Weight watchers v Fitness Pal

Tricia_ruby

Hi, just wondering if anyone has compared or tried both weight watchers and just using fitness pal? Is one easier than the other to follow?Which do you think is more successful?
Thanks.

MsNeumann

I've had better success on here. I have supportive friends on here and it's free, so that's two ways it is better for me to be on here. Best of luck! Feel free to friend me if you need support!

1Nana2many

I lost 50 pounds in 2005 while following Weight Watchers and going to weekly meetings. I really didn't enjoy going to the meetings but I was determined to lose the weight. My personal issue with WW is that they determine your goal weight unless you go to a doctor and get a different goal weight from him/her. I don't necessarily want to go down to the weight the insurance companies want me to be. Because of this, when a crisis in my family that required a months of time and included a lot of stress, I went off the program and of course gained all my weight back. My fault, not WW. I didn't keep my commitment to myself. Now I am just starting MFP, but actually seeing how many calories are in the foods and amounts I eat has been a real eye opener for me. The fact that I could put an APP on my cell phone has been helpful already making tracking what I eat away from home so easy. I get immediate feedback by looking at my goals for the day and what I have already eaten. It makes me think about whether I really want to eat the calories I'm choosing and I make a point of putting the food in the tracker before I eat it in case I want to rethink it. ALL THAT BEING SAID: Any healthy program can work IF you hold yourself accountable to yourself! Get out that food scale and use it! IMHO this is the key to succeeding. Don't lie to yourself about anything you're putting into your mouth. Be honest about how much you are moving and try to move a little more every day. Don't kill yourself or get injured doing exercises. Just do more everyday. Do it for yourself, because you want to feel better, move better and like what you see when you look in the mirror! You are worth it! If you fall off the healthy eating wagon one day, get back up, brush yourself off and start again tomorrow. Everyone has a bad day, just don't defeat yourself by making them all bad days. Again, YOU ARE WORTH THIS EFFORT! ****For the record, before anyone thinks I am being a "beach"*** This is what I am determined to tell myself every day until eating healthy is so ingrained in me that I don't have to think about making the best choices. I may very well have to tell myself this for the rest of my life but I AM worth it! You are too!

spoonyspork

WW is similar to MFP, really... but tries to 'simplify' things with points instead of calories. On the plus side, many foods have the points right on the packaging (but then... calories are listed there too... it's just bigger numbers in finer print)! The only thing that makes me wary is that veggies and (some?) fruits are basically 'free' to eat as much as you like, but they DO contain calories. So you go nuts eating TONS of veggies (and I mean TONS. I know some people...), you can still get too many calories. Especially if you use fats to cook your veggies (even the 'free' sprays. It's only 'free' for one spritz... XD )

chunky_pinup

I signed up for a free month when I heard about their new program, just to kind of "see" what it was all about (although I've been very happy with the losses I'm seeing just from tracking my food and exercising). I tracked both on there and here, ate entirely whole foods (complex carbs, lean proteins, tons of veggies). I used up all of my daily "Points" and when I came here, and tracked all my food, it didn't even add up to 1,000 calories of food in a day, which is not healthy, especially since I'm weight training 4-5 days a week. Even adding the "weekly points" didn't even add up to 1,200 calories, and I eat a MINIMUM 1,600 on my rest days. It's no wonder that people literally have an on-again-off-again relationship with Weight Watchers. As soon as someone goes off plan they gain all their weight back. Well yeah, because they're starving people!

minniestar55

WW worked for me, I lost weight on it & have been at or below my goal weight for more than 4 years. I prefer to be about 10lbs below my goal (still within healthy BMI) & have continued to track. I got a bit lazy last year & my portion sizes crept up & weight started to move up, so got tracking & decided to try MFP in tandem. Found it was just as easy, & free (still had to pay for WW tracking on app), plus I saw they were messing around with ProPoints & changing them, so cancelled my WW membership. Have lost the weight easily using MFP. I think they both work, just different ways of accomplishing the same goal. I did enjoy the meetings, had a terrific leader for first 2years, but she quit, so meetings were boring. It did teach me the value of tracking & accountability.

Dayofthebread

I think it depends, if you are a people person then the group aspect of WW can be really helpful. If it's a matter of just having an online tool to help you then I would say MFP.

It's been a long time since I tried WW so things have probably changed but I think the MFP database is much better, but if you find a good group and thrive off that type of support I wouldn't necessarily discount WW, but personally I prefer MFP.

MarieCoreaa1

WW worked for me-I did it all online. Lost 40+ lbs, but they just keep changing things, we parted ways with WW. MFP works too, same concept and it's free.

lma0423

I did MFP about 4 years ago and successfully got from 200 to 170... This past October I decided I needed to lose weight again after weighing in at 178 and joined WW online. When I joined they still had the points plus program which I really liked. I got about 28 points a day and 49 weekly flex points that I usually would use only about half of on Fridays and Saturdays. This system worked really well for me. I was able to lose about 10 lbs by December. I liked that i could enter a food and it would basically "score" it for me. Was that bowl of oatmeal really worth the 7 points when I could just eat 2 eggs for 4 points? This really helped me plan out my day, something I wasn't really able to do with calories. Unfortunately, WW decided to change their program just when I was getting comfortable to smart points (or something like that) and it just wasn't for me. It would score foods with sugar at really outrageous point levels that I just didn't think were fair. I understand that they want you to learn how to eat healthy rather than just less, but I want a cookie every once in a while and don't want to have to sacrifice so many points. So I switched to MFP and as of today I've lost another 10 lbs. So basically I think both can work but it just depends on your life style. I should also add that the MFP food database is SO much better than WW. There were times when I'd try to put a non-diet version of a specific soda into WW and they just didn't have it in the database. I hope my rambling was helpful.

RaeRee

I've lost weight with both WW and MFP, but in the past I lost more pounds and more consistently with WW. In 2014, I lost 27 pounds in about 8 months by attending WW meetings and tracking points (Points Plus, actually). I found the meetings helpful because I'm more successful when there is accountability for what I'm doing. I was NEVER starving on my plan at WW. Of course there were times that I was hungry - that is NORMAL! We shouldn't feel full all the time, there should be times when your stomach isn't packed full of food! If you eat foods with a lot of fiber and protein you will feel fuller longer and be more successful at losing weight while not using up all of your points before dinner time. Also, they did not set my goal for me at WW, I set it. I don't know of anyone who had their goal set for them by the WW staff. I've gained back about 13 of those pounds because I stopped tracking - plain and simple. I tried to go back to WW recently but with the major overhaul of their system (now called Smart Points), I was getting frustrated and it wasn't working for me, but that's not to say it isn't a good program. So I came back to MFP and it is working. WW is definitely something that works for a lot of people, but obviously so does MFP. You should do what is most comfortable for you and what makes you the most successful at your attempt to lead a healthier life. I've come to realize that as long as I track my food (and exercise) in some way, shape, or form I will lose weight and keep it off, and I think that is the case for a lot of people. It's just a matter of personal preference on how you track it. Good luck to you with whatever you decide!

jemhh

I've done both. I think that they are similar and work equally well. I've been more successful long term with MFP simply because I've been more devoted to improving/maintaining my health and weight loss than I was previously.

Asher_Ethan

I was on ww in 2009 and it was absolutely awful. They had me on the equivalent of 1200 calories a day and told me I couldn't eat back my exercise, "points," because I exercised before I started ww so those points didn't count. When I complained to the leader about how hungry I was (considering I was running 5 miles a day), I was told that I wasn't eating the correct foods and I needed to eat only whole foods and ww products. So obviously I lost weight but I was absolutely miserable and I could only keep it up for a couple months and eventually gained everything back because it was unreasonable.

MFP is 10x better.

duddysdad

I did WW back in 2007. I lost 115 pounds in 18 months. When I hit my goal I couldn't maintain and gained it back. I had no idea how to maintain.

Last January I started MFP and lost 160 pounds in 9.5 months. I've been maintaining since September.

I love MFP. I hate the new WW plan.

songbird13291

WW has a lot more structure than MFP, it's designed to steer you towards healthier food choices. I successfully lost 70 pounds on WW in 2009. Went off plan and regained it all, and more. Re-joined WW in March 2015 and I was doing very well until they changed the plan last month. I do not like the new plan, it's much more restrictive. I've been using MFP since mid December. I've lost a total of 45 pounds since March, 10 pounds since I switched over to MFP.

Jbarbo01

Lost 30 lbs on Weight Watchers. What helps me is the flex points, I have a hard time understanding how to eat junk in "moderation" and WW flex points helped me do that. I also like that fruit and vegetables are zero points because if I'm hungry and out of calories I get pissed and rebel but with WW i can have fruit or veg if I'm still hungry and out of points. I still lost weight even with the extra produce that was not counted. I think if you have no problem with moderation MFP is better but I like WW for helping me manage how often I should drink wine or eat pizza, etc.

benzieboxx

I've used both MFP and WW to lose weight. I did WW back in 2011-2012 and lost ~30lbs. I managed to keep it off because I realized how much food I was consuming and was able to scale my portions back. Honestly the only reason I stopped WW is because I disliked paying for it. I don't go to meetings because there aren't any flexible times in my area. With MFP I have access to the forums, I can add friends and invite others to join the app with me (which I've done) and I just feel like MFP is a lot more motivating.
I haven't accessed WW's website in forever so I can't speak for the recent changes, but it sounds like they're getting kind of restrictive on food. I'm a firm believer that there are no "good" and "bad" foods. There's just food and I don't need some weight loss company yelling at me because I want to enjoy some ice cream at night! If it fits in my calories, I'm going to eat it!

Tricia_ruby

Thanks

Tricia_ruby

Thanks for all the responses!! Lots to think about!

Tricia_ruby

I've been on WW since Oct and lost 12lbs. But now I was just thinking about what I am actually paying for. Basically just being able to track since I do all online. I'm figuring I can do the same on MVP for free and still lose weight and eat healthy.
One thing I don't like about tracking on MVP is that you can't change the servings. If something has a serving of 5 pieces I can't change it to let's say 3 pieces. Or am I doing something wrong?
Thanks

sunnyeuphoria

I followed WW for 2 yrs when they first started their points program and then again when they started pointsplus. I lost about 60 lbs. Each time but gained it back. WW required more money and effort to track food... but the accountability of having to weigh in and having others doing the same program was nice. I found a couple of ppl that likes to walk and we would go to the park and walk together. I would quit after awhile though because of the expense and figured I could do it at home on my own. I would always slip back into old habits and regain. I like Myfitnesspal because it's free and I can keep up with everything on my phone. I can check nutrition Info before ordering and the community is always supportive and helpful. And I don't have someone pushing overpriced Weight watchers products full ' of chemicals and junk to me every week. I have lost over 80 lbs using MYFITNESS PAL and I ain't embarrassed to jump right back on the wagon if i fall off.

MelodyandBarbells

Tricia_ruby wrote: »

I've been on WW since Oct and lost 12lbs. But now I was just thinking about what I am actually paying for. Basically just being able to track since I do all online. I'm figuring I can do the same on MVP for free and still lose weight and eat healthy.
One thing I don't like about tracking on MVP is that you can't change the servings. If something has a serving of 5 pieces I can't change it to let's say 3 pieces. Or am I doing something wrong?
Thanks

When it says "1 serving(s) of 5 pieces", click on the 5 pieces and it should pull up options for other serving sizes, especially, say "1 piece". Then you can log 3 servings of 1 piece

WalkingAlong

JaneiR36 wrote: »

Tricia_ruby wrote: »

I've been on WW since Oct and lost 12lbs. But now I was just thinking about what I am actually paying for. Basically just being able to track since I do all online. I'm figuring I can do the same on MVP for free and still lose weight and eat healthy.
One thing I don't like about tracking on MVP is that you can't change the servings. If something has a serving of 5 pieces I can't change it to let's say 3 pieces. Or am I doing something wrong?
Thanks

When it says "1 serving(s) of 5 pieces", click on the 5 pieces and it should pull up options for other serving sizes, especially, say "1 piece". Then you can log 3 servings of 1 piece

Or use decimals if there's not a '1 piece' serving, so .6 servings of 5 pieces would be 3 pieces. It takes math, though.

Plus you have to remember that these are mostly user-created database entries and could be wrong. WW database is lame but if an item is there, it's usually accurate. Here, you have to kind of sanity check items, or look for user confirmations.

wrenak

I've lost 40 pounds on WW previously (PointsPlus version) but couldn't afford to continue and had no idea how to eat since points does not teach you calories. Gained it all back and then some.

I've lost 63-64 pounds so far with MFP and am still going strong. Just for kicks I calculated today's food so far with the formula they use for SmartPoints. I've consumed 928 calories. Now, I don't know what my points would be (41yo 5'0.5" 197lb female), of course, but I've had 27 points.

I've had a protein shake for breakfast (not big on breakfast but I have meds to take), an oikos triple zero greek yogurt, a sourdough english muffin w/16g peanut butter & 20g strawberry preserves, and 2 cuties for lunch, and a carb balance wrap with 2.9oz thinly sliced smoked ham and 2 slices low-fat monterey jack cheese for dinner.

Seems to me that I'd starve or go crazy and binge with the new setup. I shall be sticking with MFP. Can't beat the price and the results make me very happy.

namelesshere

I have tried both. WW didn't work for me as the free vegies and fruit were my downfall. I would rather be counting calories of everything than playing games with their (whatever is current) point system. Just me.

srecupid

They are both the exact same concept except one works with bigger numbers and is free. I think weight watchers is probably the biggest scam in history. People know what to do to lose weight they just took it and made it so people could do the math easier on their fingers

WalkingAlong

wrenak wrote: »

Seems to me that I'd starve or go crazy and binge with the new setup.

They expect you to take advantage of produce being free and to eat more fruit and vegetables.

wrenak

WalkingAlong wrote: »

wrenak wrote: »

Seems to me that I'd starve or go crazy and binge with the new setup.

They expect you to take advantage of produce being free and to eat more fruit and vegetables.

Fresh produce can get pretty pricey in Alaska, especially in the winter. Not always feasible to make up the caloric difference that way. Wouldn't it make more sense to make them cost low points and adjust other things (or allow for higher points) so that people are eating a proper calorie goal?

WalkingAlong

It doesn't have to be fresh.

Their aim is to get people to eat more produce and not have to tediously count everything they put in their mouths, to encourage long term adherence. They've been studying this area and tweaking the plans with some of the foremost experts in the industry for over 50 years, with testing over hundreds of thousands of dieters. People average over 1800 calories on their current plans.

fifimcd

Interestingly in the last year or so I've had several friends who've had significant success with Slimming World. Seems to be more 'educational' than WW, therefore sustainable. Might just be a UK co though? Not sure.

Personally MFP on its own has been fine for me but I didn't have significant food issues to un/relearn, just to get a handle on moderation and how that looked for me.

Hipp706

I used to do WW, on the old plan, worked well for
Me, lost my weight but then found myself eating low point junk food all the time and then just having some plain veg if I got hungry and had no points left. This time I'm trying to focus on healthy foods during the week, and junk only on a weekend. MFP makes me more accountable, and I feel I'm now sticking to healthier choices more.

TRC64

WalkingAlong wrote: »

They expect you to take advantage of produce being free and to eat more fruit and vegetables.

This is true. People rarely get overweight/obese because they're eating too many green beans, or even bananas.

Also, recently on the WW boards, someone compared the Smart Points of 5 lbs of shrimp to 9 Lindt Lindor truffles, which were approx the same points. They were complaining ... but what they missed is that very few people can eat 5 lbs of shrimp, but almost everyone can eat 9 small delicious chocolate balls!

I recently switched from MFP to WW, primarily because I liked the fact that I wouldn't have to count veggies and fruit. Those aren't/weren't my problem, so it's very freeing to be able to eat a banana as a snack between meals and not worry about the calories.