Doe MFP work as good as Weight Watchers?

999tigger

What wolfman said, its only going to be as effective as effort you put in. Will you be putting effort in? The person doing the diet is far more important than any system.

The one advantage I can see is that you meet people face to face if thats your thing, its important for some. MFP's advantage besides being free is that its pure calorie counting without having a silly artificial system. Done correctly its superior.

cincysweetheart

People who think WW works better are people who are employed by WW… or who have never tried MFP.

WW works for people who work it.
MFP works for people who work it.
WW offers accountability
MFP offers accountability
WW offers education on nutrition and weight loss (through their weekly meetings)
MFP offers education on nutrition and weight loss (through their forums)
WW offers a support system
MFP offers a support system, but you can do it entirely on your time schedule. There are no weekly meetings to try to fit into your schedule.
WW doesn't offer very much on tracking nutrients or macros.
MFP automatically tracks those along with your calories.
WW will cost you money and you have to learn the system of points.
MFP is free and there is really nothing to learn. It is based solely on calories and will do the math for you.
WW point system lends itself to plateaus (that they don't understand) because they are not counting everything they are eating. Too many fruits and veggies can wipe out your deficit.
MFP (if done properly) lets you know immediately if you are over on your calories. And give you immediate feedback when you complete your diary on how this day will impact your goal over the next 5 weeks.

Obviously I'm in favor of MFP. But WW has worked for a lot of people. It will all boil down to your personal preference and what format works best for you.