MFP vs. Weight Watchers

AstorMiles

In general, I think that whether WW or MFP is a better fit ultimately depends on one's understanding of nutrition and ability to self-motivate and set realistic, healthy goals.

WW, in my view, is pretty good for those who don't really know where to begin and need a bit of structure/direction. Furthermore, the in-person meetings are a great motivator (nothing sucks more than doing the walk of shame to the scale when you know you've gained weight over the week) and there is some decent evidence out there to suggest that face-to-face support keeps most folks accountable better than an online forum. Another important point about WW is that the program has gone through fairly extensive scientific evaluation over the years (including clinical trials comparing the efficacy of various popular weight loss programs) and in its present form it's a fairly sane, safe diet built on valid nutrition research. Having said that, when I attended WW meetings I was fairly surprised to see that they were not led by a qualified Registered Dietitian - given the membership fee, I would have expected an actual health care professional to be involved. I also didn't love the "black box" of the points - I agree with others who have commented that the points system sometimes leads to poor choices based on calories alone, rather than nutritional quality. Still, the advice we received at the meetings was reasonably sound and I suspect (but don't know for sure) that in-person meetings may allow a good group leader to identify individuals who may need a more carefully supervised diet, in order to then refer them to the best professional sources for help.

Now, MFP is free and the degree of online involvement I've seen since joining has been pretty impressive. It seems like people join and take it seriously, although those who stick around and do their daily logging may be a self-selected group of innately motivated individuals (i.e., it may be that MFP seems to work because the people logging are those for whom it works, and we don't know how many other people have joined and left just a few days later without leaving a trace). I agree that the database is much larger than the WW one, which makes it easy to log in food - and tracking is important because it gives awareness of what one is eating. It's also good that the tracking is done in actual calories and various nutrients - you are more likely to learn lifelong habits by seeing what things actually contain than by counting points, which are a very abstract concept. I sum, I think that, for those who already know a fair bit about nutrition, physical activity and health, are able to set REALISTIC (can't stress this enough!) goals, and can self-discipline, MFP is probably a better fit. But for those who may need a bit of help getting started, I would recommend giving WW a try first and coming to MFP after learning the ropes.

Good luck!

mlauster

I have done both but prefer MFP. I am usually a very private person and never really got into the group meetings. Paying to weigh in weekly wasn't beneficial or practical for me. I am in this for the rest of my lifetime and I find it is much easier to just log without all the points value research.

I have lost weight with both programs. I have found that MPF is much easier and I feel it's something that I can stick with for the long haul.

MFP has taught me how to eat healthier, exercise, it has an awesome support group and if I have a question about anything I have access to thousands and thousands of brains that I can pick 24/7.

WW does have a support group, and some good tools. The leader that was at the location I went to was not very motivating and had a hard time getting the members engaged so getting through the meeting was like a bad tooth ache. I found myself going to get weighed in and then skipping the meetings. It got awful expensive.

I'm 100% for MFP. It's free, the people are awesome and I don't have to pay for a brand.

brian_the_student

Hi everybody,

I am also trying to figure out the pros and cons of WW vs MyFitnessPal. The issues seem to be price and features, but its also important that WW has worked for so many people over the years.

After thinking about it, I actually decided to do a study on Weightwatchers for a class in my university.

Can you please fill out my super-quick survey on Weightwatchers versus MyFitnessPal?

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RRMG73S

I promise it will take less than a minute and I will share the results when I get enough replies!

Thanks so much!
Brian