Weight Watchers Quick-Start and Quick-Start Plus Programs (Old Exchange Plans)


Chicken Stir-Fry with Vegetables
Here is everything you need to know about the
Weight Watchers Quick Start and Quick Start Plus plans!

Looking for the old Weight Watchers exchange plans that were popular during the 1980s and 1990s?

This post outlines the Quick-Start Weight Watchers program, as well as Quick-Start Plus.

Quick-Start Plus was the first plan that introduced floating exchanges, which makes the original Weight Watchers Exchange Plan more versatile and easier to adapt to your lifestyle and tastes.


When I first became involved in the Old Weight Watchers Exchange Plan, there was no Quick-Start Program yet.

Quick Start came out the following year.
Although the weight-loss plan I was doing was working well for me, we were encouraged by the leaders giving the Weight Watchers lectures to start over that January as if we were a newbie.

I don't think this was necessary.

It was just easier for corporate and leaders alike if we were all doing the same thing. There wasn't anything magic in that first Quick Start plan.

It didn't work any better than the prior plan.

It was simply an advertising gimmick to kick-start your weight loss by drastically lowering your calories for the very first week when motivation for dieting is high. 

Each week thereafter, you added a little bit more food to your Weight Watchers meals.

The additional calories caused weight loss to slow down to a normal pace, and your eating style to evolve into the traditional Weight Watchers Exchange Program, so there was really no sense in forcing us to make the switch that January.

By the end of the month, we were just doing what we were doing before, anyway.
Interestingly, this first Quick Start Program isn't the plan that most people remember being on.

But to show you how Weight Watchers evolved into what it has become today, I am going to first show you what we were allowed to eat on the very first Quick Start Program, and then I'll give you what you need to know to be able to start Quick-Start Plus right away.

Looking for the old Weight Watchers Exchange Plans? Here's what you need to know to do Quick Start and Quick Start Plus.

Original Weight Watchers Quick-Start Program


There is contradiction online about what the Quick-Start Program consisted of. I think this is because there were actually three Quick-Start Programs, and many more Weight Watchers variations implemented after I left the program.

The three Quick-Start programs were:
  1. Original Quick-Start Program
  2. Quick-Start Plus
  3. Another quick-start program implemented after I left
I don't know what that last program was called. People online just call all three phases of the plan: Quick Start.

Cookbook
Some of the older Weight Watchers cookbooks
still contain the Quick-Start Program details



Since I don't have any of the old Weight Watchers cookbooks, I have pieced together what people have told me with what I personally remember eating when I was on those plans.

Originally, the exchanges were just a simple way to keep track of the daily calories you eat and give your body the daily nutrients it needed to access your fat stores and burn body fat for fuel, as needed.

By the end of the month, carbohydrates were about half of a standard American Diet by today's standards (about 120 to 150 carbs) and calories were about 1500 for women. This was more calories than other well-balanced low-fat diets of the time, but it was also much easier to sustain.

Week 1:

3 fruit exchanges
2 vegetable exchanges (minimum)
2 milk exchanges
2 bread/starch exchanges
3 fat exchanges
6 protein exchanges
and 150 weekly calories

Week 2:

3 fruit exchanges
2 vegetable exchanges (minimum)
2 milk exchanges
2 bread/starch exchanges
3 fat exchanges
7 protein exchanges
and 200 weekly calories

Week 3:

3 fruit exchanges
2 vegetable exchanges (minimum)
2 milk exchanges
2 bread/starch exchanges
3 fat exchanges
8 protein exchanges
and 250 weekly calories

Week 4:

3 fruit exchanges 2 vegetable exchanges (minimum)
2 milk exchanges
2 bread/starch exchanges
3 fat exchanges
9 protein exchanges
and 550 weekly calories

First Quick Start Plan Details


On this first quick-start plan, we had to eat something for breakfast. Breakfast wasn't negotiable, but that year we were also allowed to count a serving of cereal as a protein exchange as long as we ate it with 1/2 cup of non-fat milk.

Bowl of cereal, juice, and tea with lemon wedge
Cereal was counted as a protein on the
very first Quick Start plan



This would change with the next evolutionary plan, Quick-Start Plus, but it made giving up that extra bread exchange more tolerable for many folks.

In addition to the weird way they had us count our cereal (1 protein exchange plus 1/2 a milk exchange), we had to limit our consumption of eggs, including the egg in recipes, to 4 per week. These limitations were due to the popular, but unrealistic fear of cholesterol going on at that time.

Every week, we were required to eat:
  • 3 fish meals
  • 3-4 ounces of liver
Red meat was still limited to 3 times per week for a maximum of 12 ounces, for a similar reason as the egg limitation. Red meat contains more saturated fats than other protein sources and it was thought that saturated fats contributed to heart disease.

Today, there is still no scientific evidence that this is true.

If you look closely at what Weight Watchers did, compared to their Old Weight Watchers Exchange Program that I talked about in the previous post, they reduced the carbs, proteins, and extra calories for the first week and then slowly added them back in.

Since the diet evolved over that first month into almost the same diet they'd been using for awhile, these were the only changes that the first Quick Start diet made.

Research about how to use foods like corn tortillas and tomato sauce, and how to go out to dinner while still staying on plan had not been figured out yet. Those changes would come later on when floating exchanges and all of those little booklets that people remember were introduced the following January.


Most Popular Weight Watchers Quick-Start Program was Quick-Start Plus


The following year, Weight Watchers introduced something they called Quick-Start Plus. This new program was supposed to be a new-and-improved Quick-Start Program.

Supposedly, this happened in 1994, but I am not that good with dates, so I really don't know.

Quick-Start Plus was the program that included all of those little booklets that people remember having.

I don't remember what happened to mine. I probably threw them all away when I went through my divorce, but I also could have lost them during the move from California to Utah with my current hubby.

A lot of things didn't survive that move.

I don't have the information on what the first month looked like, but the basic diet consisted of:
  • 2 milk exchanges
  • 3 fat exchanges
  • 2 fruit exchanges
  • 3 vegetable exchanges
  • 6 protein exchanges
  • 2 bread/starch exchanges
There were 21 floating exchanges per week that you could spend on any of the above exchanges except for fat. Weight Watchers has always been and probably always will be an extremely low-fat diet.

Optional calories for the week? A whopping 700!

Men were counseled to add:
  • 2 protein exchanges
  • 2 bread/starch exchanges
  • 1 fat exchange
  • 1 to 2 more fruit exchanges
Young teens added another milk exchange

Eggs were still limited to 4 per week, liver was still required for 1 meal, and red meats and cheese were limited to 16 ounces per week.

Today, I can see the wisdom in going to a more flexible exchange plan. It gives you the ability to plan for special occasions or take advantage of last minute inconveniences and times when your meals might not be as well-balanced as they should be.

At the time, however, all I saw was a way to give into my love for carbohydrates, and since calories weren't counted, except for your weekly allotment, it was easy to overeat carbs while shorting yourself on protein foods.

The 21 floating exchanges work out to about 3 exchanges per day.

If you were to stick to only 6 protein exchanges every day and spend most of your floating exchanges and the increased calorie allotment on carby foods, you would most likely put yourself into a protein deficiency.

Six ounces of protein is less than 40 grams of protein per day.

How Much Protein Do You Need?


Chicken strips breaded and baked
Dieters need more protein than the average person,
so six ounces a day won't be enough

Most people need .6 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass to maintain their protein structures in the body and make needed repairs. This is for those on balanced diets, which are high in carbohydrates and not on a low-carb diet.

For dieters, 6 ounces per day won't give you optimal health benefits. The .6 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass is just what you need to keep from aging quickly or burning those muscles up for fuel.

Optimal health requires closer to 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass, with a minimum amount of about .8 grams.

But I didn't know that back then.

I just saw a way to eat more carbs, and less protein, so the diet didn't work very well for me. Protein deficiency can cause your weight loss to stall.

I did much better on the previous plan, as I was hungry all the time with this one, as well as protein deficient.

The hunger grew worse when I got down to 160 pounds.

That seems to be the lower limit that my body is willing to go before it starts to tell me that my fat cells are empty, and I need fuel.

Lots of fuel.

If I'd spent those extra floating exchanges on protein foods, instead of bread and Weight Watchers ice cream sandwiches, I most likely would have had different results.

I've read the testimonies of dozens of people who had great success with this Quick-Start Plus program, and I'm sure they did, but the freedom it offered back then was deadly for me.

Quick-Start Plus Booklets


One of the biggest selling points for the Quick-Start Plus Program was the booklets.

We were given a booklet per week, I think it was, and the information in the booklets broadened our eating possibilities tremendously. The booklets taught members how to count foods that had never been allowed on the Weight Watchers Diet before, such as:
  • restaurant foods
  • fast foods
  • eating at a friends house
  • personal recipes
If you didn't have access to recipes for muffins, pancakes, or chili, the charts in the booklets taught you how to count those foods, too.

These booklets are no longer available, but you can do something similar yourself by using the calorie counts attached to each exchange:
  • fruit exchange = 60 calories
  • vegetable exchange = 25 calories
  • milk exchange = 90 calories
  • bread exchange = 80 calories
  • fat exchange = 40 calories
  • protein exchange = 70 calories
For example:

I am now gluten free, so I am going to need a way to count my gluten-free flour mix and baked goods.

While I could just ignore the extra calories and fat that gluten-free breads and crackers have, that wouldn't be to my advantage.

A homemade gluten-free hamburger roll is a whopping 300 calories each (when made in a 5-inch custard cup) due to the extra fat and sugar needed for raising.

My homemade gluten-free hamburger buns
Exchanges make it easier to adapt the program
to fit your lifestyle

Exchanges make it easier to adapt the program to fit your lifestyle than it was to use the Weight Watchers online recipe-counting software.

Looking at the above chart, those buns would weigh in at 3-3/4 bread exchanges.

Since gluten-free bread contains extra fat and sugar, an alternative way to count those buns and still get them to fit into the Weight Watchers Program, would be:
  • 3 bread exchanges (240 calories)
  • 1 fat exchange (40 calories)
  • 20 weekly calories
Those are subjective values, however. This is how I would count the buns. Someone else might decide to count them differently. And that's okay.

As long as you stay within the calorie limits for each exchange and make sure to get adequate protein every day, how you count your own recipes won't matter.

You will still be eating at a calorie deficit, and it's the deficit and consistency that matters when it comes to weight loss.

Latest Quick-Start Program


The last Weight Watchers Quick-Start Program, before they went to counting Points, reduced calories to about 1300 per day. By then, they had learned that 1,500 calories a day would only take you so far to goal.

This newer program, however, was quite deficient in protein since floating exchanges were dropped to only 7 per week.

Because of this, I do not recommend this last plan.

But I'm including it here for information only because many people remember following this plan and had success with it.

I'm sure you did, but the amount of protein it contains will cause you to lose lots of muscle tissue along with your body fat, making it more difficult to maintain those losses.

It seems to be an intermediate plan, sitting between exchanges and points, and designed to prepare members for the Points system that would come into being later on.
  • 4 protein exchanges
  • 2 milk exchanges
  • 4 bread/starch exchanges
  • 2 fat exchanges
  • 3 vegetable exchanges (unlimited if not starchy)
  • 2 fruit exchanges
  • 7 floating exchanges per week
  • 750 weekly optional calories
As you can see from glancing down the list, protein exchanges dropped and bread/starch exchanges went up. And with only 7 floating exchanges, 1 per day, the most protein you can get following this plan would be 5 ounces, about 32 grams of protein.

For me, this was a recipe for disaster, so I never went back.

I turned to the SugarBusters! Diet when I needed a safe, moderate-carb diet while going through my divorce.

*For basic help in counting exchanges and an online checklist you can download from Google Docs, check out our Old Weight Watcher's Exchange Program post. It goes through a lot of the plan in much more detail and is a much easier program to stick with.

Vickie Ewell Bio

Comments

  1. Dear Vickie Ewell,
    My email address is cynthiab_77504@yahoo.com. I would be happy to send you what I have as attachments. Eating like this again has allowed me to not feel guilty. I feel safe again. I too do NOT do well with a lot of diet freedom. I need structure.
    Regards,
    Cynthia

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    Replies
    1. Cynthia i will be emailing you~thank you!

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    2. If you have time, I would love to have those as well! I too did very well on this old program of food exchanges with the optional calories and floating exchanges losing 90 pounds in the early 90s. I'm in my 50s now and the points program just does not work for me. I'm researching the old program to do on my own.

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    3. Sorry! My email is marypawppins@gmail.com!

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    4. I did very well on old program if you happen to see this could you email me also the attachment and any info thank you. Sewmamaw@gmail.com

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  2. I did the Quick start program and I still have all my charts and pamphlets.

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    1. I would like to get a copy of that. That's the only thing that I could follow accurately. Are you willing to share it?

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    2. If you see this and you still have them, I would be so grateful to get a copy! My email is marypawppins@gmail.com.

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    3. If someone has copies of the Quick start 1 and 2 plans I would love to get copies of them. I have the full exchange plan booklet but was unable to locate the other plans booklets. Please email is bpmosley@juno.com. Thank you very much,

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    4. I would like all the booklets from the quick start plan. Can you send me copies? Thank you so much. Email: jdok0825@gmail.com.

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    5. I'd love the old pamphlets and weekly sheets with the exchanges. I also did very well with this program. I became a lifetime member and got a key! But the new programs don't work for me bc they aren't regimented. Please can u share your booklets and weekly menu pages. I would love clear images. else.ayala@gmail.com

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    6. I can also try and build a booklet in Photoshop and illustrator or even excel if anyone is interested. Just need the info for the jumpstart weeks.

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  3. I recently returned to WW after about 3 years. I was on the plan before points. I do not have anything from before.. if some one has the info for this plan... please let me know. I would love having a copy of the plan itself...
    thanks so much.

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  4. I dont know if this will help anyone, but I also loved the old weight watchers also, if you want what I feel is equivalent to it, is Richard Simmons Food Mover, same concept. I also feel a little mad, because all Richard Simmons and Weight Watchers did was basically sell people the food pyramid, and got rich.

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    1. I first went onto WWs in 1972. Jean Nieditch's first fcouple of program (probably up to Quick Start),ust took the c. 1960 plan for diabetics and decreased the numbers of servings allowed in some cases and the amount of food in a serving in others. Some of it seemed kind of nonsensical, like the 2 servings of milk every day (which your leader told you that you could absolutely not make substitutions on (until they allowed Alba, which had as much milk in it). This was most likely because so few Americans understood that calcium is also in green veggies and other things and to increase protein, which, of course, helped you to feel more filled and helped you lose faster. I don't know what Simmons based his on - exchange plans (and the pyramid) were around before either Simmons or Nieditch but it did not give instructions for dieters. A dieter could have figured it out (as did Nieditch), but they made it much more accessible so I don't begrudge them. Both did really care about people. I'm not at all sure the same could be said about Weight Watchers today (or whatever it is they renamed it) or most other programs. They seem more interested in proving pet theories and making money.

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    2. It feels that way to me too. WW is totally into making money.

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    3. I've been doing so much research on the old WW programs the last few days as they are ready to unveil yet another program, and what I'm hearing is that they are offering 3 levels of points because there are many people like myself who did not do well with Freestyle. I dug out my old WW program from 1995 (I'm not sure if it was a Quickstart one, we had the choice of Personal Selections or Fat & Fiber). I used PS then and lost 30 lbs in 4 months. By far it was the most successful WW plan I've been on and I've been on all of them since then. I'm still a current member. I'm going to tweak this plan and add more protein and less carbs and see what happens.

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    4. Thank you so much for sharing your experience and future goals. Please let us know how well it works.

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    5. I loved the old ww I did so well they threatened to make me go to the doctor to see ee if something was wrong lol

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  5. I loved the simple exchange and lost around 60 pounds on it! It was much easier to scoop out a half of a cup of mashed potatoes and add 1/8 cup of gravy fat free, or not and either count a fat or the 20 optional calories. I was so happy eating something from each food group at each meal and grateful that I have had no issues with gluten or carbs, just need to keep them in the guidlines and I do well. For those who have no food allergies or issues, this is a fun way to go Moderation in all things!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, personal experience, and insights with us! I really appreciate it. The lessons on balance have really stuck with me.

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  6. I know the old plan works. I was on it for a long time and lost alot of weight and felt better. You can stay on this weight watchers old plan and not starve and use it for life
    Its healthy eating.

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    1. Thanks for sharing your experience. I really appreciate your testimonial. Weight Watchers old-school plans really do work.

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    2. Hi! How do i get a hold of these plans?!

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    3. WW is no longer supporting these old-school plans, so there's no easy way to get them. I put together above everything that I've researched so far. In addition, I recently picked up the Weight Watchers Quick Start Plus Program Cookbook, which has a lot of the quantities for each exchange. I'll be going through that and writing posts as I go.

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  7. I am also looking for those pages from the quick start program. I was able to lose over 60 pounds with it and I have tried so many times with so many diets with no luck then I found this site. I just went to a WW meeting and they would not tell me about the new plan unless I signed up. I asked them but what if I don;t like the plan or can't follow it, she told me that is what they do now.

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    Replies
    1. my email address is tikane48@gmail.com which did not show up.

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    2. I picked up "Weight Watchers Quick Start Plus Program Cookbook" at an estate sale recently, but haven't gotten a change to look it over yet. A brief glance - it goes over the basic food plan for back then, offers sample menus, and tons of recipes.

      I don't have the little white booklets I remember anymore. Sure wish I would have kept them. They'd be great to have right about now, but I was so sure that keto was going to be the way.

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    3. I would love to know what is different for older people, as I am now 68.

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  8. I have to agree when I moved to another state I tossed all the "diet" books, etc. I had hidden away and now wish I kept them. I may be dumb but what actually does the "exchange" word mean in the WW plan? I am confused, what are you "exchanging"? I'm trying to find something sensible that works, along with becoming mature no one mentions that you will also start packing on the pounds no matter what. It is a horrible struggle.

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    1. In the 1980s, exchanges were servings. They had lists of portion sizes within each food category. For example, a protein exchange = 1 ounce meat, fish, poultry, or an egg. A serving of rice would be 1/2 cup cooked. Today, exchanges are no longer used. The current WW plan uses a complicated points system, so many people have gone back to the old-school plans.

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  9. I still have the Fast Food Companion and the Food Companion books for these plans if anyone is interested please let me know and I can send u a picture of the items u may be interested in. I wish I could find a way to republish them but I'm sure it would be copyright infringement.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you. I'm sure it would be, too.

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    2. Do you have the food companion copyright 1996. It is a small book that states on the cover "completely revised food list for the new freedom plan". I'm looking for this book.

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    3. Could you please send me the info that you have. I want to kick myself every time I try to look up to see if I can find the information. Thank you so much!

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    4. Me also I have some but not all.dagakins1@live.com

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  10. I also have one of the cookbooks frim this time period

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  11. I do have the 1-2-3 Sucess
    1998

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  12. What was the 1st week or 2 on WW fast track consist of...

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    Replies
    1. I don't know. With all the changes that Google keeps making to their search engine, regarding freshness, it's getting harder and harder to find information on the older weight-loss programs.

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  13. Anybody from the UK as the weight watchers plan was different to the US. The exchange plan where potatoes was only allowed on week 3 and we weighed everything not the US measuring 😀

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  14. Does anyone remember a plan where you had 3 levels of food to choose from. Maybe late 80's or early 90's. I had to follow plan at highest amount of food or I wouldn't lose weight. I was told I wasn't eating enough and when I increased according to the highest amount of food I lost.

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    Replies
    1. Sorry. I don't remember that one at all. Hopefully, someone else will. Weight loss is tricky like that. The body has to feel secure and sometimes, that means eating more rather than less.

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    2. I don't remember being required to eat liver, and I never would have. LOL I remember the 3 levels and I had to force myself to eat some days as I was always full. Required vitamin, I think 8 glasses of water. I would love to find a tracker from those days.

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    3. Found it! It was called Quick Success and based on exchanges, much like diabetic diets used. EBay had several books (has picture of Salmon and noodles on cover).
      I cannot believe I actually got a calculator from EBay as well. I believe this was the first program ever to use one. It ran from 1988 to 1997 when the first points system was introduced. And liver isn't required! LOL

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    4. I'm so glad to hear that! Thanks for sharing the title of the WW plan.

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    5. In the UK we had slim and trim just before points

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  15. I have the first 2 WW plan and cookbooks. Jean is on the cover. I recently scoured Amazon for the plans I attended since then just to see how much the plans changed. My first Lifetime was in 1992-1993. Thanks for your insights on the 'duds'.

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    Replies
    1. I found a quick-start plus cookbook (and program) at a yard sale recently, but haven't had time to look at it yet. Thank you for taking time to comment.

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    2. would you mind sending me the photos? Im also looking for the recipes in the books from superstart
      1993tysm. merrylkolb@gmail.com.

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  16. Does anyone remember the pocket flip chart that listed all the fats, proteins, etc.? It also listed personal selections and floaters.

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  17. If yes, do you know if I can get anywhere?

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  18. I have the uk version, from 1994 booklets weeks 1 to 5 with the 3 options, eat less, basic and eat more, and the little flip charts , it came In a black folder, I also have an older version .

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    Replies
    1. I would love a copy of this as well. I have been looking for almost 20 years off and on and my health is now not great. So anything will be helpful. I wished I kept my books. I liked that if you didn't have something, you could go to the back and see what you can change.

      sunshine45826@yahoo.com

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  19. I too lost weight on the Weight watchers old quick start plans. I would be very thankful if anyone could send me anything about this program. My email is rklindberg9@gmail.com

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    Replies
    1. I'm also looking for the first ww quick start plan and booklets from the 1980-1990's if you find out reach out to me. Sampson.linda1021@gmail.com

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  20. Does anyone know which was the version where you could buy a magnetic planner? So you'd have the weekly sheet which was a sticky back plastic to stick to your fridge or somewhere (mine was on the microwave), and a magnetic sheet of coloured squares for each food group which you would move from one side if the planner to the other as you ate them. I lost well using this method. Unfortunately I am probably nearly twice as large as I was then but always remember doing very well and would like to try again.
    Lynne

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  21. I too lost weight on the old version. I need structure! If someone has the weekly menu plan already filled out indicating what to eat, I would sincerely appreciate a copy! My email address is: stomsick29@gmail.com. I will be forever grateful!

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  22. I would like copies as well. piano911@aol.com thank you.

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  23. I too did very well on this old program and would like to do it again. I would love a copy as well please :) Thank you!! bb.bellaann@gmail.com

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  24. I would love a copy also. Did very well on that. Can’t wait. Please and thank you

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  25. I took followed the early 1990's plan before points and got my weight down to around 120lbs but when we had to change to the points system it all went wrong, I gained weight and left. I preferred the structure of the balanced choices we had. Also, reading your blog "Red meat contains more saturated fats than other protein sources and it was thought that saturated fats contributed to heart disease.

    Today, there is still no scientific evidence that this is true.", check out Dr Caldwell Esselstyn, he proves saturated fats cause heart disease and a wfpb diet can reverse this".
    I just bought the old books off the internet and am ready to start again tomorrow.

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