Help--Weight Watchers vs MFP

cebreisch

WW changed the way they calculate their points. They used to take more into account from the nutrition label....now they only look at saturated fat, protein, sugar and calories. Because of that, it severely skews what used to be considered a reasonable amount of points into an unbelievably large amount of points.

This last week - if I went by WW - I should have gained a LOAD because I went through the "extra points" in two days. I then quit logging the WW points, and kept logging with MFP - I ended up losing 1/2 pound. I know why though. My intake was too close to my calories burned. I widen that gap and I'll lose more this week.

I would only use WW for weighing in accountability and any assistance you might get from attending the meetings. MFP lets you see where you're getting your nutrition from and you can better see where you need to tweak your intake. If you're just logging points, It isn't as clear.

mph323

CasperNaegle wrote: »

Yes stay in calories and you will lose weight, that's all the point system is trying to do.

Actually, this rendition of the program is trying to do a lot more. WW points have always been based on a proprietary formula involving fat/carb/protein ratios, with added weight to alcohol. Part of their process for managing weight loss involves nudging the user toward more nutrient-dense food choices by making the high-fat/high-sugar foods pointier than other choices. This version of the program is taking it to a whole new level by adding a substantial points penalty for making the "wrong" choices, so that say (using alcohol for an example because it's fairly extreme), a glass of wine after dinner could use up almost twice the number of points for the same number of calories as a program-approved food.

In my opinion the two biggest flaws in the system are
1. Unless you're logging calories as well as points (and not having to log calories is one of the big draws for the program), you don't really have a good idea about how many calories you're eating. Free fruit and veg can really add up, even going with the "moderate amounts" guidelines, depending on the type of fruit/veg you eat, and you can be consistently over on calories but within points. Conversely, if you are choosing more high-fat/high-sugar foods you can be consistently under on calories. Which leads to
2. The program doesn't separate eating for weight-loss from eating for health. Fail at one, fail at both. For me this created a lot of anxiety around food choices, because the program was pushing me toward changing both the amount of food and the type at the same time, so that even when I was losing weight I was stressing about my bad food choices. And every time ww rolls out a new points system, those who were already losing or maintaining on the previous system have to adjust their diet to some extent to comply with the new rules.

Anyway, while I did lose weight on the program I didn't find it sustainable at all in that I was always going to be dependent on the program to tell me how many points are in whatever I put into my mouth, and their interpretation of "good" food vs "bad". I failed in counting calories in the past because of having to track everything on paper and depending on those little calorie books which never listed enough of the foods I eat, but I'm finding that having a database of foods available along with being able to use calorie counts on packaged foods, along with the ease of tracking is far more sustainable since it puts me in control. YMMV.

songbird13291

I lost weight on Weight Watchers' Points Plus program. When I double tracked, points and calories, I could see a correlation between the two. I was eating healthy, a well balanced diet. Then Smart Points showed up. I lasted 3 weeks on Smart Points. No correlation between points and calories, if you don't pick the "right" foods, you'll go way over your points and still not meet calorie goals. It's a recipe for misery for a lot of us. Right now i'm doing Points Plus on my own, and double tracking points and calories. And I feel good.

mph323

songbird13291 wrote: »

I lost weight on Weight Watchers' Points Plus program. When I double tracked, points and calories, I could see a correlation between the two. I was eating healthy, a well balanced diet. Then Smart Points showed up. I lasted 3 weeks on Smart Points. No correlation between points and calories, if you don't pick the "right" foods, you'll go way over your points and still not meet calorie goals. It's a recipe for misery for a lot of us. Right now i'm doing Points Plus on my own, and double tracking points and calories. And I feel good.

Exactly! The program takes the decision for what you eat out of your hands!

dejavuohlala

MFP is much better