MFP vs. WW?

osualex

Anyone here made the switch? I've lost large amounts (>25 lbs) on both but I've stagnated on WW for months now and I'm considering switching back to MFP since it's free and all. Anyone else made the switch? Anyone doing both?

mph323

I successfully lost weight on WW a few years ago on Points Plus, but found the points system was more trouble than it's worth, especially in maintenance. No partial points, and the database was somewhat limited, especially for gluten free products. I found myself stressing over assigning points to stuff I couldn't find info on, and ended up just abandoning the whole thing and gaining the weight back. I like knowing exactly how many calories I'm dealing with instead of trying to filter it through loaded points. Plus, as you say, MFP is free :-)

tvkoo

I switched a couple of months ago, because of the money. I realized that if I were successfully doing online only, I was being self-accountable and didn't need to pay them any longer. I did both for a week and then cut the cord to WW. I really like the flexibility of MFP - things like pizza were far too pointy to be able to indulge in, but calorie-wise, totally do-able. On the other hand, I'm not eating near as much fruit as I did before. I was shocked how many calories my nightly frozen grapes were - there went that habit! I definitely prefer MFP.

jaedwa1

I don't know about the old system, but the new system assigned way too many points to my favorite foods. For example, a measured bowl of cereal with milk adds up to approximately 460 calories but WW assigned 13 points. For lunch, I ate two roasted chicken legs (253 calories on MFP) and a roasted cauliflower salad with couscous (196 calories) and WW would assigned 10 and 7 points. So 30 of my 31 points were finished by lunch even though I was only at 909 calories. I understand they were trying to push me to white meat and vegetables but I don't understand why I'd have to give up my favorite foods if I was still in a calorie deficit. So I definitely like MFP better.

And, finally, yes, MFP is free.

osualex

@jaedwa1 this is the issue I'm facing as well. WW is pushing me away from healthy fats, which keep me fuller longer, and for weekly points, making even one treat almost all of them - a 500 calorie bagel could be 20 points, whereas 500 calories of chicken and broccoli is like 10. I feel like even one treat blows through all my points even if it doesn't to my calories.

jaedwa1

@osualex The food WW likes would definitely put me in a calorie deficit...so I can see where it works for some. But it's way too restrictive to me. I make my favorite recipes, weighing every single ingredient so I can properly portion the servings. It's sometimes tedious BUT so worth it in order to keep the variety and special treats in my life!

rachelr1116

I lost 25 lbs. on WW 5 years ago when they still had Points Plus. I also had a bad habit of comparing myself to other people when I was doing WW. I'd stay for the meetings and the leader would always do the "raise your hand if you lost x lbs. this week" starting at 2 lbs and working down to those that maintained. I'd look around wondering what I was doing wrong if I only lost half a lb that week and someone else lost 2 lbs. And I obviously didn't learn a thing about how to be healthy though since I started on MFP in April of 2015 at 13 lbs. higher than my starting weight at WW had been. I like MFP because it's simple, it's free, and I feel like I'm actually learning how to really make a lifestyle change instead of just dieting until I lose the weight.

missmagnoliablossom

Yep, I previously lost about 90 pounds with WW... And then the program switched. And kept switching. Annnnnd I slowly started to hate it. So this time around, I'm doing MFP, loving it, and saving money too!

trigden1991

Both methods rely on a calorie deficit to lose weight. Weight Watchers is not sustainable in the long run and teaches you nothing about portion control and how to handle "real world" food.

ShammersPink

The irony is, in Weightwatchers and other point systems that penalise foods deemed "unhealthy", if you were able to stick with it, you'd lose faster by choosing the "unhealthy" options, because you'd hit your daily budget with fewer calories.

It wouldn't be sustainable or good practice, but the scale would move.

osualex

I do like WW meetings, so I think I'll pay for another month or two but stop using the Points system. If I lose more weight (which would be like 3 lbs in a month) by just counting calories, I'll stop overall, or see if my health insurance covers it - the meetings are a great form of support and accountability but the Points system just leaves me hungry. 30 points could be like 900 calories or like 1500, it just depends.

Unknown

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seska422

DTO3167 wrote: »

I never tried weight watchers, but Myfitnesspal is basically a psychological scam. It's fake science, you can weigh in 5 weeks has never come true. Unless you buy food with bar codes, its a guess if the data is correct or not.
Truthfully, MFP wasn't the key to my 98 pound lose. A pen and paper could do the same or any app. No nutritionist i worked with recommends this site cause its data bank is inaccurate.

Why i still use it? Like I said, psychological scam. I have been a user since before UA bought myfitnesspal. I knew the origional creator before it was an app. Its just an addiction at this point.

1. Ignore the 5 week prediction. It just extrapolates how much you would lose if you consumed and expended exactly that amount of calories every day for 5 weeks and who eats and exercises the same every day? It's not "fake science" but it can be misleading if you don't understand that the simple math doesn't take all of the variables into account.

2. I don't use the MFP public database. I create each item in My Foods with the nutritional info from the box, the restaurant/company website, or the USDA website and use My Meals or My Recipes to get quite close on the calorie/nutrition info.

3. A pen and paper work just fine but aren't nearly as convenient. I've done pen and paper in the past with success but I'm tracking more parameters more easily with MFP in conjunction with other programs.

As for Weight Watchers, I've done it in the past (more than 30 years ago when I was pre-teen) and I hated meetings. If you like meetings, WW might be useful even if you decide to use a different food tracking method.

birgitkwood

Hmmm... @DTO3167, I've been using MFP since April and lost 90lbs. I've actually found the "5 weeks" thing remarkably accurate! Every 5 wks I set the number of the day as my mini-goal for 5 weeks hence (i put it in my calendar). Since I started MFP I've been hitting that mark every 5 weeks, within a lb or two - sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. Don't know if I'm an aberration, but it seems to work for me.

newheavensearth

The new points system is senseless. Tonight at the store I compared nutrition info on 2 protein drinks- same serving size and nutrtion data. Only difference was one drink had 20g protein and the other had 30g. Guess what? The 20g drink was 6 pts because less protein, the other was 2. The calories were exactly the same! Stupid system!

Wynterbourne

DTO3167 wrote: »

I never tried weight watchers, but Myfitnesspal is basically a psychological scam. It's fake science, you can weigh in 5 weeks has never come true. Unless you buy food with bar codes, its a guess if the data is correct or not.
Truthfully, MFP wasn't the key to my 98 pound lose. A pen and paper could do the same or any app. No nutritionist i worked with recommends this site cause its data bank is inaccurate.

Why i still use it? Like I said, psychological scam. I have been a user since before UA bought myfitnesspal. I knew the origional creator before it was an app. Its just an addiction at this point.

Sorry, @DTO3167 , but I'm going to have to second what @seska422 said:

seska422 wrote: »

1. Ignore the 5 week prediction. It just extrapolates how much you would lose if you consumed and expended exactly that amount of calories every day for 5 weeks and who eats and exercises the same every day? It's not "fake science" but it can be misleading if you don't understand that the simple math doesn't take all of the variables into account.

2. I don't use the MFP public database. I create each item in My Foods with the nutritional info from the box, the restaurant/company website, or the USDA website and use My Meals or My Recipes to get quite close on the calorie/nutrition info.

3. A pen and paper work just fine but aren't nearly as convenient. I've done pen and paper in the past with success but I'm tracking more parameters more easily with MFP in conjunction with other programs.

I've lost almost 125lbs using this site to assist me in keeping track of my calorie intake. That's what it's here for.

1.The five week prediction is exactly what it says it is "If every day was like today." And it can be accurate if that was the case, but that's almost never the case with most people, so it's easier just to keep that in mind and ignore it.

2. I double check every single database entry I use to make sure it was entered correctly. If it's incorrect, I fix it. They are completely up front about it being a almost completely user created database and it's your responsibility to confirm the entries. Not a big deal, easily done with the internet and taking a second to look at the back of your food containers.

3. I used pen and paper for about 4 months before I started using MFP. While I could go back to pen and paper, MFP is it's just so much quicker and more convenient.


I can't speak for today's WW. I used in successfully back in the late 80's when I was a teenager. I was going with my mother and she was paying so money wasn't a factor. That being said, the system they had in place back then was a good one as far as I'm concerned. It was the "Fat and Fiber Plan". You had a calorie goal, a maximum daily fat goal and a minimum fiber goal. A calorie was a calorie and nothing was off limits as long as you met your other goals. From what I've heard of today's point system, I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. I can't believe they've changed things in such a horrible manner from when I was with them.

MaybeLed

I've never done weight watchers, but hung around a lot of people who have. I know one person who has kept it of for 25+ years after just following the original plan (no meetings). Also I know one person who signs up every January, has lapsed by June re-gains the weight plus 5lb, then starts again.

It really depends on what you find sustainable. Both use calorie restriction for the same aims, just WW adds a ‘moral’ element which makes something worth more or less points by some fairly arbitrary rules.

I’ve told this before, and it’s not exactly the same, but I went on holiday with some friends, we were cooking together I was calorie counting, one girl was on SW. She was very restrictive.

At the end of the day we were sitting round the fire and I was eating toasted marshmallows, I know they fit my day because of MFP, she had run out of 'syns' so didn't have any. The thing is I know she couldn't have eaten more than 1000 kcal that day because we'd eaten exactly the same and I'd tracked. By reducing her calories to points she was essentially depriving herself of the knowledge of how CICO works.

Now some people just love the system, others rebound every time. I have chosen MFP as I want to know my 'allowance' and make sure my macros are adequate so I get good nutrition and maintain my LBM

So basically up to you, but I feel armed with more knowledge using MFP

sjfitafter4

I have a big sweet tooth. If I have a donut&hot cocoa (just example) I'm over my points for the day on ww!! I really like their system though. If you follow it you will get results. I just felt extremely restricted.

Carol_

If MFP had an in person meeting it would be perfect. Calories never ever change! I always loved Weight Watchers but now they are flip flopping all over the place. Even the meetings are more disorganized. Still..I count calories AND points I never switched to Smart Points though.