Weight Watchers!? Who's done it!?

Pinklady1053

I did WW my 3rd year of college after gaining about 50 lbs from HS to college (2005). Back then, there were no-weigh-in passes, so it took the incentive away, and I stopped going (I did lose weight when I looked at my weight record).

My friend and I joined WW together on 3/17/13 and I've lost 6 lbs so far. I've done MyFitnessPal since 2011 but didn't really lose weight even though I was staying within my calories. Then I even started seeing a registered dietitian in Summer 2012 and gained 10 lbs, putting me at my heaviest ever.

I've been tracking everything in MyFitnessPal, putting it into excel and plugging in the WW points formula to calculate my points every day. The WW online tools aren't as good as MFP, the database sucks and the barcode scanner sucks. I've been able to scan EVERYTHING into MFP.

The one benefit I see about the points system is the calories are actually weighted a little differently, and not every calorie is equal. It's better to eat 100 calories worth of fruits/vegetables vs. 100 calories of a cheeseburger. I felt like I was eating healthier foods after joining WW vs. just with MFP. Sometimes I'm within my calorie range on MFP but I'm over my points range on WW (usually eating crap food). Other times (eating fruits/veg) I'm over my calorie range in MFP but under my points range in WW.

I really like MFP, the database, the barcode scanner, etc., but I think the WW points system makes sense and there's also wiggle room (flex points) for you to eat foods you might be craving but still lose weight. It's really about increasing fruit/veg intake and decreasing processed/fast foods (which I knew already but wasn't doing). I look at my tracker now vs. 3 months ago and it's a lot healthier.

WW also talks about 3 areas to concentrate on: 1. Tracking (all foods/drinks/anything that goes into your mouth), 2. Spaces (Environments: work, home, school, restaurants, etc), 3. Routines (fitness/activity, sedentary lifestyle, etc.)

herblackwings39

I did Weight Watchers between February 23, 2012 and the end of March 2013. I liked it and found the program fairly easy to follow. I did limit my fruits to 2 a day and the rest of my free things from veggies though. It helped keep my blood sugar in check too. I found the program fairly easy to follow and lost 79 lbs in the time I followed it.

My main complaint is with their customer service, at least for the .ca part. My meeting was in Minnesota since I live on the border and it was less than five minutes away, but they closed it with one week notice and I was forced to drive an hour to finish out the month on my monthly pass. It became inconvenient to attend and added a lot more money to the already expensive costs.

I emailed the company to switch from the monthly pass to e-tools/on-line only, including some questions I needed answered before I made the switch. When I logged in the next day all my stuff was gone. I was paid through the end of March, but they just cancelled it without notice or answering the questions asked. I finally got an email from them 4 days later, after cancellation, telling me they'd credited my account for the April pass that went out and to follow a link to get etools set up. Which ended up requiring me to pay a $40 sign up fee....ffs I was already a member and now they expect me to re-register? Um, no.

Weight Watchers is a good program, but I get the feeling people are just money to them outside of the meeting leaders/members. They don't reply in a timely manner to questions and concerns. It's expensive. I was paying almost $60 a month for 4 meetings and the ability to track online. MFP is free and you can do the same basic thing.

Since switching over I track my fruit and veggies and I'm still losing weight. This week I'm down 1.8lbs.

firedancer201

I did WW online from May 2011-October 2011. I lost 40 lbs. I gained a bit back due to medications I was put on. I've slowly been chipping away at those pounds.

I loved WW. It was easy. I made good choices and felt confident in them.

You can get an app for $1.99 called Ultimate Value Diary app that is identical to the WW program.

I am counting calories and and am failing. I had really good loses at first and am now gaining. I'm about to go back to Ultimate Value Diary.

rekite2000

I did it for three months. It just wasn't me. I was entering my recipes in MFP to calculate points and wanted to see my macros so I was double logging. As for the "free points", from my readings on it- they calculated an estimated amount a typical peron would/should eat and it is a part of the calculations. So as long as a person doesn't eat a huge amount, then they will be fine. From the website:


"Are there situations when I need to count PointsPlus values for fruit?
No, not for fresh fruit. Yes, fruit does have calories, and it contains fiber and other nutrients. But we’re assuming that you’ll eat a certain amount of fresh and other unsweetened fruit (veggies, too) each day, and have taken that into account when giving you your daily PointsPlus Target."


I even calculated my points and my TDEE 15%- and they were very close calorie wise. I just like more information about my food. Plus, their database sucks! I am healthier from MFP.

Meaganandcheese

Done it? Yes, off and on for several years.

Is doing it? I recently left to come back to MFP.

What did you like the most? Lost 15 pounds, the meetings were great (I had an AWESOME leader). Online community is also great.

What DON'T you like about it? It puts me in a constant binge-restrict cycle with the extra points. I do better with the more even keel of calorie counting. And it's expensive.

Is it easy? it's no easier or harder than any other structured eating plan. It's not magic. J-Hud worked her butt off for that banging body. You sill have to be committed to your goals and plan.

What's the hardest thing about it? There's a little bit of a learning curve with the point values and good health guidelines.

How successful are you? Lost 15 pounds before hitting a plateau that brought me to MFP. I eat more daily, but more consistently here.

How many lbs per week do you estimate you lose? WW is designed for .5-2lbs a week, just like any other healthy plan. Again, it's not magic.

iluvmycats

Yes, I did it (more times than i care to think about)
Not doing it now, as of late it was 2010 when I was last on the program
I loved the meetings.i would cry sometimes just knowing, omg im not the only person in the world who does that! Our leader was very inspirational and funny.
I did not like loggin my food as points. I tried to still do it and MFP but it wasnt working out.
No major problems..
I didnt think it was hard but none of this is that easy. Now i think it has become easier with scanning options and everything being more accessible.
The hardest thing for me was changing the way i thought about things to stay on program. But that had little to do with WW.
I had lost 37.5 lbs during my time on the program. It was the most weight i ever lost in my lifetime of dieting. I do not do the program now but do not hesitate to credit it with changing things for me to be able to keep pushing ahead!

All the best to you!

Alright guys, I was contemplating doing weight watchers because, well, who DOESN'T wan't Jennifer Hudson's awesome slammin' body? Anyhoo....it was just a THOUGHT so was going to ask who all has;

Done it?
Is doing it?
What did you like the most?
What DON'T you like about it?
Do you notice you have problems with anything?
Is it easy?
What's the hardest thing about it?
How successful are you?
How many lbs per week do you estimate you lose?


And if you guys can think of anything more please please feel free to share!


Thanks!
Sarah

Meaganandcheese

put the money you were gonna pay WW in a treasure box and treat yourself to some nice work out clothes with it every time you lose 5 or 10 pounds.

I am doing exactly this. $40+ a month really adds up fast.

maddogg82

I did it for a while. I liked it because i lost weight and it tought me how to eat even when i was out. I didnt like all the points counting and calculating. HATED THAT.

I find it was like a Pre Req Class to MFP. It helped me alot because once i started MFP it was kind of stuff i already knew but i find that MFP is much better for me personally because it doesnt require me doing all the calculations and adding the points. Its simple, easy and i can see what i ate.

I would rather stick to MFP.

Skratchie

Did it. How was it? Hungry. All. The. Time. When I added up the calories based on the points I was getting, I was eating way less than I should have been (around 1300 cals when I weighed 250 lbs). MFP is much easier, cheaper, and I'm not always freakin' hungry.

Like others said, save the money and get something useful - work out clothes or something. Heck, for $40/month, you can buy a gym membership.

chasetwins

Done it THREE (or more) times - they change it constantly and I think I have tried every one!!

They allow me TOO many calories and usually HIGH carbs. I had A LOT of success on it in 2000 - after that not so much. I was just on it a few month ago and I stopped...it DOES work for a ton of people - for me it just was not what I needed. You can not go anywhere without a calculator (theirs) to calculate points. And now with free veggie / fruits it ups your calories even more. Was too much work for me!

I highly recommend to try it as alot of what I do now is based on WW - my friend lost 100 lbs last year (one year) on it!!

kluedesigns

i did it and didn't have any problems with it.

i like that you can use weekly points and activity points at any time during the week - this way you can use them for a dinner out or a party/special event.

i signed up for "online only" and logged on both MFP and WW - this way i knew how many calories was equal to a food point and how many calories burned equals an activity point.

once i understood all the concept and calorie/point values i canceled my WW account and just use MFP.

Moxie42

Done it? Yep, but stopped when I started MFP

Is doing it? No.

What did you like the most? If you stick to it, you lose weight. I had an amazing leader too- she made me look forward to going to meetings. The weigh-in accountability helped

What DON'T you like about it? Although they encourage healthy choices, you can stay under your points eating nothing but crap, so I never got out of the habit of eating crap, which led to falling off the wagon a lot.

Do you notice you have problems with anything? Same as what I didn't like about it. It encouraged healthy eating and exercise but there wasn't any accountability in that regard.

Is it easy? It's a simple plan but I had a hard time sticking with it.

What's the hardest thing about it? Sticking with it. No one called me out if I slacked and missed meetings, and making healthy choices and exercising were basically optional. It was mostly about calorie deficit- nothing more, nothing less.

How successful are you? I lost and gained 20 lbs twice.

How many lbs per week do you estimate you lose? I was told to expect 1-2 lbs a week. When I stuck with it, I lost 1-4 lbs a week.


MFP is basically the same thing but without meetings and it tracks calories and macros instead of points. I started Curves Complete a month ago and THAT I love! I'm expected to get a certain number of steps per day and do the circuit 3-4 times a week. I also have a meal plan to help guide my eating and to make sure I eat HEALTHY, not just at a calorie deficit. I weigh-in weekly and get measured (inches and BF %) monthly, and I meet with a coach weekly so go over how I did that week, any struggles/successes, etc. Plus everyone is very friendly- it's a fun, positive place to go with a TON of support.

Meaganandcheese

I will say that my favorite thing about WW is the online community. I think those of you saying that it's not great are crazy! I've used their message boards for years and I've made some real friends and a great support community there. Some boards are more active than others, but there are some amazing people out there who have a lot of great information about health, fitness, meal planning, and all sorts of life stuff. There is even a daily MFP thread on the 20s board.

Sqeekyjojo

I tried one meeting. In it, we were lectured for 25 minutes about how cheese was the Devil. And then got told how easy it was to buy WW branded microwave meals instead.

I wasn't impressed.

RoadsterGirlie

The minimum WW will take a woman to is 26 points. This is roughly 1200 calories if you include the free fruit and veggies.

I know there are MANY people on here who will tell you 1200 is not enough, and I am one of them. When I was losing weight, the lowest I went was 29, which was about 1400.

So no, WW does NOT give you too many calories.

RoadsterGirlie

I tried one meeting. In it, we were lectured for 25 minutes about how cheese was the Devil. And then got told how easy it was to buy WW branded microwave meals instead.

I wasn't impressed.

Precisely why I'm Online only, and don't go to meetings. That would annoy the heck out of me.

I like how the plan is so flexible and you can tailor it to fit what you like, as long as you get in the good health guidelines (proteins, fruits/veggies, healthy oil, etc.)

I also eat cleaner than I have in my whole life. You can eat the microwave meals if you want to, but you absolutely do not have to.

jamm2000

Ditto! I have done it several times over the years and it is great. I reached lifetime and then stopped attending meetings and gained most of the weight back. I just joined AGAIN this week and am already encouraged. I love the weekly accountability.

In it and loving it. The new Points Plus system is pretty great.

What I like about it is that it doesn't focus on calories, but instead teaches you to choose the right foods. For example, I would choose a low-cal cookie instead of banana, but with WW I can eat a banana for free and the cookie would cost 2-3 points. (Obviously if I eat too many bananas it's bad, but in general it works really well for me). If I'm hungry I can always have an apple or strawberries and it doesn't cost me anything.

jamm2000

I was always curious about the points to calories equivalency so when I started back on WW again this week, I also tracked on MFP and you are correct - 29 pts is roughly 1400 calories. With MFP I was limiting myself to 1200 calories. I will see next week how my body responds.

The minimum WW will take a woman to is 26 points. This is roughly 1200 calories if you include the free fruit and veggies.

I know there are MANY people on here who will tell you 1200 is not enough, and I am one of them. When I was losing weight, the lowest I went was 29, which was about 1400.

So no, WW does NOT give you too many calories.

bunnymum150

been there, done that. It does work if you stick with it.
MFP is great and one does not need a special calculator to figure out point values.
High cost, some instructors better than others.
If you have not done so, attend a meeting to get aquainted

good luck

WendyCDavis61

I was on WW a couple of years ago and lost a substantial amount of weight. I lost about .5 to 1 pound a week. The leader was very motivational and gave a lot of really good health and fitness information. But i didn't find any really "support" at the meetings. The new WW points plan does have most fruits and veggies "free." However, that doesn't meant that they are unaccounted for. With the new plan you have to find your points on their points calculator. Apparently, they have developed a calculation that includes fruits and veggies in your numbers automatically, whether you eat them or not. I understand that the thinking is that if they are free more people will choose the healtier foods. However, it means that you are tied to WW forever, because you need the calculator.

I didn't like that WW was so expensive and I didn't like that your decisions are made by arbitrary numbers assigned by WW, not numbers that are used in general. However, what I did learn by having to do those calculations is to really analyze the food lable, because not all calories are the same. For instance, a high fiber, low fat food choice is better than a high carb, high fat food choice even if the calories are the same. But, MFP offers the bigger picture of being able to look at your choices over a full day to see how they stack up. I really like that much better than WW.

I'm new to MFP, but I think it gives me the same sort of information. And it seems like I'm able to make better choices and stay in a my calorie count without trouble so I'm very happy so far. Hopefully, I'll have the same sort of weight loss.