my thoughts on Weight Watchers

WalkingAlong

Sounds about right to me. I never could eat all my WPs and APs on WW and lose weight. Your 'base' intake might be around 1300 (does that count your zero point produce?) but once you allocate those WPs you save for the weekend, it should go up around 200/day on average, so you're at 1500. 500 calories of exercise would earn you more, up to about 1750 calories (they 'eat back' around half, if you choose to). Add a 'free' banana and an apple and you're at 2000, which is an average maintenance intake for women.

I've done both before concurrently. It's interesting. If you like the meetings, go!

There used to be a way to track points in your MFP log but it hasn't worked for me lately. But if double tracking is a pain for you, it might be worth researching. I think it still works for many.

jenniebean1680

skinny4me2be wrote: »

I'm a weight watcher flunky - many, many times over. I am very active, and on w.w. I would always lose the first 3 to 4 weeks and then would hit a massive plateau for weeks, get frustrated and then drop out-hence why I'm a flunky.

After joining MFP, I now realize their calorie restriction was way to low for my lifestyle. I think if I were to go now, (a friend of mine is on it), my points would be 26 points per day. That is approximately 1170 calories per day -give or take. But even if I spread out the weekly extra points over the week, it still wasn't enough daily calories to support how active I am. It was below my BMR. My daily goal today on MFP (1850). I now realize why I stalled out after 3 or 4 weeks as I wasn't fueling my body for how active I was. I found it frustrating that the leaders always had a hard time helping me figure out how many activity points I should be eating for the way I worked out.

For me, even though its taken me a year to kinda figure things out and trust the process, MFP is the one I've stuck to, its free, there is a lot of great advise and support.

I should have read this post before I posted mine! I think I'm in the same boat. I'm scared to try something else yet again, but I can't help but think that some of my binge-eating issues over the past year or two came from years of such low intake. I also lost my mom to cancer in the time between hitting Lifetime and now (gaining 25 lbs, yay), so that plays a role, too, of course.

Maybe I'll initially gain if I follow MFP's advice since it's higher than WW. At a weight I'm already uncomfortable at (and embarrassed about, especially as a spinning instructor), this will be hard. However, maybe I won't, if I can stick to my calories on the weekend and spread things out a little more.

Anyone w/ any advice/thoughts? Could clearly use some moral support, haha

Thorbjornn

OK, add my voice to those who started out doing really well on WW then fell off, jumped back on, fell off, switched to on-line, went back to meetings, did SFT, went back to PP, rinse, repeat.

Between Jan. 2012 when I joined, up to about May-June of 2012, when I couldn't really work out properly anymore due to a badly damaged rotator cuff, I did lose 30 lbs. Even though I was working out before the shoulder went bad, I lost a lot of muscle. I attribute it to not eating enough. I'm 5'5", currently 202 lbs (goal 165, 12% bf), and I got 36 DPs. Factoring in the 49 WPs and 18-21 APs, that's about 1800 calories. OK, I'm a desk jockey, but still...

Anyway, I found the $43/month a bit pricey just to go to meetings I often stopped going to. Sometimes I looked forward to them, other times I blew them off because they turned into therapy sessions rather than motivation and support. I don't blame the leader, I think it was just the dynamic of the group. Not to mention that no matter what I did, it simply stopped working. I've heard that can happen, though I don't know if it's internet meme or it's really true. Don't get me wrong, it's a great program for weight loss. But I thnk it's not for everybody.

pscarolina

pinklotus_56 wrote: »

However, I have decided not to go back. One reason being that I prefer counting calories and macros to points...but the biggest reason is that I can't handle the sometimes soul crushing weigh ins every week. A few years back, as long as I followed the plan properly I would lose at least a pound a week, every week. But now I might lose 2lbs in one week, gain half a pound the next, lose half a pound the next, etc. It's too hard mentally on me. I need to focus on non scale victories more, and I just felt like Weight Watchers makes it seem like the scale is the end all and be all. Does that make sense??

I lost 25 pounds with WW years ago, but I also went back to some disordered eating habits I had in high school that weren't healthy. The scale & the weigh-in drove my mood. I'd start planning "light" meals 2 days before weigh-in (think rice cakes & marshmallows 'cause they don't weigh much). I'd only have black coffee & exercise like a maniac up to the time to leave for my Sunday afternoon meeting. I'd go in wearing nylon shorts, tank top, flip flops even in winter, one last trip to the bathroom before I weighed.

Now I don't weigh very often, but I log every day. I determine success by staying within my calories & the fit of my clothes. Comments & questions about how I've lost weight are nice, but you know...they don't want to hear that I counted calories & added more weight training. They want the secret password. haha

shannonstube

jackjb2 wrote: »

I joined TOPS (take off pounds sensibly). Thirty dollars per Year and one dollar per week. Get weighed and meet once a week. Greta accountability and learning discussions. Check online for 800 number and for local meetings. Many TOPS members have combined it with MFP for our weight loss program.

Thank you for posting this. I had never heard of this program. I joined WW because I do best with the accountability of weighing in and I get some ideas from the meetings, but I don't even use the points system. I just track calories on MFP. Paying $43 a month just to weigh in 4 times is a lot. I am definitely going to check into TOPS since it would provide the same thing for so much less money.

marinabreeze

I've done WW several times. I thought it was a good idea every time due to the accountability of meetings. However, what would always happen is that I would lose about 7-9 pounds in a couple of months (would never make it to 10 pounds with having to lose a large amount of weight), plateau for months, then eventually stop going and cancel my membership.

The last time I did WW, I felt that the tracking was helpful, and it did open my eyes to some of my food choices. But when I would plateau I couldn't understand why because I followed the program to the letter (in its various iterations over the past 16 years) and the scale would be stuck - sometimes it would even go up a little.

For me (and I can only speak for myself), using MFP and straight calorie tracking has already been more successful than WW, and I've used it consistently since late August/early September. Using MFP I have lost 20 pounds so far, I have held my weight over the holidays with a modest loss, and have already been more successful than I ever was with WW - and without the need for meetings or shelling out money. MFP (and calculating estimated TDEE and BMR for a calorie baseline) gives me better knowledge about what I am eating and gives me the tools to make the proper changes when my weight loss slows. I haven't had the "what is wrong with me" moments that I would have with WW when I would stop losing - and I can see and fix what is wrong and then go back to losing. I think having more knowledge of my calorie needs and my intake has really been key.

LaarainNYC

I'm a WW member but I"m thinking of ditching it. I lost 100 lbs via WW years ago and have kept most of it off; I'm struggling with 20 lbs now but don't go to meetings. I got bored with the meetings and I've noticed there are fewer of them so it's harder to find one than it used to be. I've read that the competition from free/cheap sites is killing them. They have recently added 24/7 live expert chat on their site, haven't tried it yet.

The advantage to WW is that you get the extra points so it's easier to plan for splurges.

tiptoethruthetulips

skinny4me2be wrote: »

I'm a weight watcher flunky - many, many times over. I am very active, and on w.w. I would always lose the first 3 to 4 weeks and then would hit a massive plateau for weeks, get frustrated and then drop out-hence why I'm a flunky.

After joining MFP, I now realize their calorie restriction was way to low for my lifestyle. I think if I were to go now, (a friend of mine is on it), my points would be 26 points per day. That is approximately 1170 calories per day -give or take. But even if I spread out the weekly extra points over the week, it still wasn't enough daily calories to support how active I am. It was below my BMR. My daily goal today on MFP (1850). I now realize why I stalled out after 3 or 4 weeks as I wasn't fueling my body for how active I was. I found it frustrating that the leaders always had a hard time helping me figure out how many activity points I should be eating for the way I worked out.

For me, even though its taken me a year to kinda figure things out and trust the process, MFP is the one I've stuck to, its free, there is a lot of great advise and support.

You didn't use your weekly points or eat back your exercise points? You would have eating more with the free fruit and veg as well...how much fruit and veg did you actually eat.

I don't go to WW anymore, haven't been for a couple of years. I had the most success with WW using their 'No Count' (name in Australia) program. Only needed to count points for foods not on the no count list. Loved it.

WW, MFP etc are but tools to help us lose weight, its hoq we use the tools that drive our success.

skinny4me2be

tiptoethruthetulips wrote: »

skinny4me2be wrote: »

I'm a weight watcher flunky - many, many times over. I am very active, and on w.w. I would always lose the first 3 to 4 weeks and then would hit a massive plateau for weeks, get frustrated and then drop out-hence why I'm a flunky.

After joining MFP, I now realize their calorie restriction was way to low for my lifestyle. I think if I were to go now, (a friend of mine is on it), my points would be 26 points per day. That is approximately 1170 calories per day -give or take. But even if I spread out the weekly extra points over the week, it still wasn't enough daily calories to support how active I am. It was below my BMR. My daily goal today on MFP (1850). I now realize why I stalled out after 3 or 4 weeks as I wasn't fueling my body for how active I was. I found it frustrating that the leaders always had a hard time helping me figure out how many activity points I should be eating for the way I worked out.

For me, even though its taken me a year to kinda figure things out and trust the process, MFP is the one I've stuck to, its free, there is a lot of great advise and support.

You didn't use your weekly points or eat back your exercise points? You would have eating more with the free fruit and veg as well...how much fruit and veg did you actually eat.

I don't go to WW anymore, haven't been for a couple of years. I had the most success with WW using their 'No Count' (name in Australia) program. Only needed to count points for foods not on the no count list. Loved it.

WW, MFP etc are but tools to help us lose weight, its hoq we use the tools that drive our success.

Hi
Yep I used my weekly points, but even so, that calorie amount was not enough if I spread them throughout the week (if spread throughout the week it was still 1425 (approx) cals per day.), which is still below my BMR. In regards to eating my activity points I did not eat them as I was very active (active job plus working out) and my leaders had an incredibly hard time helping me figure this out, how many activity points I should eat. I even went to a different center and a different leader who also couldn't help me. Now, knowing what I know, I know I was not fueling my body enough, which is why I would stop losing, get frustrated and quit. My measly opinion, back in the day, the leaders were not educated enough on converting activity points.......things may have changed but I really like MFP. It is a great tool.

HeySwoleSister

The WW program is OK if your normal eating habits are crappy. but, some of us don't like candy, fast food, and chips. I tried the Points system and MFP together for a while, just to check it out...I easily had days with less than 10 points (a supposed no-no) on WW that gave me a caloric surplus on MFP. I'd never lose on WW, I'd stuff myself with fruit and veg and never look back.

I also agree with PPs about the scale-dependency issue. This applies to the weight loss/"fitness" industry as a whole. I'm a woman who needs to simultaneously lose fat and build muscle....I don't care about the numbers on the scale, I want a firm, strong body with good bone density and body fat numbers!

WalkingAlong

No one doesn't lose because they don't eat enough. Not at 1400+ calories a day. It's funny that WW gets two main complaints: It gives you too many calories or too few.

LAWoman72

I felt like I was trying to "trick" myself by not knowing what my actual calories were while on WW. The zero-point fruit also got out of hand for me at times. I would keep shoving fruit into my face all day long, and it does add up. Veggies less so (at least non-starchy veggies), but put it all together, and...I'm pretty sure I wasn't at much of a deficit many days.

I was also weirded out that at 180 pounds, as a 5'1" middle-aged female, I was at the lowest possible points range. IOW, I was eating the same amount of points as a 115-lb. 20-year-old would be eating.

None of it made much sense to me. I'd alternately starve, binge on bowls and bowls of fruit, or cheat. I am doing so much better just counting my calories.

I'm not putting WW down. I know it has worked for people. It just wasn't for me.

mykaylis

i loved weight watchers. i was not successful at it because i suck at tracking. now i'm too broke to pay for it and MFP is free, so here i am!

Flookbird

Weight Watchers worked a treat for me. I lost an average of 2lbs per week every week that I tracked properly. I was very strict with myself and kept to my points - if you follow it, it does work. I didn't eat back my activity points but know that if I'd been hungry I could have because I was losing so well - I'd still have lost, just more slowly. But I was never hungry - WW now encourages people to eat filling and healthy foods so I tried to eat them quite a bit.

I liked the way it taught me that I could use my weekly points however I wanted but once they were gone they were gone. That's a good lesson for me to learn - I can have meals out, wine etc, but I have to be stricter on other days to allow for that.

I still go to the meetings now because I need to watch my weight and doing that helps me stay on track. But I now log solely on here and don't pay for their online tracking any more. If I had to start over though, I would still do it the WW way and it was worth every penny I spent on it (about £150 over the course of the year). £150 to lose nearly 6st is a bargain! If I ever find things getting out of hand again (which I hopefully won't) I'll go back to tracking on WW because I find I am stricter with myself that way and have less margin of error. I'd be on around 1350 calories per day on average plus fruit/veg which I think is perfectly adequate.

SSShayne

i was on WW about 2 years ago and had success with it. Then i was diagnosed with breast cancer and needed to stop and focus on my treatment. Long story short, im fine now, but have gained the weight back. I was thinking of joining WW again, but of course the money holds me back. I dont have a smart phone, so the etools seems like a waste. I like the accountability of the meetings, and i like the old points system i used when i was on it. I might trying doing MFP and WW together.....not sure. I want to lose 25-30lbs.

smashley_mashley

I did ww inc about 8 years ago to lose the 10,pounds I gained from uni and was successful at it. I didn't like having to lug around the points books and the tracker sheets everywhere. Like most of the posts I have read in this thread, I gained the weight (plus an addtional30) and tried unsuccessfully getting back on the wagon.

I joined mfp a while back and his didn't have the drive to stick with it until this pat year. Since then I've lost 22 lbs with 22 more to go. My mom, meanwhile has yo-yo'd on ww for over 30 years... I have never seen her maintain. It is always that she will lose 5 gain 10, lose 10 gain 15.

For me mfp is the way to go

carolina822

jenniebean1680 wrote: »

skinny4me2be wrote: »

I'm a weight watcher flunky - many, many times over. I am very active, and on w.w. I would always lose the first 3 to 4 weeks and then would hit a massive plateau for weeks, get frustrated and then drop out-hence why I'm a flunky.

After joining MFP, I now realize their calorie restriction was way to low for my lifestyle. I think if I were to go now, (a friend of mine is on it), my points would be 26 points per day. That is approximately 1170 calories per day -give or take. But even if I spread out the weekly extra points over the week, it still wasn't enough daily calories to support how active I am. It was below my BMR. My daily goal today on MFP (1850). I now realize why I stalled out after 3 or 4 weeks as I wasn't fueling my body for how active I was. I found it frustrating that the leaders always had a hard time helping me figure out how many activity points I should be eating for the way I worked out.

For me, even though its taken me a year to kinda figure things out and trust the process, MFP is the one I've stuck to, its free, there is a lot of great advise and support.

I should have read this post before I posted mine! I think I'm in the same boat. I'm scared to try something else yet again, but I can't help but think that some of my binge-eating issues over the past year or two came from years of such low intake. I also lost my mom to cancer in the time between hitting Lifetime and now (gaining 25 lbs, yay), so that plays a role, too, of course.

Maybe I'll initially gain if I follow MFP's advice since it's higher than WW. At a weight I'm already uncomfortable at (and embarrassed about, especially as a spinning instructor), this will be hard. However, maybe I won't, if I can stick to my calories on the weekend and spread things out a little more.

Anyone w/ any advice/thoughts? Could clearly use some moral support, haha

I'm currently doing WW and have seen good, although sometimes sporadic, losses. Like you, I'm pretty active unlike most of the other folks in the meeting I attend. One thing that has always irritated me is when people treat using the weeklies or activity points as "cheating" or at the very least that they're more virtuous for not using them. Those weeklies, plus whatever is allocated for the "free" fruits and veggies will get you to the point where you're not eating too little, especially once you eat back those activity points (which aren't a one to one ratio anyway, so you're still at a deficit even eating them all).

If you like MFP and it's working for you, stick with it. If you decide to go back to WW, I'd encourage you to get an activity monitor. I have their branded one which converts straight to activity points, but I think Fitbit links to their app as well. I don't care what anyone says - if I earn 15 activity points from a three hour bike ride, I HAVE to eat them or I'll be either sick or miserable.

One thing I prefer about WW is having a range of calories/points on a daily basis. I hated MFP putting me in the red when all I did was eat the 100 calories I didn't eat yesterday - yes, that's a minor thing, but so much of this is mental (and I might just be a freak - lol). MFP has a much more robust list of foods, though, so I find myself inputting those into the WW app.