Myfitnesspal vs Weight Watchers

daphnegetnfit

I just bought the food companion, dining out guide and the points calculator - the new calculator keeps tracks of your daily points so you know what you have left. I canceled my WW membership and am using MFP and doing WW using my books and calculator. I actually like MFP website a lot better and find the support a lot better here than on ETools. I have been doing WW for years and love the new PointsPlus program

GBO323

When WW starting doing the new configuration that no longer is calorie based, that nailed it for me. WW is a good program,but now you have to buy their calculator to figure out their POINT values. Before, I could gauge that 1 POINT usually was about 50-ish calories, give or take depending on Fat or Fiber. Now, it's a crapshoot.

So, take the $15/week you would pay WW and sock it away. Once you hit goal, reward YOURSELF with some new clothes or other things.

Ladyzumba

WW really? MFP rocks waaaaaaay better than WW!

CiaraH18

I have both now, and I like MFP WAAAAAAAY better! Although they are basically the same thing, I like the calorie counter because you see exactly what you're eating. With WW they don't count veggies and fruits! I'm giving up on WW and just doing MFP, I don't even track on there anymore!

Dorianlg

Speaking up for Weight Watchers!
So I quit Weight Watchers because I'm on a budget and it was either WW or a gym membership, and I think the gym is probably better for me than a weekly meeting I wasn't attending regularly.
I think if you're a person who doesn't enjoy spending a lot of time online and being social online, an in person weight watchers meeting is probably a lot more likely to keep you accountable and motivated than MFP. I've really tried to throw myself into my MFP community, and that keeps me plenty accountable.
MFP is not an educational tool unless you proactively make it one. For instance, you can ask these boards any question and someone will have an answer for you. But you have to ask.
The WW meetings I went to were very educational and had a huge vegetable/exercise focus. I have generally very positive feelings about the new points plus system. I really think it's an improved system that encourages people to eat fruits and vegetables. Now, do I think maybe fruit should be worth some points? Yes. Do I think many people don't realize that WW doesn't count potato as a vegetable? Yes. I also think they made the change because it forced their million members to buy a bunch more stuff.
But the fact is I'd rather have someone eat their daily points in oreos then eat a head of broccoli and go over their daily calories than just eat oreos, lose weight and get scurvy.

key1238

Let me just say that I have not tried weight watchers since converting calories fiber and carbs into points is an extra math step I am not willing to do. Plus I do not want to pay for meetings to weigh in and talk about my diet. I can weigh myself for free and talk to friends about good eating habits. If WW works for you, keep doing it, but MFP has been so easy to follow.

I am grateful that I found MFP. It is so easy to track the calories and I love the scanning and recipe functions. It has helped me lose more than 12 pounds since starting a few days ago. Ease in tracking nutrition is what was needed to help me meet my weight loss and fitness goals. I feel confident that I will meet my goals and be able to maintain.

It took two years to take off 30 lbs. I was over 220lb at my heaviest. Since starting MFP a couple of weeks ago at 191lb I am now down to 178 with 27.5 percent body fat. I am happy with my results thus far.

daphnegetnfit

I did WW for several years and that is DEFINITELY not the company philosophy. People need to educate themselves before trashing something they don't understand.

Direct quote from their website:

"The ProPoints plan is a fantastic counting system that allows you to eat what you like, when you like..."

Where does that say, "Eat small meals and reward yourself with a big piece of cake"? I don't see that.

Weight Watcher teaches healthy eating. The nine Good Health Guidelines are all about nutrition. You're supposed to fulfill those before you have a "treat." And how in the world is that any different from calorie counting? You're still eating "what you like, when you like," aren't you? Just tracking it in a different way.

Like I said, EDUCATE YOURSELF before spouting off.

I was making light of some of the previous adverts shown by WW on UK tv, that certainly had people tucking into cake... not spouting off or trying to offend.

However my main point was they are endorsing parts of McDonalds menu, is this really a good policy for a company concerned with healthy eating?

I certainly don't eat what I want when I want, I think, plan, eat and make gains and losses I require.

There are plenty of people that eat McDonald's - WW is not endorsing McDonald's they are giving the points plus values of their food - if someone chooses to each at McDonald's or Burger King or any other restaurant they have in their system they are able to do so and still stay within their points. Habits are not changed overnight to eating healthy foods and some people may need this option. If you follow their program and stay within your points range, you loose weight. Their program works. You can say MFP endorses McDonald's too as it is in their system with calories.

mandrews2307

I am current a WW member. Last year we switched to the new Points Plus program and our leaders were swapped out because they said 2 leaders could "share" a meeting (they took turns on who led the meeting on Saturday mornings) all in the same month (December '10/Jan. '11). I managed to make my goal in February '11 but was unable to maintain it. Our new leader just likes to sell products and I lost inspiration. I've gained back about 6 lbs and am now searching to keep myself going. I like the people at my WW meetings, just not the leader (as much). My husband also goes to WW (he's the one that got me involved to begin with) and he wants to continue. I think going back to counting calories and switching it up a bit might help me. I like my beer and find it easier to count the calories as opposed to pretending that I'm using my 49 extra points. I find calories easier than points. I just keep hiding the truth from myself. I just started today so hopefully counting the calories will help me get those 6 lbs off.

MelissaGraham7

WW is now different really than MFP. I did them both for about 18 months. Have done WW for years on and off (lost 81 pounds). I'm essentially following WW but using MFP to track my stuff since it is free. It all works. Weight Watchers is just essentially calorie counting- they just call them points. Whatever works to teach moderation, portion sizes, healthy foods, and lots of activity!!

lou1618

I started doing WW in 2004 and in 7 mos reach my goal and became a lifetime member. I've gained about 30.lbs back and have been back and foward to WW over the last 2 years. I couldnt get back on track. I dont like the point plus plan , to me its to hard to figure you points even if u have their calulator, But I believe that WW and MFP is a lot alike. Both focus on eating healthier and being more active And someone else said they believe that the WW points are about the same as calories on MFP. I agree. Im not knocking WW. its works,but for me I think I just need a change to get me back on track and hopefully MFP will help get there.

Sweeterescape

Weight Watchers is all about Points. This does NOT teach you how to really eat healthy foods unless you are committed to learning more than WW teaches. I have met SO many people on Weight Watchers who have no clue as to how or what to eat, and no idea how to do anything without WW. It really has become a crutch for some of them - they can't go off the program. Maybe they're not doing it right, but when I hear over and over again, "I can't eat lunch - I'm saving up my points today so I can have cheesecake at dinner," well, let's just say I am LESS than impressed with that program.

^^^^
This. I did WW for 5 years going up and down, up and down because this was the attitude I adopted on it. I think it's a great way to start weight loss, but not a long term solution and I've learned so much more from MFP! I now have a much healthier outlook to food and I think this is sustainable long term for me.

However, everyone is different and has different knowledge and support, do what works for you! WW was great for me for a long time, go for it if it's best for you!

zabsheer

I've been on Weight Watchers for years, reached goal and then, when the new Points Plus came into being, the weight started creeping on. I'm still going to meetings because I like having the accountability of having to weigh in. I've been on MFP for only two weeks so far but I find the tracking easier and I am more likely to find the foods I eat in the database. The Points Plus thing was just too complicated and it bugged me that you had to buy a special calculator to figure out how many points plus anything was. So far MFP is great, and I've lost 2 pounds.

ice99706

I started using Noom (an app on my Android phone) and losgt 10+ pounds with it in a few months. I like how it breaks food into 3 categories, Green (good), Yellow (okay) and Red (Not so good). The calories for it are a guesstimate. But, it did teach me to eat healthier, you know, that subliminal red is bad thing. I believe it is based on the Glycemic Index way of eating.

My daughter found MFP because she couldn't get Noom on her iPhone. So for the first two weeks, I dually tracked my foods. That's when I found out that the calorie count was off. I found that I started to get a little off on the balance of my foods (more toward the red) when I found that I had "extra" calories left on MFP. So, I'm back on track and doing well and eating healthier whole grains, proteins, veggies & fruits. Love MFP.

freshstart199

I have done both, I actually acheived Lifetime Membership 3 yrs ago, half the weight came back you cannot count points forever. I went back to PP and the weight did not come off, I joined Fitness Pal and have steadily lost weight. It is so much easier to look at a package to see if it fits your calorie budget, rather than playing around with a calculator to determine if it fits your food budget.

Zee48

I loved WW and it served me well in teaching me how to moderate my eating & activity plus I had an awesome leader and group. I lost 46# in one year to make Lifetime, fell off the wagon after my husband passed away, regained 25# and started back at WW just as they started the first new PP program in 2011. I purchased all the new books, calculator - the whole 9 yards but just could not get my momentum. Now they have changed it again in 2012 so that meant more money out. I cancelled my on-line e-Tools account and joined MFP November 2011. I counter MFP with LoseIt! to compare calorie counts when MFP just doesn't seem correct. I've lost 9.5# since June 2011 when I got back on track but actually I should have done better. It is my fault in not getting my head on straight.

wh0a_is_me

This topic has been around forever it seems, hope someone can answer my question.

I just signed up for a trial version of WW to input what I eat and track on MFP to see where it put me in "point values" - I'd most definitely be way over, though I guess with Activity + those 49 Plus Points, I'd be in the right range. I'm trying to take in more calories now and I just get worried about overeating - and I'm not sure whether I should follow something like WW, or just track 1800Cal on MFP (plus I input %'s of Fat/Protein/Carbs, so I stay within those ranges, too)..in the end, MFP forces me to eat super healthy, while WW would give me the 'luxury' of eating more sugary things if I had the allowance for it..which, I guess isn't terrible, but I rather break those habits.

Anyway, I think I'm rambling, lol. I'm going to buy an HRM and see how many calories I'm burning during my workouts and maybe that'll help me figure out a good calorie range for myself and I won't feel so bad about it. I think overall though, I prefer MFP..then I just look at food as to whether its healthy or not, not whether it's X amount of points or not.

Sarena3

Definitely not how WW is meant to be done. I've been w/ WW for over two years. Each meeting is devoted to a pertinent topic of educating one in nutrition, exercise, motivation, planning, tracking, etc. The on line is chock full of info. There is really no deficit in the program but as with anything the deficit can be how one follows it. I love both WW and MFP. To me WW provides a more structured approach and education, while MFP is more "do it yourself". Both will do the job to the committed and honest practitioner.

mom2mozart

I also did WW. I found that I was always hungry, but now realize that I wasn't eating the right foods. I love the ability to check out other's diaries and see what is working for them. I love reading the posts and I love that I don't have to leave home to learn. I can do it when it suits me. My friends have been wonderful on MFP. I say save your money and stick with MFP.

bfbooty

Weight Watchers is all about Points. This does NOT teach you how to really eat healthy foods unless you are committed to learning more than WW teaches. I have met SO many people on Weight Watchers who have no clue as to how or what to eat, and no idea how to do anything without WW. It really has become a crutch for some of them - they can't go off the program. Maybe they're not doing it right, but when I hear over and over again, "I can't eat lunch - I'm saving up my points today so I can have cheesecake at dinner," well, let's just say I am LESS than impressed with that program.

i did ww for years and the program does not teach people to skip meals they are doing it wrong if they are doing that. there is plenty of free foods or very low point foods you can eat as much of as you want there is no need to skip meals - having said that i much prefer mfp so far but i am also incorporating the slimming world program into mfp and it seems to be working for me.

for those that don't know slimming world is a different program to ww but kind of similar, you have lots of 'free' foods and then you 'syn' (sin) anything that's not free e.g butter, oils sugars e.t.c there's 3 plans you can follow and e.g of one is the extra easy
this plan allows you as much lean meats, fish, eggs (but advised no more than 10 a week), potato, rice and pasta, all veg and fruits, you get 2 healthy extras A and B Healthy extra A is your calcium intake so you can choose certain amount of dairy such as milk or cheese, healthy extra b is you fiber intake so e.g there's options you can choose from e.g whole wheat bread, bran flakes of something similar.
anything other than these foods has a syn value and you are allowed between 5-15 syns a day (they call them syns as short for something can't remember what lol), e.g 1 tsp sugar would be 1 syn, a mars bar i think is 12.5 syns e.t.c
what i do is watch i don't go over my syns but also watch my cals cos i have found even without going over my syns cos off all the 'free' food it would be easy to still eat too many cals iykwim

so that's how i'm using mfp and i think it's working well for me, i would imagine you'd be able to incorporate ww with it too

hope i've made sense

sabian711

I went on WW. I think it is awesome in getting you motivated and to start a program in "real life" vs "online". However, I find fitness pal to be much much easier and it works the same. I do like the accountability that WW has in weighing in every week. However, I could do the same with a family member once a week and use FP. WW is just too expensive.

ummnadir

Thanks for starting this thread

Vanity1920

There are not alot of foods in the ww database so you have to input the fat, carb, fiber, and protein yourself to figure out the points, MFP has a much bigger database of foods. And it's FREE!

You are so right! I just stopped WW this month (June 2012) and realized MFP is SO much easier to use with more foods in the data base!

kaybee2011

I am doing both ww and mfp. I lost 18lbs with ww last year and gained almost all of it back once the ww plus program started. I like how ww gave us weekly points to take from does mfp do something like that as well? I'm only allowed 1200 cal a day and I always go over on the days I don't work out. I'm not sure if I'm doing it right. I'm always starving.

I too get 1200 cals. It is very difficult to stay within that number and be satisfied on days with no exercise. Try choosing fruits and veg with high fiber content and fish or seafood prepared simply to give you a good dose of filling protein with fairly low cal counts. There is no room for extras on those days! Good motivation I guess.

I started the WW online points plus program in June and had lost 12 lbs before deciding to move over to MFP. I loved WW's program, but I don't want to pay money to track what I'm eating for the rest of my life. I still keep track of my points in the notes section of MFP and recently canceled my WW membership. I liked that I could drag food that I had eaten from previous days with WW, but I do agree that MFP has a much larger database.

I do also miss WW's weekly points allowance, but have found my own solution for it:

Like the two of you, I had a 1200-Calorie limit if I chose to lose 2 lbs a week. I decided to change my setting to 1 lb a week, which gave me a larger daily limit (1320 calories). My thinking was, if the limit is too low I'm probably going to go over anyway and delay my weight loss. I thought, although it'll take more time this way, I'm still guaranteed to lose weight consistently and if I go under the 1320 calories (but over 1200), I'll likely lose more than a pound a week. Additionally, a body needs 1200 calories minimum a day to function properly and I didn't want to have to worry about going lower than that.

So, I decided on a daily limit of 1200 calories, with an 840 weekly calorie allowance that I can use for daily overages or treats (1320 minus 1200 calories X 7 days). That way, I just make sure that I have my minimum and don't really worry about being over 1200 calories, as long as my daily overages don't add up to more than 840 calories by the end of the seven days.

So far, it has worked and I have been losing about a pound and a half each week.

Not sure if this will work for you, but it's worth a try. I hope it helps.

VeganGypsy

I've tried WW (among other diets) a zillion times, decided to just Keep it Simple this time and count calories! A friend of mine suggested MFP so I just joined, am looking forward to the support & motivation here.

The old WW program from the early 90's was the best, IMHO. You had to eat so many fruits/veggies/breads/protein so you were sure to get a balanced diet. Now it's a free for all and I haven't been able to lose weight w/veggies AND fruit all free! As a vegan, I eat tons of veggies & fruits and, believe me, they add up! A calorie is a calorie, after all.

kimkim9257

mfp is the same as ww and its free! I started on ww and lost 22 pounds. i just started mfp and its working just as good

Juliane_

mfp is the same as ww and its free! I started on ww and lost 22 pounds. i just started mfp and its working just as good

Once you learn the program Weight Watchers DOES NOT have to be expensive and you do not have to pay for it. You can do it on your own once you know the program. i've done it this way for YEARS! It is forum like these that I find my support instead of paying for meetings. The points program is just a strategy for counting calories. That's all there is.

AGAHM13

I'm not a huge fan of the new program, but it does work. I prefer MFP because I don't have time for the meetings, but if I did I would do that in addition to MFP. I like the support and the community. I think if you were going to do it all online then it would be better to just do MFP since it is free and the database is MUCH larger.

I do think that it is not fair to give WW some fair praise though. Yes, people can use the points as a crutch and not learn how to eat properly. But you can also do that by counting calories. I am sure we all know someone who gets by on just 100 calorie snack packs. Hardly a healthy diet. If done right, both are great methods of getting healthy.

Either way you have to do the work to educate yourself on what is healthy for your body and me aware of the items you are putting in your mouth.

DeeOnAMission

I just started MFP. Im on my 4th day and I've lost 1.5 lbs. I am not starving. I am addicted to carbs and salty snacks (really bad I know). I am aware that I must limit those and eat more vegetables and lean proteins. But I love it that if I have a really strong craving for some carbs ( 2 or 3 potatoe chips) I can have these and not feel like I really went off the wagon. I love that I don't have to deprive myself of anything, yet I must limit the portions and make an attempt for healthier choices. I like it that I can do on my phone, and I carry it with me everywhere. I love the scanner option, since I am often on the run, and will sometimes buy a pre-packages salad or something. The ability to save your meals, saves a lot of time. This is pretty handy, specially for breakfast, since I mostly have the same thing everyday. I just copy and paste. I did WW once a long time ago, honestly the meetings are not for me. I don't make time. MFP is practical, fast and user friendly. I hope to get tons of motivation from the online community (I will need it!). Looking forward to shedding some lbs. It's for sure overdue.

emroberts1

I tried WeightWatchers online and just wasn't faithful with it. I felt guilty about spending the money thinking I should be able to lose weight on my own. Then if I missed logging in and tracking my food and exercise, I felt more guilty because I was paying for something I wasn't using. A friend recommended myfitnesspal.com, and I signed up last week. So far, I'm loving it! I don't feel bad if I miss logging in one day, but I've already gained some awareness of how much I can eat to stay within my goal calorie intake for the day. So I don't feel guilty about not logging in. Maybe I'm just more motivated now than I was when I signed up for WW. Also, I had a hard time remembering what the points values were on WW.

lucietelfort

I started WW in 2010 and lost 45lbs and was completely thrown off guard and devasted when they changed it to the PP program. I was doing both MFP and WW together and realized that I liked MFP better. So after I stopped losing and just couldn't keep up with the new system, I quit the program and stayed with MFP. My favorite part is when you complete your diary for the day and it tells you how much you can lose if you keep a certain pace. But recently I've been considering going back on WW but after reading this thread, I think I'll hold off a little longer. Just felt like I needed something else to kind of motivate me to get back on track since I gained back the weight I lost. But it's free and the commonuity here is much better. LOL I never even knew that WW had a community. So that's pretty sad.