Weight Watchers vs MFP

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jesiniccole
jesiniccole Posts: 17 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I joined the new weight watchers that uses smart points. I hate it I compared that to mfp and it only gives me around 1000-1100 calories a day while mfp says I need about 1460! Any thoughts ?

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  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,071 Member
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    My understanding is that WW has some 'free foods' - veggies, some fruits, I think - and so they are expecting you to eat your 1100 plus a few hundred in free items - so the total would probably about the same as MFP's total.

    I would find that a confusing and inaccurate method myself - but it does explain why the base calories is lower.
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
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    WW plans for you to bring up your calories a bit with "free" foods.

    WW isn't precise enough for me, costs money, and I have no use at all for in-person group meetings. Some people may see those things as a feature rather than a bug.

    It's all about finding what works best for you personally.
  • metalmeow1
    metalmeow1 Posts: 111 Member
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    paperpudding wrote: »
    My understanding is that WW has some 'free foods' - veggies, some fruits, I think - and so they are expecting you to eat your 1100 plus a few hundred in free items - so the total would probably about the same as MFP's total.

    I would find that a confusing and inaccurate method myself - but it does explain why the base calories is lower.

    Yes and be careful, WWers come in here all the time asking why they aren't losing weight because WW ignores calories in fruits & veggies... Never ignore any calories
  • deeanah
    deeanah Posts: 14 Member
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    I did WW also and just canceled for this reason. Anything high in fat or carbs has higher points than protein so 30 daily points, for example, might be 1100 calories one day and 1400 the next depending on the foods.
    I personally found that this forced me to go for all the sugar free fat free junk rather than eating Whole Foods. I personally like MFP better for this reason.
  • sharonandwyatt
    sharonandwyatt Posts: 86 Member
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    I tried WW and lost weight. I tried MFP and lost weight. To me they are both similar in a lot ways. I like MFP much more because it's free.
  • Fit4sure
    Fit4sure Posts: 63 Member
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    Both are good. For different reasons.

    Ask someone who knows firsthand.

    I lost 120 lbs. on Weight Watchers as I needed the group support and a scale I couldn't shove under my bed and forget.

    I also like Myfitnesspal and dig calorie counting and the nutritional stats it has to offer. I do both. I like to switch things up to give me a different perspective, keep things fresh and keep me thinking. Currently I'm tracking calories. A few months from now I'll be counting Smartpoints. After that, I'll do Simply Filling (a lesser known part of WW). It all works depending on if I work it. Just go with what fits you best and that you'll actually DO.
  • mr910354
    mr910354 Posts: 11 Member
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    I agree with Fit4Sure. Benefits to both programs. I enjoy Connect (the WW community), the fact that it basically requires you to eat fruits/veggies, and I had a fair amount of success with the program. I find WW simpler. I like MFP because of the more detailed stats and its free. I think changing it up can help with motivation. Also, if you are an online only WW member (i.e. won't be able to achieve lifetime) transitioning to MFP makes sense as you shouldn't pay for an app the rest of your life. You may not track forever but having a tool to check back in and see how you are doing is beneficial.
  • Lizzypb88
    Lizzypb88 Posts: 367 Member
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    jesiniccole wrote: »
    So I joined the new weight watchers that uses smart points. I hate it I compared that to mfp and it only gives me around 1000-1100 calories a day while mfp says I need about 1460! Any thoughts ?

    This is EXACTLY why I made the full switch over to MFP from weight watchers, which was always my go to even as a teen!!

    They say you can eat what you want, but of course you pay for it in more points.. problem is, most people, from what I've seen or heard, including myself, are under the 1200 limit!! No one should be eating less than 1200 calories a day!

    I started off using this app alongside WW to make sure I was eating enough calories.. then I realized I was low on protein and high on carbs, so I watched that too, then I was like, my sodium is high!!... basically I weaned off of my beloved weight watchers! I think people who naturally eat healthy don't have a problem with doing weight watchers, but with how the program is more strict, weight watchers should have some kind of an alert if you're under 1200 calories a day!!
    My mom was at 800-900 a day last year on weight watchers!!
    I don't think it's a bad program, but not good for me or if you eat something with more sugar and it counting as most of your points for the day, which the program watches your sugar but then it allows you to eat under 1200 calories as a result!! It depends on your eating habits and the person, but I would definitely use this alongside to make sure your calories are at LEAST 1200 a day! Good luck
  • size102b
    size102b Posts: 1,370 Member
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    Ww is doninante now on lowering carbs which is odd as fruit has carbs
    Ww splits points now in uk daily and weekly tbh portion control with fruit and veg plus your weeklies divided into days will give you about 1400-1500 calories a day
  • perkymommy
    perkymommy Posts: 1,642 Member
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    jesiniccole wrote: »
    So I joined the new weight watchers that uses smart points. I hate it I compared that to mfp and it only gives me around 1000-1100 calories a day while mfp says I need about 1460! Any thoughts ?

    I'm on WW along with MFP. I lose consistently when I stay within my points on WW because MFP gives me a tiny bit more calories per day than WW does.
  • perkymommy
    perkymommy Posts: 1,642 Member
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    metalmeow1 wrote: »
    paperpudding wrote: »
    My understanding is that WW has some 'free foods' - veggies, some fruits, I think - and so they are expecting you to eat your 1100 plus a few hundred in free items - so the total would probably about the same as MFP's total.

    I would find that a confusing and inaccurate method myself - but it does explain why the base calories is lower.

    Yes and be careful, WWers come in here all the time asking why they aren't losing weight because WW ignores calories in fruits & veggies... Never ignore any calories

    I lost consistently on WW. I quit when I came here last year and the weight came off slower doing MFP. I ate a lot of the zero point foods on WW each day too. I rarely ate my activity points though which likely helped me out. Overall I prefer MFP but I'm back to doing WW again.
  • sg4e
    sg4e Posts: 9 Member
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    jesiniccole wrote: »
    So I joined the new weight watchers that uses smart points. I hate it I compared that to mfp and it only gives me around 1000-1100 calories a day while mfp says I need about 1460! Any thoughts ?
    jesiniccole wrote: »
    So I joined the new weight watchers that uses smart points. I hate it I compared that to mfp and it only gives me around 1000-1100 calories a day while mfp says I need about 1460! Any thoughts ?

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