Thinking about starting Weight Watchers...any advice??

itsbasschick

have you set up your MFP stuff yet? it gives you a calorie allotment - i use sedentary even though that's no longer the case, btw.

WW_Jude_V2

Copy/pasting my response from another WW thread:

Weight Watchers worked miracles for me. I didn't consider it expensive as I stopped putting out extra money for crappy food and instead directed that cash towards my monthly WW cost.

Once I lost all my excess weight and was able to maintain, Weight Watchers was free to attend.

I don't know too much about the new Point Plus system as I was a member in the old days where fruit had points attached, and most, but not all, veggies were 0.

I did Point tracking and MFP together for the first couple of weeks here but discovered that MFP was quite a bit easier and I could monitor my specific intake a lot better. I learned how to eat what I considered quality foods on WW and MFP helped me see that I'm on the right track.

I think pretty much anything will work as long as you're eating what your body needs and it doesn't feel like a burden to keep it up.

chilly1470

Weight watchers is just a complicated form of counting calories. Why not cut out the middleman and use mfp which is freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee????????????????????????

Thank you! Exactly, and by cutting out the middleman you also save $$ so you can buy food to eat properly and maybe a membership at a gym, or a bike, or a treadmill etc.

lilcancun

I did WW but I really like MFP and I think it will do you more justice than WW. I also invested in the fitbit which helps calculate your steps. I use MFP to keep track of my food and Fitbit for my steps and between the two it has been working out great... I believe in eating what your use to, it will be much easier in the end. Good luck..

Imadorkable

I lost 70 lbs on WW about 6 years ago and then I gained it back. Over the last year or so I tried to start it back up but kept quitting. That is when I checked out this program and I think it is a lot easier. Overall when comparing the WW points to my calories they are pretty similar. I like this website better because it is free, I don't have to attend meetings, and I have daily support. Overall, either one is great. It just depends on how you prefer to keep track of everything.

_HeartsOnFire_

OP you asked how much you should be eating and what's the best calorie intake. Please read the links provided they will help you determine that amount for you...

NessaR2011

I don't have any experience with WW but I have a long standing relationship with MFP. I find that I have an amazing support system here and so many outlets of information in the forums. Everyone is generally helpful and I would recommend this site not only because it's FREE but it helped me get healthy. I know my ticker doesn't represent it but MFP helped me lose 140lbs from my highest weight and it probably saved my life. There's my sales pitch.

melindafritz1976

the meals have too much sodium
and its a waste of money
eat right and exercise and use my fitness pal

Jinnie69

Keep trying different things till you find what works, not giving up is the most important thing. I thought about WW to keep myself in balance, but decided to just start logging here. Illness and extreme pain has keep me on the couch for the last 6 months, and I gained 15 of the 55 libs I lost back. Stopping myself here and getting back on track. Taking today to warm up to this and prepare.

Cindyloo01

I lost weight on WW a long time back. I lost 80 lbs. It really helped and they had a lot of good information. I learned a lot about eating right and how much of what to eat, what to eat to stay full and some really good recipes. It helped me stay accountable by being weighed every week. The leader that was there was very motivating too. I have tried going back again recently but it just didn't click like it had before. I think finding a leader that keeps you inspired helps. You should go in and give it a trial run first before deciding, that way you will know if it is right for you or not. You don't have to eat the WW food, unless you want to.

derik999

My mom tried it and said the food tasted horrible.

FindingAmy77

Hello everyone.I currently weigh 240 and would like to get down to around 160 starting off.This is the largest I've ever been and at the most I've weighed at around 150-155 before this weight gain. I tried HCG but all it did was having me starving and lose weight fast,but gained it all back..I looked into the Herbalife thing but changed my mind because of different reviews.I'm really thinking about going with Weight Watchers since it has a variety of food I can choose from,but I have some questions:

1.Is it better to log in the calories through MFP or use their point system?
2.What is the amount of calories I should be eating each day while on it?
3.Anyone have any success while on it or have any helpful advice?

Any information will be helpful.Thanks!

Yes, I have had success three times with weight watchers losing weight. The problem is I didn't stick with it. iTs a wonderful program as long as you take FULL advantage of it by going to meetings and making friends at the meetings to expand your support circle, follow the program fully and count points while paying attention to serving sizes and weighing and measuring all of your foods. You can do this without going but I think weight watchers is wonderful for establishing a healthy eating plan and new habits. I personally am doing this journey currently without ww's but pretty much I am following the plan and advice they give without the points stuff. I say try it for three months and then if you feel confident to get off of it and go full mfp then do it. I personaly feel that mfp is wonderflul and calories are so much easier to find than points. I also like the fact that mfp is free. As far as your question to log both points AND calories. No. That would be too confusing. I say use the community here on mfp for advice but if you are following ww's then just count the points. I loved and miss the meetings for sure but at least I have the community boards on here. Either way you go, remember its a lifestyle change and not a diet.

FindingAmy77

My mom tried it and said the food tasted horrible.

You can eat whatever you want on ww's. All it is a support system and an easier way to count calories in terms of points. You don't have to buy their food

veggieluvr45

My mom tried it and said the food tasted horrible.

I lost over 50 pounds with Weight Watchers and never once ate any Weight Watcher foods.

Arydria

I used WW back in the 80's (before the point system or the internet for that matter). I loved attending the meetings and the great support network. However, I hated the ridiculous and inflexible system of determining goal weight. I'd lost 80+ lbs but was still 10 lbs from where WW wanted me to be. My dr said I was healthy and didn't want me losing more weight. My body finally said "enough" and I started gaining. I never made lifetime member and it still irks me. Today, weighing 5 lbs more than I did in the 80's, I would be within goal weights for WW standards. Go figure...

I'll stick to MFP and the gym

carlalanzon

Hi.. I found ww too much of a faff... Slimming World was great and lost loads with it. At the moment I am combining Fitness Pal with Slimming world and any Low Cal recipies online. Tonight I am making chicken kiev and chips for 323 cals. Good luck with your journey

TMM211073

Hi,

In my opinion slimming clubs are out there to make money, you lose 1 or 2lb a week and have to pay £5 for the privilege.... Save your money and log your food and exercise on here, ask questions, chat and generally join in the MFP community, it's free and you don't have to go anywhere at a particular time, on a particular day.....

I have never believed in slimming clubs, I never will, but obviously you're asking for peoples opinions and you don't have to agree with them - it's your body, your journey and your money.... Good luck with whatever path you choose to take.

xXx

CindyinAtl

I'm moving off of Weight Watchers. It worked for me in the past. But, the new Points Plus system where fruits are 'free' doesn't work for me. It also doesn't drive the nutritional eating that it used to when it required you to eat certain types of food (protein, veggies, fruit, etc.) I will say that the meetings help the process tremendously!

maleckathryn

I lost 107lbs in 14 months following weight watchers. I highly suggest the program. But as with anything it comes downt ot he effort and time you are willing to spend. I have gained back about 25 lbs. And have been using both tools to track and monitor what i am eating/exersize. I love WW and think its a great program. By no means do you eat their food. They actually tend to discourage the frozen meals in the meetings because of all the sodium. I never ate these meals as i lost my weight. I think either way you go ab0ut it it is very similar. For me having the accoutnability of having someone weight me in really helped. as well as hearing others praise and support. But at the same time, once i got to maintenance, I found the classes pretty suseless. I was in a differnet staeg in my journey and had differnt questions, topics i wanted to discuss that werent part of the class. I thin kthey need meetings for maintence people. Either way, i love both tools and think that using them together is very effective. !

nikole21212

I use WW at my heaviest (246)
I lost maybe 10lbs then I moved to AZ and didn't resign up, so maybe it could have been a success?
But this site is wayyyyy better then WW in my opinion.
and like everyone already stated, its FREE!

LianaG1115

Mid MFP I tried WW's, I gained weight on it. I found out later after returning to MFP and a new trainer that the "all the fruit you can eat" is actually way bad for you because of the carbs and sugars. SO this is what the case was for me, it may be different for you but just to let you know, this is free WW's is not, spend the money on a trainer once a week instead.

teenie_71

just use MFP - it's easy and FREE

KatieSvelte

I have had success with WW in the past. The program does work well.

But so does MFP if you use it daily and engage with others is helpful.

I decided to use MFP this time since its free and I dont have to attend meetings. I have 4 kids so time and money need to be used the best I can.

But I did like the WW meetings, I enjoyed meeting people and the encoragement you get.

ValGogo

Weight watchers is just a complicated form of counting calories. Why not cut out the middleman and use mfp which is freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee????????????????????????

Best answer ever...

kcjchang

I lost 35+ lbs with in 14 weeks on WW but it all came back after 2+ years. WW was great but expensive. The meals made watching my calories easy but didn't break my patterns so when I stop doing it, the weight slowly creep back in. Can't say MFP is better other than easy accounting of my daily caloric intake/expenditures. In some sense this is a game changer as it forces a life style change which I was not prepared to make/take previously. This is actually my second round on MFP. I had a ten months hiatus and is back to midway where I left of the first time. The only thing I can advice is to do what made the most sense for you, make and commit to the life style change required, and stick with it (I'm relearning that lesson).

adamgoleafs87

I tried it but didn't find it was for me. My sister however did it and lost around 100 lbs, and shes now a WW leader. She has a ton of members at her meetings, so I can attest that it does work for some. I have to see for me personally being a younger male I couldn't really find anyone to relate to when I was there, which pushed me to MFP. I like the sense of community here more, and the information that is at your fingertips.

cassique

I think it depends on what kind of support you need. Weight Watchers offers a plan for you to follow that can be helpful if you are having trouble getting stared and need a little more hand holding. I always lost weight when I did WW, but meetings and such wasn't for me. When they started the online program I had the most success, but once my 3 month trial ran out I didn't want to pay the money to continue. This was a long time ago when weightloss almost always cost a lot of money.

Now there are lots of free options. MFP being my current favorite because I find the database the most complete and the fitness advice (particularly heavy lifting) goes far beyond any other place I tried. It is serious exercise--not just "take the stairs and go for walks" advice you see in other programs, but it is still accessible to beginners and not intimidating like body building sites.

Before MFP I used another free website called Sparkpeople (if it is an issue to post the name I will edit and delete, just let me know) which I think is similar WW except with calorie and nutrient tracking rather than points. But it has a 4 week start up plan and you can choose to use their set meal plan or to just track your own foods like MFP. I think it is a good place to start because it gives you some step by step guidelines to help you get started. You get weekly emails to help you along and you take the program one step at a time (which I find to be the most effective way for me to stick with a plan). I didn't like how the recipe builder was separate from the website, and I feel like MFP app is better for logging in general. However, I like how SP gives you a range of calories for your goal rather than just the one amount. I think WW kind of worked the same way. You have range, and you don't eat back your exercise calories. I was surprised when I started MFP that my goal calories (1200) was the same number as what I learned was the least you should ever eat. But MFP allows you to eat back fitness, something I don't fully trust. So I try to stick to my range from SP and vary my week with high and low calorie days. I think that the eating back calories information is useful when you get very serious about the fitness end of your weightloss program. If you are working out a lot and noticing you are not satisfied on your calorie range then you probably need to increase your calories to make up for the extra burn. But if you are just doing moderate exercise 3-5 days a week, you are probably just fine sticking to a range of calories. At least that is what has worked for me. I also like to look at my week as an average daily intake rather than hitting my target everyday. If my daily average is within my range then I don't feel guilty about being over one day, or being under another. One day of over doing it does not blow my diet, I just make up for it in the days the follow, or if I know it will happen I prepare for it on the days before.

MFP is a great place to log and the fitness advice is the best I have come across. But it is far more flexible and I think unless you already know what your plan is, it can be confusing to get started and see a lot of different and often contradictory advice. You can follow any plan and adapt MFP to help you with tracking and meeting those goals. But if you need help deciding what works best for you, or you really don't know where to begin it might be easier to start with something like WW or SP since they provide some hand holding in the beginning. Of course with WW you will have to be converting calories to points to calories if you use both a free online tracker and WW. Seems like so much extra work to me, and at a significant cost. I guess if you feel like you would benefit from live support groups then it is the way to go, but if you like online there are free options that are just as good (if not better).