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

mcpherson4

You CAN eat what ever you want. Just not so much. That is the beauty of it. Your points are YOUR points. YOU use them however YOU want to use them and YES you do lose weight. No exercise involved.

neverstray

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.

MissTattoo

I started WW and got like 48 points. Some people abuse it to still eat what they want and still lose because WW is still calculating a deficit. I still have all of my WW info and the points add up to be about the same as the calories MFP gives you to lose 1 pound a week. For some people counting points is better for them.

Yes you eat your exercise points back just like you are suppose to eat your exercise calories back on this site.
You get extra weekly points just in case you want to have a martini one day after work and already went through your allotted points or a "cheat day" just like people do on MFP.

They still teach you to make healthier choices at the meetings. They show you that a buttered croissant is the same amount of points as a piece of ham, scrambled eggs, and a piece of toast. What's going to keep you full longer?

Some people simply enjoy the meetings and having real people to relate to. Online friends are great, but there is something about sitting next to someone in the same boat as you and watching them go through their journey.

I will never forget the energy in the room at one meeting where a lady had lost over 100 pounds on WW. When they presented her with her charm she was on her knees in tears and everyone in the room was crying with her. You may get that online with a bunch of people you don't know in the Success Stories section, but there is something different about actually being there and watching someone shrink week by week.

But MFP is free is WW is like $50 a month! That's why I'm here and not there!

jporche77

The points are based on your height and weight. The more you weigh (or how tall you are) you get more points. The way the new point system is set up is based on Carbs/Fat/Protein/Fiber. It is no longer 50ish calories = a point.

I have recently set up MFP while counting points and according to WW I would only get about 1200 calories.....I'm 6ft and overweight.

Like one of the previous posters that working out is an afterthought. That's why I went to MFP

maureenreeve

I've been doing Weightwatchers, and yes you can basically have what you want to eat in moderation. You are basically training yourself to eat correctly, ie amounts and types of food.

I was given 29 points and additional amount of points to be used if you want to within the week. I always used my daily points and very rarely used the extra ones.

I lost 10kg, now I am in the maintenance stage - have been since October 2011, and I haven't put on any weight. I basically taught myself to eat sensibly

If you deprive yourself too much of the naughty things, when you have got to your goal weight and start eating normally, you don't know when enough is enough and the whole cycle can start again

vim_n_vigor

It is the same concept as here, except it builds in banking your calories (which you would manually have to do here). You can still eat whatever foods you want here too, as long as they stay in your caloric goals. If I only eat pizza for a day, I won't have much to eat and I'll probably be hungry, but I'll still lose weight. If I eat a piece of pizza and have some chicken grilled and on a bed of greens and an egg or two, I can reach the same caloric goal and feel much more satisfied.

angeldaae

Weight Watchers does promote healthy eating through how the points are calculated.

Points are calculated by a formula, considering a food's fat, carbohydrates, protein, and fiber.

Foods higher in fat or carbs will naturally have a higher points value. Food lower in fat but high in protein, or foods high in fiber, will have a lower points value.

So, to get the most "bang for you buck," so to speak, if you ate a diet rich in low fat, high protein, high fiber foods, you would get to eat more volume of food for the same amount of points (much like calorie counting).

However, also like calorie counting, you can still eat whatever you choose as long as you have the points for it.

On top of that, most fruits and veggies are 0 points, making them a natural go-to option. You don't have to use up your points on carrots or strawberries.

For what it's worth, an average person might only eat 1,000 calories if they ate only their daily points. You're supposed to eat the weekly points and your activity points in order to actually eat *enough*.

sullykat

My issue with WW is that they don't educate very well. They need to educate their members in food, nutrition and exercise. I feel like it's almost like "ok, do this and lose weight. When you're done, you're done" and the weight comes back for a lot of members, so that have to keep up with it, and follow the WW plan. MFP is more realistic. It shows you what you eat, and many people here know what their talking about, so if you have a question about a food, you will likely get a lot of great answers.

MissTattoo

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.

Yes it is a lot!!!!

No it's not a lot when you are 5'11 and 300 pounds.

GaryRussell123456

I lost 90 lbs on weight watchers. It definitely works, but only because it's basically calorie counting in disguise and everyone knows that works. If you criticise weight watchers you are criticising MFP in my mind.

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.