Weight Watchers or MyFitnessPal??

countrylove12

Looking for some positive input!
I joined Weight Watchers (WW) in January. I was doing WW and MyFitnessPal (MFP) previously last year. Decided I'd give WW a try again (I'm only do WW online) because instead of eating whatever I wanted for the calories, maybe I'd eat more fruit & veggies since it's free. WW has a recommended Good Health Guidelines they want you to meet each day, 6 cups of water, 2 servings of dairy, 5 servings of fruit/veggies, 2tsp healthy oil etc. I never meet those daily goals. No two days are the same and I'm always doing different things. I recently (this week) started tracking on MFP again. The free fruit and veggies and weekly allowance points keep me interested in WW. However, MFP is wonderful because I can see all the macros I'm eating. I also feel WW uses a lot more points for healthy foods (full protein, nuts). Even things like quest bars are 5-6 points....when your day consists of 26 points it's almost as if you don't want to use them on that. On MFP nuts and a lot of protein are better for you and not too many calories so you want to eat them.
The whole point of all of this rambling is I don't know which would be better. I have a list of pros and cons for both WW and MFP. I'm hopefully looking for some input from people who do WW or have done WW and now only do MFP or track on both. I'm seeing if I could add some outside opinions/pros & cons to my list to make a final choice. (My month with WW is almost up and if I'm going to cancel I'd like to before I get charged again).

amf0324

I just quit weight watchers because I stopped losing without tracking all of my calories. Nothing is "free."

Since I switched to MFP I've lost 15.

Also, their tools suck. They have made zero substantial improvements to the site for years and yet increased the price late last year. Couldn't justify it anymore.

juggernaut1974

At their core...both are based on the same idea. Carefully monitoring what (and more specifically, how much) you're eating.

Personally I like MFP (obviously). The whole "free fruits and veggies" thing - while understandable meant to get people to eat more fruits and veggies - seems completely counterintuitive to me. And I love the app for monitoring macros throughout the day, in addition to calories.

ibamosaserreinas

I did WW a few years ago and had success. When I signed up for MFP I actually did both at the same time for awhile. However, I don't feel like WW really taught me to eat healthy. I basically ate low point foods in large quantities. It did produce a calorie deficit so I did lose weight but it was not the healthiest or best balanced diet.

For example, potatoes were low point for the quantity you got but meat was very high points. I would eat ridiculous amounts of potatoes and veggies, but was actually anemic and iron deficit because I was not getting enough protein.

jnv7594

herrspoons wrote: »

Fruits and veg aren't free. A large apple has over 100 calories.

^^^This. I don't understand the idea that some foods are free. I tried weight watchers in the past without much luck. I've lost 75 pounds on MFP, and for the first time ever, I feel like I have found a sustainable eating plan.

countrylove12

Thanks for all the responses so far - great suggestions/comments!

Those who are more experienced with MFP, is it really calorie in/calorie out? I have a fitbit and it is linked to MFP, so it tells me throughout the day how many more calories I can eat, should I choose to.

I'm also looking for some new friend requests for continued support!

Drewlssix

jnv7594 wrote: »

herrspoons wrote: »

Fruits and veg aren't free. A large apple has over 100 calories.

^^^This. I don't understand the idea that some foods are free. I tried weight watchers in the past without much luck. I've lost 75 pounds on MFP, and for the first time ever, I feel like I have found a sustainable eating plan.

I consider a few things like broccoli to be "free" in that the calorie hit is tiny while the good stuff is significant. In stregnth circles the common line is "eat as much broccoli as you want". My wife did WW a few years ago and did well but couldn't justify sticking with it and dealing with the contorted diet it produces. Eating good stuff in a deficit beats picking random items from a list and being unhappy.

GoPerfectHealth

Weight Watchers is great if you like the support of face-to-face meetings. I started Weight Watchers around the same time as I started MFP. I logged at both sites for a while, but found the overall MFP site better and dropped WW since I didn't really want to go to meetings anyway. Many people are successful with WW, so I think it what ever works for you.

mulecanter

Done both. MFP.

cwolfman13

I prefer to know how many calories are actually in the things I eat, not some random allotted points. I think it's stupid to call fruits and veg "free" and then jack up the points on other things that are also healthy and good for you.

I will never understand why people are drawn to WW and I will never understand why you'd want to pay good money for something that is otherwise free and provides you with actual nutritional knowledge.

katiecramey

It sounds to me that mfp would foster a more sustainable lifestyle change than ww. Everything has calories so the free thing doesn't make much sense. I think it'd be easier to count calories than points anyway.

aprilhinegan

I have been to weight watchers a number of times and lost with them, last time was last January but I only lasted 3 months but lost nearly 3 stone with them. The only thing is the cost when this is free. I started to use MFP this week and i,m finding it really good, I love the app,s it's so easy to track your calorie,s. I got onto MFP when my daughter suggested the NHS Diet which is all about calorie counting. I came across this app and use it all the time. I've a long way to go and would love some friends to help me on the way.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

SexyKatherine73

do both if it's working for you I would be doing WW now if I could afford it. they have far better tracking system and there food diary was awesome you could add one off food and not get stuck with random foods in your diary lists.

I loved the idea you could make your own lists of common foods you eat and add and remove them as you please.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

magairlin

I have done Weight Watchers Meetings in the past with great success and WW works for a lot of people so I don't want to disparage it. I haven't done it online. I lost my pregnancy weight with them more than twenty years ago. Many people like the support of a weekly meeting and the advice of a leader. However I wouldn't go to WW now as they are suggesting to people to have as much fruit as they please and it is "free". If I ate an apple, banana and orange that would amount to at least 200 calories and probably more. I feel it is silly to eat that amount of calories and call it "free". I also feel (and I am not an expert on nutrition) that the sugar in fruit, although they call it natural sugar, can cause sugar cravings and for me it is better if I don't eat so much of it. If you like the support of face to face weekly meeting stick to WW but if you are doing it online I would suggest that MFP is better. Whichever you choose don't consider fruit "free". Best of luck!

alabella

I've tried both. I liked WW but I stalled on it (probably all those weeklies) and I couldn't justify the expense when MFP is free. Ultimately the best combination for me has been my fitbit and MFP.

alleycatblue1982

Whatever works for you I lost 5 stone on weight watchers, but I've lost my momentum with it so have been doing mfp and feel really focused for the first time in ages. I don't think it matters which you do, as long as you actually do it! Both work!

jellybelly803

I think the old WW was great. I liked that the points gently steered you toward healthier foods. But once they changed it (like 4 years ago?) and made fruit free, it just didn't work for me. As other have said, fruit is NOT free and if you eat too much of it, you won't lose (ask me how I know

SwankyTomato

I prefer MFP because I like to track everything, the good, bad, and the ugly.

Bottom line, do what works for you and not me. If WW is something that is going to help you then do not discount it.

tekkiechikk

Did them both, I think MFP is the more realistic of the two (calories are calories, no such thing as "free" foods). No special formulas needed, it's just plain calories in, calories out. The tools and resources for counting calories and tracking exercise are universally available (meaning you can look up calorie and nutrition info on a zillion websites and track what you eat), but WW tools and formulas are specialized and require a paying membership to get them. And WW is constantly revising their program, which means a new way of tracking Points all over again. Just MHO.

PeachyCarol

herrspoons wrote: »

Fruits and veg aren't free. A large apple has over 100 calories.

This. I know WW would not work for me because of the fruit and veg thing. I'm older and short and have very little wiggle room in my calorie allowance for leeway like not counting my intake like that. It would only end in frustration.

In fact, shortly before joining MFP, I found a points guide and calculated my points allowance and added up my daily points. I was just fine. I wasn't losing any weight. It had been eating that way for a while and was just stuck.

PeachyCarol

Drewlssix wrote: »

jnv7594 wrote: »

herrspoons wrote: »

Fruits and veg aren't free. A large apple has over 100 calories.

^^^This. I don't understand the idea that some foods are free. I tried weight watchers in the past without much luck. I've lost 75 pounds on MFP, and for the first time ever, I feel like I have found a sustainable eating plan.

I consider a few things like broccoli to be "free" in that the calorie hit is tiny while the good stuff is significant. In stregnth circles the common line is "eat as much broccoli as you want". My wife did WW a few years ago and did well but couldn't justify sticking with it and dealing with the contorted diet it produces. Eating good stuff in a deficit beats picking random items from a list and being unhappy.

You know? Saying that really depends on your calorie allowance. I get 1280 calories a day. I've eaten 120 calories worth of microwave steamed broccoli at a meal. I weighed my portion so I know the exact calories. That's 1/10 of my daily intake. Not counting that over time would really add up. Were I a 6'2" man, it might not matter as much. If I didn't eat as much broccoli, it might not matter as much.

Don't make blanket statements about vegetables. They have calories. People can eat them in quantity, and the calories in those quantities can add up.

captivatedlife

Since you're on MFP, I think you have made your decision However, everyone reacts differently to things. Weight watchers Points Plus is so easy to use and once you get the way that works for you, you don't have to change anything for the rest of time - there are still people on the old points system doing fine! Weight watchers is hard to start because you have to memorize different things, but once you are on it's easier because you just need to use up your points no need to log. LOTS of people do GREAT with WW - the support is phenomenal. I also like the points plus with the freebies - if you fill someone up on lettuce and cucumber and zucchini, they're not going to be eating barbque sauce covered ribs, margaritas, and hamburgers (can you tell I'm hungry....).

That said, I like MFP (duh, I'm here!). I like the exactness of MFP. I could probably cheat with WW. I probably would - I'm weak willed like that. Here, I tell the truth and am seeing results.

wizzybeth

When I did WW, most fruits were 1 point, bananas were 2 points, most veggies were 0 except for peas, and carrots, I think. I did well with weight loss but always ended up not eating more nutritious options because I had no idea - I only went by points. I wasn't concerned about protein, iron, or even the amount of fiber, or fat...only "points." So I consistently chose as many low point foods as I could so I could eat more....nutrition came 2nd. Now since I ate a lot of veggies, I'm sure I got a lot of vitamins and minerals but really lacked in protein.

MFP is far superior in this regard.

JWat2020

I prefer MFP BUT I understand the "free" idea behind fruits and veggies. In Weight watchers they give you less calories (points) per day than MFP, knowing that people will make up those points eating "free" fruits and veggies.

It is a way to try to get people to eat more fruits and veggies.

kristen6350

I'm gonna go with the free one, every time. And the veggies/fruit thing "free" doesn't make sense to me. If that's the case, that's all I'd mentally "want" to eat.

My Mom is a Lifetimer at WW. I got her to try MFP and she love it. Down 7lbs since January with 7lbs to go (doing things slowly after cancer and she's 61) and is thrilled.

I lost 45lbs with the help of MFP in 2012, I will always recommend it to ANYONE I meet that is struggling! When I'm doing MFP right, I lose/maintain. If I get off it thinking I don't need it any more, the weight always comes back.

WalkingAlong

Fruit and veg aren't really 'free' on WW so much as pre-logged. You can do the same thing with MFP. Figure maybe 300 calories (or whatever value you want) as a typical or desirable day's intake of fruit/veg and and take your MFP calorie goal and subtract 300 but allow yourself unlimited f/v. Same thing. So if MFP tells you to eat 1500/day to lose, eat 1200 plus unlimited F/V.

Sure you will go over 300 some days and under others but success is in the big picture, not the daily absolute values. If you're the rare person who can binge-eat produce, you know that already and know how to address it.

Good luck!

TheCriz76

I had lost close to 100 lbs in the past when doing WW, but sadly gained it all back and then some due to some rough patches in life. In the past year I had tried doing both WW and MFP to get the weight off again but it was just too much to deal with so I quit WW and just am sticking with MFP (and besides FREE is always a good thing). WW has also changed their plan so many times over the past few years it just didn't seem to "click" with me like it had in the past. The whole fruits/veggies thing being "free" didn't really make sense to me.

So here I am...and here I'm gonna stay...and succeed!

LeslieB042812

jellybelly803 wrote: »

I think the old WW was great. I liked that the points gently steered you toward healthier foods. But once they changed it (like 4 years ago?) and made fruit free, it just didn't work for me. As other have said, fruit is NOT free and if you eat too much of it, you won't lose (ask me how I know

THIS!!!!! I lost over 30 pounds on the old WW system. I did it at work with most of my colleagues and I think the community aspect really helped (we would post points for pot luck items, etc.). When I first started WW, I tracked calories along with points and the points kept me about the same calories as I stick to on MFP. However, once they switched to the new system (Points Plus), it stopped working and I actually gained weight and only maintained when I was over-vigilant (e.g. only allowing myself 1 serving of fruit/day). This was when I was at my lowest weight, so I didn't have bad habits to cut or much wiggle room.

Ultimately, MFP is just as good for tracking and controlling what you eat (if not better because you can adjust your calories/macros more transparently/easily than points) and it's free!

silentKayak

MFP is free. Don't trust any "diet" plan that makes money when you regain the weight you lost. My friends who do WW seems to be on a constant cycle of "go to WW, lose weight, stop WW, regain, go back to WW". That seems to be an expensive and difficult way to maintain. It's better to get on here, log every day, and do the same thing whether you're losing, bulking, or maintaining.

Also WW tries to make calorie counting "easier" with the points system. OK, it's easier, but it's also less accurate. MFP gives you all the control.

And MFP can be used with IIFYM to lose weight, where WW has their own philosophy of good foods/bad foods. Why should I get punished for eating chocolate and red meat, and why should I get rewarded for overeating fruit which is packed with calories? I mean, OK, if you're really trying to change your eating habits from all processed foods, maybe it would benefit you. But for someone like me - I eat a very healthy, balanced diet, but just too much of it to lose weight.