Does MFP work as well as Weight Watchers?

Denjo060

Ive been on MFP for a while now but just joined on line Wednesday Ill try it for a few months and see waht happens

upscalelifedownscalebutt

It's a personal decision.

I tried weight watchers a few times (different incarnations) and despised it. I hate someone else weighing me. I despise the fact they think all weight fluctuations are "real" and not water, totm bloating, ate/didn't eat, different clothes, went potty first, etc. I also hated lying to myself and putting zero for fruits and veggies. Their weekly lessons were also useless. Didn't learn a single thing. I was just throwing my money away so I stopped and saved my money for new clothes instead to celebrate my weight loss.

Foxymoron59

I lost 33kg on an old points system at WW and it worked really well for me. Then. The new points system seems to treat people like children, yes we grown ups know that we need to eat fruit and veg, so making them zero points is pointless (heh, see what I did there?) I didn't lose much weight the last time I joined and while I am still getting used to counting calories on MFP I am finding it much better and enjoying that I am in control of the whole thing. Also, if you live in a country area as I do, and weigh in at different meetings depending on what town you need to travel to for other things, the scales all seem to be different. And on a cynical note, I really think they want us to be paying members for as long as possible so I never really trusted their scales which were also always different by a couple of kg to my own scales at home.

MilliDenney

I have been a lifetime WW member for about 35 years. In those years I've jojo-ed up and down below my goal weight countless times. I've also worked for WW for about 4 years or so. While working for them, you have to maintain your weight - wouldn't look good to have an overweighed receptionist... But I managed to gain weight higher than my goal weight during those years, and nobody knew it exept my best friend there, and I. The trick is, someone else but YOU has to sign off for your weight card, and my friend just didn't want me to have to leave.

ANYHOO....

This summer I decided to start the Peer trainer method, and with that method I have lost 25lbs in 5 months. I read about MFP in a Peer trainer group, looked the MFP pages over and decided I needed to become a member.

And now your question if WW is better than MFP. WW is great (I mean the real WW-ers, NOT the one on line because that sucks). It gives a lot of support, which always worked very well for me (until I stopped going) (which always happened in times I could not control my food cravings).

They give you excellent recipees, and the point counting system is easy. Yes, vegetables and fruits have no points. The theory behind that is 'Who eats 5 bananas a day?', 'Who eats 6lbs of strawberries?' and 'Who eats 4 plates of green beans?' And even if you would do that one day, the next day it wouldn't be that fantastic anymore.

When I looked over these MFP pages I became enthousiastic, with the way you can put together your daily meals, that is a tool WW doesn't have. With the community, all the boards, there is an answer for every question nomatter what it is about.

I guess that both systems work great, but it depends on YOU and on YOUR commitment.

My advize would be: Give MFP a try. Give yourself 2 months, and see how it goes. If it doesn't seem to work after 3 weeks, hang in there, give yourself all the time that you promised to try it. It doesn't cost anything, and with the right mindset, all you can do is succeed.

If after 2 months you don't have any result you can always decide to go to WW.

I wish you good luck, and I hope you'll stick around!!!

gigglesinthesun

They give you excellent recipees, and the point counting system is easy. Yes, vegetables and fruits have no points. The theory behind that is 'Who eats 5 bananas a day?', 'Who eats 6lbs of strawberries?' and 'Who eats 4 plates of green beans?' And even if you would do that one day, the next day it wouldn't be that fantastic anymore.!

I do. I live in a hot country and can eat 5 bananas easily throughout the day. I can add to that a lunch time salad that contains 2lbs of lettuce, green beans, cucumber, peppers, tomatoes and some lemon juice. Only yesterday I snacked on 1300g of watermelon. Does everyone do this? No. However with a following as large as WW there will be a few and before you say common sense, until I started here I had no idea that I consumed the quantities I did. The scales are my friend. Now I shall have some more watermelon :-)

cberger831

MFP was better for me. I am holding myself accountable. I been doing it for twenty days and loss 13 pounds!

cahtchme

MyFitnessPal is better in my opinion. One of the main reasons: it's free.

I tried WW back in 2005. I lost 20 lbs or so. Stopped figuring out the points...gained it all (and then some) back over the next few years.

I went to Medical Weight Loss clinic for about a week in December 2011 and realized they were a money hogging gimmick as well and asked for a refund. (Normal grocery store food my a**).

Joined MyFitnessPal December 2011 and have enjoyed it. Having to actually look at the entire nutrition label instead of points makes me realize what is going into my body. (I'm not perfect, I still eat a lot of junk). But it is more feasible to do long term I think, then counting points.

kf5ljp

Who wants to watch their weight? I'd rather take it off

yustick

I like the basic principals of WW (at least when I went)... extra virgin olive oil, fruits and veggies, low fat dairy and protein. I think it is better to use the money on a gym membership. MFP gives you a free source of information, logging and support.

Good luck to you however you decide to get healthier.

elisa123gal

i wanted to shoot myself when I was on WW... don't know how many calories they had me on.. but I was so starving and hated it. I quit after a few weeks. I love mfp and i'm losing.. so happy.

prettyface55

Both teach you to count. Both establish a deficit.

I've seen far more people do WW, lose weight, quit, eat regular food again, gain wait... go back to WW.

While on MFP, I see people fitting real food into their daily lives without the need for meetings, continue to lose, and manage it.

WW, in my opinion, sets you up for failure. Why not just use this?

very well said !!

jagbug56

I've done WW for years! I've lost 65 pounds over the past few years, but the past few years I've used it more for social than weight loss. I liked the Points counting, until I started MFP a few days ago. Now, I'm paying attention to carbs, protein, fats, sodium, and sugar, and I've given up processed food. I bought a few of the WW popped chips and shake products, and dessert bars, and when I looked at the ingredients I realized I was eating a LOT of processed food. Since committing to MFP 2 days ago, I'm "true" to myself and the weight is and will come off. A BIG plus, is I have more energy and feel so much better. Also, WW is $40 a month, MFP is FREE! I love free & I'm ready to lose the rest of my weight! And, I know I will with MFP!

DrewMontoya

I don't understAnd why fruits and veggies are "free" in Weight Watchers. I mean, some can be pretty high in calories.

I have a vague recollection that it had to do with the amount of fiber. The PointsPlus calculation is a fair bit of arithmetic:

pp = max{ round( [ (16×p) + (19×c) + (45×f) - (14×r) ] / 175 ) , 0 }

Where,
pp - Weight watchers pointsplus
p - Protein
c - Carbohydrates
f - Fat
r - Dietary fiber

(from this site: http://easycalculation.com/health/weight-watchers-points-plus.php )

Of course, none of this really answers your question. I managed to find this quote from a WW official blog article:

"The truth, according to Maria Walls, Manager of Program Development for Weight Watchers International, is that "the idea of the zero PointsPlus value food was not created as such; they are the result of the calculation of the proprietary Weight Watchers formula at a particular calorie level." The only true "zero" is a vegetable or fruit that occurs naturally from the earth. They are the only zero that when eaten by the bagful can still be called a zero. According to Maria, the idea of the "free" fruit and vegetable was created to give members a break from counting these very low-calorie foods that "generally did not contribute to weight gain.""

(From this site: http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=40701&sc=3010 )

My opinion is that it's mostly-correct dietary advice that may result in weight loss. While it does work for a lot of people, it didn't suit me because I gorged on fruit and other low points foods. Yes, it's my own fault for not playing their game properly, but I think calories in < calories out will serve me better.

sguterogers

I lost 30 pounds with WW 9 years ago. The weight has very slowly crept back but not quite all of it. It's because I let myself go. Now I have only lost 4 pounds so far with MFP but I really like it a lot. It's similar in that it gets me to know how much I'm eating. Plus WW is so expensive. I don't really want to go to meetings anyway now that I have a chat friends like you.

JaneAero

I was never very good at maths at school and when I had a look at weight watchers, the points system did not appeal to me, I had no idea how to work out how many points were in my home cooked meals, ready meals might have the points on them, but I want to eat home cooked and raw foods.

Calorie counting is easier for me, I tend to eat a lot of individual snack food items eg 1 banana, 1 boiled egg, these are easy to look up in the MFP database

If I do cook a dinner then I get out the digital scales and weigh everything, if the food was say 20g of mashed potato I can go and look took that up in the MFP database and enter the figures, then MFP fills in the food diary , with how many calories, how much fat, how much protein etc....and it shows it as a running total for the whole day, I can see at a glance if Im a little short on protein or if Im running out of calories, its a visual process, I dont have to do any maths calculations myself.

Whereas with weight watchers I wouldnt be prepared to pay money to attend meetings or use paid for online food logging so I would be left wondering how many points a day I was allowed and how to convert foodstuffs and home cooked meals into points. Pardon the pun but it seems pointless. Calories are printed on most food packaging, if not I weigh the item, so all Ive had to buy is digital food scales and log accurately.

Support is available here on MFP 24 hours a day, not once a week. I dont earn a huge amount of money and MFP being free is like having an online guardian angel, I can take control of my health and its a blessing. Its amazing its free, I dont know who finances this website but they should feel very proud of what they have done for people worldwide. Seriously, they deserve a humanitarian award or something.

When I do earn a little money there is no doubt I would rather spend it on quality foodstuffs and smaller clothes or a pair of running shoes and not membership fees.

Rai007

well
i dont know anything about weight watchers but if people can lose 100 lbs without paying money to a program why cant others.
secondly MFP doesnot count calories for me because its database doesnot include foods from my country so i do it myself.
thirdly MFP cummunity can guide you, motivate you and u can learn from others experiences.

it is the people on mfp and their bright ideas which make mfp great.

ngressman

I did WW and lost 50 pounds. I had to quit because of some financial difficulties. I kept the materials and still use them. I have found it much easier to lose weight at WW than MFP. I think you have a better support system at WW. The accountability of weighing each week was important to me, plus I like the reward system. Both work well if you follow the plans. Good luck in whatever you choose.

gangsterfurious

I used to be religiously addicted to Weight Watchers and then my doctor recommended MFP to me. It has been just as effective and I've actually almost figured out the formula that Weight Watchers uses to figure out what my "points" would be for the day though I've adjusted it to count my grams of sugar instead of fiber. Basically though, for me I was on a 1200 calorie diet, MFP has me on 1290 so not much of a difference.

Mr_Knight

Im thinking about joining soon and id love some opinions. Thanks!

IMO both programs are equally effective as they both require significant levels of motivation and perseverance. WW might be better suited for people who want a laid out plan, MFP might be better suited for those who like to micromanage their own habits.

Neither is a silver bullet - success on either path requires serious commitment from the individual.

AleksD3

I did Weight Watchers online on and off for several years and always loved it. It was like a game to me. And I hated counting calories. Points were easier for me. For the last year or so I've been going between WW and MFP and losing and gaining the same 3-5 pounds because I wasn't sticking with anything.

When I was honestly doing WW and sticking with the GHGs I would lose 1-2 pounds a week and at one point lost 16 pounds in total but I also got to the point where I would use my weekly points on crap. I got into the habit of eating a pint of Ben and Jerry's every week because, hey, it was only 28 weekly points and I had 49 and I totally fell into that trap.

This was NOT WW's fault. It was absolutely my fault. For the last few months I would do WW, eat all my weekly points, decide MFP was better, do that for a few days, go back to WW and "start fresh" and eat my weekly points again. As you may be able to tell, that didn't work for me.

This last time that I started WW a couple of weeks ago I hated it. I hated counting points. It became a pain and an annoyance so I am on MFP full time and happy with it.

Once again, this is not WW's fault. Something in my head changed and I found that now I prefer to count calories and track macros. Yes, MFP is free but I was willing to pay WW's online fee's.

I think things may have been different if I was going to meetings instead of online but that wasn't affordable to me.

So basically WW works if you follow the plan. MFP works of you follow it. You just need to find the one you would like to do and stick with it.