Counting calories vs weight watchers

bluebike2013

Hello all I am new here to mfp. I am currently doing weight watchers too. My questions to all of you is are there many of you who do both and why. And have any of you switched from ww to mfp and had better luck. My thought is that regarding points you never really know how much you are eating since not being able to figure out how many calories a point is. So you would have to remain a paying member forever. Any thoughts on this much appreciated. Macalico

workoutgirl23

I personally think this site is just as good, if better than weight watchers. and this is free. i have had great results since starting this website. lost 16 pounds already. i recommend giving it a try. i think counting calories is the best over all method for weight loss. good luck.

pinkprincessmama

I've tried both, and I actually like WW better because I find it easier to keep track of points. I try to eat lots of salads and lots of fruits. With mfp, all fruits and veggies have cals that you have to record. With WW, they are 0 so, for me, it is easier!

SazzyMCH

Hey,

I'm a big advocate of Weight Watchers having successfully lost weight with them in the past. However, I am now learning more and more about nutrition and fitness and have cancelled my subscription as I'm now eating a totally different way and it's incompatible with WW.

I would rather be strong and fit (and maybe weigh a little more) than thin and unfit..............................but that's just my personal view.

sharleengc

I tried WW several times but the most I ever lost was 10lbs and I never kept it off. I'm not sure if it was the points or what - I had all the different methods to figure out points and meal ideas but I just couldn't stick with it...maybe it was the weekly weigh in and having others (the workers) witness if I didn't lose

I have been much more successful with calories. It's been over a year and I'm still losing consistently and keeping it off (56lbs currently). The only person who witnesses my progress is me and I am not accountable to the workers. I also find calories easier to count and keep track of for some reason...maybe because I understand to get the numbers...I never quite figured out how they decided points.

So, I would go with MFP over WW but that's just what's been successful for me.

kwest_4_fitness

I do both (I use the old Flex plan system of points) and make sure I stay at or under my calorie goal while hitting my points goal. I've done this since last April and have slowly and steadily lost 75 lbs. I exercise regularly (strength & cardio) and don't usually eat back my activity points. I have indulged in my weekly points allowance, but only about 3 times in the past year. I prefer the points method of rounding out my day simply because I have most points values memorized or can quickly calculate points on sight. I use MFP to track calories, fat and fiber as well as sodium. I recently started to track my protein and work on increasing the amount I eat while staying in points. I don't pay for WW, I just have all of the old info from when I went in the past.

I think it's really going to be, for you, a personal preference. Good luck, whatever you choose!

bluebike2013

Thans everyone. Very good advise. congrats toall of u on your successes

crazyjlyn

I don't like how WE gives you fruits and veggies for "free" in the real world, they still count.... it just doesn't sit right with me

Tricialew32

I just dropped WW because it wasn't working for me but at the same time, my sis who joined with me lost 20 lbs in 3 months. I prefer MFP because its more specific, can log my activity with my Fitbit device and I can concentrate on my balance of carbs, fat and protein based on my level of activity from day to day without actually having to do the math myself.

bluebike2013

hello everyone and thanks and for the responses, they were all really good. I guess i am just trying to figure out what is best for me in the long run. I have been doing the ww points system but always, always seem to go way over my daily allotment. I also starting tracking on mfp and trying to decide which one will be most helpful in the long run.

in the past they keep changing up the point system and making new points for the same foods. I guess so you have to keep paying them if you want tthe latest points for everything. The good thing about calories is they don't seem to change every few years.
but ww is easy add the points up every day. hmmmm i guess i will just do both for a month then decide which one may suit me better in the long run...

wftiger

I used to do WW then I found it annoying to have to convert everything to points and add them. I also don't think the new plan where you don't count fruits or veggies is great for weight loss. I can flat put down some fruit and not having to track it wouldn't be good for me. You might have better self-control so maybe it is good for you.

I like here but I only use it to track. The actual eating plan I use is from a MD. I just needed somewhere to plug in his info and track the food.

HeidiSmith419

Here's another idea. Go back over the food you've eaten with WWand add it up. See how many calories you are really consuming that way. Try each for a week or two and see which encourages better healthier food choices.

chayleah

I know WW is easier for some people because the points are easier to count/keep track. But I couldn't deal with the calorie variation. My points target could equal 1200-1500 calories depending on what I was eating, which meant some days I was ridiculouslyhungry. I like calories because I also like to keep track of protein, fat & carbs & you can't do that with points.

cmorris0921

Here's an idea (or at least what I am trying)....I log everything into MFP to keep me in line with my daily calories goal. I also track my protein, fiber, fat and carbs on MFP. At the end of the day, I input the total protein, fiber, fat and carbs into my WW points calculator to calculate the total points that I consume each day. I deduct from the weekly points allowance when needed. I also log my activity points using the WW calculator. I include this info in the daily notes on my food tracker.
I tried calculating each item, each meal and the entire day amounts and it always comes out within 1-2 points difference. So I find it easiest to calculate at the end of the day, with my main focus on staying within MFP suggested calorie range. Sometimes I will calculate half way through the day to do a check on how I am doing.
I like the flexibility of the weekly points allowance on WW for special occassions (like Father's Day) that allows for splurges. I have tried WW in the past and lost weight successfully. I am only 2 weeks into MFP, so I can't comment on the success of this program for me at this point.
Hope this helps. Feel free to add me as a friend.

bluebike2013

thanks everyone and cmorris i will add you as friend thank you. that is a great idea you have regarding how to caluclate the points.

bluebike2013

kristen6022

It did a little figuring the other day - what WW tells you to eat (points wise) and what MFP tells you. WW said I can have 26 points daily with a few extra for the week plus activity. I figured out that 26 point was approximately 1150 calories and I lost weight the best at 1500 calories. So for me WW wouldn't work, it would be to restrictive and I'd feel like a big fat mess. I need to eat to feel in control, keep my stress down, my happiness up and everyone else well being in tact.

Now, my mom, on the other hand, followed WW (the old points, she did it on her own, she's a lifetimer from 20 years ago) and lost the same amount of weight than I did since Jan. 01 12. It worked for her but I think she needed to eat less since she's only 5'4 and I'm 5'11.

I'm in maintenance now on MFP, I can eat 1850 calories and pretty much maintain a 2-3 pound +/- weight. I think WW would have me at 1650 for maintenance and that's too low. I'd lose like wild fire and be under 140 in no time.

Gunsentry

Hello all I am new here to mfp. I am currently doing weight watchers too. My questions to all of you is are there many of you who do both and why. And have any of you switched from ww to mfp and had better luck. My thought is that regarding points you never really know how much you are eating since not being able to figure out how many calories a point is. So you would have to remain a paying member forever. Any thoughts on this much appreciated. Macalico

WW point system is a revamped way for counting calories by allowing you to eat the correct amount of calories and combination of macro nutrients.

You can do your own calorie counting on this site and figure out your macros for balanced meals.

WW dose this for you and recommends the foods to eat hence the requirement for payment as well as the support system the have.

Once you have been dieting a while you should be failure with what you can and can't eat to produce the healthy weight loss.

joyfuljoy65

I have lost weight far easier on this site than I ever ever did at Weight Watchers or any other slimming clubs. I think its because I have a calorie amount for eating - not points or green things - and as long as I stick within the alloted amount I can eat what I like - nothing is red or forbidden. I know that I shouldnt eat certain things, but if I do, then I have to watch the other things I eat for the rest of the day.

Also there is no point in cheating this app - the only person you are cheating is yourself. When I have attended slimming clubs, there has always been a kind of game played - eg wear heavy clothes to start and then less and less (till you get weighed in summer top and shorts in the middle of winter ) or eat lots on the day after the club and starve yourself the day before weighing..... I also think the clubs dont offer a way of eating for the rest of your life - though they claim it - you just get bored with counting points after a while.

This app has taught me that portion size is the king - I have not really changed an awful lot of what I eat but my portion sizes have plummeted - and I am still not hungy - I was just eating too much.

Momwasix

Hello all I am new here to mfp. I am currently doing weight watchers too. My questions to all of you is are there many of you who do both and why. And have any of you switched from ww to mfp and had better luck. My thought is that regarding points you never really know how much you are eating since not being able to figure out how many calories a point is. So you would have to remain a paying member forever. Any thoughts on this much appreciated. Macalico

So glad you ask i have a group on here call weight watchers 360 and old points plan.I set my group up just like going to the meeting without the fee. You create a diary with your name in it you write daily target how many points you ate weekly points if any and activity points if any earn or eaten. come check it out i have articles on there and we weigh in once a week. but either way ww has been better for me with tracking food cause sometimes going out to eat you don't know all nutritional facts and with ww i can track the food and not be scared to eat.

april522

I don't like how WE gives you fruits and veggies for "free" in the real world, they still count.... it just doesn't sit right with me

Especially the fruit!

I've tried both WW and MFP and have had more success with MFP (especially when I finally purchased an accurate HRM for calculating exercise calories). I think it's actually easier to count calories since most of the foods are already in MFP's database. I create my recipes on Calorie Count (their way seems easier) and add them here under "My Foods" to add them to my diary.

kobiemom

I started out on ww and lost when I didn't think I could. Then they changed their program to points plus. I gained and lost the same 5lbs. for almost six months. It doesn't work for me. I came to MFP to see what had changed and how to get back to losing again. I ended up dropping ww. MFP has a much larger database and it's training me to do my own thinking. Everything is here - diet, exercise, advice, peer support. You can either learn how to tailor your own diet or learn to become dependent on ww.

msbobbitx

I was a member of the online WW for years. This works just as well and it's freeeeeee.

msbobbitx

Actually it works better in some cases because nothing is 0 points here. You are accountable for everything you put in your body.

Momwasix

I don't like how WE gives you fruits and veggies for "free" in the real world, they still count.... it just doesn't sit right with me

The reason the fruits and vegetables aren't counted is to insure your taking in enough calories.

watcheronthewall

I don't like how WE gives you fruits and veggies for "free" in the real world, they still count.... it just doesn't sit right with me

They should be free though. In the 'real world', ie the world where you are not dieting, they should be things you are making up about half of your intake from, particularly veg. The point is that you are encouraged to learn to eat in a balanced way and eat enough of the right foods, and it works as far as I'm concerned.

I don't get the logic of fretting over calories from fruit and veg, who exactly binges on these things?

paddy1945

WW class some foods as free. As the old saying go's" there's no such thing as a free lunch" .WW dos'nt work for me, wheras MFP does.

kobiemom

It wasn't about the free fruits and veggies. I looked up the nutritional info for them, made up my own points and counted them. It still didn't work. Something is fundamentally flawed in the points plus system. They have come out with changes every year since it's introduction and it still doesn't work.

CM9178

I use both WW and MFP. I count points but then log my food in MFP, so I can see how many calories I'm consuming and what my other metrics are. There is also a plug-in you can use for Firefox browser which will display your WW points (old or new points) in your MFP food diary - very helpful.
As far as not knowing how many calories are in something vs. the points - you should be able to easily see that on the label, and as far as fresh foods - just enter it in MFP and it will show you how many calories it is and you'll know the points.
There is no reason to pay for WW unless you want to go there for meetings or to get weighed in. You can still follow the program and the points if you want to.
I use both because I like seeing the calories, etc on here, but I find it easier to count points vs counting calories. I've been on and off WW for so long that I pretty much know the points in something just by looking at it at this point.

By the way, I do NOT follow the points plus program. I am still following the old points system, and rather than eating the same number of points every day, I'm following the OLD weight watchers point ranges. So for my current weight, I get like 22 to 27 points per day. I don't use flex points or extra points during the week.

And for the record, WW DOES work. You need to work it for yourself. If you think of it as just a diet, when you stop "dieting" you will gain weight back. You need to learn how to eat properly for the rest of your life in order to maintain the weight loss.
the first time I did WW, I lost 70 lbs and kept it off for about 2 to 3 years. I gained it all back because I stopped trying or caring - not because WW failed me. I wouldn't be doing it again now if I didn't believe in the program.

tschaff04

I am one of the ones that switched from WW to CC(MFP). Little background, I started doing WW about two and a half years ago. I loved it, saw great results and over the course of 11 months lost 98 pounds!! I found out that I was pregnant with our third child so I quit doing it. After having the baby I had about 50 pounds to lose to get back to that goal, so when my baby was about 4 months old I felt like I was ok to start WW again. This time around I found with the new program there weren't enough limits(free veggies and most fruits and it was just not enough accountability). I struggled, I felt hungry all the time!! I was losing nothing but staying within points.

Finally I said what am I paying for?!?!?! Someone to do what I could do for free, for me! I cancelled the membership and signed up for MFP and have never looked back! I am so happy I switched. I look at food in a whole new way, it's not just points when I look at it. I am looking at the nutritional value, at all aspects of food. I am losing weight at a great pace(slow and steady) and enjoying food still but within limits. It's great, and best of all FREE!!

Sorry to ramble, that's just my outlook/story on going from WW to MFP.


Edit to add, I was doing WW online, that's why I was paying.

bcf7683

I don't like how WE gives you fruits and veggies for "free" in the real world, they still count.... it just doesn't sit right with me

Same here. I thought it was very odd when I heard that they have "free" foods. What about the sugars, carbs, etc?.... I guess I'm all too accustomed to tracking my macros/micros for WW to make sense to me.