Where are the former Weight Watchers??

teenyinni

Hey everyone!

This is my second day on MFP... coincidentally I found this site yesterday just as the WW site had a major several-hours-long crash. I know there are other threads on this topic but I would really love to know how WW people feel about MFP vs WW. I've seen people say that it is better and I just want to know what specifically about MFP made you decide that WW wasn't getting your money any longer ? (I know that cost is a reason in itself hehe)

IMHO, the nice thing about WW was the extra weekly/flex points that you could use outside of the daily allowance. Do you find it restrictive to eat the same amount of cals everyday without any wiggle room? I don't know the MFP program well yet so I'm not sure if there is any rollover of cals from day to day if you eat less than your daily allowance, if there are "exercise points," etc.


Please enlighten me!!

mrshickey

mfp all the way. its free, its more normal in my opinion- calorie counting rather than working out points all the time. food labels have calories, not propoints, lol!! and its free.

just my opinion (i did weight watchers and had success on the old points system, not so much success on the new propoints system, which is what led me here)

FTIM2015

Done WW, before they changed the points system around, and I MUCH prefer it here!

You can earn extra cals if you want to eat more, a lot of people will earn more cals in the week if they know that they're going out for a big meal. I've fallen off the wagon lately but I have to say I found it a LOT more supportive here than anywhere else.

Good Luck!

brimir

If you work out, you get to eat back those calories you burned off.. so there is plenty of "wiggle room" as you put it! just have to move a little!

tiedye

There isn't any "wiggle room" exactly, but you can earn your extra calories through exercise if you get what i mean.

gradgal01

i think the biggest difference as far as my own compliance goes is that the mfp website is way more user friendly and comprehensive. i also like that you can track whatever nutrients you like (in the food section, you can play around with settings). and i cheat less when i just take a handful of this or that -- on ww, if it was less than a full point, i didnt count it. everything counts here.

about "no flex points" here: everything is wiggle room. you set your food and exercise goals. you know exactly how much exercise you've done and how that affects your calorie intake for the day. obviously, neither system is 100% accurate, but... i am a convert to mfp.

remolding

I just left ww today after the crash yesterday, I have been on this site for over a year and I find it easier to log onto. I will continue to use my point system and log all foods.

Mustangsally1000

WW didn't work for me..this does! AND....it's free!

meerkat70

Lost lots on ww. I find this easier and more transparent.

kweaner

I personally switched to MFP because its free... but I have found that it is so much easier for me to count calories and I love how MFP does the breakdown of fat, carbs, sodium, protein, fiber...you get the point. I have had more success with MFP then I was having with weight watchers. I also love that you can motivate your friends so easily on their homepage. I think to each their own, as long as something is working for you then the key is to just stick to it!

Chastityx

I joined this site after 3 months on the points plus system and not losing one lb. I like this site so much more and I make healthier choices here when I see the amount of sodium and sugar in my foods.

Foxzy

When I was on the old WW points system, I compared points and the calories on those food items and it equalled to allowed points and calories. So my 30 something points equalled to 1200 calories. MFP does subtract calories burned, which would be your exercise points. You could easily use MFP and still use WW guidelines.

Also check out www.fooducate.com, this gives you food points on the products.

Hope this helps.

jlc1243

I lost over 50lbs on WW but I slowly gained it all back. I was tired of points and meetings just bored me to tears after a while. Concepts and tips, tricks I learned have stuck with me and I apperciate that. But, counting calories is much easier than needing a points calulator to determine whether or not I should eat it. I feel I am learning a lot more about health and fitness from others here not just about a new 100 calorie item at the grocery store...

And this is free and the support, IMO, is much better here. It's daily not once a week! And did I mention it was free?

Kimmer2011

MFP > WW

Free is good. Not having to find time for a meeting is good. The tools here are great. The people are better. I can be flexible with my calories based on how much I exercise. Sometimes I eat up to my max but not always.

sissamae

I used to do WW online and was successful for awhile. I have to admit that the cost was a big part of my decision, but I love this site! I don't think that the Flex Points from WW give you any more wiggle room than any other diet other than you feel permitted to eat additional calories each week. It was nice knowing that I had those points to use if I needed them, but I also felt the need to use them (whether I was hungry or not) a lot of times too.

With MFP I know that if I want to keep losing the way I have been I need to stay within a certain number of calories each day. I know if I want to have that candy bar I should cut something else out or add more exercise that day. I know that my body uses a certain number of calories each day and that doesn't change just because WW says I can use more points lol I guess what I am trying to say is that MFP holds me more accountable and I feel I do better with MFP because of that. For the first time ever I feel like I am only eating when I am truly hungry. I hope this helps!

Also, the people on this site are amazing and I have found so much more motivation and support on this site than I ever found on WW. We all have different preferences though, so it may not be true for everyone.

lydt5880

I switched in March after being on WW for four years and was a bit dubious- a case of better the devil you know! I did lose my initial 2 stone on WW but i found it more restrictive and realised this was easier to monitor nutrients such a sodium levels and carbs than WW. Its good to have the friends status update like Facebook on your homepage making your support network and motivators more easily accessible than WW.

I am now loving MFP and most of the people on here and feel more in control of my results.

H_Factor

things I didn't like about WW (and I stopped using it several months before I found MFP):

1. I don't like the points plus system because I couldn't eat all of the free food (veggies/most fruit), eat all of my points, and lose weight. I finally decided I just wouldn't eat all of my points, would stop eating when I was full, and, voila, I started losing weight.

2. I wasn't in love with WW's food database. I think the food database on MFP is much better.

3. There were some nice articles on WW, but MFP has better tools (if you use them) for accountability and support. the community pages are great....the amount of information you can put on your profile can be very helpful...the support from pals as well as success stories are inspiring. I didn't get any of that on WW, and perhaps I just didn't know where to find it (notably, I did WW on-line and did not go to the meetings...so, my comments are from an on-line perspective).

sissamae

I personally switched to MFP because its free... but I have found that it is so much easier for me to count calories and I love how MFP does the breakdown of fat, carbs, sodium, protein, fiber...you get the point. I have had more success with MFP then I was having with weight watchers. I also love that you can motivate your friends so easily on their homepage. I think to each their own, as long as something is working for you then the key is to just stick to it!

I also find that I pay more attention to sodium, carbs, etc! That's another good point!

erniebaby123

Also, I think the difference between WW and MFP is that WW is a specific weight loss system whereas MFP is more of a measure of a person's specific weight loss system. Everyone here is doing their own thing food/exercise -wise, and MFP allows you to track and measure your efforts, so you can reach your goals in your own way and in your own time. This is freedom in itself. And, of course, MFP-ers are extremely supportive, and that's also a big plus!

TaraFTMVA

I was on WW ( the old system) back in 2009. I loved it! Lost 20lbs in 3 months or so. I tried to get back on that same program by myself (not the new one, the old points plus program!) and I did lose ( 7lbs in 6 weeks), but I kept flunctuating, even if I would exercise and not go over my points, it just seemed it wasnt working for me. Also I had a baby in May and it just seemed like with a newborn it was too much to count my points, write them down, figure them out, etc. I found mfp thanx to a fb friend who said she was using it. I figured I would try it and see. I overlapped with WW for a week and found that according to mfp, I had more calories to eat ( even without exercise calories) than I had alotted points. I decided this was easier for me bc of the database and its free bc I couldnt afford the official WW site. I would never put down WW, I think that its an amazing program! But for me, I am very excited about MFP, its easier and faster for me. Plus I love that I know the calories I am burning when exercising and I can eat them if I want to. I know you can points wise as well, but to me its simpler to look at any package and see 200 calories vs trying to convert the nutrition facts into a certain number of points. I have seen fantastic progress since I have joined MFP. Almost 10lbs in 5 weeks. Which I would have lost more if I wouldn't have slacked with exercise and sometimes I would eat bad. But I know its by choice and I make it up the next day and get right back on track. I am excited to see how much farther I can go with MFP. I never reached my GW on WW bc I could no longer afford it, and I plan to stick with MFP until I do it and even after to maintain. It just makes sense to me.

Chastityx

There are Atkins,Paleo, low carb,calorie counters, vegetarians,and people trying to gain or maintain weight here. Different things work for different people. I love the support I get from everyone. You can track different things and change around your carb,protien, fat levels, till you find what works for you and your lifestyle.