Day 4 on Core and I have to say, I am really, really enjoying it.

At first I thought it was going to be rather restrictive, since it’s one of those plans that gives you a list of foods you are allowed to eat (meaning there are some that you aren’t, unless you want to spend your weekly points allowance on them). The only other time I had tried a plan that gave you a list to eat from was when I tried South Beach for a week… which ultimately failed miserably because #1 I am mildly hypoglycemic and I had no energy to move without a decent number of carbs in my day and #2 I wanted to eat everything that someone told me I “couldn’t.”

However, after taking the plunge and getting some practical experience with it, I find it’s not restrictive at all, and it seems silly to me that I ever thought it would be. Sure, there are non-Core items such as bread, candy, and non-fat-free dairy, but you can still choose to eat these things if you want. You just have to limit your quantities of such items to 35 points’ worth each week. Which is totally reasonable. So far I have used my weekly 35 on toast, margarine, and three fig newtons. Mostly everything else I have eaten has been Core, and I finally feel like I am eating healthy, whole foods mostly.

On Flex you don’t have to make that distinction. I found myself eating smaller meals and having small snacks so that I would have a lot of points left for the evening time, at which point I would have a large dinner and as many snacks as I could round up. I would rationalize having cookies or a muffin during the day because “I had the points for it.” And sure, I can do the same on Core and just take the points from my weekly stash, but it can’t happen as often. Also, since one of the main principles of Core is to focus on your satiety levels and determining how best to meet your body’s needs, neither a cookie nor a store-bought muffin (read: closer to cupcake than anything) would fit my day, if I am being mindful.

According to my leader, we are going to see WW moving more and more in the direction of Core and its general principles in the future. WW has evolved greatly since its beginnings in the 1960s, and I think it is wonderful that it continues to change with new health findings and new member experiences and feedback. It is a company and of course shareholder interests come first, but WW really is dedicated to the success of its members.