Weight Watchers?
perkymommy
Posts: 1,642 Member
Has anyone here done WW along with MFP? I have been doing WW since Feb 2nd and lost 20 lbs on it. I started here a couple weeks ago after someone at WW referred me. What confuses me is I can log on my food here (I get 1200 per day) and have some left over sometimes but on WW I track my food (I get 30 pts a day) and will either meet my 30 pts or go over most days. Does anyone that has done WW know how many calories 30 pts is? or is that how WW decides on the daily points? Just a bit confused.
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When I was doing WW... Some while ago.... 50 cals was 1 point0
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In my humble opinion, the point system is a bit of a crutch. The essential skill you need to pick up to not just lose weight but also maintaining after achieving your goals is by educating yourself better with macronutrients and calorie counting. I'm not going to lie and say it's easy but I can promise you it gets easier. Eventually you will be able to eyeball food amounts and estimate calories etc. Also, get a food scale and read up on flexible dieting.
If I were you I'd go into Google and calculate your TDEE which stands for total daily energy expenditure, then cut the calories by 10 to 20 percent. Log everything onto myfitnesspal and try to hit that number consistently, every couple of kilos you lose, you will need to recalculate your TDEE. Rinse and repeat. I would focus on getting enough protein to retain as much muscle tissue and resistance training. Before long you will lose as much as you desire and have the right body composition that you're comfortable with. Good luck!0 -
As far as points I'm referring to the amount you are given per day and mine is 30 right now. They've changed their plan as of last year but I still don't get the difference between the two right now when I am tracking the same exact foods on both sites.0
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Its because WW is a con. Better to stick to real life figures....0
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I'm not sure how that correlates. By its very nature the points system will be less accurate than logging calories by weight directly. I'd just choose one and stick with it. Adherence is more important than accuracy I suppose.1
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When I did WW a few years ago they had changed the way they calculated points and it no longer really took into account only calories. Since it accounted for fiber and I think protein some foods that were fairly high in calories but also high in fiber would be lower points than a lower calorie food that had less fiber. I personally prefer now to just track calories using MFP and save the money I'd be giving to WW.0
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When they calculate your points they probably hold back calories to allow room for the "free" point foods you can eat since they want to encourage eating fruit and veggies0
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WW points used to correlate fairly closely to a calorie amount per point. WW was an easier way to estimate your calories because there weren't the standardized nutrition labels and free calorie/nutrition tracking apps we have today.
It's now actually easier to count calories than convert to WW points so they have to try to keep their business going in different ways. With the newer WW plans, "bad" foods that they want to steer you away from eating have more points per calorie than "good" foods. They say that you can still eat anything you want to eat but they penalize you with excess points for "bad" things that have the same calories as "good" things.1 -
alvinlau316 wrote: »In my humble opinion, the point system is a bit of a crutch. The essential skill you need to pick up to not just lose weight but also maintaining after achieving your goals is by educating yourself better with macronutrients and calorie counting. I'm not going to lie and say it's easy but I can promise you it gets easier. Eventually you will be able to eyeball food amounts and estimate calories etc. Also, get a food scale and read up on flexible dieting.
You're absolutely right. Weight Watchers' goal is to keep you as a customer for life. Even at "lifetime", or in maintenance, you are still counting points. Every day. Forever. You don't learn how to eat or portion control without the points.
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I heard they consider fruits and veggies "free".... um those have calories so how can one lose weight w/out accounting for those calories.0
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my younger sis has a fitbit and is with WW, she tried to get me to join WW, no thanks, if I need WW to help me lose weight then I am mentally not ready and as soon as I leave WW I will just put it back on0
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DoreenaV1975 wrote: »I heard they consider fruits and veggies "free".... um those have calories so how can one lose weight w/out accounting for those calories.
They are in the business of convincing their costumers that CICO is not the only way to lose weight. The longer it takes people to lose weight, the more money they make. $45 a month, every month, for however long it takes and however many times a person joins.
Fruits and vegetables are free but the scarier thing is how many other things are 0 or 1 point as well.0 -
alyssawentland wrote: »DoreenaV1975 wrote: »I heard they consider fruits and veggies "free".... um those have calories so how can one lose weight w/out accounting for those calories.
They are in the business of convincing their costumers that CICO is not the only way to lose weight. The longer it takes people to lose weight, the more money they make. $45 a month, every month, for however long it takes and however many times a person joins.
Fruits and vegetables are free but the scarier thing is how many other things are 0 or 1 point as well.
The banana I had the other day had was 95 calories... that doesn't sound free to me! Could you imagine a WW follower saying I'm just going to eat fruits and veggies all day cuz they're "free" thinking they're not consuming any calories... Unless they teach it differently, IDK, I've not been to WW.0 -
DoreenaV1975 wrote: »alyssawentland wrote: »DoreenaV1975 wrote: »I heard they consider fruits and veggies "free".... um those have calories so how can one lose weight w/out accounting for those calories.
They are in the business of convincing their costumers that CICO is not the only way to lose weight. The longer it takes people to lose weight, the more money they make. $45 a month, every month, for however long it takes and however many times a person joins.
Fruits and vegetables are free but the scarier thing is how many other things are 0 or 1 point as well.
The banana I had the other day had was 95 calories... that doesn't sound free to me! Could you imagine a WW follower saying I'm just going to eat fruits and veggies all day cuz they're "free" thinking they're not consuming any calories... Unless they teach it differently, IDK, I've not been to WW.
Haha, there are people who do that! They truly believe because Weight Watchers says it is "free" that it has no implication on their weight loss. I see it every day. I've seen many people freak out and lose it when they put the nutritional information of fruits and vegetables into the Weight Watchers calculator and see how many "points" they'd actually be eating if they weren't 0 points by default.
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I was with WW about 10 years ago and it's definitely geared towards keeping you a customer for life. I had no idea how to eat without converting foods into points and using their calculators and stuff. If only MFP had been a thing back then!0
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But if you don't monitor calorie intake, don't you regain weight? I have family members who stopped logging here and regained weight, so how is it any different than regaining once you stop counting points? At least WW teaches better eating habits and the psychology that fits with it. Where do you find that here? In the case of the person I'm speaking of, that was something I guess she had to figure out for herself but never did. All she did was eat the same junk and count for it, and once she stopped counting the weight came back.
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DoreenaV1975 wrote: »I heard they consider fruits and veggies "free".... um those have calories so how can one lose weight w/out accounting for those calories.
I lost 50 lbs on WW with "free" fruits and veggies. Because of this:Cheryl_in_AL wrote: »When they calculate your points they probably hold back calories to allow room for the "free" point foods you can eat since they want to encourage eating fruit and veggies
Also, something people misunderstand is that fruits and (most) veggies are not "free", they're 0 points, and yes, there is a difference. WW is very clear that you are to eat fruit and veggies "to satisfaction", not gluttony. They're trying to encourage you to make better choices, but it's not a free-for-all.1 -
chnphillips wrote: »But if you don't monitor calorie intake, don't you regain weight? I have family members who stopped logging here and regained weight, so how is it any different than regaining once you stop counting points? At least WW teaches better eating habits and the psychology that fits with it. Where do you find that here? In the case of the person I'm speaking of, that was something I guess she had to figure out for herself but never did. All she did was eat the same junk and count for it, and once she stopped counting the weight came back.
A person could still log calories without MFP. I did this a long time ago with a notepad and just nutritional label information. Nothing changes, you just don't have the handy software.0 -
I'm doing both going to ww and tracking calories here. I think ww has value because it's forcing folks to make good choices... I can have fruits, veggies that are '0' calories and lean meat is lower in points than fatty meat. I think it's a hook, of course, but most folks need that hook .
Also meetings are very important as as the community here. Like minded people is important to keep you in the right frame of mind.
Please don't disparage ww. It's helped a lot of people.2 -
I did bith ways too because it was random the way they fiqured out the 2016 pount system and cost extra if had suger in it the calorie point was not the main reason behind what eating i fiqured out the calories to fiqure out how much i was eating same exact diet two days in riw equalef different totals with no good reason as to why exceot its to keep the $ comibg in because tgey wajt to keep collecting making money eveytime id ask for help they say pay fir meeting ir tell me to pay fir coach . last year i was successful with those points system and helped me eat better and thought it was expanding to include more excersises or emotional support but the points are very confusing and seems more like the low carb diet im not namig . so i was confused and disappointed in this years attempt last year when i ended up in hospital i couldnt travt anymore so i gained it back. This year lost couple pounds then decided to try fiqure out how it worked the community was fav part of this years attempt and someone there recommended this myfitness app to me as well. But no steady amount to eat each day so obonee day be stuffed next day be starving did both for couple months side by side and discovered more comfy counting calories because could vary flavore but not guilty if over because 80 cal hotdog is 14 points this year .
Also learned drinking more wayer actually helps like my fitness encourages you to do ww used to tell you and track that but not this years.
I apologize if anyone things im being negitive im a ww fan still it used to be the way that worked for me but myfitness is so much better and not sacrificing food money to get the app support less then three months ww is one year my fitness ( right now usibg free version but intend to purchase)
So long story short im finding it better here and loosing and keeping it off no more yoyoing up and down . we van do togethet0 -
Fruits not free it 0 smart points as a member your told don't eat more than 2-3 portions a day as anyone would realise it mounts up so they should change that to choose 3 portions fruit a day
Smart points are all about low carbing non processed foods as that's why people are eating a lot of and tbh it's good if your carb sensitive
You can calorie count at goal every plan fails if you don't stick to a Maintenance.
12 weeks I've lost 12lbs on here I had 84lbs to lose its very slow so I thought I'd do WW for a month & track on here to see if there's any difference found a 60% off voucher online.
I can't eat lots veg & fruit as ibs but I'm carb sensitive
Worth a shot to see if I can lose a little faster as I had 4 weeks no losses & weighed measured everything in food scales & measuring jug.0 -
Just my two cents here, but I think Weight Watchers can have value, and I hate to hear it dismissed as a scam. I've lost weight on WW, and I've also lost weight on MFP.1
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Hit reply too soon. Unfortunately, I gained back both times because with either one you have to stick with it. I anticipate having to log on MFP or an equivalent the rest of my life, because I know without that accountability I slowly go back to my old ways and the weight comes back. It would be the same with WW, and once you reach maintenance with WW and become a "lifetime member", your membership is free.0
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Any program or system that motivate you to better eating habits is good. But at the end it is ourselves to decide which work1
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DoreenaV1975 wrote: »I heard they consider fruits and veggies "free".... um those have calories so how can one lose weight w/out accounting for those calories.
They start accumulating points for their calories once you eat over the amount allotted. If I eat an apple it is considered 0 points but if I sat and ate several apples they would start to accumulate points, same with any other fruits but you'd have to eat a lot. And only some veggies have no points like carrots and broccoli, even though they have calories. It has to reach a certain caloric amount (somewhere between 50-70) in order for the food item to start having points so yes there are some things that have calories (low calories) that are 0 points if that makes sense. Any veggies that are canned have points but they are usually low.0 -
callmebubblesdarling2015 wrote: »Just my two cents here, but I think Weight Watchers can have value, and I hate to hear it dismissed as a scam. I've lost weight on WW, and I've also lost weight on MFP.
Oh yes I agree! I used Weight Watchers the first time back in 2006 and lost a ton of weight back then and kept it off very easily up until 2009 when I got pregnant with my third child. Then I gained it all back and then some because of life stressors. I've already lost 24 lbs in less than two months on Weight Watchers this year so it definitely works. And you can still eat what you want. It's not like Atkins or Nutrisystem where you have to eat cardboard every day. That's not realistic.
Also, weighing and measuring food is very realistic IMO. If more restaurants did that for our meals then Americans wouldn't be so obese.0 -
I'm on WW now and have been since December 2015, have only lost 10lbs and came here to figure things out more deeply. I could definitely eat more on mfp because it doesn't take into account how good for you the calories are (I.e. It's easy to go over on points if you eat all junk, but you can stay within your calories with all junk). But, I'm currently sticking to ww and just tracking it again on here and I eat about 1400 calories (maybe a bit under) before exercise. For reference, I get 30 points a day and 35 weeklies0
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perkymommy wrote: »DoreenaV1975 wrote: »I heard they consider fruits and veggies "free".... um those have calories so how can one lose weight w/out accounting for those calories.
They start accumulating points for their calories once you eat over the amount allotted. If I eat an apple it is considered 0 points but if I sat and ate several apples they would start to accumulate points, same with any other fruits but you'd have to eat a lot. And only some veggies have no points like carrots and broccoli, even though they have calories. It has to reach a certain caloric amount (somewhere between 50-70) in order for the food item to start having points so yes there are some things that have calories (low calories) that are 0 points if that makes sense. Any veggies that are canned have points but they are usually low.
That's not true. Fruits and vegetables never start accumulating points. And canned/jarred vegetables and fruits (in water or juice, not syrup) are free too. You can eat 26 apples and it's still 0 points. You can eat 14 cans of green beans and they're still 0 points.0 -
perkymommy wrote: »Has anyone here done WW along with MFP? I have been doing WW since Feb 2nd and lost 20 lbs on it. I started here a couple weeks ago after someone at WW referred me. What confuses me is I can log on my food here (I get 1200 per day) and have some left over sometimes but on WW I track my food (I get 30 pts a day) and will either meet my 30 pts or go over most days. Does anyone that has done WW know how many calories 30 pts is? or is that how WW decides on the daily points? Just a bit confused.
I can't remember where the post was, and it's probably burried now, but someone here calculated their calories on both WW and MFP. According to WW she was barely eating 1000 calories a day most days. I don't know, WW just seems like they're steering away from their basic calorie/point method. I stopped using WW years ago when they were doing Points Plus so I have no idea how strict the program is now because I haven't done it. I can only go off of what people around me have said.0 -
alvinlau316 wrote: »I'm not sure how that correlates. By its very nature the points system will be less accurate than logging calories by weight directly. I'd just choose one and stick with it. Adherence is more important than accuracy I suppose.
I agree with this comment. I have 4 children and did WW in the past (after the 1st 3) and successfully lost and kept off the weight until I had my 4th in Nov. At that point, I didn't need WW anymore because I already learned the skill of healthy food choices, portion control, and exercise. This time around I stuck with MFP and I'm already down about 30lbs. You will get results from both, but stick with 1 to keep your tracking accurate. Also, you may notice as you get closer to your goal weight or if you start any kind of weight training, WW will less accurately reflect your progress since the only measure is the scale (weight loss), not fat loss (body fat %). Feel free to add me if I can help in any way.0
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