MFP vs WW

flemingj1

For those who have switched over from weight watchers to MFP, how did you know how the points converted to calories. Any suggestions?

Ready2Rock206

I'm not sure I understand the question. The points in WW are done by a formula that takes into account several different items - I believe like fat, fiber, sugar? Calories are just calories. It USED to be that about 50 calories was a point but with the newer programs that is no longer the case - they penalize sugars and fats at a much higher point count that previous programs and it makes it impossible to straight convert points to calories.

flemingj1

Have you had more success with MFP ? Some days I get my pints in but it's only 1000 calories. I am hungry

Ready2Rock206

I think the latest WW program is awful. Too restrictive and very hard to follow because of that. Much more successful with MFP. You don't need to starve yourself, over restrict or punish yourself for eating good food in order to lose weight.

janekana

I've never used Weight Watchers before but I would definitely recommend switching to MFP and just eat their recommended calories if all you're eating is 1000 calories. You should never go down below 1200 calories a day, that's very unhealthy.

I'm in a Weight Watchers recipe group on Facebook (just for the recipes, I don't use WW) and I'm astounded by how many pounds they lose so quickly. It's so much that it's really unhealthy (4 lbs/week), some have been complaining about brittle hair and stuff (which miraculously stops when they go on maintenance, I wonder why) and sometimes I'm genuinely worried about them.

There are a lot of people who have had success with MFP if you look through the Success Stories board. I've only used MFP for 60 days and I'm already down 12 lbs. Granted, some would probably be water weight, but I have lost weight and I haven't gained anything back. It does work if you follow it.

ThatJohanna

I did WW for years I think each point equals about 50 calories. I'm personally in love with MFP versus WW, this program is long-term and so much easier. I did lose -72lbs at one point on WW but that took almost 2 years. I've been on MFP 70 days and am already down -26lbs since last WI. Besides it's free!

NancyYale

It doesn't convert that well. Just follow MFP and you'll be fine. In the end it's all about calories. They both work as WW is just another way to package eating at a calorie defecit.

NancyYale

On WW MY LOWEST points ended up as 1400 calories a day when everything was factored in, so if you are at 1000 something isn't right.

songbird13291

This why I stopped WW when they went to the current plan. When I was doing Points Plus, I double tracked on the WW site and here, and I could see a real relationship between points and calories. But there was no correlation between calories and points on the new plan. The first week I was on the new plan, I used all my daily and weekly points, even went over my weekly points, but I was well within my calorie budget and I lost weight.

typeitdaily

I switched to MFP when WW switched to their new program. I was starving and it was way too restrictive! I started MFP and have lost 53 pounds since April.

bininj

I went to WW a few times in the past. It is good, you absolutely do lose weight. But. You've got to go to ALL the meetings, pay your money (and it's not cheap), sit there for ages listening to dribble, then everyone watches you get weighed. MFP is so much more convenient and I've had much better success. In the end it's mind over matter. If you truly want to lose the weight you will make it happen no matter where you go.

Wine_Drinker

I found the Smart Points too restrictive. A croissant is about 15 smart points (half your daily allowance) but only comes in at about 350 calories. I understand that they are trying to encourage you to eat healthily in general, but it is too restrictive. Their motto is that you can eat everything in moderation, but it's not really the case. I switched to their No Count plan which worked better, but still didn't allow me as much freedom to have different foods. Their app is good, but if something isn't stored in it, it's a bit of a pain to add something to the database to work out how many points are in it when you are in the supermarket. In the end I was gaining weight on WW by starving myself of their plan during the day, and then cracking and filling myself up in the evenings.

trigden1991

Calorie tracking is the smart way to lose weight. Most food has calories on it so you can easily approximate if you cannot weigh your food. Without your little ring binder or app, WW is useless.