2 less than I'd started out weighing at the beginning of the month. But the next two weeks I lost about 6 pounds. I know this will be a long journey toward weight loss.
I’ve joined and quit WW many times in the past--now I know I need to keep working—giving up on weight loss just isn’t an option this time.
I’ve also added exercise. I hate to sweat! But I know I need to workout. I try for 5 times a week. I especially grab time on the weekend so when I have late meetings or other commitments during the week I only need to find 3 nights to fit it in.

Try the core plan. You don't have to count points and it is would fit a diabetes food plan easier.

I'm type2, and I count my carbs too a point.I eat about 7-8 times a day and try to keep my carbs around 20-25 each time.I was diagnoised in July of 07' with a A1C of 10.9. was put on oral meds. I since have been going to the gym and eating good healthy carbs and now my A1C was 6.6 just last month. I have also had to lower the doses of my meds, because now I go too low when I workout. I have also lost 10.5 inches so far. With eating about the same carbs each time I eat, my blood sugar stays more even instead of the spikes I had before . This works for me, so I just keep going . good luck

I'm reading about everyones successes (congratulations to all of you) and I to want to be successful in my weight loss, and keeping my diabetes in check. I need to get into a mind set. Thanks

What I did was switch from flex to core. It has really helped. I did the same thing that you have done and got carried away with all of the choices on the flex plan. I have started losing weight again by switching plans and using my 35 points a week more wisely. My blood sugar has gone back down. I also carried my supplies around with me, but really didn't check my sugar as I should because I was to concerned with the points. Good Luck.

They can both go together when you remember some simple rules. First use a carb exchange system to calculate your carbs. For example 1 carb exchange = 15g carbohydrates. Diabetes control is about consistent carb intake. My dietician suggested approx 12 carb exchanges daily spread out evenly throughout the day. Such as 3 for breakfast, 3 for lunch, 3 for dinner, and that leaves 3 for 2 snacks throughout the day. That being said, once you know your carbs are consistent you can then calculate the WW points to make sure you are staying within that #. Once you meet your carb exchanges, any extra WW points need to come from protein. The hallmark of diabetes control is CONSISTENT CARBOHYDRATE intake.

I am a type II diabetic and just joined Weight Watchers after losing 60 lbs on my own then gaining 10 lbs back after starting a new job.
When caculating points I always keep in mind the HEALTHY CARBS...I stay away from processed foods...I stick to whole grains, fat free/low fat dairy products, high fiber foods, low fat meats, and fresh or frozen fruits/veggies. Keep in mind one ingredient foods = apple, lettuce, tuna, chicken, etc.
I know on the flex plan that you can eat anything with in your points range but as diabetics we have to make the right choices to control our blood sugars.
Its a balancing game of points, carbs, and glucose levels.
Do your points but choose them wisely. I also find when I choose healtly options, the point values are very low...so you will be able to eat a lot of healthy foods...with more nutritional value and with minimal effects on blood sugar levels.
I also eat 6 times a day so as to not let my blood sugars get out of whack, I eat breakfast, an am snack, lunch, an afternoon snack, dinner, and an evening snack.
My last 2 AICs were 6.2 and 5.6...and I was taken off of insulin!!!

Happy Counting:)