What’s a BLUE DOT on Weight Watchers?

Today I’m 😍continuing a series of answering popular Weight Watcher questions, today’s post will be about the BLUE DOT!  What’s a BLUE DOT on Weight Watchers?

My first post, talking about zero point foods is linked here.

I’ve been a member on and off of Weight Watchers since 1999!  So I consider myself an expert.  I’ve watched as WW has morphed and changed over the years, and adapted with all the changes as we learn more about what a healthy life should be.  However, up until a few years ago, I would hear people say they got a blue dot every day in a month, and was perplexed.

What is a Blue Dot?

Weight Watchers assigns everyone a certain amount of points each day.  That number is determined by many things.  Your age, your current weight, your height and if you are a woman and are breastfeeding,etc.  People who are heavier will get more points and as you lose weight, those daily numbers go down.

For example – I get 23 points a day.  In order for me to get a BLUE DOT – I have to be in the “Healthy Eating Zone” according to my ww app.

Below is an example of the calendar from my WW app.

What is a Healthy Eating Zone?

As you can see from my WW app, my Healthy Eating Zone is 15 points – up to 33 points!  I can eat 10 points over every day from the 23 I am given and still be on track.

So many people don’t know this and they beat themselves up for going over their points.  But WW has a safety net built in!  There is leeway every day.  Some days I do eat 23 points and others 33 points depending on what I’m eating and I’m still following the program!

 

How do I find this calendar on my WW app?

When you open your app, at the bottom is a TARGET symbol.  Click on that.  There are two tabs at the top – challenges (where you can sign up for a challenge) and the other tab is achievements.  Opening the achievements tab you will see your healthy eating zone.  HUGE TIP:  You have to enter your food into the app for the tracker to be accurate.  If you don’t log any food, you may not see this calendar.

Why is a healthy eating zone so important?

Having the extra points every day is making this new lifestyle easier to manage, but also to let people know – you do not have to be perfect and eat the exact same points every single day.  That’s a diet – and WW is a program that teaches you how to eat when food is everywhere.  I belong to several Facebook WW Groups and every time a new member asks “What’s the best zero point meals?” I want to shout – “It’s not just about the zero point foods!!”  Yes, the zero point foods are what we can help fill out plate with, but it also leaves room for dessert, pizza, beer, wine, vacations, parties, etc.

What are Weekly Points?

Since we are talking about getting a blue dot and the healthy eating zone, lets chat about Weekly points. Everyone is given extra points that they can use however they wish.  Most people get 30-35 weekly points.  I highly reccommend eating these points, since that’s why it’s built into the program.

My friend Kim would say “the scale will tell you” – meaning if you are eating your points, staying in your healthy eating zone, and using your weeklies consistently and not losing weight, then it’s time to reevaluate…  Are your portions correct?  Are you tracking accurately?  Are you getting enough water and sleep?  These are all indicators of why the scale may not be moving.

If you are a Weight Watcher member – I’m curious if you knew about this too?  Thanks to my friend Carla (you can follow her on Instagram here – she’s lost 100 pounds on WW!) She’s the one that mentioned it one day in her stories and it’s been a game changer for me.  I used to stress about how I was going to fit my day of food in 23 points, but knowing that there are extra points every day if I need them is a big safety net.

Looking for more recipe ideas? – check out my recipe INDEX – you can search for a particular food or different categories to get some ideas.

I also have a code you can use if you are interested in getting a free month on WW.  Use this CODE HERE.  It’s anonymous – I won’t know if you used it.