Myfitnesspal vs Weight Watchers

mockchoc

I never noticed much support at WW and I'm a lifetime member which means I can go for free. TONS of support here though and I learn so much more on here about eating and exercise than I did in a decade of WW meetings.

mellowadam

I lost about 90 pounds on WW but could only keep about 60 of it off. Lots of yoyo dieting the last 2 years. I find the MFP tracker to be much better because I can actually see my macronutirents, where I screwed up and how I can improve, etc. It so much easier to control yourself knowing you will have to post junk food on your tracker and your friends will see it. I didn't really have any accountability on WW.

The WW message boards (especially the men's boards) were extremely negative IMO. Lots of trolling by people who had already hit goal weight. I found a lot of people just had to disagree with something in every thread no matter what. I've only been doing MFP for 5 days and I can already tell the people on these boards are much nicer. I can't believe this site is free!

misshollie3

I did great with the old ww program a couple years ago and did really well with it but I have been frustrated with the new system since rejoining and feel like I am just not getting the same kind of results and had a hard time finding some of the foods in the database. A friend suggested MFP and already I find it to be more user friendly. I really like that I can scan the bar codes and get the information.

kelleybean1

I did WW and it worked, but I like MFP better. The points system is kinda like using Monopoly money, it's not "real" but calories are. Just sayin.

stewie_cl

The new ww program was problematic for me as a vegetarian. With the free fruits and veggies I found I was rarely eating all my points and was eating extra to use the leftover points. After four weeks of no losses I started double tracking and found that the free fruits and veggies were putting me way over my calorie limit. My options were either to start counting fruits and veggies as points or just track calories instead. There was no reason to keep paying weight watchers for what mfp, spark people and plenty of other sites could do for free.

wish21

bump

rjk3

I just joined Weight Watchers online and already i'm kinda miffed. I went to track my calories and couldn't find 4 of the foods already. I'm used to MFP having just about everything! This is really inconvenient because I really don't want to spend time having to log in nutritional values. For the price, they should have a highly updated database.

Kazzabob

I just joined Weight Watchers online and already i'm kinda miffed. I went to track my calories and couldn't find 4 of the foods already. I'm used to MFP having just about everything! This is really inconvenient because I really don't want to spend time having to log in nutritional values. For the price, they should have a highly updated database.

Inclined to agree! Lost around 4 stone using WW and exercise over the first 5 years and have roughly maintained for the last 2 (although still need to lose over another stone). Thought I would properly start tracking again and was irritated with some of the foods not being on the WW site - for some reason also looked at MFP and the database is LOADS better - and the scanning is brilliant too. Might download all my weight info from the WW site and just cancel as this seems much better!

cara523

I've done both meetings and online WW. If I had to pick between the two, I preferred the meetings. It seemed like more of a motivator knowing I HAD to go weigh in each week. Because of financial reasons, I had to stop. Years later my cousin did online WW and lost a LOT of weight. He also gained it back and then some. I thought "I have more will power than him" so tried online- wasnt impressed. Cancelled but would have anyway because again, due to finances. Found MFP last night and its hard to explain but there is something about this that I really believe is what I need! This has it all and it seems like even the people you meet and the posts that you read...its just one big happy family! Support is a wonderful thing and I cant explain it but just reading around this sight tells me I found my home! Best of luck!

MJkittycatsmom

The Points Plus program tends to nudge people into eating more fruits and vegetables. In my opinion, this is all good. In fact, it is the healthiest thing that WW subtly teaches, without giving you a score card and telling you how much vitamin C you have to eat every day.

I belong to WW. I know that there are people there who probably succeed at weight loss without becoming nutrition experts. However, there's so much emphasis on simplifying food preparation that I can't imagine the benefits of that escape the members who try to cook the way they used to.

If you go to blogs or websites that seek to 'educate' you about nutrition, they are all over the place. Many actually tell you that x, y, or z food groups or food items are harmful and you must never eat them. WW doesn't do that, plus they put emphasis on getting up out of your seat and moving your body. There are actually websites and blogs that brush exercise away and intimate that it is going to hurt your dieting efforts, rather than help! It boggles the mind how much mis-information is spread through various trendy diets. WW hasn't changed all that much, basically. It's calories in, calories out. Drink water. Watch how much of something you eat, and count it so you KNOW WHAT YOUR DIET IS COSTING YOU IN CALORIES.

dacmpl

I've done WW for years and years and was successful until recently. TMI for some but after I went through menopause it just wasn't working and I think it's because of all of the 0 point fruits and vegetables. It's still calories and sugar and doesn't work for everyone, just amounts to too many calories. Tried Myfitnesspal and I LOVE IT, cancelled my WW membership after 30 years. Lost 4 pounds the first week, everything is in their database and you can scan virtually anything. LOVE IT!!!

tinar1973

I tried weight watchers a long time ago and lost weight quite rapidly but sadly it went back on even quicker, I have been using MFP and lost 34 lb so far and it is staying off!! MFP all the way for me :-)

ashleey1000

After both I say mfp is the free and better version of WW cuz both r counting calories and logging exercise. WW just uses points instead of actual calorie numbers. Atleast that's wat I observed about both and which is y I choose mfp over WW.

linmin

Hi, I left ww this week after loosing 5 lbd. I didn't enjoy the classes. The best thing about the ww points plan for me was being able to calculate and record all my meals and exercise. I am really pleased to be able to do all of this here and it's free!

1brokegal44

I've done both. WW off and on for years. MFP more recently. Really, both are as effective as you make them. But I find MFP works better for me. I can lie to myself, justify that extra cookie or drink without writing it down, but I can't lie to you people. Weird, I know. But I feel like I'm more accountable if I'm accountable to these strange semi-anonymous posters. And it's free. :happy:

aseymour13

I agree wtih the above. I tried WW a few years ago and did but found it limiting in the food choices and had to do too much work to figure out the points/calories etc. I quit about the time I hurt my hip and I have found this much more flexible. The input and support from everyone is so much better - and friendlier. I dont feel lik MFP is a competition.

belmcphee

I like a lot of other people here did weight watchers and did lose some weight. However because I don't really have the time or patience to be constantly counting calories and kilojoules etc, I at the time (this was a few years ago) found weight watchers really hard to stick to. That being said, it does work for a lot of people!!

I do remember at a few WW meetings feeling somewhat disheartened seeing former members come back trying to lose some weight they had put back on, although I can appreciate the courage this must have taken for them to do that. Also the weigh in's at the end of each meeting in front of the others present at each meeting I sometimes felt overwhelming....

However, myfitnesspal is free, and I probably wont go back to weight watchers because I would prefer to put my money toward things like jujitsu or pole dancing lessons (and these have helped me lose weight!). Plus it can all be done in the privacy of your own home and you are only acountable to yourself!

_Zardoz_

I don't have personal experience of ww but from observations of friends and family members using it. The majority have problems staying at a healthy weight they seem to yoyo a lot. If that's the fault if the person or the ww system I don't know. What I will say is ww does work for some people. Everyone is different, it would be a dull world if we weren't so different things work for different people. All I would add is remember ww is a business and the purpose of a business is to make money.

denajo72

Thanks for this question. I have friends that have started ww, but I don't want the added cost and I seem to do well on MFP. It is easy to use and I can use it online or on phone. I look forward to adding the points.

Trackingeverything

I feel like I am the minority in saying that I am a WW member and just joined MFP, and the first thing I thought was I really prefer the points system. For example, the over-eating protein. I eat way more protein than MFP says I should but I do intense cardio every day and was told by a nutritionist and other people who have lost a lot of weight that the excess protein doesn't hurt? MFP is good because I get to track and see how many calories I am actually consuming but at the same time so far I definitely prefer WW.