MFP VS SP

fitnwhole

I'm having a hard time choosing which site I want to use as my main calorie counting/weight loss site. MFP is simple and easy (kinda makes life a lil simpler..lol).. Whereas SP (Sparkpeople) has tons of tools, support, games and information but at times can be overwhealming). Just wondering if anyone else has the same dilemma or if some of you are using both sites?

I tell my friends that MFP is like Facebook and SP is like Myspace..lol

nerdyandilikeit

i haven't tried spark people, but you saying its like myspace makes me not want to try it. i find myspace too busy and kinda lame

kgs0201

For me it's about the community and MFP has such great people! Plus weight loss isn't rocket science... calories in and calories out. No need for fancy tools! Support support support!

randi50

well if you put it that way the obvious choice is FB, right? lol

Emi_chan

I switched over from SP to MFP and haven't looked back since. I also referred some of my SP friends to this site and they all agree that this is way easier to use. I just couldn't keep losing weight with SP for long and I hit a plateau for the longest time. I think it was because they gave me a bigger calorie range (1200-1550) so I felt like I had more flexibility, especially on the weekends. Instead, it actually made me gain a bit. For me personally, I can do without the SP teams.

Hope this helps.

beesareyellow

I also tried Sparkspeople, but I found their site cumbersome and complicated for nothing. Also, they kept barraging me with emails. I dropped them when I found MFP and I am so happy with this site.

fitnwhole

@randi50- I prefer FB as well

@mini_chocoholic- You are right I found it was harder for me to lose to the weight using their calorie range (so I lowered it myself, mentally that is...however, that doesn't always work). Also I will say this, I like that MFP adds the calories you burn to your daily calories. I like that feature more than the calorie range.

Losing2Live69

I went to SP once to try to find the nutritional information for something I couldn't find on here. I found it to be so confusing. The way I look at it is this.....I am making changes to my life right now in the way I eat, drink, exercise, sleep, etc. That in itself is difficult. I don't want to be all frustrated and overwhelmed trying to figure out how to use a complicated site. MFP is simple and self explanatory. I have made a wonderful circle of friends on here and I wouldn't change that for anything in the world! I stay'n here!

stitcherbeth

I was at SP for over 3 years. I was stuck. I did not using it like I should and gained 15 pounds in 3 years. I was overwhelmed at SP. The site grew too big for me and I was lost. I came to MFP thanks to the recommendation of a friend. I like it here better. The pages are simpler and easy to read. I find the food diary and recipe tools are easier to use. I have teamed up with my friend and we support each other and it is clicking this time.I have lost 5 pounds in 3 weeks. There is a lot of great information there at SP to dig through, but I have already read a lot of it. I deleted my SP account and I am staying here at MFP. It is working for me. Each person needs something different. I hope you find what you need to motivate you in whatever site you choose.

fitnwhole

One thing I really like about SP are the recipes and how easy it is to search for a recipe on Sparkrecipes and then have that recipe placed on your tracker. Does MFP have a database of recipes? When I look up food I see the name of recipes but not the actual recipe. Am I missing it (the recipes on MFP)?

melsinct

I used SP over a year ago and eventually gave up. Their website has too much clutter, too much of what feels like forced interaction (the teams), and their website is the embodiment of what I think is a poorly designed website: too busy, flashy, and info overload. I could easily just use the nice clean MFP app as I can the website. Both are intuitive to use and makes me more apt to use them.

LadyBarb

I also tried Sparkspeople, but I found their site cumbersome and complicated for nothing. Also, they kept barraging me with emails. I dropped them when I found MFP and I am so happy with this site.

I agree, I was getting hit with so many emails & way too much to keep up with ... I love MFP

Kminor67

I tried SP but dropped it due to the overwhelming amount of spam. There is good info there, but its HARD to find what you need. I like MFP MUCH better.

FitJoani

SP is too busy and annoying for my taste so I prefer MFP and FB for the record

anna_b1

I feel like I'm part of a chorus, but I too left SP for MFP. I belonged to SP first and really enjoyed it, but once I found MFP and experienced how easy and quick it was, I realized MFP was the better site for me personally. And, as wonderful as I'm sure that community is and how great it is to belong to a team of people with similar interests, I just never really felt as connected to anyone as I do on this site. It's weird.

To be honest, I don't need all that SP has to offer. That's really the bottom line for me, More than once, I remember logging in to SP and feeling guilty because I couldn't be bothered to spin that wheel for Spark Points. Those trophies icons weren't enough of an incentive I suppose.

I think you can still access their Recipes and/or teams, but use MFP as your main weight loss community. We do have a recipe thread, but it is rather cumbersome to navigate (although there is a search feature).

Whatever your choice, just stay with whatever feels comfortable for you personally.

ImperfektAngel

I haven't gone anywhere else but this place seems to have just what I needed! I was doing all that counting, math, label reading on my own, its so nice and convenient to have it all done for me now