MFP Over WW

trackmyday1973

Hello Everyone. I am new here. Today is my first day back on MFP. I was wondering what made you all decide to choose MFP over WW. I myself was debating which one to choose. I chose MFP because I can't afford WW, and also because I would rather track one thing (calories) as oppose to four (carbs, fat, fiber, protien).

I use to be a WW Meeting member. I didn't find the meetings that beneficial for me. Also, the accountability of the weekly weigh-in scale was not that important to me.

I thought...if I can do it alone for 6 days and 23 hours.... LOL I don't need the meeting for that one hour. I don't know....never found the meetings that helpful. Nothing new about it.

Just my opinion.

Your input is greatly appreciated.

Good luck to us all.

I am looking forward to this MFP journey

RoyBeck

Welcome. I couldn't believe the app was free for starters but once I started logging I began losing. I love the forums and all the advice given.

For me it's a whole world better than WW.

TammyP64

I was using WW online and to be honest with you I really didn't like it. I learned about MFP through a friend of mine. The website and mobile app is so much better than WW's and I find it easier to use. Also, MFP is pretty much the same thing without the monthly price tag added on...which is a win in itself!

kjoy_

if you wanted to merge both you could just use a free calories -> WW points converter online. but i like here a lot because there are more people in the 20-30 range than on WW, which helps me find people to relate to for support. also, i don't like weighing at the end of the day with all my clothes on AND in front of people - that would be one of my worst fears actually.

SuMcP

MFP is free and you track a universal unit of energy, the calorie. WW is expensive and the units don't translate easily in the real world. MFP every time. Good luck with it, and enjoy the journey :flowerforyou:

singlefemalelawyer

I did WW a few years ago and lost a bunch of weight, and then gained it all back when I stopped. I find MFP much better because it's free, it uses calories instead of "points" so it's easier to maintain long term, and the community and support here is much better. I realize now that it's a lifestyle change and I'm doing this for longer than a few months. It's very empowering to do this myself. Yes the weight loss is a bit slower, but this time it's going to stay off for good.

Good luck on your journey

HacheraTsarine

I downloaded the MFP app on my smartphone last November. I didn't even know there was a community, I just wanted to log the food I ate so I could see where I could trim in order to lose weight. It did work, but then I got lazy.

I would have never and would never consider WW. I mean, why pay for a service you can have for free? Also, brokea$$ students aren't made of money ;D

trackmyday1973

I agree with you all. MFP is so much more beneficial. Plus, it is true, MFP is much more longterm.

Thanks everyone for confirming I made the right decision with MFP

jkal1979

I started out with WW back in January and switched over to MFP a few months ago. Some of the topics that they were covering in the meetings (like table settings for an entire month) were uninteresting and exercise wasn't really covered unless they were trying to push the Active Link. I kind of got sucked into believing that I just needed to be more active by parking further away or taking the stairs.

What really got me to switch to MFP was their food diary and phone app. Both are a lot more user friendly and the food database is a lot bigger.

Denise1224

MFP is free and you track a universal unit of energy, the calorie. WW is expensive and the units don't translate easily in the real world. MFP every time. Good luck with it, and enjoy the journey :flowerforyou:

^This!! Good luck to you in your journey

msfine2328

I've done both. I like MFP better 1:because its free, 2: it is easier with the counting and all that. I dont want to knock WW because I did loose a lot of weight with it but I have lost with MFP. I lost myself there for awhile and wasnt doing much here so I have gained some back. Most people here are very supportive

ken_hogan

I really did like WW and had good success....lost ~75 pounds. I then got complacient and got tired of figuring out points and switched to online WW vs. going to meetings. I tracked sometimes but not all the time. I got tired of spending my money on a program that I wasn't following 100% and stopped WW. I finally foung MFP, which like someone else mentioned is FREE, and have had great luck here. I LOVED WW, but like I said, I was getting a little lazy figuring out points and was tired of paying for a plan I wasn't giving my 110% to.

QuincyChick

I've used MFP successfully in the past (lot about 12 pounds last time around) and kept it off. I joined WW a few months go (online trial period) and it just wasn't for me. I prefer MFP!

segwayne

I was in WW for over a year. 15 months to be precise, and it worked for me for the first 12 months (in Chesapeake). I lost nearly 70 pounds. My original meeting group and leader were fantastic, then I moved to the DC area which is far more "Yankee" than Chesapeake. The meeting leader at my local center -- the only one with reasonable meeting times -- continually made negative comments and totally inappropriate suggestions to the point that I just gave up.

Now 35 pounds heavier, I'm trying the MFP / Fitbit / bicycling route to take control over things without spending $45/month...

Unlike you, I preferred the points method where I just punched in something on the phone and it tracked it all for me. Once I found that 1 WW "Point" was almost always 37 calories, it lost a little bit of the fun factor for me as I could just convert calories to points in my head...

Luckily, MFP does the online presence part SO MUCH BETTER than WW ever did that I find it easier to use, and it's FREE...

I do miss the person-to-person accountability and support of the meetings, but again, I'm now dealing with "Yankees" in the DC Area versus Southerners in Chesapeake, so it's not quite hard to miss.

Wayne

WannabeStressFree

I love it here over WW because I find WW doesn't promote too much exercise or athleticism, more so it didn't really help me when trying to figure out calories burned in exercise, the points system is so cryptic to me!
I love the attitude in MFP over WW, younger and out of the box.

not to mention it's FREE here!! love it!
welcome!

deedzzz

I was a member of WW. I joined it first because i knew paying money would be more accountable, and make me stick to the program. But after the initial 3 months (which i had paid for at subscription), i figured WW didn't have anything else to teach me. I didn't want to waste 20$/month (online WW) for something i could do for free.
Besides WW's points are a bit too confusing, as opposed to simply using calories.
Another thing, i did NOT like WW's community, members were mean, had that holier than thou spirit and were always judgmental.

MFP's community is so nice and helpful. WW had me on a 1040 cal/day and did not encourage me to eat back my exercise calories.
Once i joined MFP, i learned a lot. about TDEE, BMR, weight training vs cardio

wildrose53

I like the fact I can see my daily calorie intake. It's as simple as this...the lower the calories you eat, the more weight you lose. Also the friends I have made on here are so supportive!

AnaCoffee

I did WW a few years ago and lost a bunch of weight, and then gained it all back when I stopped. I find MFP much better because it's free, it uses calories instead of "points" so it's easier to maintain long term, and the community and support here is much better. I realize now that it's a lifestyle change and I'm doing this for longer than a few months. It's very empowering to do this myself. Yes the weight loss is a bit slower, but this time it's going to stay off for good.

Good luck on your journey

I could have written the above too! :flowerforyou:

I first did WW meetings about 12 years ago, lost close to 60 lbs, and gave up when I plateaued for over a month and all they could tell me was to "keep trying for those last few pounds to reach goal" even though I was thrilled with how I looked and wasn't that what they were preaching - to learn to love your body?

Like you though, OP, I didn't find the meetings very useful. Our leader kept stressing her friend's health food store that was 45 minutes+ from where I live. (Funny how I now drive that far to stock up at Whole Foods 2-3 times a year.) She also kept touting artificial sweeteners, which I don't do, and if I heard to "just throw away your left over food, especially after a party" one more time, I was going to scream. Hub works with those in need. We *do not throw out food* unless it's gone bad. You use it up or freeze for later. It's not only for the principle of the thing, but a waste of money, which we don't have a lot of.

I later tried WW online and soon gave that up. I've also tried using my old materials from before, and a friend's when she'd gone back to meetings years later.

One last thing I didn't like - being told that X, Y, and Z were healthy must eats, then never having the points for them. I think a tiny serving of almonds was 3 points. Why would I eat them if I could have something more filling? This was before I became a vegetarian though, learned more about nutrition, and changed my diet. I'm still working on my attitude towards food.

Anyway, I'm not saying WW is bad. There are plenty of success stories and folks here who love it. I just like here better because it's easier to keep track of things. (I don't have the convenience of a smart phone either.) I feel like I'm more accountable here and owning up to my mistakes more - like the 1.5 lbs I just gained. I lived up to it and the friends I've made here have been really supportive. To each their own, of course. Figure out what works for you and what you think you can stick with.

sylviaegashira

I agree with you. I just cancelled my membership with WW's. I would have stuck to it had it not been for an insignificant employee who made a negative comment to me. I'm not that fat but felt like I was a whale after she spoke to me. I was with WW's for a little over a year and lost 40 pounds. I stand by that program. But I agree with everyone else by saying MFP is free. But I do miss the interaction face to face with the people at the meetings and following their journeys face to face. I miss being a part of people's success and also knowing what it's like when we fall back. I'm hoping I can get some support here. It's harder because I don't see people face to face on MFP. I think no matter what we do need that accountability factor. And even though I hated weighing in, that kept me accountable so I in turn tried to do my best. I hope I can find a good group of people here who can keep me accountable and would love to do the same for them.

sylviaegashira

one thing i do miss about WW's was that it was easy to log in fruits and veggies since they were 0 points! LOL! But i think MFP has a larger database for sure! Much easier to use I think.

sylviaegashira

BTW my profile says I joined in 2010. but i started this back then and couldn't get the swing of things. then 2 years later joined WW's and recently cancelled it after a year or so. I just started back on MFP this week. I'm used to the logging all your food so it's easier for me this time around.

TheCaren

For me, WW made it easier to just eat garbage while staying within my points. Lost a lot of weight. Found all of it and some of its friends before finally getting on MFP and starting all over again. I like that I can watch the nutrition information of my choice (I keep an eye in proteins and sugars, others on carbs, etc.) and not just calories or points. Not sure what the WW app gives you there.

MFP is free. Bonus.

And the forums on here are awesome!

RockinTerri

For me it's about personal accountability. Yes, MFP is free whereas WW is not, but it's much easier for me to track and get daily feedback than to attend a weekly meeting. With the MFP app on my phone, I can log anywhere I am, and oftentimes get instantaneous feedback with my questions, concerns, and even my accomplishments. And forums on the online site are so easy to navigate to see if someone has a similar concern.

MarieCoreaa1

MFP-is free, WW is not. This is a great program, and personal accountability is what is needed if you are going to stick to loosing the weight. I did WW online and was able to loose 20+ pounds. I'm not where I want to be with my weight yet, but I think that being that MFP is easier to track, the database is huge. The encouragement is great. I like the site very much. :happy:

spottedkathy

I left because of cost for one. Why pay to track your stuff when you can track on here for free. I am doing better on here as well. Less stress for me....

rml_16

MFP is free. But I learned a lot about healthy eating with WW and it got me into some really good habits.

Plus, I much prefer the community here. I "met" some good people in the WW community, but I also met some real pieces of work. Over here, people are much more sane, in general.

Shelley6591

It's free, the food database is amazing plus I can add things easily, tracking is key for me and being able to use my phone is HUGE for me, I LOVE it! I was on ww twice, both times I lost a lot of weight quickly but I felt very restricted so as soon as I stopped I gained it all back, for me MFP has been life changing, I mean really THAT much sugar in a banana?! I had NO CLUE!!! Everyone in my house is benefiting from MFP. WW online didn't work for me at all, I thought it was an accountability thing but obviously not since this is working, WW meetings were too far from my house, I never had time and I HATED Points Plus, it is so expensive too, I'd rather spend that money on good food or a personal trainer.

chai_masala

I loved watching Betty go to Weight Watchers on Mad Men. Might be partly why I consider it kind of antiquated.

KANGOOJUMPS

WW sucks.

rml_16

I loved watching Betty go to Weight Watchers on Mad Men. Might be partly why I consider it kind of antiquated.

It's an eat less/move more program. Is that antiquated?

And it's changed by might years since the 1960s. It's simply a different way of counting calories, which is all MFP is. There is an online program where you don't have to go to meetings.

trackmyday1973

I found the new points plus to slow down my welght loss. I am not sure how they can say fruit and veggies are zero points. I know people don't get overweight by eating fruits and veggies. However, fruit has sugar and calories, veggies not as many calories. But, if we are going to be truthful about calories in vs calories out....we can't lie to ourselves and say fruits and veggies are free. They still account for calories.

I think this new Points Plus plan needs tweeking. Plus, they penalize you on the WW plan for fat. Some of the fat can be good fats (olive oil, avocado). They don't take that into account.

I understand WW is a business. I use to hate how they would promote healthy eating and sell bars, and candy.