Doing WW and MFP ?

ChrisG441

Anyone here doing WW using MFP? I quit WW because I wanted to save money but am thinking of sticking with the principles of the zero point foods here. Not tracking those and only other foods. Curious if anyone else does similar?

harper16

If you're going to track, I'd track everything you eat. Isn't it possible to go over your calories on "zero point" foods?

tinkerbellang83

harper16 wrote: »

If you're going to track, I'd track everything you eat. Isn't it possible to go over your calories on "zero point" foods?

^ This. If you're not tracking your food and your weight loss isn't as expected how will you know if it's because you're eating above maintenance or just a water weight fluctuation?

The difference could be a couple of hundred calories a day if you eat a lot of fruit.

Terytha

WW gives you a fairly low amount of calories each day to offset all the higher calorie zero point foods they assume you'll eat. And some of their zero point fruits really are a significant amount of calories.

MFP on the other hand, gives you exactly how many calories you should eat.

If you combine them and eat what MFP gives you, you will almost definitely slow your weight loss, maybe stop it.

If you don't eat all what MFP tells you, what benefit are you even getting from tracking?

runnermom419

I'm using WW but tracking everything here on MFP as well. Mainly because the last time I tried WW, I found myself under eating. So, using both for a while to be sure I'm getting my minimum calories every day.

janejellyroll

If you're hitting your calorie limit with non-zero foods and then adding zero foods on top of that without tracking, I wouldn't be surprised to see issues with hitting your goals. The reason is that WW gives you a calorie goal that is *lower* than what MFP would give you because they know you'll be adding to it with zero calorie foods. MFP gives you a calorie goal assuming that is pretty much what you'll eat.

momnafit

Question - Did you lose weight on WW? i'm not crazy about the new programs and was wondering if it worked for you.

ChickenKillerPuppy

As some have said, WW has zero point food as part of a whole point system that gives you X points which is low to accommodate a certain amount of zero point food, but they also artificially lower points for certain lean proteins and artificially raise points of foods with carbs and sugars to steer the user towards a certain diet.

MFP is really just calories in, calorie out, so I don’t think the two really work together in that way. Eggs, fat free Greek yogurt, fruits - a lot of WW free foods have a fair amount of calories. WW just wanted you to chose a 100 calorie apple instead of a 100-calorie pack of Oreos and they do a good job steering you to the “healthy” choices with the point system.

I did WW for years with success and then gained some weight back and needed to lose again and WW just wasn’t doing it for me. I hated that i couldn’t eat certain foods bc they were so high in points when I knew they were not high in calories. MFP has been wonderful for me - I lost every week, ate whatever I wanted (in appropriate portions) and am now in maintenance. I would give MFP a try. Counting every calorie is a pain in the beginning but it gets easier as you start to eat the same things.

Good luck!

dsatterlee04

I recently quit on-line WW and returned to MFP. My problem was although I was eating within my points and not overdoing my "free" foods I was not loosing weight. I felt I was probably overeating carbs and fats vs more protien. Also have concerns as WW did not track sodium or sugar which are important as I have heart issues and am pre-diabetic. I like MFP as it tracks these and I can look at what I am deficient in and adjust as the day goes. Seems a lot better for me and enjoy the commuity boards for interaction with others.

becalee26

I do both. I always track my zero point foods on MFP. Makes me know if I am over or under calories. I will eventually quit WW now that I am in the habit of eating healthier foods.