And, Lo, It Could Be Heard From On High… “Fruit is FREE!”

Weight Watchers recently announced on their blog that they're releasing a major overhaul to their Plan starting November 29th (the Monday following Thanksgiving). I'm SO excited -- mostly because I lost my original 97 lbs when I was on the Winning Points plan and when they switched to the FlexPoints/Core system, my success ground to a halt.  I used this as an excuse to completely derail and have been struggling ever since, gaining back half my weight. I'm hoping this new plan (whatever it's called) will be the kick start I need. I've considered trying other plans, like Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem or whatever, but I really love Weight Watchers and I know it works if you work it. I didn't want to forsake a plan that has been so good to me simply because I've run out of excuses and am looking for something new and shiny to blame.  Not that I still wouldn't consider one of the other plans in the future, but dollars to donuts, Weight Watchers is where it's at.

So, the rumormills have been churning about what's the new plan is all about. First to leak was the "fruit is free" rumor, which Weight Watchers has confirmed on their blog.  All fruit is free, even bananas. I'm not a huge fruit eater, but I'd like to be. Plus, sometimes I skipped fruit and I chose a 100 calorie pack instead, which is the same amount of Points, but completely void of nutrition.

I also heard that the new Plan is going to calculate Points based on the overnall nutritional values of the food. So, for example, something like salmon, which tends to be higher in Points than other fish since it's higher in fat, may come down in Points since it's got so many other good things for you in it.  And things that are low in Points, but lacking any real value (like 100 calorie packs of cookies), may be higher in Points.

I've also heard they're redoing the labels and packaging on their grocery products and frozen meals to reflect the new Points structure. And that they've had so many sales and 'close-outs' in their online store for the same reason. I've heard even calculators will need to be repurchased (if you have one of those -- I do, but I use the app for my iPhone instead.)

Speaking of which, when they roll out the new program on November 29th, they'll also be releasing an update to the iPhone app, per their recent blog post.  They'll also have apps for Blackberry, Android, and Windows Phone 7.

We won't find out until Monday, November 29th for sure about any of the new features (besides the fruit thing), but it's fun to ponder what they could be up to. 

What do you think about the upcoming launch? Do you think it's high time for a revamp? Are you nervous about losing the security of the familiar?