New Weight Watchers Freestyle or Myfitnesspal?

LivingtheLeanDream

angelb1983 wrote: »

I think starting tomorrow I will set MFP to sedentary and eat exercise calories and see if that actually works. Sometimes Im skeptical that I can eat that amount and still lose because sometimes it is 2000+ calories when I am very active.

^^ Yes, this is what you should try. MFP way works I am petite and was able to eat around 1700-1800 cals a day and still lose.

jrochest

There's a bunch of threads discussing WW's new Freestyle program; I found them all when I had the same question a couple of months ago. I dislike it enough that I dropped WW entirely and started with MFP instead -- Freestyle is both too restrictive and not informative enough, the worst of both worlds. This is actually sensible: a calorie is a calorie. And it's free.

cebreisch

Back in April 2011, I was introduced to MFP by a bariatric surgeon’s office - went to see them about surgery that I ended up not having becuase i was losing weight pretty well on my own. I joined WW a few months after that, and using their math, I got more food than what the Dr.’s office wanted me to have....so I used that as my range.

THEN Freestyle and things came along. I don’t know much about the program other than what my sister’s told me about it. I’m going to go next week to a meeting to see what I can find out. I tried logging my food with both MFP and WW today. I’m under calories on MFP by just about 100 calories. and I’m under points on WW by 14 points.

My sister said that all lean protein is free. She’ said that even if you go to the deli for turkey or something, it’s very low points. She said it seems like they’ve “padded” other things to make them “more expensive”. If you’re going to make things like lean protein’s free, I guess you have to make up that loss somewhere.

Personally, I think that points is not something to really focus on. Logging food on MFP gives you data you can do something with. POints don’t tell you how much fat or carbs or protein you’ve had in a day. To be honest, when I’ve focused on those things (fats/carbs/protein/fiber), I’ve done SO MUCH BETTER at weight loss. I feel like it almost takes a nutritionist certification to lose weight anymore. BUT if it works, it works.

slw37

cebreisch wrote: »

My sister said that all lean protein is free. She’ said that even if you go to the deli for turkey or something, it’s very low points. She said it seems like they’ve “padded” other things to make them “more expensive”. If you’re going to make things like lean protein’s free, I guess you have to make up that loss somewhere.

That is incorrect; ALL lean proteins are definitely NOT free.

choppie70

I tried freestyle and I gained 6 lbs. I only used my daily points, never my weekly points or my fit points. Since I was doing the online version only, I went to a meeting to show my diary to someone there and they could not understand why I was not losing weight.

I knew why - free point foods still have calories. I can eat a banana for 0 points or eat a 100 calorie milky way bar for 5 points. They are still the same amount of calories.

I also found that WW was giving me a negative attitude about food and I was starting to feel guilt when choosing something that was a lot of points. I personally felt that it demonizes some foods - especially carbs. That negative mindset about food was what got me to the weight I am.

lbryans929

Hello, everyone! I am new here- I think it is Day 5. I really like it. I reached WW lifetime in 2010 having lost 32 lbs and was a leader for a few years until I returned to my career after my son went to K. Long story short I struggled on both Smart Pts and Freestyle ('17-'18). I finally realized that with the points system always changing I will keep paying and it won't always "work for me", whereas MFP is free and consistent. I like logging my food and not judging myself if I choose a sweet or a carb as long as I am in my cal limit. I love how I can put in a recipe URL and find the calories. What a great feature! This seems like a supportive thread. Thank you and I wish you all success and peace on the journey.

brandy_losinit

angelb1983 wrote: »

I keep bouncing back and forth on programs. I have lost over 20 pounds but sometimes feel deprived on weight watchers. I have a fitbit and I always struggle wondering how much to eat. I need to give it a chance when set to sedentary for it to tell me how much I burn. It is just so scary trusting a program. What has worked for you all? Obviously if you are here, maybe its MFP for you. Do you eat your fitbit adjustment?
Has anyone else tried the new weight watchers? Whats your opinions? I just feel so stuck....even though Im losing, it is taking forever because I seem to have a week on and a week off because when I don't allow myself to eat certain foods I end up just binging.
I think starting tomorrow I will set MFP to sedentary and eat exercise calories and see if that actually works. Sometimes Im skeptical that I can eat that amount and still lose because sometimes it is 2000+ calories when I am very active.

I have done both. Free style is good, but i think their 0sp list is a little much. Bananas and apples are good for you! Yes, but because they are 0sp and i am having an issue with my sweet tooth i may have 3 bananas. This is not good. Too much sugar, and calories at the end of the day. Plus ww costs are quite high. I did enjoy the meetings and i learned so much about myself. However, i am back here. It is free, and the daily nutrition label sheds great insight on a day's intake. I found myself eating enough sodium for a week in one day on ww. I have several cookbooks of theirs. Not many recipes have less than 600 mg of sodium. So, to answer the question... i use mfp and eat part of my fitbit/exercise adjustments. I learned that it figures your calorie goals with a deficit based on your normal daily activity/lifestyle and before exercise. I have a sedentary job, so my goal is just under 1300 calories daily. I had a much more active career when i joined before and my goal was 1600 cal per day.