To Weight Watchers or not WW?
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So I'm with WW right now but my losses are disappointing so I am looking with interest at this thread, with MFP does everyone weigh their vegetables and salad? Basically do you weight every single morsel that goes past your lips?
Yes because I'm a volume eater so my veggies can easily be 150 cals/meal x3 and there goes your deficit if you're not counting veggies.0 -
I did WW about 20 years ago or so. The accountability was helpful for me I think. It is now cost prohibitive for me with modern technology and apps like this with practically every food imaginable in the data base. Mfp makes way mire sense now. I also wound up binging more often when doing WW. Not sure if it the program or if I have changed but I do better with this. As long as I consistently folliw a plan to keep myself in check either will cause weight loss but MFP is so much more convenient and free.0
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So I'm with WW right now but my losses are disappointing so I am looking with interest at this thread, with MFP does everyone weigh their vegetables and salad? Basically do you weight every single morsel that goes past your lips?
At this point, it's more that I'm aware that I should be. Until coming here, I didn't realize that measuring cups and spoons are often inaccurate for solids/dry foods. In some cases, using them can add 50–150 extra calories. Now, I still do reach for measuring cups more often than I don't. And I like to take time each week to plan my menus and when I'm putting a recipe into the tracker, I will use cups of flour or the generic entries for "1 medium carrot" etc.
The thing is, I recognize that this is less accurate than weighing and, while my weight-loss has been steady, my starting body weight was 124 lbs above goal (now 83). With this far to go, even if I'm a couple of hundred calories over, the weight is still coming off. But from reading other threads, it seems that for a lot of people, the closer you get to goal, the tighter your margin for error in calculation, because the closer you are to goal, the less aggressive your weight-loss target should be.
So, the way I see it, right now, I'm trying half-heartedly to break a habit and I'm coming up against 1) the fact that habits tend to be hard to break 2) I'm losing weight, so there's no real incentive.
But sooner or later, I've got a feeling my weight-loss is going to slow down or plateau and, at that point, I'll need to take a hard look at what I can do to start things moving in the right direction. And if, by that point, I haven't gotten used to weighing everything, that'll be the first thing I tackle.1 -
I did successfully lose weight with WW about 15 or so years ago, became a lifetime member and actually worked for them for a couple of years. At that time, there was at least co-relation between calories and points. IIRC, there was a formula where around 60 calories equaled one point.
Tried it again a few years ago after I put back on about 15 lbs and really couldn't find success that time around. Part of the problem was the whole concept of Zero Points. Implied that you could - and many, including me, did - eat unlimited amounts of those foods. While those foods were mostly vegetables and some fruits, they may not have points but they do have calories which add up!
The other thing is that WW is really not interested in member success - ie. a successful lifestyle change based on healthy eating & activity. At that point, you are not a revenue source for them. One of my biggest beefs was that there wasn't any support for lifetime members in terms long term maintenance.
Much prefer the MFP program - based on CICO - nice and simple!1 -
I joined WW Online in February, and cancelled after 2 weeks. I found it incredibly restrictive, due to the way that the plan policed the food I chose (e.g. 7 points for a 250kcal ready-meal), and I was extremely hungry all of the time. I dual-logged in MFP for the second week, and discovered that I was only eating 1100kcals a day! I cancelled WW and fully came back to MFP; I'm now eating what I like, I'm not hungry and am still losing weight.0
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estherdragonbat wrote: »So I'm with WW right now but my losses are disappointing so I am looking with interest at this thread, with MFP does everyone weigh their vegetables and salad? Basically do you weight every single morsel that goes past your lips?
At this point, it's more that I'm aware that I should be. Until coming here, I didn't realize that measuring cups and spoons are often inaccurate for solids/dry foods. In some cases, using them can add 50–150 extra calories. Now, I still do reach for measuring cups more often than I don't. And I like to take time each week to plan my menus and when I'm putting a recipe into the tracker, I will use cups of flour or the generic entries for "1 medium carrot" etc.
The thing is, I recognize that this is less accurate than weighing and, while my weight-loss has been steady, my starting body weight was 124 lbs above goal (now 83). With this far to go, even if I'm a couple of hundred calories over, the weight is still coming off. But from reading other threads, it seems that for a lot of people, the closer you get to goal, the tighter your margin for error in calculation, because the closer you are to goal, the less aggressive your weight-loss target should be.
So, the way I see it, right now, I'm trying half-heartedly to break a habit and I'm coming up against 1) the fact that habits tend to be hard to break 2) I'm losing weight, so there's no real incentive.
But sooner or later, I've got a feeling my weight-loss is going to slow down or plateau and, at that point, I'll need to take a hard look at what I can do to start things moving in the right direction. And if, by that point, I haven't gotten used to weighing everything, that'll be the first thing I tackle.
^^Ditto. Although down 75 lbs I'm starting to work on the accuracy a bit more.1 -
I liked Points Plus and lost a ton of weight. Then they switched to smart points and I left. After I gained my lost weight back, I thought I'd join again. I lost a bit of weight, 15 lbs... but they don't really account for people who need to eat a lower deficit because they have other goals (ie. want to maintain muscle mass, etc.). I ended up having to eat a lot of carbs because I was doing some medical testing, and I was STARVING all the time (bread costs more than chicken and vegetables...) so I stopped tracking. I cam here, instead.
I would save your money. The community is good, and the meetings are good if you have a good leader. But there isn't anything magical about WW that you can't get here... for free.0 -
Tacklewasher wrote: »So, if you are on WW and decide to have a chocolate bar, doesn't that mean you compensate by eating less of the nutrition you need? And, because they bump up the points for the chocolate bar as a "bad" item, the penalty in reduced "good" foods may lead you to a nutritional deficit?
Am I missing something or does this make WW really unhealthy?
WW was an excellent plan years ago, but apparently it has changed. I did WW back in 2002 -2004, and lost 60 pounds, and learned to eat SO much healthier. It was the old 1-2-3 points system, and it worked great. No eating disorders LOL.0 -
So I'm with WW right now but my losses are disappointing so I am looking with interest at this thread, with MFP does everyone weigh their vegetables and salad? Basically do you weight every single morsel that goes past your lips?
Every single thing. I don't see why that is a big deal though? I did WW many years ago, and I weighed my food then too. The only difference is that I used a much crappier scale then. The new digital ones are far nicer.
Hmmm I guess this has to do with the plan changes they have put in place.0 -
I don't know why you would spend the $$ on weight watchers when you can just measure your food and track what you eat. You simply eat less than you burn and you will lose.0
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songbird13291 wrote: »The "why" of a points program is to steer you towards the more nutritionally dense foods, to make it easier to eat a healthy diet. You'll snack on an orange -- zero points -- rather than a chocolate bar.
It doesn't always work, though, does it? Some of us have to be able to eat that chocolate bar occasionally to stay sane and on program.
I think that's what they tried to do with the free vegetables from long ago, but it seems they're doing everything in their power to NOT teach you about the energy balance. The old way left people frustrated when they didn't lose weight after over eating vegetables and this way they form a disgusting relationship with food because they're penalized for autonomy in food choices. Weight Watchers is a joke.
I guess I was lucky? The old way helped me to learn to like veggies. I rarely ever ate them before doing WW. I surely never had to worry about overeating them. LOL! I have a much healthier approach to food now, and I do attribute that to WW.
Seems like common sense that you can't eat an endless amount of food and expect to lose. Pretty sure the materials covered that. I think people just sometimes read what they want to read.
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fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »songbird13291 wrote: »The "why" of a points program is to steer you towards the more nutritionally dense foods, to make it easier to eat a healthy diet. You'll snack on an orange -- zero points -- rather than a chocolate bar.
It doesn't always work, though, does it? Some of us have to be able to eat that chocolate bar occasionally to stay sane and on program.
I think that's what they tried to do with the free vegetables from long ago, but it seems they're doing everything in their power to NOT teach you about the energy balance. The old way left people frustrated when they didn't lose weight after over eating vegetables and this way they form a disgusting relationship with food because they're penalized for autonomy in food choices. Weight Watchers is a joke.
I guess I was lucky? The old way helped me to learn to like veggies. I rarely ever ate them before doing WW. I surely never had to worry about overeating them. LOL! I have a much healthier approach to food now, and I do attribute that to WW.
Seems like common sense that you can't eat an endless amount of food and expect to lose. Pretty sure the materials covered that. I think people just sometimes read what they want to read.
It got confusing when you tried to figure out the points for a recipe with vegetables out of their own cookbook/magazine/card. Because then, all of a sudden, the vegetables counted for calories. This was when the points had a roughly consistent caloric value (about 40-50 calories to the point in general, with high-fibre foods coming in around 60/pt). So, it became... "Wait. If I have a half a cup of rice and a half a cup of beans, and then make a side salad of tomato, carrot, cucumber, scallion, and celery, and romaine and a half tablespoon of vinaigrette... that's 5 points—2 each for rice and beans, 1 for the vinaigrette and the veggies don't count. But if I make this recipe called "Black bean and white rice salad" that calls on me to add in those same veggies plus the vinaigrette... now it's up to 7 points? What gives?"
Maybe it's changed since then, but I never quite understood why mixing everything together in one bowl cost more than eating them separately on my plate.0 -
CasperNaegle wrote: »I don't know why you would spend the $$ on weight watchers when you can just measure your food and track what you eat. You simply eat less than you burn and you will lose.
Some folks like/need the meetings and weigh ins that come with WW. If it helps them, than more power to them. Would not help me so I don't do WW.0 -
I am on it and love it. I am someone who likes structure. The foods you end up being incentivized to eat are more filling than ones they make higher in points, so you feel more satisfied and end up eating fewer calories. I get 30 points a day and a weekly allowance and that averages out to about 1250-1500 calories a day, depending on what I decide to eat, plus more that can be spent on a few dinners out. It might be a behavioral thing, but this plan really works for me. I have learned to stop when satisfied rather than full, and knowing I "could" eat an apple when I feel like snacking but am not actually hungry results in me not eating anything, rather than plowing through some animal crackers...the animal crackers and apple could have the same calorie count, but I am not willing to give up a glass of wine over the weekend for stupid animal crackers, and an apple just isn't that appealing as a mindless nibble. So I do eat less, and think the point system really helps with that.0
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estherdragonbat wrote: »It got confusing when you tried to figure out the points for a recipe with vegetables out of their own cookbook/magazine/card. Because then, all of a sudden, the vegetables counted for calories. This was when the points had a roughly consistent caloric value (about 40-50 calories to the point in general, with high-fibre foods coming in around 60/pt). So, it became... "Wait. If I have a half a cup of rice and a half a cup of beans, and then make a side salad of tomato, carrot, cucumber, scallion, and celery, and romaine and a half tablespoon of vinaigrette... that's 5 points—2 each for rice and beans, 1 for the vinaigrette and the veggies don't count. But if I make this recipe called "Black bean and white rice salad" that calls on me to add in those same veggies plus the vinaigrette... now it's up to 7 points? What gives?"
Maybe it's changed since then, but I never quite understood why mixing everything together in one bowl cost more than eating them separately on my plate.
Yeah I never made anything like that so I guess it was never confusing for me. I found it to be pretty simple to follow.
It worked for me. Clearly it didn't work for some. 0 -
Tacklewasher wrote: »CasperNaegle wrote: »I don't know why you would spend the $$ on weight watchers when you can just measure your food and track what you eat. You simply eat less than you burn and you will lose.
Some folks like/need the meetings and weigh ins that come with WW. If it helps them, than more power to them. Would not help me so I don't do WW.
Oh I never joined. Hell no. There is no freaking way I would do group meetings, or *gasp* weigh myself in front of someone!
I bought the materials on eBay. But it served its purpose - I learned what I needed to. 0 -
I looked at the new program, but 1/3 of my points would be used by the time I fulfilled my daily dairy due to the fact that they now treat all sugars the same, so the sugar in dairy raises a cup of skim milk to 3 sp. Yogurt the same etc. These are healthy foods for me that my Dr. wants me to eat.
Straight calorie counting makes more sense to me.
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fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »So I'm with WW right now but my losses are disappointing so I am looking with interest at this thread, with MFP does everyone weigh their vegetables and salad? Basically do you weight every single morsel that goes past your lips?
Every single thing. I don't see why that is a big deal though? I did WW many years ago, and I weighed my food then too. The only difference is that I used a much crappier scale then. The new digital ones are far nicer.
Hmmm I guess this has to do with the plan changes they have put in place.
Not really a big deal as such, but seems very disheartening to think that to maintain a healthy weight I'm going to have to forever weight my food
Sorry, probably just a bad day for me!0 -
Tacklewasher wrote: »CasperNaegle wrote: »I don't know why you would spend the $$ on weight watchers when you can just measure your food and track what you eat. You simply eat less than you burn and you will lose.
Some folks like/need the meetings and weigh ins that come with WW. If it helps them, than more power to them. Would not help me so I don't do WW.
I can see that.1 -
fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »So I'm with WW right now but my losses are disappointing so I am looking with interest at this thread, with MFP does everyone weigh their vegetables and salad? Basically do you weight every single morsel that goes past your lips?
Every single thing. I don't see why that is a big deal though? I did WW many years ago, and I weighed my food then too. The only difference is that I used a much crappier scale then. The new digital ones are far nicer.
Hmmm I guess this has to do with the plan changes they have put in place.
Not really a big deal as such, but seems very disheartening to think that to maintain a healthy weight I'm going to have to forever weight my food
Sorry, probably just a bad day for me!
You may not have to. Or you may. Time will tell. Wait. Am I answering your question or my own?
Seriously. I'm losing weight and using calorie counting and a food scale to do it. I have no idea if I will be able to maintain with these tools or not and I won't know for at least a year, if not longer. But right now the tools are helping me lose weight so I will continue to use them.
I do know that I'm down 75 lbs and there is no way in hell I'm going to gain those back. I have more to lose but even if I don't lose another ounce, I'm not going back to 330 lbs and that means far more to me than the frustration of weighing food does.2 -
fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »So I'm with WW right now but my losses are disappointing so I am looking with interest at this thread, with MFP does everyone weigh their vegetables and salad? Basically do you weight every single morsel that goes past your lips?
Every single thing. I don't see why that is a big deal though? I did WW many years ago, and I weighed my food then too. The only difference is that I used a much crappier scale then. The new digital ones are far nicer.
Hmmm I guess this has to do with the plan changes they have put in place.
Not really a big deal as such, but seems very disheartening to think that to maintain a healthy weight I'm going to have to forever weight my food
Sorry, probably just a bad day for me!
I've been logging/weighing food since 2002. I know that I will have to do that the rest of my life, if I want to NOT wind up back in the shape I was in. I enjoy snacking and junk food too much, and I know it, so I have make sure I stay aware of what I eat each day. I am fine with that. But that does not mean that YOU will have to do that, forever. Everyone is different.1 -
So I'm with WW right now but my losses are disappointing so I am looking with interest at this thread, with MFP does everyone weigh their vegetables and salad? Basically do you weight every single morsel that goes past your lips?
I've never weighed my food and I've lost over 40 pounds so far. To me learning to eyeball portions is more useful than weighing food to figure out the exact grams.0 -
BlueSkyShoal wrote: »So I'm with WW right now but my losses are disappointing so I am looking with interest at this thread, with MFP does everyone weigh their vegetables and salad? Basically do you weight every single morsel that goes past your lips?
I've never weighed my food and I've lost over 40 pounds so far. To me learning to eyeball portions is more useful than weighing food to figure out the exact grams.
Eyeballing is great, until it isn't. I prefer the comfort I get on knowing for sure what I am consuming. I gained back 15 pounds by "eyeballing". You'd think I would be a better judge by now, but clearly I'm one of those that does best with a scale.0
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