Ditching Weight Watchers and doing just MFP? Is it possible ;)

metalchic72

I have been on and off and on again and off.....and on (you get the point) Weight Watchers for years. I am tired of paying them and this new plan of theirs is just too restrictive. I have learned portion control and good eating habits through the plan but I am so afraid of not having weekly accountability though I get nothing out of the meetings. I have a personal trainer who is awesome with nutrition, I would rather pay him than WW....has anyone here stopped WW and had success with MFP? You know in WW meetings they say, you will fail if you leave, I am so afraid to cut that cord!!

prettygirlstorm1

i was very successful on WW. I think I joined and joined again several times and each time I lost weight. I put the weight back on not because I left WW but because I went back to my old eating habits after I lost. It is a good program that works but it is too expensive. MFP works as long as you work. Counting calories or counting points it all comes down to Calories in and Calories out. Accurately weighing and measuring food, exercise and a positive mindset will help you to lose weight. Do what works for you and good luck!!!

Rachel0778

Weight Watchers says that people will gain the weight after they stop attending because they assume those people will stop tracking, weighing, and fall back into old habits. By being active in MyFitnessPal, you are still tracking your food/activity and keeping tabs on your weight. I definitely prefer MyFitnessPal because I'm not spending $40+ dollars a month for it, and if I want a chocolate bar, it doesn't have to take up half a days worth of "Points"

gothchiq

I had only bad experiences with WW. I recommend switching.

jkal1979

'If you leave you will fail' sounds like they are trying to scare you in order to keep your business. You are switching plans not quitting weight loss all together and you will be fine. You may have a bit of an adjustment period because your intake may increase slightly but it will be temporary.

If you feel like you need the accountability of a weigh in and a physical support group, you might want to see if there is a TOPS in your area. They have meeting fees, but it's a lot cheaper than WW.

Make sure to read the stickies in this and the General Weight Loss topic and don't forget to log your fruits/veggies.

metalchic72

Thank you all. I think I am just so used to WW as a part of my life for a million years and living by points that I don't know any different but this new plan they just rolled out is not very conducive to long term success (in my opinion only). I just need to cut the cord or rip the bandage off

metalchic72

jkal1979 wrote: »

If you feel like you need the accountability of a weigh in and a physical support group, you might want to see if there is a TOPS in your area. They have meeting fees, but it's a lot cheaper than WW.

Just looked up TOPS, thanks! I do like going sometimes and the weigh in really helps keep me on track. The fee is $36 A YEAR. WW is now $45/month. I'd rather pay my trainer for a while. Thanks again.

BarbaraRoseB

I also left WW this week, for the same reasons you did. It makes me so angry that they tell us we will fail if we leave. If that is true, why do they sell an online-only membership plan? Are they intentionally setting people up to fail if they believe it won't work? Like you, I got nothing out of the meetings, and yet I felt that leaving would be "giving up." There is no magic in just paying them and going to the meetings. What matters is keeping our minds in the game, and really working our plan. Moving from points to calories, and using this fabulous new (to me) tracking system, is enough of a change to make me feel it is brand new. I am so psyched! I love the data we get on MFP. It gives us so much more information -- macro and micronutrients -- which is helpful to me. I love being able to just check things off once I've entered them the first time. The database is so amazing, too. Love it, love it, love it. Today is only four days for me, but I've followed it almost effortlessly. I've joined LA Fitness and am going to work out every day -- either at LAF or at home or a combination of the two. Maybe you can use the blog and friend features on MFP to give you the support and accountability you need. I love the motivating comments on MFP -- "If every day were like today, you'd weigh xxx in five weeks!" Even though I know the exact amount of weight lost will vary, I feel I'll have everything I need here on MFP. It's up to me to live the plan.

vczK2t

i too have been off and on WW many times in the past 12 years. I hardly follow the program, but i realized since i am spending $ i really don't have, i just stopped being a member of WW. it IS calories in vs calories out. so, i am happy to pay $50/year for MFP, which is MUCH, MUCH better than WW.

metalchic72

Thank you Barbara! I feel like having normal foods now I'm going to the WW jail!! This new plan is not doable. I just guess I feel like a failure because I didn't make lifetime. Oh well...I need to figure out how to add friends, you can be my first one, sounds like you and I have a lot in common.

metalchic72

vczk2t15 wrote: »

i too have been off and on WW many times in the past 12 years. I hardly follow the program, but i realized since i am spending $ i really don't have, i just stopped being a member of WW. it IS calories in vs calories out. so, i am happy to pay $50/year for MFP, which is MUCH, MUCH better than WW.

Thanks for the positivity. This is much better than asking a question on the WW boards. I thought MFP was free, what is the $50 for? Thanks.

sugom2

Did you mean to say "happy to pay $50/year for MFP"? I don't pay anything--?? I did WW years ago as well, but quit because of the costs. I like MFP because of the APP and on-line abilities. Easier to track than WW.

BarbaraRoseB

The $50 is for premium membership if you need/want it. I don't think I do.

slimzandra

Skip WW. Pay the trainer/ join a gym.

Be sure to weigh food, track food, weigh yourself weekly. Be accountable. Review the week, adjust where needed. Repeat. It is helpful to join groups here on MFP and ask questions.

WW did not work for me. I've lost over 40 pounds with MFP. Good luck and welcome!

nutmegoreo

metalchic72 wrote: »

vczk2t15 wrote: »

i too have been off and on WW many times in the past 12 years. I hardly follow the program, but i realized since i am spending $ i really don't have, i just stopped being a member of WW. it IS calories in vs calories out. so, i am happy to pay $50/year for MFP, which is MUCH, MUCH better than WW.

Thanks for the positivity. This is much better than asking a question on the WW boards. I thought MFP was free, what is the $50 for? Thanks.

That's for premium membership. Regular membership is free. I'm not sure exactly of all the perks, but I think you can have different calorie goals each day as one example. I don't pay the extra. The red numbers for going over once in a while don't bother me.

I was also with WW a while ago, but online only. I was hungry all the time, but probably didn't balance volume with enough veggies at the time. Here, I can see that veggies fill me up with fewer calories, I can see where my protein, fat, carb, and iron is coming from. Basically, I just find that the available information through MFP allows me to be more aware of the choices I am making and helps me make better choices.

I suggest reading the posts at the top of the getting started and general weight loss forums called most helpful posts (or something to that effect). There is a whole lot of great information about diet, nutrition, health, and weight loss to be had. Just avoid the crazy fad diet stuff. No need to cut out particular types of foods, or eat really low calorie.

TL:DR you can do it! There's lots of great info here, and lots of great supportive people.

farfromthetree

slimzandra wrote: »

Skip WW. Pay the trainer/ join a gym.

Be sure to weigh food, track food, weigh yourself weekly. Be accountable. Review the week, adjust where needed. Repeat. It is helpful to join groups here on MFP and ask questions.

WW did not work for me. I've lost over 40 pounds with MFP. Good luck and welcome!

Excellent advice!!

Keladelphia

I lost 50 pounds on Weight Watchers years ago but I never developed a healthy relationship with food and nutrition while doing it. Logging here (while lacking the accountability of an elderly lady looking at your weight on the scale) forced me to take a hard look at the actual food I was eating and its nutritional makeup instead of points. I've never been more successful than when I became committed to logging my food here and forming relationships with other MFP members. I've lost 70 pounds using MFP, gotten in the best shape of my life and finally have a healthy relationship with food and nutrition. Good luck with your journey!

metalchic72

slimzandra wrote: »

Skip WW. Pay the trainer/ join a gym.

Be sure to weigh food, track food, weigh yourself weekly. Be accountable. Review the week, adjust where needed. Repeat. It is helpful to join groups here on MFP and ask questions.

WW did not work for me. I've lost over 40 pounds with MFP. Good luck and welcome!

Thanks! I have a trainer and an awesome gym. He has been trying to get me to cut the cord with WW for awhile; the new plan they just came out and their tech issues have pushed me here (and my trainer).... I like the positive responses here versus what you'd get on the WW boards which would be not so nice. Thank you all! I was using WW as a crutch I suppose... I know what to do I just need to do it and do not need to pay them when I have this tool.

Youruniverse1

I left WW too today. But I know what you mean by feeling tethered. I think it will take awhile to get used a different mindset, but know for me the new SP plan would make me feel like a failure. MFP is free and more flexible.

metalchic72

There seems to be a lot of us here. We can do this.

GabbieLynn01

metalchic72 wrote: »

Thank you Barbara! I feel like having normal foods now I'm going to the WW jail!! This new plan is not doable. I just guess I feel like a failure because I didn't make lifetime. Oh well...I need to figure out how to add friends, you can be my first one, sounds like you and I have a lot in common.

Don't let not making lifetime make you feel like a failure. I made lifetime and am way overweight again. It was a card that I ended up losing. I was scared too when I left several months ago. I was fed up with paying for WW and yo-yoing on the plan. While I don't think the weight has come off as quickly on MFP I'm definitely not as hungry like I was on WW. On the up side I'm thrilled when I scan something on MFP the product is actually in the database.

Try not to fret. You got this.

lovethepirk

I think your mind is telling you it is time to be self-accountable which is great. Take some time to learn how the body reacts to all foods. Learn about each type of carbohydrate, learn about fatty acids, amino acids, maybe pick up some fish oil pills once you learn a bit more about the omega3's. Play with some intermittent fasting and see if that makes eating easier for you. My best days are a 200cal hemp/whey protein shake in the morning with coffee, then lunch is a coffee, then I eat like a champ from 6-11pm. I love going to bed stuffed which makes up for the fasting all day. Of course sometimes I need an additional shake/food mid-day, but I'm just stating my best days are big fasts. Find out your best strategy. Don't worry too much about the glycemic index, but do track your calories as that is the default method to keep track of the molecules you stuff down your throat. Remember, you are eating carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and then you breathe off those molecules after a reaction in the form of carbon dioxide. If you eat more of these molecules than you breathe out you will gain weight

robertw486

Any plan that takes money to gain accountability is just hoping for your need for long term reliance IMO. You could have full accountability through real life friends, MFP or other social network friends, or just on a personal level.

Virtually every diet has restrictions of some sort, and the more you reduce the restrictions the better IMO. Personally I think the more you learn how to adapt and use less tracking, logging, points, etc, the more you move towards freedom from all of it. And you can do that and still keep accountability. Or if that is too much, something here like MFP and logging is great accountability with more freedoms than a lot of others diets.

Find what drives and motivates you best, and do it. The same applies to exercise if you choose to add it. There is no right or wrong if your diet fits your goals. And for the love of donuts, avoid all the diet myths and embrace science and studies the prove all the myths to be just that.

Anniepi66

Hooey! I started WW when I wasn't overweight but thought I was. It was in 1970 when it was so restrictive and the food so awful, actually starving seemed a better alternative. So, yes, I quit them then. Went back two or three times over the years, quit them each time because I didn't like the meetings and didn't like the program. I even tried it a couple years ago when it was okay to eat whatever as long as it was within the 'points' range. Keeping up with all the points in this and that was a total pain. I'm sorry if you are a WW devotee and I'm stepping on your toes. They are just not for me. Nor were any of the other 15 DIETS I tried. I lost weight on each of them, but gained it back every time because it was a diet. WW is a diet, in my opinion. I came to MFP by way of the nutritionist/dietitian at the bariatric surgery center I went to because I was so frustrated I was considering gastric sleeve surgery. The nutritionist gave me the MFP app, which I figured I would never do because it surely would be another failure. But I did try it and I have lost 43 pounds and didn't do the surgery. It's taken me a year, but it's off. I'm fighting it now because of the holidays. But it's easier this time. I just do not feel like I am on a diet anymore. I eat pretty much anything, but watch the calories for the day. I do limit the carbs. I know I would lose more if I limited them more. But I AM NOT GOING TO DENY MYSELF ANY FOOD ANYMORE! I have done it long enough. I use portion control and exercise. I have just over 60 more pounds to lose and if it takes me another year, then it does. At least I know it will be gone for good. I think I started this little story to begin with to tell you that I partially blame WW for me gaining 100 pounds! I went to them when I most certainly was not overweight and not one person there bothered to tell me so. I'm 5'9" tall and weighed 150 pounds. That is not fat. I wore a size 10/12. In today's world, that is 'plus size,' but it is not. I look at pix of myself from then and I could cry because I was not overweight and the folks at WW assured me I was and needed to lose 30 pounds. Really? Had I aspired to be a high fashion model, probably needed to lose 30 and more. But I was a wife, the mom of an 18-month-old, and going to college five days a week. I thought I was overweight because I had lost all but 8 pounds of my baby weight. Anyway, not a fan of WW. Rant over.

fionethompson

vada44 wrote: »

i was very successful on WW. I think I joined and joined again several times and each time I lost weight. I put the weight back on not because I left WW but because I went back to my old eating habits after I lost. It is a good program that works but it is too expensive. MFP works as long as you work. Counting calories or counting points it all comes down to Calories in and Calories out. Accurately weighing and measuring food, exercise and a positive mindset will help you to lose weight. Do what works for you and good luck!!!

Memorableheart

I think you will be fine just using MFP and having your trainer.

roadrunner432

I've had success on both but I think I like FP best. I really hate the meetings at WW. Please friend me.

joannedawn2015

U can def eat more here than weight watchers didn't like meeting at all. Think u should eat foods u enjoy. Have ur treats. Stick to ur calories. I walk my dog at the minuet that's it. I use to exercise to Rosemary Conley DVDs. Just got them out again. I loved them as u can do short workouts r the whole workout.

Fursian

metalchic72 wrote: »

I have been on and off and on again and off.....and on (you get the point) Weight Watchers for years. I am tired of paying them and this new plan of theirs is just too restrictive. I have learned portion control and good eating habits through the plan but I am so afraid of not having weekly accountability though I get nothing out of the meetings. I have a personal trainer who is awesome with nutrition, I would rather pay him than WW....has anyone here stopped WW and had success with MFP? You know in WW meetings they say, you will fail if you leave, I am so afraid to cut that cord!!

I've not been a WW member, but these two things in bold concern me about WW.

MFP is free (for now), and I think what you're asking is possible. I wish you well!

smelbo

I have been an on again, off again member of WW for almost all my life. My first time I went I was in my early 20's...I am now 60. I have reached "goal" and " lifetime " twice while on the WW plan.
I am not slamming the WW plan, it is just that I think it is great for when you want to loose weight, but there is little support and infrastructure when you have reached your desired gosl ( I.e. no longer have to pay). I have been on MFP since last Feb. They offer great support through the community forums, and an infrastructure that helps you both loosr and maintain through friend, and food diaries, with lots of a food database. I have recently list 10 pounds, which puts me back in the normal bmi range through MFP, and walking using a fitbit flex. I love using both if these tools in tandem. And for me right now, this is working, and I am not going back another time to WW, unless they change the way they support lifetime membership.

DiamndMnd

I have never been on WW but have used MFP in the past successfully. I think you can do anything you set your mind too. You don't need someone there telling you this or that. It's what you tell yourself. Of course with staying healthy and fit you need to create good habits for yourself but you can do it without WW. If I can do it so can you!