Weight watchers?

brittanysmith513

Has anyone tried WW? I'm kind of curious about it. Haven't had much success on my own but it's kind of expensive and they don't offer a free trial or anything. Please let me know about your experiences, positive and negative. Thank you in advance for your help )

ankdworak

I've tried it. Feel free to message me. ankdworak

spingirl605

I have done it twice. My personal opinion is it is exactly the same as MFP except MFP is free. I have to admit though, I never went to meetings. But counting points, and counting calories is exactly the same thing and MFP makes it easier to do.

Buckeye_Jenn

I just went back to Weight Watchers recently. In the past I did it and lost 65 pounds, but that was 10 years and two kids ago, and I'm back at it again.

I tried MFP, a weight loss group at a running store and some online groups, but WW just clicks for me. I think I need that weekly accountability of going to the meeting and seeing people every week. I want to do well because it's fun when someone asks you how you did and you can report a loss, and it's supportive if you're having a rough week and may have gained. I've been doing it just over a month and I've lost 10 pounds, which is more than I've lost doing anything else of late, other than the few months when I hated my job so much I was sick to my stomach all the time. But I don't recommend that as a weight-loss strategy.

Give it a try! I believe you can go to a meeting and sit in without paying, just to get a feel for the group dynamic and if it's a good fit for you. You wouldn't weigh in or get the materials until you join, but I'm pretty sure you can at least check it out for free.

Medivh73

I've never done WW, but my Mother lost 75 lbs via WW. She's managed to keep the weight off while still following the program, too.

lfrazier2482

I guess it just depends on your personality. I just recently quit WW because I prefer MFP. I did lose weight with WW, but I was doing their online only for $20.00 a month. This is free and I prefer calories to points. I have friends here and my diary is open. That helps to keep me accountable. It works for me.

Tanie98

I wanted to join weight watchers but then I found out about mfp and decide to join mfp instead since its free

tcunbeliever

I used to do the old points program, made lifetime, it was a good plan, encourages healthy eating but allows for flexibility so you can still accommodate junk food days or special occasion eating without hassle. When we had meetings at my office it was very convenient and we had a great leader. They stopped having them and have recently started up again, but I find MFP easier because of the online tracking. I have not tried the WW online tools (that was before my time) so I can't offer any input on those.

brightsideofpink

It depends what you are planning to put into it, and which services you want out of it. If you're looking at an online only program, I don't think ww even comes close to comparing to MFP. MFP is free, calories are easier to figure out, and the food database is much bigger.

If you are a person who does well with group accountability, I could see the draw of the ww plan that includes meetings.

The downside to ww for me, regardless of whether the plan you chose is personal meetings or online, is that points are not easy to anticipate. With MFP, its easy for me to grocery shop or eat at a restaurant. I can look at the package and figure out very quickly if the serving size is worth the calories to me. When I tried WW, I had to look everything up by its points before I even bought it. This gets very old fast!

Ultimately, you can have success with either because it still comes down to calories in vs calories out. But I don't find the ww points system to be very user friendly.

julianne824

Buckeye_Jenn wrote: »

I just went back to Weight Watchers recently. In the past I did it and lost 65 pounds, but that was 10 years and two kids ago, and I'm back at it again.

I tried MFP, a weight loss group at a running store and some online groups, but WW just clicks for me. I think I need that weekly accountability of going to the meeting and seeing people every week. I want to do well because it's fun when someone asks you how you did and you can report a loss, and it's supportive if you're having a rough week and may have gained. I've been doing it just over a month and I've lost 10 pounds, which is more than I've lost doing anything else of late, other than the few months when I hated my job so much I was sick to my stomach all the time. But I don't recommend that as a weight-loss strategy.

Give it a try! I believe you can go to a meeting and sit in without paying, just to get a feel for the group dynamic and if it's a good fit for you. You wouldn't weigh in or get the materials until you join, but I'm pretty sure you can at least check it out for free.

Me too!

LaarainNYC

I lost 100 lbs on WW years ago and kept most of it off. I regained 25 lbs, which I'm struggling with. I got bored with the meetings (and there are fewer of them here in NY now that WW is losing business to sites like MFP) so I may go online-only or just use MFP.

One of the reasons I got bored is that I'm a vegan on a partly raw diet and so much of what they talk about doesn't apply. Also, the restaurant database covers chain restaurants no self-respecting NYer voluntarily steps foot in; the MFP database is much better.

89Madeline

I did it a few months, then switched to MFP. WW might seem easier, but it really isn't , plus you don't learn anything about food, calories, proteins etc. MFP gives you much more information, plus the community here is much more diverse. I'd stick with MFP

Although, I only did WW Online but if you're someone who likes to talk in real life in groups and stuff, that's something WW does offer of course. But I wonder if WW can actually change your lifestyle in the long run. How are you ever going to keep up with those points etc? Cals and stuff are right on the packaging, much easier to judge what you're buying, even if you're no longer logging.

Sandra37405

The WW points system is just a more complicated way of counting calories. And they reorganize, rename, and repackage it every few years. I'm new to MFP but I already like it much better and I am a lifetime WW member which means I lost the weight and kept it off - until I didn't. I recently quit WW online and decided to try MFP because it is free and easier. What I learned from WW: WEIGH, MEASURE, and WRITE IT DOWN! Yeah, it's kind of inconvenient but so is carrying around the extra pounds.

tmaginparadise

I did WW online and did meetings. Lost weight and gained back when I stopped. I love MFP. It is all about tracking what you eat and MFP is free. Finally realized that I must track for the rest of my life.

eldamiano

You would be better off trying to avoid Weight Watchers, unless you dont mind putting money down the drain.....

CarolinaMom5

I liked it when I had a center to go to or Weight Watchers at work. Without the meetings, it feels like wasted money (just doing online).

There are some things I love, like it encourages you to eat fruits, vegetables, dairy, healthy oils. You have check boxes to meet each day. Where when calorie counting you have to remember to add all these.

Sometimes the point formula would be silly or frustrating. Like a plain english muffin is 3 points but the cinnamon raisin is 4 points and only 10 calories higher. When you get points, every point makes a difference in feeling like you have had enough to eat that day.

Go_Mizzou99

I have done Atkins, Weight Watchers, and calorie counting. Weight watchers of the olden days is soooo much better than the new version IMHO. Fruits and veggies are free - that is total B.S. They make up for this oversight by giving more Points+ to foods that they are trying to steer you away from and less Points+ to foods they deem acceptable. That being said, I know a lot of people that have had great success with it, and a lot (including my wife) that have only wasted a ton of money.

Back to my original opening comments. I did 3 different diets to lose 75 pounds. I had great success with all three. Atkins was low carb and WW was low fat. I simply could not do either one for more than 2 or 3 months. But what I always came back to was MFP and counting calories because it is sustainable for a lifetime and it works.

Buy a kitchen scale. Start measuring. In 2 weeks you will be an MFP pro!

twinzmom172

WW is good, I lost a ton of weight on the old program, lifetime member and all that (fell off the wagon, gained it back). I've gone back a zillion times but haven't been able to stick with it for any length of time. I've also done WW online. This time around I felt like I needed to try something different and came across MFP. I really feel this is just as good as WW online and best of all - it's free. If you need the meetings and weekly accountability - having someone physically weigh you in - then definitely go to WW. But if you were thinking of doing it online - do MFP. Good luck with whatever you choose!!

Kattarra

I've tried WW and liked it, but it just got too expensive for me. I'm now in a program called TOPS (take off pounds sensibly) and really enjoy the meetings, it's super cheap and I can still use MFP.

Hornsby

I prefer MFP as it's free.

eldamiano

"WW is good, I lost a ton of weight on the old program, lifetime member and all that (fell off the wagon, gained it back)."

WW is not good. This is a usual story i.e. putting back on the weight back down the line. And then they will charge you a relative fortune for this privilege.

WW is just a big con.

ljones27uk

my wife had all the collateral from WW so I didnt need to pay to join. I did it for a few months to get in shape for my wedding.. it worked really really well, but requires commitment and can be fiddly calculating some of the points values.
MFP is much much better IMO.. its free, the food database is vast and the social aspect is a real help to me.
always keen to gain more MFP friends, so feel free to add if you'd like to share ideas and motivation.

MyWeigh94

I am using an app called itrackbites and it is exactly like the weight watchers app. Except no monthly fee. The app costs 2.99 on most app stores, and I love it. I have been doing great on this. I have lost 10 lbs my first month!

sherylG

i hazd a lot of success wwith it losing 70 lbs in the past. it is different, the database is smaller though but i do like that the recipe builder allows ou to add instructions unlike MFP. i'm new to MFP, looks like lot is the same just the way you measure intake is a bit strange with WW.

kmidash

WW is a great program- it promotes healthy eating, portion sizes and exercise. I lost 80+ pounds on it years ago- then I did Fat&Fiber. I have kept off 45+ of it over the years. I have been on and off WW for years with the "points" system. If you find a meeting with people and a leader you click with- it is great. Online- I think MFP is probably better- I am fairly new to MFP, but I prefer to see the nutrition facts- not points of food I am eating. Someone earlier talked about eating "low point" foods- that was me- they weren't always most healthy choices. I love the extensive data base and being able to chart a particular aspect (ex- sodium). Good luck- BTW I am trying to build my friend base of like minded people for daily motivation and support.