MFP vs. Weight Watchers Discrepancy

bvar1

Hi all,

I have a question about MFP versus Weight Watchers. I tried WW a while back, and it did work. However, there's a difference between my MFP calories and WW points. On WW, I'm allowed 22 points (the old system that counts fruit), but that only adds up to ~1,000 calories, maybe a bit less. So, if I follow MFP and eat the !1,200 calories, I'm in theory 7 points over on WW. Any thoughts/opinions on which works best? I was going to just log both and see how the numbers look, but I'm not sure it's worth counting points if I just go over them when following calories and nutrition facts.

Thanks.

bajoyba

Are some vegetables 0 points on WW?

My guess is that if some vegetables have 0 points, maybe they expect you to eat some and bump up your calories a bit that way (because vegetables do have calories) without it affecting your daily points.

I've never done WW, so I don't know. But I can tell you from experience that MFP works.

cjc2811

I have also done WW and did really well at the time. However, when I lost my job at the time I stopped doing it because I simply couldn't afford it. I think MFP is very similar to WW but instead of counting points your counting calories. The best part is that it's free! The one thing I did like about WW is that I could always look up a recipe if I wanted to be creative that day.

onefortyone

Maybe I'm cynical but I do believe that WW is *designed* for you to fail if you stop paying for it. If your body gets used to only 1k calories a day and you stop tracking and all of a sudden eat a normal amount, you're bound to gain it back and then some!

bvar1

Thank you everyone! I do believe some veggies are 0 points - like lettuce, cucumbers, the really low-cal legal ones - but others count for points. I'm using the old system because I find that I eat way too much fruit without tracking it. I've actually found a couple phone apps that once you purchase them, count on points similar to WW but it's not as expensive as the actual membership. I think I will try committing to MFP. I know it works also, but I'd been pretty bad for a little while. My problem is being very strict and following the diet, but then one bad day will turn into 3 - which results in yo-yo dieting and that's just unhealthy and frustrating. I was just trying to figure out which diet plan to commit to and stick to because that's what I need to do.

bvar1

My other quick question is -- will I still lose weight if I'm slightly over the 1,200-calorie limit due to fruits or veggies? I mean over by ~100cals. I sometimes get a bit hungry, but I know it's all about consistently staying in my limit to see results. So I'm worried that constantly having that extra piece of fruit that puts me at 1,280 will decrease weight loss

bajoyba

My other quick question is -- will I still lose weight if I'm slightly over the 1,200-calorie limit due to fruits or veggies? I mean over by ~100cals. I sometimes get a bit hungry, but I know it's all about consistently staying in my limit to see results. So I'm worried that constantly having that extra piece of fruit that puts me at 1,280 will decrease weight loss

It's all about the calorie deficit. Going over your calorie goal will affect your rate of weight loss, but you will still lose weight unless you eat at or above your maintenance calories.

SLLRunner

My other quick question is -- will I still lose weight if I'm slightly over the 1,200-calorie limit due to fruits or veggies? I mean over by ~100cals. I sometimes get a bit hungry, but I know it's all about consistently staying in my limit to see results. So I'm worried that constantly having that extra piece of fruit that puts me at 1,280 will decrease weight loss

I'm going to take a wild guess that you ned to be eating a few hundred calories more than 1,200.

With height, weight, age, sex, you can figure out your TDEE. Depending on how much you want to lose, you subtract a percentage from your TDEE.

Go here: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

Best of luck!

theocine

Are you exercising? The number 1200 is just the MFP default. It isn't a magic number that works for everyone. Plus the plan is to exercise and eat additional calories based on that activity.

After conferring with my doctor, I am using a 1500 calorie limit, not counting my activities (yet) but counting my carbs (I was recently diagnosed diabetic). I occasionally eat over or under.. But if your week is close to your plan, you should do well.

A few years ago Duke did a study of many diet plans and found that all worked sort of. The key is to find a ststen that you can stick to, that allows yo to forgive yourself when you stray and pick yourself back up and get back on the plan.

- Nettie

PatrickB_87

I know WW has changed how they calculate points now to be based on Fat, Carbs etc instead of just calories, but if your going by the old system then if i remember correctly 1 point = 50 calories. So if you get 22 points that 1100 calories. So only 100 off. 100 Calories can be a big deal but its hard to say who's right. WW doesn't/didn't count vegetables so thats something to consider.

The thing is their are lots of ways and a lot of opinions on how to calculate the number of calories you should be eating a day. Some would say that since myfitnesspal isn't using lean body mass to calculate your macronutrients, that its calorie count is wrong. I would simply try it and see if it works, or consult a dietitian to figure it out.

Eating over your calorie limit will impact your deficit. An extra 100calories a day is 700 calories a week, thats going to cut into weight loss.

bvar1

SLLRunner thank you! I've calculated it based on TDEE, but I remember thinking it seemed like a high calorie number. I'll try that again.

bvar1

Are you exercising? The number 1200 is just the MFP default. It isn't a magic number that works for everyone. Plus the plan is to exercise and eat additional calories based on that activity.

After conferring with my doctor, I am using a 1500 calorie limit, not counting my activities (yet) but counting my carbs (I was recently diagnosed diabetic). I occasionally eat over or under.. But if your week is close to your plan, you should do well.

A few years ago Duke did a study of many diet plans and found that all worked sort of. The key is to find a ststen that you can stick to, that allows yo to forgive yourself when you stray and pick yourself back up and get back on the plan.

- Nettie

Thanks so much for the advice. I had been going to the gym regularly, and unfortunately it's been weeks since I've gone. I just need to make time to go and had gotten very busy with school. But when I was going ~4times/week, I would log my activity. You said it perfectly - the key is finding something I can maintain. My biggest problem is feeling discouraged if I have a cheat day, but that just leads to more cheat days. Just gotta move on and find something that works for a daily routine

bvar1

I know WW has changed how they calculate points now to be based on Fat, Carbs etc instead of just calories, but if your going by the old system then if i remember correctly 1 point = 50 calories. So if you get 22 points that 1100 calories. So only 100 off. 100 Calories can be a big deal but its hard to say who's right. WW doesn't/didn't count vegetables so thats something to consider.

The thing is their are lots of ways and a lot of opinions on how to calculate the number of calories you should be eating a day. Some would say that since myfitnesspal isn't using lean body mass to calculate your macronutrients, that its calorie count is wrong. I would simply try it and see if it works, or consult a dietitian to figure it out.

Eating over your calorie limit will impact your deficit. An extra 100calories a day is 700 calories a week, thats going to cut into weight loss.

Thanks, thinking of it as 700cals/week definitely puts it in perspective. Thank you for the help; I hadn't been thinking of it that way

SLLRunner

I know WW has changed how they calculate points now to be based on Fat, Carbs etc instead of just calories, but if your going by the old system then if i remember correctly 1 point = 50 calories. So if you get 22 points that 1100 calories. So only 100 off. 100 Calories can be a big deal but its hard to say who's right. WW doesn't/didn't count vegetables so thats something to consider.

The thing is their are lots of ways and a lot of opinions on how to calculate the number of calories you should be eating a day. Some would say that since myfitnesspal isn't using lean body mass to calculate your macronutrients, that its calorie count is wrong. I would simply try it and see if it works, or consult a dietitian to figure it out.

Eating over your calorie limit will impact your deficit. An extra 100calories a day is 700 calories a week, thats going to cut into weight loss.

According to the OP's ticker, she is only trying to lose 17 pounds and has only about 11 left. Those last pounds need to come off slower at about a .5 pound per week loss. I'm going to take a wild guess her calorie allowance is 1,600-1,700 without exercise calories.

Unless she's very teeny and very short, or has some kind of medical problem such as thyroid disfunction, she will not gain on 1,200, or even 1,300 calories.

kendralouisa

There *is* a reason why WW changed its points system. They wanted to get away from using a measurement of energy (calories) in order to focus on the nutrients that are physically in the food. If you're still using the old system, I would stop using WW altogether, because it's not as effective.

Regardless, it's entirely up to you. Tons of people have lost weight using WW and just tracking calories, so it's pretty clear that both work. Figure out which one yields better results for you and go from there.

melissasue0317

I have been with WW since 9/2013 and doing very well, just recently started using MFP as an extra support system. WW changed how it calculates things as a push to eat healthier overall. Yes, some fruits/veggies are free or 0 points but if you go crazy and eat 4+ bananas a day, those will add into your points just like it would with calories. But if you view fruits/veggies in moderation and added to your regular meal as free foods, the hope is to eat more of those=healthier lifestyle. I wanted to stop WW due to the financial expense but fearful of failing when I am still learning how to live healthier. My WW at work group was very supportive when I told them I would possibly stop, never pushing to continue if finances were too much, but they did push me to continue to check in with them for support.

I chose to continue with WW and so far, happy with my decision.

The bare minimum of recommended points a day is 25 or 26 I believe for someone wanting to maintain or lose 10ish lbs.

mfp_robin

I have had far slower results with Points Plus than I had with the previous WW program. It's occasionally frustrated me to the point of tears. Yes, the old program had a very low daily points allowance if you were within sight of your goal, but that's why the weekly points worked so well. I ate every single one, every single week, and lost consistently. And being able to move those points around to work with my lifestyle was what made the plan--in my opinion--so successful.

On Points Plus, I can stall my weight loss without even touching all those weekly points. And when I do eat them, I feel guilty. It's a terrible set-up for failure, and not a great way to repair my relationship with food. Same goes with "free fruit." Eat until you're full, but don't overdo it! That's the message I read over and over again in the WW literature and message boards. But if I was capable of self-monitoring--of eating until I was full and not overdoing it--I don't think I'd need WW in the first place.

Sigh.

So here I am! Ready to use the MFP tools to design an eating plan that works best for me. I'm so thankful for this resource.