Weight Watchers Vs Calorie Control

Hornsby

To me a banana is not free. It is too calorie dense, high in carbs and sugar. How can it be free? I liked WW years ago, but think now they really messed up a good thing. I much prefer MFP, and the fact that it is also free of charge is an added bonus!!!

Our WW leader told us this when everyone had concerns about bananas being "free", she would say, "nobody ever got fat from eating too many bananas!!", that always stuck with me because it is true!!

Although I get the point and agree with it for the most part, the problem with that saying is that if someone eats 12 bananas a day and a piece of cake, the cake is gonna get the bad rap and be blamed for weight gain. Cake always getting a bad rap I tell ya.

weird_me2

Since you are on the MFP website, you are probably going to generally get responses from people who think MFP is superior. I personally like MFP because it's free and calorie counting is easier since I've done it for so long. That being said, I think WW can be a great program for many people, especially those who are new to calorie counting.

Contrary to what a lot of people seem to think, I think WW gives a better framework for making healthier choices - they have "healthy checks" that encourage a set number of fruits and veggies, lean proteins, dairy choices, water intake, exercise, and even fats for the day. For people not willing/able to do the work to figure out how to eat a nutritionally balanced diet, WW is a great starting point. They do have the "free" fruits and veggies which seem to get a very bad rap, but in their program, they stress eating these to "satisfaction", not stuffing yourself with them. They even give a guide to help you know what satisfaction should feel like. Their literature also states that if you make a "recipe" with the free stuff, you should enter them in to the recipe builder and take the points count given - so, a giant fruit salad or even a salad for lunch would be a "recipe", but most people don't do this. People obviously choose to ignore this advice, but it does not make the program itself bad or flawed. People on MFP are always ignoring it's "advice" to not eat less than 1200 calories or to eat back the exercise calories or even to meet the macros but that doesn't make MFP bad or flawed either. WW could also be a better choice for those who want to go aggressive with their goals and get the 1200 MFP daily goal. On WW, even if these people were at the lowest points goal, they'd still have "extra" points for the week and also the fruits and veggies, which can help them have a more nutritionally sound diet.

In the end, which program is best will come down to personal preference. I've known many successful WW losers and maintainers. I've known successful calorie counting losers and maintainers. Most people who are successful on either program are successful because they are in the right place/frame of mind to do what it takes.

fvtfan

I think WW is great for people just beginning their lifestyle change, portion control is a huge deal with WW. Also, for the free fruit...that doesn't mean all you can eat, the program is based on the assumption that you will eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, so those people eating 3 or 4 bananas a day are going over what is recommended as one banana is typically 2 servings.

I lost 60 pounds on WW and would always encourage people to give it a try, BUT if you are very active they really don't have a solution when you get stuck (except their active link, which costs $5 a month on top of whatever you pay for your membership AND if you quit meetings or online you can't use it). I plateaued for about 6 months and was never given an effective solution to get over it. I ended up getting frustrated and quitting, an gaining 18 pounds back before I came to MFP. I have managed to lose a little over 4 pounds in 4 weeks, so while it is going slow, at least I am dropping again.

Branstin

Since you are on the MFP website, you are probably going to generally get responses from people who think MFP is superior. I personally like MFP because it's free and calorie counting is easier since I've done it for so long. That being said, I think WW can be a great program for many people, especially those who are new to calorie counting.

Contrary to what a lot of people seem to think, I think WW gives a better framework for making healthier choices - they have "healthy checks" that encourage a set number of fruits and veggies, lean proteins, dairy choices, water intake, exercise, and even fats for the day. For people not willing/able to do the work to figure out how to eat a nutritionally balanced diet, WW is a great starting point. They do have the "free" fruits and veggies which seem to get a very bad rap, but in their program, they stress eating these to "satisfaction", not stuffing yourself with them. They even give a guide to help you know what satisfaction should feel like. Their literature also states that if you make a "recipe" with the free stuff, you should enter them in to the recipe builder and take the points count given - so, a giant fruit salad or even a salad for lunch would be a "recipe", but most people don't do this. People obviously choose to ignore this advice, but it does not make the program itself bad or flawed. People on MFP are always ignoring it's "advice" to not eat less than 1200 calories or to eat back the exercise calories or even to meet the macros but that doesn't make MFP bad or flawed either. WW could also be a better choice for those who want to go aggressive with their goals and get the 1200 MFP daily goal. On WW, even if these people were at the lowest points goal, they'd still have "extra" points for the week and also the fruits and veggies, which can help them have a more nutritionally sound diet.

In the end, which program is best will come down to personal preference. I've known many successful WW losers and maintainers. I've known successful calorie counting losers and maintainers. Most people who are successful on either program are successful because they are in the right place/frame of mind to do what it takes.

:drinker:

KarenE86

I've tried both and prefer MFP. Sitting in stores calculating WW points became time consuming. Also, the foods WW+ considers to be "free" (fruits and veggies), those calories add up during the day.

kaustin515

Wow. What a great discussion. So many insightful and informative posts/opinions. Well, here's my story. I started using MFP about a year ago after seeing some pictures of myself at my son's 1st birthday party. I was disgusted and the worst part was before seeing the photos I thought I looked good. I had been signed up for MFP but didn't really use it. So I entered in some numbers, got a calorie goal and then started tracking. I tried to eat right, stay in my calories, workout etc. Long story short I lost about 23lbs with MFP but then stalled out. I sought out advice here and got a range of suggestions and I tried many with the same results. I'd loose a little and then stall out. I couldn't get it figured out. So I decided to dumb things down. I really wanted to try clean eating. I'm at an age where my health matters to me and it's do or die quite literally. But I knew a major issue for me is my weight. So after much thinking and weighing the options I decided to go to WW. I had done it several years ago and lost 25lbs and then quit. It took me 2 years but I put it all back on and then had a baby. As of this last week I have lost 20lbs with WW but still have a long way to go. But for me, making it more simple, having some predefined guidelines, helped me dumb things down enough to start losing again. I know at the end of the day that weight loss is calories in vs. calories out but I just couldn't figure it out for myself on MFP. And I will second what others have said about the "free" foods in WW. There is always a way to cheat any system. I also agree that the WW app is AWFUL. Their food database is ridiculous and it isn't very user friendly. That frustrates me some but I deal with it. I also still log in MFP to see how it all adds up in real values like calories, fat, etc. So my opinion is any program is what you make it. Sure, if I had educated myself more in regards to nutrients, macros, whatever, I could have been more successful with MFP. But I wasn't in that place. I am a busy working mom with a toddler. I need a Nick Jr. level approach to my eating for now. I plan to stay with WW but I also use common sense. I know enough to know if I disagree with something WW says and I can think for myself. But for now this works for me. Everyone has to find what works for them. And I will say that WW is expensive but costs aside, for now it was worth the investment for me. I just wish WW could take a page from MFP book and make things more user friendly. I love both programs because both have helped and continue to help me become a better me. You just find what makes you a better you ????.