Weight Watchers.... I can't really gasp my mind around it

byrkar

With WW, as with anything else, if you treat it as a "diet" it will work. As someone said, deficit is deficit. So you may lose the weight you want eating what you want and following the points, but chances are, that weight will come back when the "diet" is over.

But, if you look at it as a life change, and eat clean and allow for some treats now and then, you have a greater chance of keeping the weight off when you stop the program.

twinmom01

I did WW years ago and lost 40 lbs...

all it did was basically teach me to count points...and it didn't matter what I ate as long as I stayed within my points...it brought in fruit and veggies to the point of when you are hungry eat these cause there isn't any points to count for those..

It is my understanding that they have gotten better about actually attempting to teach nutrition to people - but the leaders are not dieticans they are hired help...in most cases they are people who lost weight on WW...

I think it can help people from a starting point...

in my case I stopped going to WW and started overeating again and gained back 30 lbs...

I decided to teach myself about nutrition and how your body deals with vitamins, mineals, protien, fats and carbs and adjusted the way I eat - I do watch my calorie intake, but the big thing was switching WHAT I was eating so I am not hungry and don't need "filler foods" and lost the 30lbs I had gained...

MommaKit79

So, about the time I started my weight loss journey, someone in our office started Weight Watchers. I don't know exactly how the points work, but I think the first number of your weight determines how many points you would get? I weight 220 so I would get 20-something points. Anyways, we were talking the other day and I asked her what kind of stuff she is allowed to eat on her Weight Watchers' diet. She tells me that she is allowed to eat anything she wants. She said she's had fried chicken, big boxes from KFC, and she is always eating chocolate. She says that Weight Watchers is all about moderation and that if you eat half of a candy bar for 3 points then you're okay. I don't understand how you can be on a "diet" and put the same fatty foods into your body that you were before. Is Weight Watchers really only about moderation? Also, she has all of these "extra weekly points" that she can use on anything she wants... which sounds ridicilous to me. Also, she gets to eat back her exercise calories. How is this moderation when you're able to get all of these free points AND eat back your exercise calories. Doesn't that basically put you back where you started? Has anyone been on weight watches that can explain to me how it is supposed to work?

Doesnt sounds like she is using weight watchers as she should. It is basically like MFP with guidelines to help you out. Certain things are worth certain points, depending on Calories, FIber, sugar, etc. Yes, jsut like everything else, it is about moderation. When I was on WW and went to meetings, we had people who ate like your co-worker. And, while they were losing about as quickly as your friend (slowly), they tried to get them to move away from that eating and eat cleaner. As long as things are within your daily goals, technically you can eat just about anything. BUT, she could probably have lost more then 8-10 lbs since she started if she did it better.

myfitnessnmhoy

MFP uses calories. Calories are documented clearly on every nutrition information label. They are easily calculated. Eat the right number of calories and you'll lose weight. You can further optimize this by tracking macronutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. All of this can be found (by federal law) on the nutrition information label on any packaged food you purchase. MFP has a database of a lot of food with standard nutrition information pre-loaded available for free.

WW uses points. Points are a proprietary, patented measurement of food based on a formula that WW changes from time to time. They are published on a few foods, but the people who want to put WW points on their food have to pay licensing fees to WW. For all other foods, you need to pay a monthly access fee to get to their points calculator and database. You can also buy WW-licensed gadgets that assist you in calculating points, but there are few free ways to do so - WW has a team of lawyers who vigorously pursue people who manage to reverse-engineer their patented algorithms.

Other than that, the two are basically identical. You eat whatever you want, and track it. WW's "points" has a lot of the complicated balance between fats, proteins, and carbs built into it so the numbers appear simpler to the end user, but you're figuring out how large a number to associate to a food you are eating and logging that number.

WW is paid for by licensing fees from food manufacturers, user fees to access their web site, and of course meeting fees. MFP is paid for by all the lovely ads you see.

Both work just fine if you use them honestly.

staceyseeger

I started WW in May 2010 & had lost 50 lbs by Nov 2010. Then another 10 lbs by May 2011. I switched to MFP in June 2011 for maintenance. It's not a diet - it's a lifestyle change. I wasn't going to commit to a plan that forbid me from enjoying my favorite foods. It was all about portion control. I counted & weighed every morsel that I ate, regardless of the nutrition factor. It actually became (and still is) a game for me. I have been maintaining successfully for over a year now.

Good luck on your journey! :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

Edited: I did WW Online all by myself. I never attended a meeting.

mandy_lee86

You can eat anything you want and still lose. What's the big deal? And, why are you criticizing it without trying it. It's a good program. Just because she eats junk doesnt mean you have to. Junk food costs more in points than healthy food, so over time, most people start to learn that if they eat healthy food, they can eat more. Also, on the weekly points, that's great. That's pretty much what I do, and a lot of people do is have a cheat day or cheat meal once a week or so. Everyone here does it a little different, but it's the same idea. If you don't understand it, then maybe it's not for you. The best thing is to find soemthing that works for you and stick with it and do not criticize what others are doing if they are getting results. There is always more than one way to get there.

It wasn't meant to criticize anything. I was just wondering how it worked. I just don't see eating unhealthy foods and not exercising as a diet, that's all.

juliee274

It's true you can eat whatever you want BUT, WW advocates you should choose high protein that's lean, high fiber, healthy fats, lots of water, many fruits and endless veggies. It's just like counting calories. Yes, you can eat a piece of chocolate cake worth 300 cals but you SHOULD choose 300 cals of something healthier with nutrients. If you choose healthier options, you get more food and you are training yourself for a healthier lifestyle. I did WW for a long time and lost 90lbs. I've since gained weight and now I'm counting cals. Both systems work the same but it's up to the user to choose healthier options for a long term, healthy life.

Everyone here pretty much has summed it up but I liked this one best. Weight loss/gain is simply calories in vs. calories out. If you get 1,400 calories a day and want to blow it on a Big Mac and super size fry, that's your choice, but is not the healthiest one. In the end, WW is just a more costly, more "mathy" way of counting calories. As noted, MFP does the same thing but, to me, is much more simple in its approach. And free.

karensoxfan

Weight Watchers also has the health guidelines (I forget what they are called) where you're supposed to have so many servings of dairy, fruits and veggies, healthy fat, etc. By the time I got in my protein, fats, fruits, veggies and dairy, I had no points left for snacks or treats. A lot of people follow the points but not the health guidelines. You can do the same thing with MFP...you can eat 1400 cal worth of junk or you can eat 1400 worth of good clean food.

40 points a day is a lot for a chick. I'm pretty darn obese and I only got 29.

This.

Whether the healthy guidelines are emphasized or not will depend on each leader. Whether they're followed will depend on each member. But they're there, and they're pretty good.

Also, Points are no longer based on calories. Calories don't even factor into the equation anymore. It used to be calories, fat & fiber, with approx. 50 cal. = 1 point (give or take for high/low fat or fiber), but now it's an equation of fat, fiber, protein & carbs. Foods for most foods are higher, but you get more points/day to eat.

Also, just like MFP, your deficit is built into your points target (plus your weekly "extra" points), so you can (and most people probably should) eat back the exercise points you earn.

lporter229

It's still a good idea to learn portion and moderation. But I imagine all she is learning to do is eat less, not eat better.

This is key. You have to learn to make good choices or it will be very difficult to keep the weight off.

momof4bz

Weight Watchers is actually very much like myfitness pal but they convert your calorie/fat/etc. allowances into a point system rather than just presenting your intake in calories/fat/etc. The number of points you're allowed is based on your height, weight, gender, etc. You can earn extra points based on your activity/exercise as well. These are also the case with MFP. I have done WeightWatchers and successfully lost many pounds on the program and I am now using MFP and find it very similar. You could easily eat KFC for lunch one day on the MFP plan but that would take up many of your calorie and fat allowances for the day so you'd have to go much lighter at breakfast and dinner. Weight Watchers is the same. If you choose to splurge all of your allowances at one meal, it's your choice but you'll have to choose differently for the rest of the day. Weight Watchers does allow for "bonus points" which is helpful when you have a wedding, night out or special occassion when you know you'll be splurging a bit. I think both programs are great in that they are "real" life and built for lasting effects. If you expect to maintain weight-loss, it has be be around your typical eating patterns. Many people can lose weight drinking shakes or eating salad or cereal twice a day but will not likely keep it off unless they eat that way the rest of their lives. There are times when you're gonna have a fast-food burger or chocolate or ice cream and learning how to balance those high-calorie/high-fat choices in your daily or weekly menu is key. I see both MFP and Weight Watchers teaching people how to do this even though each program presents it in a different way.

LauraSmyth28

WW works on exactly the same principle as mfp.

The reasons I prefere mfp are: I was buying a lot of ww branded food when doing ww as working out points can be time consuming but if you buy branded products it's there on the label.
Mfp is free.
I lose more weight with mfp.
There's not enough emphasis on exercise with ww.

Other than those points, they are EXACTLY the same, my propoint allowance was the same as my calorie allowance on here.

CourtLiv

I know WW works for some people, a woman in my office is a "life time member" for having lost so much weight and keeping it off for a certain length of time. She swears by it...after she explained it to me though, the new system seems like too much work. It takes into account so many different variables to figure out the point value of your food.

In my opinion, learning the difference between garbage and good food is necessary to understanding the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. I get that it is essentially just another method of counting calories, but I (personally) don't think it highlights the necessary components requisite towards understanding nutrition wholly.

margojr4

As a Lifetime Weight Watchers member, it worked for me. Reminded me how to eat again (went off track there for a while) I used my points towards healthy guidelines that they recommended (daily servings of dairy, meat etc) just as it is on myplate.gov. Moderation IS key. If I loaded my meals with veggies (which are ZERO points) I'd be satisfied by the end of the day, no problems.

Just like any weight loss plan, if you choose to eat junk - your success of a healthy lifestyle will not be so successful. Fuel yourself with the macros your body needs! Just reading that she eats her points in junk makes me sluggish and want to nap lol

nucreeman

LOL, "Free" really is the only difference.

Captain_Tightpants

OP, for weight loss you can put *any* food into your body so long as you are consuming less energy than you expend each day.

If you expend 2000 calories in a day, you could eat 1500 calories of pizza and ice cream or 1500 calories of fruit and veg, you would lose the same amount of weight. You may not be as *healthy* on the pizza and ice cream but you would still lose weight. Calories in vs calories out is all that matters in weight loss. "Health" is another matter entirely.

Weight watchers is just a bit of math that converts calories in food into points. That's all there is to it.

jfl613

All of the weight loss programs out there work IF you follow the "plan". This is great and I myself have lost weight on WW & Jenny Craig...several times. The key point here is "several times". I would lose the weight and keep it off for a while but the minute I stopped buying their meals and snacks or continued to buy them but not follow the "plan", I started to put it back on. I have found that with calorie counting (& my daughter has been singing its praises for years), you actually LEARN how to eat healthfully along with having the occasional breakout meal (or day) as well as actually learning how to choose better snacks! The key is moderation in everything. Enjoy what you like but in a smaller portions and regularity. Counting calories has conditioned me to look for better choices that will satisfy my cravings as well as my nutritional needs. I used to buy all frozen meals and veggies. Now, I am conditioned to buy fresh meats, fish, and veggies and this actually saves money as well as my health. No preservatives & only the extra sodium I choose to add. Bottom line is moderation and changing your behavior by learning how to shop for and eat good foods. I'll stop rambling, now. :-)

wieber11

I am a weight watchers life time member. Which means I got to my goal weight and have kept all the weight off so I have a free lifetime membership if I continue to keep the weight off. So I really know both the ww program and MFP now. Both are based on the same main factor of counting calories and portion control. Weight watchers points system does factor in fiber and protein and such too which for overall nutrition is much better. You can track that stuff on MFP too, but you have to be very conscious of looking at your diary to make sure you are getting enough fiber, not eating too much fat, etc. WW does some of that for you. BUT having said that, I really like how easy MFP makes tracking, it's not quite as simple as WW so if you are disciplined enough to track all the nutritional stuff and make sure you are eating right (not just limiting your calories) MFP is great. The reason I really like WW though is because of the meetings. Unlike MFP you really get face-to-face support from leaders and other members if you go to the meetings. I know you can get some of that on MFP through message boards like this but it is just not the same. I developed a relationship with my leader and she kept me accountable. It really helped me lose the weight I needed too. SO now that I'm at goal MFP is great for me. The bottom line though is what works best for you. To be successful you have to find something that you are comfortable with and that you can make a lifestyle. Eating right and keeping the weight off is not about "dieting". It's about life choices that you can make habits and be happy with in the process. We all need to have our treats, but our total calories for the day can't be all treats. Just remember eat to live, don't live to eat!

myfitnessnmhoy

"ok, do this and lose weight. When you're done, you're done" and the weight comes back for a lot of members,

When my wife reached her goal weight, they put her on "maintenance" and she continued paying the monthly fee to access the web site for quite some time. She finally got sick of paying it and bought a few of the expensive little gadgets they have that calculate points for you.

I agree that WW should teach nutrition, but they make their money off their users going to look up nutrition (points). If they taught their users how to calculate calories and manage a balanced diet, they'd lose massive amounts of money in user access fees. That's not going to sit well with their shareholders.

LauraSmyth28

Just remembered another reason I prefer mfp to ww.....I don't have to go to meetings once a week. I hated those meetings. So boring, just another way of advertising their products.

StephiePop

I'm a fan of WW.. I lost my first 10 lbs here, then my last 50 with them.
The points make sense if you really look at them.. And the extra 49 per week is calculated so that you can eat them and still have a deficit in calories.
They also have a different way to use them called the 'Simply Filling Technique'.. It urges you to eat cleaner foods. All the foods that they see as 'Power foods' will be 0 points and you only track the 'junk' type foods that you eat (that's the 49 points).. So, this way you'll choose to eat a cup of brown rice for 0 pts instead of a cup of white rice for 5 pts. I'm more of a fan of this program, but the meetings barely ever advertise it, unfortunately. I had to get my own booklets and stuff for that one.
And you definitely wouldn't be getting 22 pts, the lowest they will ever advise someone to go is to 26 pts per day and NEVER under that way you'll get enough vitamins for your body.

reaolliemama

I lost 35 pounds doing it! You can usually get in to a meeting for free...see if you get a good vibe and join if you like...it is a lot like MFP...I met my WW Goal and now I can go for free for life (as long as I maintain my weight within 2 pounds of my goal)...I like support of going to the meetings and I also like the day to day stuff here...the one negative is that WW, while it encourages exercise, it's not a really strong part of the program IMO...as soon as I got the FREE memebrship in WW, I joined the gym to help me get a good handle on the exercise part! That said...I don't count points like I did when I was trying to lose, but I did it for over a year and got it pretty much down.

nucreeman

I found success in indulging in junk, when I want it. Since I am no longer dieting, I know it I want chocolate one day, and an apple won't do the trick, I'll have to cut back somewhere else. This works for me because It keeps me level, and I don't have out of control junk cravings. The same thing when I know I will be drinking.

kristen6022

Weight Watchers is just teaching you portion control. You can have ANY food, but you have to limit portions. Like any "diet" or healthy "lifestyle". It's around for people who don't know what to do to lose weight and need a method to follow.

Diet's shouldn't be restrictive because as soon as you release the restriction (aka hit goal weight) and you start eating more relaxed the weight creeps back on. MFP shows you how to live a healthy lifestyle long term. Exercise, meet your calorie and macro goals, walha, healthy lifestyle forever.

lrichardson2360

The main difference with WW is the exercise factor. They don't put much focus on working out at all. It's more of an afterthought IMO.

They do encourage working out because it's good for you, but the main focus it what you are eating since weight loss is more about what you eat than how you work out.

That said, I've been doing weight watchers since September 2011 and am down 39 pounds. It is about moderation and your daily allowable points is calculated by your height, weight and gender. You can't calculate it just by using your weight and they do not publish the calculation. I'm 6'1" and 233 lbs, my daily points allowance is 39.

I love WW and I love the support I get from my friends on MFP, so I do both.

reaolliemama

it is true that some people lose weight still eating smaller amounts of bad foods...but they aren't necessarily getting healthier, just smaller... WW members are supposed to follow Good Health Guidelines (GHGs) about things like fruits and veggies and whole grains, dairy, water ect...if you meet all your GHGs you don't have a lot of points to "spend" on junk!

myfitnessnmhoy

[It wasn't meant to criticize anything. I was just wondering how it worked. I just don't see eating unhealthy foods and not exercising as a diet, that's all.

The problem, of course, is that WW and MFP allow you freedom of choice of your foods. Which is great, because if you spend some time working at a good meal plan you can learn about food. But it's bad if you have no interest in learning about food.

The problem is, without learning about food, she's on a diet treadmill - she'll take off weight on a diet then gain it back, then go back on the diet.

She might be better served in the beginning going on a "meal plan" type of diet (I believe Jenny Craig does this) where you must buy their food or eat very specific items. That way, she's at least being introduced to what reasonably healthy food looks and tastes like, and benefiting from somewhat balanced nutrition. None of the meals they offer are ideal, but they're better than wasting all your points on fluff that's not feeding your body.

LauraSmyth28

Last reason (I keep remembering more after I've posted).

The goal weights they give in WW are too high imo. I'm now 7lbs under what my goal weight in ww was, and I still want to lose anotehr 12lbs. 19lbs is a huge difference. My goal on here is 125lbs, which is not too low for my height of 5'4". Their goal was 144lbs. Way too high for me.

SARgirl

I've never done WW but since I've started MFP I can honestly say that I haven't cut anything out of my diet and still eat fast food and ice cream and chocolate but use portion control to stay within my allotted calories for the day. I also eat back the majority of my calories and have consistently lost pounds. I know everyone is different but for me it's all about portion control so that may be all that your co-worker needs?

MissTattoo

Also, people keep saying MFP shows you how to eat healthy....no it doesn't. You can enter McDonalds into your diary every day and still be under your calorie goal and MFP will say great job for staying under! This is what you would weigh in 5 weeks if you ate like this every day and it WILL be a smaller number! No where on this sites besides the forms tells you what to eat. WW is the same way. Yes, you can eat McDonalds every day and stay under your points and lose weight, but you aren't getting healthier.

Treece68

When I did weight watchers I was younger and I saved all my points to go out boozing on Friday's