Can anyone compare the new Weight Watchrs program to the old program?

the points system was changed to encourage people to eat more fruits and vegetables because they found that a lot of people were avoiding them because some of them had high points values. (when you have X amount of points per day to eat then you think twice about eating a 4 pt banana or a 3 or 4 pt apple the same way you'd think twice about drinking a 3 or 4pt soda but when that banana or apple is 0 points--you don't have to think about it.)

the new system takes into consideration whether or not the item has protein & complex carbohydrates in it in addition to the fat, so two food items could both be 300 calories but because of their protein, carb, & fat break down they could have very different points values.

as far as losing weight, it works the same as the old system. They both are equally effective on that front (if you work the program then you're going to lose the weight). but as far as nutrition goes, I think the new system is better because it encourages people to eat more fruits and veg & the participants don't feel like they are being punished by spending points on food that they should be eating to start with. (several women in my group have noticed a positive difference in things like their skin & hair--one woman said that her hairdresser told her that her hair was thicker and glossier & wanted to know what she was using on it)

a couple of the big cons are:

1. if you already own their electronic scale--it no longer has the correct points figured in so it's only good for weighing things now, not figuring your points.

2. because of the different way they are figuring points there is no longer a slide card to help you calculate points & you will have to purchase their calculator to do it.

3. if you own any of their older cookbooks which have points figured on them, then you will have to recalculate the points for the recipes.