Should stay with Weight Watchers or Leave for MFP

Tljordan40

I have been a Weight Watcher for a very long time and it seems like I have lodt snd gailed the same amount of weight. Wgeb I first started with weight Watchers I was excited, and then the honeymoon was over and I realized that counting points started to get a liitle troublesome for me. Especially when your points target would drop as you lost weight. I was always hungry and my mind always stayed on food. A friend told me about MFP and here I am. I have tracked on MFP and I am really enjoying it. I am now trying to decide if I am going to keep the WW membership or do MFP exclusively. Are there any people that have tried WW and if so what is your insight on the program? Thanks in advance for your words of wisdom or beliefs.

shexy16

I prefer MFP's food database to WW....the WW food database is just bad and current. Plus, MFP is free. I lost 90 lbs. on WW, but gained 45 back. I personally think tracking is the key, whether I do it w/WW, MFP, or on a piece of scrap paper.

StaciMarie1974

I have never done WW - just couldn't see paying for a program - but have friends who have done both. Personally I could never convince myself to pay for a program. I tried Sparkpeople, used it for a while, but always had the cycle of doing well for a while then life getting in the way. Consistency was an issue. And perhaps the goals I set and my thought process were also problems for me.

I've used MFP since early this year and its worked well. I'm almost to that mythical (maybe not?) land of maintenance. I think the 'key' is that we have to figure out what works for us individually. For me, its logging accurately & honestly. And there MFP is a wonderful tool. I use the website and the phone app. I have a smart phone, and MFP goes with me. Easy! And no payment needed. My other 'issue' was realizing that if I don't make an effort, my life is very sedentary and lazy. While you can't exercise away a bad diet, I think it is important for me to set activity level goals and make sure to move during the day.

In the past I always had success initially but never got far enough to really envision a 'final' goal. Now I'm practically to the point of just needing to tone, strengthen and maintain. I'm going to continue logging thru MFP for a while - and then at some point may go off the reservation and just log occasionally to make sure my daily calories fall into my needed maintenance range.

unhgoose

I switch back and forth. I do the 3 month deal on WW and then cancel and go back to MFP. I do wel maintaining on both websites, but if I'm trying to push harder and lose weight doing something "fresh" that I can get excited about helps me. It's all in my head, and I like both programs. Just switching back and forth works for me. I've tried doing both at the same time but I'm never interested in logging in both places everyday.

kendragetshealthy

I lost 40something pounds on WW too but am enjoying MFP much more. It's free, you don't have to sit in meetings, and the support is better, in my opinion.

You are in charge of your program with MFP and in my case, I started working out MUCH more later on and therefore needed more calories, not less. I thought WW was too restrictive. I feel much healthier now!

Good luck! Just track, track track...

LeonCX

I absolutely preferred Weight Watcher's online tools, but could not afford it anymore. It has many more features and they fixed problems constantly, unlike here. I loved how WW would automatically recalculate your calories as the weight came off, and I loved the whole concept of weekly points. I do like that it is free here and appreciate the community. Although nothing is really free. We have to put up with the ads and the spammers.:laugh:

giggitygoo

I switched from WW to MFP in 2010 when weight watchers changed their tracking system for the millionth time. I was sucesfull with them, but felt like it was too "one size fits all" for me. I wanted more accurate nutrition.

I prefer MFP, and here's why:

- FREE
- Huge database of foods
- More insight into micro/macro nutrients VS calories alone
- More fitness minded buddies, love the "wall" system with updates.

That said, it's not any easier. In fact, more effort is required to make sure you are planning correctly and meeting your macro/micro goals.

giggitygoo

I absolutely preferred Weight Watcher's online tools, but could not afford it anymore. It has many more features and they fixed problems constantly, unlike here. That being said, I do like that it is free here. Although nothing is really free. We have to put up with the ads and the spammers.:laugh:

adblock.com is something you need.

VeryKatie

I personally feel they're the same thing. If counting points is annoying, so is counting calories....
I liked the WW online tools better, plus I worked harder at it since it costs money. But in the end I still got annoyed myself at counting point too. I switched to MFP. There's a more active community online here... but counting calories is still annoying :P

rgrady33

I offer my opinion having no direct experience with WW:

1. I have met several people who have tried it, but I have NEVER met anyone who has stuck with it long enough to reach their goal. That isn't necessarily WW problem, but I have not seen any successes other than in the commercials.

2. WW was a great way to count intake in an age when nutritional information wasn't readily available. MFP has almost everything (including a lot of the microbrewery beers I drink when I have the calories for it). It is pretty powerful that way.

3. WW seems more like a "tool" rather than a "lifestyle." In other words, I hear people who say they want to lose weight and they look for someone with a solution (in this case WW). The truth is that the only way you are going to lose weight and keep it off is if YOU become the solution by driving your choices. If WW is the start of that journey, and I understand there are people who do need these tools, then go for it! Just don't let that be the only tool you use.

4. With all of the nutritional information, and the community boards, there is tons of support and ideas to allow you to make your weight loss your own. Finding ways to be sated in a way that maintains your calorie targets is what this place is all about!

That's my 2 cents, but I'm just a loser (33 pounds and counting!).

tracie_minus100

There are many resources out there so you can do Weight Watchers for free, so it doesn't HAVE to cost anything. (Unless you want the meetings, obviously).
It really boils down to what works best for you. I did WW for years but just kept losing and gaining, losing and gaining (my own fault, not WW's). So I decided to move over here for something different.

hbgirl85

Former WW here. I swtiched from WW to MFP about 3 months ago. Lost about 13 pounds on WW but then plateaued and was tired of paying money for losing and gaining and losing and gaining the same 1.2 pounds weekly. I like the community support from MFP along with the fact that it's free and the scanner database has many more foods than WW. I alos like that I'm able to hone in on what I'm eating more specifically and tweak it along with my exercise.

Shoechick5

I prefer MFP for a lot of the reasons already listed here..but somepeople need the support of meetings, if you do, then WW would probably be better for you.

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KathyPBiles

I have done Weight Watchers a few times, even working for them. So I use what I learned from WW (like getting your fruits, veggies and water in) but use MFP. You get the same support from members here that you do in WW and it's FREE.

AJ_G

MFP is more accurate and it's free. Seems like a no brainer to me...

tracie999

I have been doing weight watchers for it seems half my life and guess what i lost weight but gained back more. I now use MFP, changed the way i look at food and have lost 63lbs. I would never go back to WW, i have learned so much about food and exercise in the past year.

jkal1979

I switched from WW to MFP in 2010 when weight watchers changed their tracking system for the millionth time. I was sucesfull with them, but felt like it was too "one size fits all" for me. I wanted more accurate nutrition.

I prefer MFP, and here's why:

- FREE
- Huge database of foods
- More insight into micro/macro nutrients VS calories alone
- More fitness minded buddies, love the "wall" system with updates.

That said, it's not any easier. In fact, more effort is required to make sure you are planning correctly and meeting your macro/micro goals.

These are the reasons why I switched over too, plus the meetings were getting too cheesy for me.

The deciding thing though was the fitness. There was no emphasis on it unless they had their fitness stuff on sale. It just made more sense to track on here and use that money on a gym membership.

Branstin

I lost 32 lbs. on WW and never gained back an ounce. I love the program but love "free" even better so here I am on MFP. Both programs are great but neither is going to work if you don't hold yourself accountable whether it is tracking points or counting calories. It takes me less than an hour to populate my food diary for the week ahead of time. If I decide to change something, it takes less than 5 minutes. My advice is to cancel WW and buy a food scale, water bottles, and comfortable exercise cloths.

AllOutof_Bubblegum

WW: Costs money for the meetings and other services.

MFP: Completely free.

No-brainer for me.

pjs2780

I was always starving on WW (did it 3 times) -- I was successful but it was not sustainable (which is why I had to do it 3 times). The weight came off quickly but i found the points system nebulous and hard to understand. I think MFP's database is better and easier to use. It's something I can see myself sticking with for a long time (and I've realized that I will always have to track my calories, even once I reach goal, because I just have no sense of portions any more).

kbeyer23

Ive used weight watchers a couple previous times to lose around 50 lbs each time. Only to then gain almost all back each time.
This time around, I really wanted to try WW again, because I thought since I had success with it previously it would be the way to go (if only I could stick with it, ha!). But, before throwing money out, I decided to give MFP a try and see how I liked it. At first, I wasn't too sure, but not, I wouldn't DREAM of going back to WW. I feel like more than ever, I really understand the science of it all, and instead of gimmicky "points" and "free" fruits and vegetables, I am gained a legitimate understanding of the nutritional values of the food I eat. I am finding I am actually eating MORE on MFP than I was on WW.

brightsideofpink

I've done both ww online and MFP.

I was exclusive with ww online first, and had success. But a friend talked me into trying out MFP, so for a while I double logged everything.

The advantages of MFP began to make themselves more apparent.
Yes, its free and thats a huge benefit. But even if it it wasn't, I would still choose MFP.

Calories are so much more predictable and universal. If I'm in the grocery store trying to make the best choices in types of granola cereal, I know right away what 220 calories means to me and where it fits into the MFP program. With weight watchers, I'd have to look it up online before I could buy it, because I had no concept of where it fell into my points.

I'm also a big snacker. With ww points being in a range of around 30, its easy to let rounding issues affect total points. So many items were listed at, for example, 5 points. But go ahead and have two of them, and it becomes 11, not ten. But ww won't tell you that that 5 point item was really 5.5. As a snacker, several half point rounding errors in a sample size of only 30 can really add up.

I like the precision and level of specificity with MFP much better. 120 calories is not the same as 180.

I quit WW 2 months ago and haven't looked back.

sherambler

I did WW for a while. I wasn't an official member, but my mother had all the scales and booklets left over from her days. I lost weight, but I definitely gained it all back and then some once the excitement wore off. But I've also struggled at times with MFP. To me, counting points and counting calories are similar but also completely different. I find myself eating a lot more variety and healthy foods than I did when I was on WW. And I find there's a lot more education about nutrition involved in MFP than in WW. At it's root though, counting is counting. It can still be tedious and annoying.

No matter what way of dieting/eating you choose, you still have to deal with the same issues of staying motivated, honesty in tracking what you eat, and building a lifestyle change through new habits.

If you use the forums and groups, then you can get the same level of accountability on MFP(if not more) as you can in WW. There are even some groups that are structured like WW--with weigh in times, etc. Rather than only meeting once a week like with WW, with MFP you can reach out 24/7 for help, which I like. I also feel more comfortable talking about my weight and relevant issues online and could almost never talk about these things in person, which is why I never officially joined WW.

I never used WW online, so I'm not sure how that compares to MFP.

cmoir

I hav3e been a lifetime WW member for about 13 years. That being said, I have gone back more times than I can count after having regained and lost the same 7 pounds. I just got tired of paying for it! So, I bought a fitbit which WW did not support (I have read something recently that they are supporting fitbit data and turning it into activity points now). I love the fitbit and how it interacts with MFP so, currently these are my tools of choice. Why pay for something you can get for free? Either way you are tracking points, calories and activity.

bfergusonii

I have tried a lot of different things, including WW. I lost weight on WW but eventually gained it back.

I think anything that "hides" the concept of calories and doesn't feel like something you can do forever is eventually going to fail.

Makterbro

MFP > WW
Why pay for a weight loss program when there is a better source for free?
I have lost 43lbs with MFP and counting. I've tried some weight watchers products and the points system seems kind of iffy. The amount of sodium and carbs in their frozen food is frightening.

amcook4

I've never done WW and even though it seems like a great program, I'd much rather use FREE MFP, which has been proven to work. I could be wrong, but isn't WW counting points, counting calories seems like it is the same amount of work (if not less), and again....completely free!

Kathisue1

I don't know if I have a lot of insight but I tried WW for 6 months and lost over 55 lbs on the core plan (like simply filling but a few changes) and then had gall bladder surgery. After that I struggled to get back into the rhythm of it. I eventually gained it back. I tried for the next few years and then took a break and tried again. Both times doing points and weighing my food. It was never successful. I tried again in 2013 with very little success. I quit in december and that's when my SIL told me about mfp app for my phone. I didn't realize it was available on the computer too until this past week. On my phone only I didn't do well but since I've been online here I've had 5 days of dedication . I am still getting used to how to use the journal and how it effects my food but I'm getting better. I might go back to WW some day but a change might be what I need. Ending your WW membership doesn't need to be permanent. I have a friend that has lost over 80 lbs that has been switching from one weight loss program to another over the last year or so and feels great. She looks great too. Some people need a change as long as it's healthy.

ccbulldog83

I have tried WW, but got annoyed trying to get to meetings (30 minutes away), then I tried the online WW, until I found sparkpeople (which was free)...I loved that it was free. Decided I needed a change and moved to MFP...I'm really liking it. I think the key is to find active people to help motivate you. Me personally will pick "free" every time :bigsmile: Good luck with whatever you decide.:happy:

whitehorse67

Personally speaking, regardless of what you stay with, you still have to "keep track" of something.....whether calories or points.....it can still be tedious and difficult. However, with that said, I have tried WW before, lost some weight but fell off after my points started to drop. With MFP, I have found that it tends to reform how you consume food! You start to look at not only calories, but carbs, sodium, sugars, fat, protein and MORE!

For me, it completely changed how I eat. I never really looked at food that same way with WW....it just forced me to look at "points" and I was not really changing my behavior.

I hope that helps!