What is your opinion of Weight Watchers?
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I think a lot of people over think the whole diet and workout lifestyle. Keep it simple and stick with the basics. For starters nothing healthy comes from a box. Eat a balanced diet of fruit, vegetables, and lean meat. Getting out and walking, running, hiking, kayaking, biking anything that increases your heart rate for a extended period of time is all you need to be healthy. Start off slow with your workouts so you don't over do it right off. Always change up what you are doing to keep it interesting. Walk, run, hike or bike different trails. Kayak new lakes and rivers. The world is you gym and you can change the scenery any time you want. Best of luck!12
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gearhead is right. Thing is, I need more support which is why I tried WW and why I come to MFP.
It always worked for me, because (for me) it's mostly about portion control and support with the meetings.
When Oprah invested $43,000,000 in WW in 2016, it seems to me that took it to a whole new money making level. I haven't done it with the Freestyle, but I don't think I would like it. I follow several people on IG who use it and love it, and it's working for them. I use the recipes they post but I track calories here, not smart points.0 -
The innovative part of WW was the meetings + logging, everything else is a gimmick.
MFP is a cheaper alternative than WW online, but if you are a sociable person, the meetings and weigh ins could be very beneficial.1 -
do not waste your money, it is a business, they make money !
I dont think that in itself is a reason to discount it.
Lots of things that benifit us are a business and make money - I don't not go to the doctors or the dentist because it is a business and makes money
The question, as with everything we spend money on, is Is this money well spent and am I benifitting from it?
For some people, those who like personal real life support and find the sociable aspect of meetings enjoyable and motivating - perhaps the answer is Yes.
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I haven't been on WW, but a few friends of mine have and here's my arm's length opinion of it.
Based on your post, you seem to recognize that being active and mobile was a huge component in you losing the weight you previously lost. And you're also making the connection that being in a desk job, where you aren't nearly as active, makes it difficult to keep the weight off.
So your experience plus my opinion: you had a job that was pretty active, and had a physical component to it, and it sounds like you changed your eating habits during that time. Was this change because of WW? Is this a change you could do on your own? WW, to me, is a glorified and expensive MFP. It works for some people, because accountability is huge. But really, you get a specific number of points (you get a specific number of calories per day, too) and if you go over you gain weight. You get extra points for activity (you'll get extra calories for exercise) that you can eat daily. I think if you like the aspect of accountability, weekly weigh ins and chat sessions you can find that in a friend, or even on here. I don't think you need WW especially when you have the basics yourself. Being active after you've been at work all day can be an effort, but you don't need to exercise to lose you just have to eat within your calories.
And about feeling hungry: you might for a couple days because previously with your job you were able to eat a little more since you burned more calories during the day. This will adjust over time and you won't feel hungry on your amount of food. I'd give it like a week, or so.
All in all, you sound like you have a great foundation and could get back on track with a little focus and effort so I don't think WW would be a benefit to you that you couldn't do on your own. Save the money
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I enjoy Weight Watchers, especially the meeting component. I have lost weight using MFP alone, and on WW....WW is better for me because the meetings make me more accountable. I found it too easy to fall off of an online only program like MFP. This is my opinion only. There is no denying that WW is expensive, for me it is worth it. WW teaches you a lifestyle plan that is easy to follow for the rest of your life...it isn't a diet, it shows you how to be mindful of what and how much you are eating. It is a great option for those who need a little peer pressure to stay on track.2
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They don't teach you how to eat in a long term.....just about the money$
Respectfully disagree with this. They do teach you how to eat long term, by weighing your food and learning portion control, what a real portion should be. Realizing that if you eat like you always have - which must be too much - you won't lose weight. If you're used to eating an 8 oz steak with a baked potato smothered in butter and sour cream, and not much veggies - that's not a portion that will allow weight loss. But - you can still have the steak, baked potato, butter & sour cream, just smaller amounts.
That said, it is a business. It works for some, not for others. I don't like the idea of the freestyle, but I'm following several people on IG who are working the program and seeing success.0 -
I personally don’t Understand why you would consider it when you can use mfp which is free0
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i've never tried weight watchers groups and i don't know what the new program is like, but i've tried using their old diet method and found it recommended too many salty soups. i ended up with high blood pressure and i think that was a contributing factor. so if you try it go easy on the salt. but i do remember having a friend who lost like 60 pounds with them.0
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I first tried WW in maybe 2002 or 3 and I lost 63 lbs. I didn’t know much about healthy eating or portion control and it helped me be successful at learning that. The weekly weigh-in motivated me. But the group was massive and the leader was uninspiring, so I eventually quit.
I decided to try again in 2010 after I had my son, and I loved the people at the meeting and the group leader was fantastic. I lost quite a bit of weight, but suddenly they switched to points plus (I think that’s what it was) and after a while I stopped going. I realized that I didn’t need to be paying all that money to make smart choices about my health. I had the knowledge by that time to be successful on my own.
Since then I have realized that it is a money making business, and a bit of a scam. I feel like they change things to set people up for failure so they have to keep coming back. The way the program is now makes no sense to me. I recently read that fruit is calorie free? How does that make sense?
I liked the community aspect of the meetings, but now I have that on MFP, and it’s free! No more weight watchers for me.1 -
My MIL has been losing and gaining the same 30 pounds in as many years with WW. And forking over money to them all the while.3
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Minority Report
I’m a 70yo Guy who lost weight several times by joining WW. My wife lost 100+ in 1970s and was a WW Mtg Ldr.
Every time I lost weight but never stayed with the Program and gained it all back plus more.
In 2012 I weighed 376# and was considering WL Surgery. But I was afraid so DW said why not try WW. You know it works.
I lost 100# AND KEPT IT OFF!
In 2016 WW changed to Smart Points and I decided to lose more. I lost 37 and last year lost another 43# for a total loss of 188#
Now WW has changed to Freestyle with Zero Point foods. I gained in January!
I am trying to adjust to new Plan and will get to my GW soon.
My reasons for paying the fee is because it works for me. The weekly WI is my continuing accountability, My Mtg Ldr is great. Actually entertaining and very supportive. I know the staff and many of the weekly meeting people.
This time I actually changed my Lifestyle by learning to eat and finding an exercise program I can do, aqua aerobics and swimming laps.
Is WW perfect? NO but there are many success stories like mine. Did I pay a monthly fee for five years? Yes but I’m off all Rx meds for T2D, my BMI is below Obese, I enjoy my retirement life more than ever.
I’m on MFP for GoaD a Group of WW members who moved here when WW discontinued their Community BBs and replaced it with WW Connect.
OP @remoore23
Check out GoaD on MFP if you have WW questions.
The WW Program has changed A LOT so there are a lot of people not liking it. Change is hard but so is losing weight.5 -
gearhead426hemi wrote: »I think a lot of people over think the whole diet and workout lifestyle. Keep it simple and stick with the basics. For starters nothing healthy comes from a box. Eat a balanced diet of fruit, vegetables, and lean meat. Getting out and walking, running, hiking, kayaking, biking anything that increases your heart rate for a extended period of time is all you need to be healthy. Start off slow with your workouts so you don't over do it right off. Always change up what you are doing to keep it interesting. Walk, run, hike or bike different trails. Kayak new lakes and rivers. The world is you gym and you can change the scenery any time you want. Best of luck!
Great post, you make sense BUT if it was easy no one would need WW MFP ATKINS Nutrisystems etc etc.
I had to learn losing weight is “Simple” (CICO) BUT it’s NOT “Easy”!
BTW I took my first kayaking lesson last year at age 69!3 -
wendypoloway wrote: »I enjoy Weight Watchers, especially the meeting component. I have lost weight using MFP alone, and on WW....WW is better for me because the meetings make me more accountable. I found it too easy to fall off of an online only program like MFP. This is my opinion only. There is no denying that WW is expensive, for me it is worth it. WW teaches you a lifestyle plan that is easy to follow for the rest of your life...it isn't a diet, it shows you how to be mindful of what and how much you are eating. It is a great option for those who need a little peer pressure to stay on track.
TOTALLY AGREE!
Glad to see another Happy WW!
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I personally don’t Understand why you would consider it when you can use mfp which is free
Because some people find the social aspect of the meetings enjoyable and motivating and find real life support works better for them than online does.
It is not for me but I can understand why others use it.
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the WW points system is just calorie counting. 1 point = about 40 cals. I found that logging food options before eating them on MFP - to begin with, helped me see the calories and nutritional qualities of foods I was eating. That taught me which foods fit into my daily routine and which didn't - or became treats.
For the first month on MFP I focused on the macros, trying to get a good balance of protein to fat to carbs.
After a while it's really easy to make good choices, just log them and then you know what you've got left and you learn a lot more about nutrition than you can off WW - so it has a much longer lasting impact.
Then you get to a point where you might start looking at your micronutrients - but anyway, I think MFP is way better than WW for training yourself to develop much better habits and how to make healthier choices for yourself. WW feels like a diet whereas MFP is helping you develop a healthier lifestyle.0 -
I'm on WW (online only) and just recently came back to MFP because I missed it (after being gone a year). I'm going to track both for a bit .... I do like WW - I like the online system. I like the points, I like the activity points. For me, it has helped guide me in the right direction of eating healthier. I am going to start to track both to get back in the habit of calorie tracking, and to eventually wean myself off of WW. It is working though .... A LOT of people have not had much luck with the freestlye, because they equate that with being able to eat an unlimited amount of food. Of course that isn't realistic - it's all about having a healthy relationship with food.0
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I had a lot of success with weight watchers a few years ago and lost around 90 lb. I found it increasingly difficult once I became a vegetarian and switched to MyFitnessPal. I have considered joining again but I don’t think the latest plan will suit me either, I’m much happier sticking to a calorie goal. I do miss the meetings and accountability they gave, and I miss my leader as she was incredibly supportive.0
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I don't like WW because of its inconsistency. They have changed programs so many times! Calories are calories and MFP is consistent and constant. I personally didn't do well with WW because I'm insulin resistant and according to the program I was on a med banana was 2pts but was something like 27 carbs!! So needless to say everyone should find what program works best for them. I've known lots who have lost on WW but not very many of them kept it off.0
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And to think that the first WW program I did, back in the late 80s was modeled on an eating plan for diabetics! (Foods were divided into exchanges. IIRC, they were broken down as 'milk', 'bread', 'protein', 'fruit', 'veg', and 'fat'. So a milk exchange might be 8 oz of skim milk or X of 2% or Y of soymilk. I remember a 'bread' was equal to 1 oz of bread or 1/2 cup of rice or 4 oz potato, etc. They also gave you, I think, 14 'floating' exchanges, (i.e. extra bread, meat, etc over your daily totals) and 700 optional calories to allow for things that didn't fit so neatly. I actually liked that one, despite my penchant for eating foods that weren't in the guidebook.2
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I am a current WW member but have switched to MFP because the new program doesn't make sense to me.
I couldn't figure out why my weight loss was so inconsistent and why I was alternately satisfied and hangry so I tracked points and calories at the same time.
While sticking to their program and enjoying varying amounts of 0 point foods I tracked days ranging from 900-2700 calories.
If I didn't eat any 0 point proteins that day (chicken breast, eggs, beans, fish) I would wind up consuming less than 1000 calories for the day which is insane. On the other hand it was equally possible to track the exact same number of points while eating 2700 calories a day if I had eggs, tofu, lots of bean salads, chicken breast for dinner.
The zero point foods make me crazy. Food has calories, calories matter. I liked the older programs because they made nutritional sense but this new program was a bad call.
I'm still going to meetings though because I have another 5 months already paid for and I'm only 5 pounds away from my lifetime membership. I want that little gold key because then if WW changes to a program that makes sense to me I won't have to pay to use it.2 -
I caSaraAlvarez1 wrote: »I am a current WW member but have switched to MFP because the new program doesn't make sense to me.
I couldn't figure out why my weight loss was so inconsistent and why I was alternately satisfied and hangry so I tracked points and calories at the same time.
While sticking to their program and enjoying varying amounts of 0 point foods I tracked days ranging from 900-2700 calories.
If I didn't eat any 0 point proteins that day (chicken breast, eggs, beans, fish) I would wind up consuming less than 1000 calories for the day which is insane. On the other hand it was equally possible to track the exact same number of points while eating 2700 calories a day if I had eggs, tofu, lots of bean salads, chicken breast for dinner.
Sara -- this is EXACTLY why I dumped them 3 weeks ago! I lost 50 pounds and got to lifetime in 2005 on the old Momentum/Flex points plan, which I loved; I followed the maintenance program, and kept the weight off for years. Then they changed the program, and I gained (Points Plus) and they changed it again (Smart Points), and I gained more. I kept going but just ignored their instructions and went for the meetings and the weigh-in: lost 43 pounds in 2014 and the same 45 pounds in 2016. But Freestyle -- I went back to the meetings at the beginning of February, took one look and the new program and figured that what you describe is exactly what would happen to me. You can't even tweak it. The only way to make it work is to count EVERYTHING, points or no points.
And if I had to track with MFP anyway, what was I paying WW for? So I cancelled. I'm still bereft.0 -
Hi. I belong to a facebook group of weight watchers devotees. They're nice folk but when I went to their website I discovered that its not affordable for those of us on fixed incomes. WW withholds information to force you into purchasing their product and, while I'm all about a commercial economy, I think if they will be doing that they need to stop making it sound like they are all about helping people. They're not philanthropic.
HOWEVER the members are more than happy to help someone who asks questions in online groups. And you can get a lot of info via Dr. Google as well as youtube videos.
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vivmom2014 wrote: »My MIL has been losing and gaining the same 30 pounds in as many years with WW. And forking over money to them all the while.
Same with my MIL and FIL, except 70 lb.0 -
I find the points to be really confusing, and I couldn't add or adjust the calorie counts of food in their system. With MFP I can track calories much more easily and it's not a constant struggle to figure out how much I'm eating.0
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I lost on WW many years ago and gained it back. In late 2015 I joined and lost weight and felt great. Then they changed to smartpoints which I felt was very carb unfriendly. I tried my best to continue but it was difficult. Then came Freestyle which cut down my points but allowed me to eat "free" foods. I just couldn't do the Freestyle. I ended up quitting.
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I too feel like it is a money making scam. I wonder what they will come up with next. I can't believe in 2+ years it has changed three times.Since then I have realized that it is a money making business, and a bit of a scam. I feel like they change things to set people up for failure so they have to keep coming back. The way the program is now makes no sense to me. I recently read that fruit is calorie free? How does that make sense?
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I lost 30 pounds with WW in 2012. It was the Points Plus program. I gained some weight back and tried it again and I lost interest in it. I spent too much time trying to figure out junk I could eat to use up points. I did everything online and never went to meetings. I have heard that the Free Style program is confusing and people are gaining weight. I agree with the others. MFP is free and easy to use. I think it is really important to understand macros. WW teaches you to eat what you have the points for. Stick with MFP!0
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Early 90's I loss weight with WW, I've been back in this last couple years plus a decade ago and they just keep changing so much that they make it harder to follow less flexibility in what you can eat and constantly learn a new system and last 2 times around I felt deprived even though that's not the goal. I'M SURE IT STILL WORKS FOR SOME JUST NOT ME. I've lost 23 lbs with MPF so far. Do what works best for you and what your most comfortable with. Good luck.0
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I totally agree with RaeBeeBaby on this one! WW is a scam, and I have fallen for it myself. I truly believe they want people to stay fat so they will keep on signing up. This really dawned on me when they started their stupid “freestyle “ program! You know there are people out there that are going to eat five bananas and three ears of corn along with their two large chicken breasts! And yet that is ZERO points?! Give me a break! The ONLY thing that works is counting calories. Period. If anyone says anything different, they are scamming you!2
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