Long term success stats MFP v slimming clubs?

roamingmum

According to a weight watchers study (2007) 20% of their members have maintained their goal weight after 2 years 16% after 5. Looking at media reports, statistics for long term diet success rates usually suggest the vast majority will fail 97%+. I am curious to know if there are any stats on the success rate of MFP?

kommodevaran

Those studies are pretty pointless. If you start overeating again, you gain weight again. If you stick to appropriate amounts of food/calories, you maintain weight. MFP is only a tool, and as every tool it only works if you use it properly.

crackpotbaby

Discussing long term success rates of different methodologies is pointless?

Of course MFP is a tool. So are other programs.

The OP is talking about comparisons regarding which of these tools demonstrate the best rates of continued success.

Of course if you start overeating again you will gain weight. Considering which tools/programs best set people up (by looking at statistical data) not to fall in to that pattern again is hardly pointless.

kommodevaran

Any tool can be used or misused. Even MFP get misused. I think discussing how to help people use (good) tools correctly is more useful.

roamingmum

kommodevaran wrote: »

Those studies are pretty pointless. If you start overeating again, you gain weight again. If you stick to appropriate amounts of food/calories, you maintain weight. MFP is only a tool, and as every tool it only works if you use it properly.

This is true but weight watchers is a multi million £ company who claim they have the answer to weight loss yet they have a failure rate of 84%. This can only mean that the tool they use is failing most of their customers. MFP must have reams of data on members successes and failures.

Perhaps long term success rates should be clearly displayed to enable people to make a choice between weight loss/maintenance 'tools'

kommodevaran

Desperate people will make terrible choices no matter how well informed they are. Noone can be educated against their will.

seska422

Unlike MFP, Weight Watchers costs money. That means that they have a better handle on who is actually using their method and for how long. They record measurements as a part of membership.

MFP is free. I would imagine that most of the people who try MFP aren't here for more than a week or two. The people who stick it out longer than that may or may not be logging or inputting their stats over time.

A meaningful comparison of success between WW and MFP would require more reliable tracking info than MFP actually has available.

roamingmum

I wonder if the WW figures include people who start and leave in January or only people who reach their goal weight?

HappyGrape

I imagine only people that actually reach their goal

TimothyFish

65% of dieters return to their pre-diet weight within three years. That means that 35% don't. So, the Weight Watchers numbers are probably about average. I would expect the same from MFP. It is a little hard to compare numbers like that because different marketing departments emphasize different things.

lorrpb

The data is self reported and thus is skewed. If someone regains, they might choose not to answer the survey, whereas successful maintainers will feel eager to respond.
Be aware of this insidious tendency to regain, and come up with a plan to make sure it doesn't happen to you this time. Read through threads on mfp about people who successfully maintained.

AnnPT77

Also, on the WW side of the story: In the statistics, what happens to people who hit their goal, then drop out? They can only be measuring length of maintenance for people who stick around, it would seem to me.

(I know it's free for folks who maintain. But I've known several folks who wanted to give up the WW structure, meetings, etc., once they reached goal. Based on the small and statistically ridiculous sample of my acquaintances, those who stick around WW post-goal seem to be more successful at maintaining than those who don't. That would make me suspect that the WW long-term success figures are somewhat overstated.)

+1 to the idea that producing stats from MFP is a lost cause. Some people (or sock puppets) join just to troll, for heaven's sake.

cwolfman13

I would think it all to be pretty similar. The bottom line is that people generally fail to actually change the way they live their life in the long run, regardless of the tool or methodology used.

laceyslabaugh

Once you meet your goal with WW, and maintain (not going over more than 2 lbs of your goal weight) for 6 continuous weeks of weighing in, you become "Lifetime" status with WW. Online and meetings are free as long as you do not go over that 2 lbs above your 'goal weight'. You have to WI 1x/month to maintain the "free" status. Once you go over that 2 lbs (even if by .2) you have to pay week to week until you are back under that.

I agree - ALL programs (points or low calorie) diets will work - if you work the program. You can't lost 20 lbs and then go back to old eating habits without gaining weight.