Weight Watchers--stuck in the middle...thoughts?

fitmek

I know, I know, it helps you with portions (which I have tried to be a portion watcher my entire life and not really gotten far on mastering that one yet). It also encourages more fruit and veggies, I get that....which I could use more of.

However, I'm a numbers person. My friends are trying to get me to join with them (they have had great success) and I started tracking my "points" last week just to see about how many calories WW would allow me to consume for weight loss.

Friday at 3pm, I was at 24 points in WW world, and I hadnt even had dinner yet!! Typically they give females with minimal weight to lose 26 points. Then, I flipped over to MFP and saw I still had 450 calories I could consume to be at my calorie goal for the day.
Technically, by that standard, on that day from what I had eaten, WW would have only allowed me to eat 1050 calories. My BMR is 1364, so I would literally and physically be starving at 1050 calories!

I know once you start WW, you shouldnt focus on calories, and only on points, and I understand now why, because it's soooo confusing!

I'm caught in the middle! I want to lose 5-7 pounds and KEEP it off. I love the tools that WW gives it's clients (I'm such a "tool" girl), and I love that my friends who wanted to lose 10 pounds or so, have actually lost that and even MORE than that and love the program.

I know it's a fantastic program, and it does offer a lot of support, I just dont know if it will work for me.
I know some people out there are probably saying "just watch what you eat...duh". Well, like I said, I'm a tool person. I need to make things difficult, apparently hehe. I like the "extras" that come along with a specific program. But, I want those extras to be helpful and worthwhile as well.

I'm 5"3 and 140 pounds. My goal is 132, but 135 would be amazing too, if I stay there. My hubs and I are also trying for #2 right now, so I dont want to go hard core weight loss crazy, but I feel like WW is something I could continue throughout a pregnancy (with points modified of course, and with doctor's approval).

Anyways....thoughts on this? Anyone else feel conflicted to try ww, but just havent made the leap yet?

skylark94

I tried it a few times. Always felt way too restricted. It was disheartening to see my points disappear so fast and overall I don't think I was eating enough.

The points also makes it really hard to get an idea of what you are really consuming. I prefer to count calories rather than have to translate everything to a point value. Calorie info is easier to find.

Then there was the cost. MFP is free.

_Mimi_

If you add in your "0" point fruits and veggies, I'm sure you will be fine on calories. Personally I would have the opposite problem. I could eat a LOT of calories in 0 point fruit.

elisa123gal

Being on WW made me very unhappy. Very sad is the word. I think it sucks... stay here.

gekcsk

I have been on WW for 5 years and lost 113#s. Yes it took me that long. lol My body loses much slower than some. I had about 15#s creep back on (my own fault) so I decided to give this a try. I am tracking both ways and my calorie intake is about the same as the amount of points I get. I think both programs are great. I need to go to the meetings and be held accountable. That is what works for me. But this is helping me so much. I am going to continue to do both. Some things worked better for some people than others. But again, I think both programs are great.. FYI Free fruits and Veggies can get you in alot of trouble. I count mine. Hope this helps.

fitmek

I don't really want to have to pay for it every month, but I like that most of the cookbooks and blogs that I fix dinners and snacks off of, have WW points already calculated.

On Friday when i calculated my points based off what I had eaten, I hadn't even eaten anything veggie or fruit related, minus some salad greens I had in my grilled chicken salad. Soooo....I'm pretty sure I still would have been starving like mad if I would have stuck to 26 points for the day.

I eat a lot of "clean" foods and I have to figure out a balance between keeping "points" low and still eating really clean.

I just don't know....what the heck I want to do!

55sc

I lost ~80 pounds several years ago with WW. It does work for most people. I stopped tracking and went back to my old ways and gained some back. I am using mfp now because of cost. Most weight loss plans work for most people, some better than others. Most have good points and not so good points, which is which and what works best depends on the person.

If you do WW, commit to it, and don't worry about calories. There are lots of very low point foods that are relatively high in calories to fill you up and get you to your calorie needs. You earn points for exercise, eating those points will provide needed fuel. You also get weekly points to use as you wish, you can use some each day to meet your daily needs. You can also go up to higher points if you can lose on the minimum amount.

If you have friends doing WW with success, you have an additional support system and can get advise from them.

iluvco3

I am a LT member of WW. As a Lifetimer, I continue to weigh in once/month and I attend additional meetings when I can. I use ONLY MFP - no counting points for me. That said, I continue to follow the Good Health Guidelines of WW. The accountability of weighing in really helps me. The leader of the meeting I attend is wonderful. As a LT member, I don't have to pay as long as I weigh in once/month and are no more than 2 lbs. over my goal weight.

Like you, I am totally a numbers person, plus I want to know my nutrients. So, just determine whether you would benefit from WW and the accountability enough to justify the $$$.

Good luck!

iluvco3

Just read your post again..... At 26 points I always came out between 1250-1450 calories. I do eat a lot of vegs, but very little fruit. Also, when you were comparing calories to points, did you add the calories for your fruit and vegs? I ask that only because 1050 sounds more like the total without. Lots of other people make that mistake since they are thinking along the lines that fruit and most vegs are 0 points.

eemorton

I am also a lifetime member of WW. It def worked for me several years ago when you had a point range. I don't love the new program.
I still have lots of cookbooks and in addition to points listed, the macros are listed as well. You don't have to be a member of WW to buy their products.

One thing I REEEEAAALLLLY dislike about WW is all the fake food. The bars, the crackers, the fruit chews. Its just low cal junk food. Its also difficult to grocery shop on WW. You have to pull out that calculator too much.

I have had more success this time around with MFP. I double-tracked on both sites in March and then stopped my membership at WW. I am so glad! I think MFP is so much easier and more of a lifestyle AND you can't beat the price!

erickirb

With so little to lose you should be netting at a minimum your BMR. I would suggest setting your goal to lose 0.5lbs/week and eat back the cals burned from exercise. eating less will lead to faster weight loss, but a larger % of that loss will come from lean muscle, instead of mostly fat.

Weight watchers focuses on weight loss, not fat loss or fitness.

alord426

I joined WW on July 29, 2010 and lost 75lbs. I love WW and say it definitley works and yes after joining MFP I did learn that I was eating way under my healthy and normal calorie range but I learned so much from WW about portion control and everything. I stopped following WW due to financial reasons and wanted to try something new and MFP has worked so far. But I can definitley say WW will work if you have a substantial amount of weight to lose!!!

fitmek

Here is what I converted on Friday---and I guess this is a bad example because Friday's are my "eat a little more days"
Starbucks Spinach Wrap w/ Egg Whites (280 cals) 7 p
Snack, handful of peanuts in the shell--3/4 ounce-- (110 cals) 5 p

Lunch was 1/2 classic salad from Panera bread (80 cals) 2 points
cup of broccoli cheddar soup (didnt finish it all) (180 cals) 4 points
1/2 my baguette (90 cals) 2 points
I had them add a little feta cheese to the salad and take off the onions (90 calories??) 2 points
Snack--half an oatmeal raisin cookie (234 cals) 6 points

So just at 3pm, I was at 1064 calories and 28 points. See how it's not adding up? Normally I wouldnt have a cookie during the week, but I decided to splurge on Friday. So technically, I was over by 2 points and only at 1064 calories.

auntiebabs

With MFP I'm really about figuring out how to eat for the long haul. I like to track very accurately see cause and effect and adjust.
I try different things and see what works for me.

I haven't tried WW because I'm too scared. I know several people who have done WW several times and each time they gain the weight back plus more and have ratcheted them selves up to unhealthy weights.

I kinda think WW makes money when they can keep you coming back for more. So it's not in their be$t intere$t for your maintenance to be successful.

If you do do WW... With such a small amount to lose what about going straight to the maintenance program for your goal weight? You'll get there eventually and only have to relearn eating habits once.

CM9178

First off, let me start by saying that I am a huge supporter of Weight Watchers. I lost 70 pounds on Weight Watchers 10 years ago (unfortunately gained it all back but that had nothing to do with the plan, that was all me).
I recently re-joined in March and I have lost 28 pounds since. Weight Watchers DEFINITELY works if you do it correctly.

Secondly, if you only want to lose 5 pounds, you don't need Weight Watchers (I don't think you are even allowed to set a goal weight for so close to your current weight). If I were you, I would juse use MFP to count your calories, you should lose that 5 pounds within a few weeks, maybe less (you lose slower when you have so little to lose).

Looking at what you ate for the day, it seems like you ate a lot of high point items all day without really cutting back anything. I am sorry to tell you but if you want to lose the weight, you will need to cut back in certain areas. For example, 12 points before lunch is A LOT of points to eat. I typically have about 3 points for breakfast and then lunch. Then you had 10 points for lunch which is also pretty high, followed by another 6 point snack which is huge.

The reason you were at such high points for the day is because other factors go into the points besides the calories. You need to take note of the fiber and protein content of the foods you are eating. That will effect the points. If you choose the correct foods, you will be able to eat more calories for less points.

So in your case it is definitely an issue of choosing healthier foods through out the day with smaller points values. A 6 point snack in the middle of the day is probably not a great idea, when you know you still need points for dinner.

A huge thing that works for me is planning out everything I'm going to eat for the day, the night before. That way I know exactly how many extra points I have for a snack if I'm hungry. If that isn't possible for you, then just try to eat lower point foods - and on the new plan, fruits and veggies are 0 points, so if you are hungry, those should be your snacks. Not a 6 point cookie.. Hope that makes sense!! And good luck!

CM9178

I am also a lifetime member of WW. It def worked for me several years ago when you had a point range. I don't love the new program.
I still have lots of cookbooks and in addition to points listed, the macros are listed as well. You don't have to be a member of WW to buy their products.

One thing I REEEEAAALLLLY dislike about WW is all the fake food. The bars, the crackers, the fruit chews. Its just low cal junk food. Its also difficult to grocery shop on WW. You have to pull out that calculator too much.

I have had more success this time around with MFP. I double-tracked on both sites in March and then stopped my membership at WW. I am so glad! I think MFP is so much easier and more of a lifestyle AND you can't beat the price!

I'm not sure if you are aware, but you don't have to eat any Weight Watchers food while following the plan. They just sell it, but it is totally optional. If you don't want to eat the bars or crackers you don't have to. I don't buy any of the Weight Watchers foods except for the smoothies. And it is not difficult to shop on WW once you get the hang of it. I brought my calculator in the beginning but now I'm really good at estimating what the points would be (within a point or two) while looking at the package, then I just double check it when I get home.

CM9178

I haven't tried WW because I'm too scared. I know several people who have done WW several times and each time they gain the weight back plus more and have ratcheted them selves up to unhealthy weights.

I personally gained weight back, so I know from personal experience that it had NOTHING to do with Weight Watchers. Weight Watchers is NOT a diet - it is supposed to teach you how to eat properly for the rest of your life. If one has the attitude that it is a diet, then you will gain weight back when you stop following the program (I did, and you should never stop). It is a lifestyle change.

MFP doesn't teach you anything about eating properly. You can continue eating fatty foods that are unhealthy and continue losing weight, if you have a calorie deficit, but try keeping that weight off for the rest of your life. It will never happen.

bellavita0125

i tried weight watchers. I felt soooo restricted and I absolutely hated it. Plus it was just too complicated for me. I didn't really stay long enough to figure out the system though (about 2 months, if that) so maybe that's why it was so difficult for me to understand. I prefer MFP. Plus, it's FREE. Spark people is free too. I tried that as well before trying this site. Again, I prefer mfp overall.

bugtrain

First off, let me start by saying that I am a huge supporter of Weight Watchers. I lost 70 pounds on Weight Watchers 10 years ago (unfortunately gained it all back but that had nothing to do with the plan, that was all me).
I recently re-joined in March and I have lost 28 pounds since. Weight Watchers DEFINITELY works if you do it correctly.

Secondly, if you only want to lose 5 pounds, you don't need Weight Watchers (I don't think you are even allowed to set a goal weight for so close to your current weight). If I were you, I would juse use MFP to count your calories, you should lose that 5 pounds within a few weeks, maybe less (you lose slower when you have so little to lose).

Looking at what you ate for the day, it seems like you ate a lot of high point items all day without really cutting back anything. I am sorry to tell you but if you want to lose the weight, you will need to cut back in certain areas. For example, 12 points before lunch is A LOT of points to eat. I typically have about 3 points for breakfast and then lunch. Then you had 10 points for lunch which is also pretty high, followed by another 6 point snack which is huge.

The reason you were at such high points for the day is because other factors go into the points besides the calories. You need to take note of the fiber and protein content of the foods you are eating. That will effect the points. If you choose the correct foods, you will be able to eat more calories for less points.

So in your case it is definitely an issue of choosing healthier foods through out the day with smaller points values. A 6 point snack in the middle of the day is probably not a great idea, when you know you still need points for dinner.

A huge thing that works for me is planning out everything I'm going to eat for the day, the night before. That way I know exactly how many extra points I have for a snack if I'm hungry. If that isn't possible for you, then just try to eat lower point foods - and on the new plan, fruits and veggies are 0 points, so if you are hungry, those should be your snacks. Not a 6 point cookie.. Hope that makes sense!! And good luck!

This!

NINtoTheVoid

I was on WW starting January 2010 and lost 40lbs, but once they switched the plan in 2012 to add "free" foods, everything went downhill. :sad:

What I like about MFP compared to WW is that a banana (or any fruit/veggie for that matter) ....HAS CALORIES. The new way they set up WW with Points Plus I've had a real hard time sticking within the daily points I was given and I'd avoid eating another point by eating a banana or some other 0 point food...well....in the non-WW world...if you eat 3 bananas, you've just eaten 300 calories, but WW its 0. No wonder people have a hard time with it not losing anything!

If they woudn'tve changed it all around I probably would have stuck to it just fine (lost 40# the OLD way where ALL foods had points), but when they gave it a complete overhaul and started giving you "free" foods......it screwed me all up and I pretty much gained 75% of my loss back!

I've been with MFP since August 6th and have lost 7.9# so far

Edit: Oh and you're a tool girl like myself I'm constantly using the MFP mobile app. Works just like the WW app, but with calories instead

fitmek

One thing I REEEEAAALLLLY dislike about WW is all the fake food. The bars, the crackers, the fruit chews. Its just low cal junk food. Its also difficult to grocery shop on WW. You have to pull out that calculator too much.

This is the only thing about WW I do not like either. I'm generally (minus a smart ones meal here and there) not a fan of packaged food. I know you can plan your menus however you would like, but most of my friends that are on the program eat a ton of sugar free jello, 100 calorie packs of cookies and crackers, the special K crackers, --basically tons of processed foods to keep their points lower. I wish there was a way that other things like peanuts or almonds or guacomole would be a lower point value--clean foods, good fats, good proteins etc.

melissapoza

When I was on Weight Watchers I have to say I was miserable!! The point system drives me insane! I felt very restricted as others have mentioned. I don't know if it's all mental because the points tend to be a lower number than my 1200 a day calorie restriction, but I just felt annoyed by those points. Also, I keep in mind that MFP also gives you a limit on carbs and so forth so I also view that. I have done both and have always been very happy with MFP and lost more weight than I did on WW. A great point that was also mentioned was the price. I did WW online and was spending $17.00 a month which adds up. Also, for some reason I was always starving on WW but with MFP I stay full longer. Again, not sure if it's all a mind game with the numbers and I just feel more comfortable with MFP but use whatever works for you.

srathfelder

I joined WW on Jan 5th of this year and started MFP at the same time. I've lost 62 lbs in that time and am now on the maintenance part of my weight loss journey. I chose to go to meetings because I needed the accountability and am already fairly isolated because besides being the mom and I am also the full time caregiver to my 21 y/o son who has a form of muscular dystrophy and epilepsy. I made a total change in how I eat and found the MFP has shown me how to use those WW points to the best advantage -- 310 calories can be a In N Out cheese burger or a turkey sandwich on a sandwich thin loaded with veggies, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes and fruit. That's 8 points for the burger and about 4 or 5 for the other. I really did enjoy that burger the other day, I just had to make some adjustments the rest of the day.

I don't buy too much of their foods, I have never taken my points calculator to the store, I do have my favorite recipes marked with the points values. I do measure everything and have had some surprises both ways. It is hard to eat out a lot and keep to the points, but once you figure out what to order it gets easier. Like any plan you choose to lose weight you have to learn to make choices, figure out what is important to keep in your life and what you are ready to let go of. I kept the half and half in my coffee, I tried the fat free stuff and I would give up coffee completely before I put that in my coffee on a daily basis. I don't miss tortillas at all, when I order my fish taco at our favorite Mexican restaurant I just don't eat it. Since it comes on 2 corn tortillas that's 6 points I am not eating. When I know I am going out I add a few minutes to my walk to give me the freedom to splurge a little.

My breakfast this morning was 5 WW pp and 274 calories and I am full:

6 oz container of Fage 0% Greek yogurt - 2 pp / 100 cal with 18 grams of protein and 20 grams of calcium
1/2 cup each strawberries and blueberries 0 pp / 68 cal
1 tsp honey 1 pp / 21 calories
1/3 cup Fiber One cereal 1pp / 40 cal with 9 grams of fiber to boot
Coffee (about 2 cups) 0 pp / 5 cal
1 Tbsp half and half - 1 pp / 20 cal
1 tsp Sugar in the Raw 0 pp / 20 cal

~Susan

CM9178

i tried weight watchers. I felt soooo restricted and I absolutely hated it. Plus it was just too complicated for me. I didn't really stay long enough to figure out the system though (about 2 months, if that) so maybe that's why it was so difficult for me to understand. I prefer MFP. Plus, it's FREE. Spark people is free too. I tried that as well before trying this site. Again, I prefer mfp overall.

Weight watchers can be free if you don't go there to get weighed. You only pay if they weigh you. But you can join for free and then do the program yourself if you don't want to pay.

CM9178

I was on WW starting January 2010 and lost 40lbs, but once they switched the plan in 2012 to add "free" foods, everything went downhill. :sad:

What I like about MFP compared to WW is that a banana (or any fruit/veggie for that matter) ....HAS CALORIES. The new way they set up WW with Points Plus I've had a real hard time sticking within the daily points I was given and I'd avoid eating another point by eating a banana or some other 0 point food...well....in the non-WW world...if you eat 3 bananas, you've just eaten 300 calories, but WW its 0. No wonder people have a hard time with it not losing anything!

If they woudn'tve changed it all around I probably would have stuck to it just fine (lost 40# the OLD way where ALL foods had points), but when they gave it a complete overhaul and started giving you "free" foods......it screwed me all up and I pretty much gained 75% of my loss back!


I've been with MFP since August 6th and have lost 7.9# so far

Edit: Oh and you're a tool girl like myself I'm constantly using the MFP mobile app. Works just like the WW app, but with calories instead

Or you could just count the calories for the fruit. Just sayin.

CM9178

I joined WW on Jan 5th of this year and started MFP at the same time. I've lost 62 lbs in that time and am now on the maintenance part of my weight loss journey. I chose to go to meetings because I needed the accountability and am already fairly isolated because besides being the mom and I am also the full time caregiver to my 21 y/o son who has a form of muscular dystrophy and epilepsy. I made a total change in how I eat and found the MFP has shown me how to use those WW points to the best advantage -- 310 calories can be a In N Out cheese burger or a turkey sandwich on a sandwich thin loaded with veggies, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes and fruit. That's 8 points for the burger and about 4 or 5 for the other. I really did enjoy that burger the other day, I just had to make some adjustments the rest of the day.

I don't buy too much of their foods, I have never taken my points calculator to the store, I do have my favorite recipes marked with the points values. I do measure everything and have had some surprises both ways. It is hard to eat out a lot and keep to the points, but once you figure out what to order it gets easier. Like any plan you choose to lose weight you have to learn to make choices, figure out what is important to keep in your life and what you are ready to let go of. I kept the half and half in my coffee, I tried the fat free stuff and I would give up coffee completely before I put that in my coffee on a daily basis. I don't miss tortillas at all, when I order my fish taco at our favorite Mexican restaurant I just don't eat it. Since it comes on 2 corn tortillas that's 6 points I am not eating. When I know I am going out I add a few minutes to my walk to give me the freedom to splurge a little.

My breakfast this morning was 5 WW pp and 274 calories and I am full:

6 oz container of Fage 0% Greek yogurt - 2 pp / 100 cal with 18 grams of protein and 20 grams of calcium
1/2 cup each strawberries and blueberries 0 pp / 68 cal
1 tsp honey 1 pp / 21 calories
1/3 cup Fiber One cereal 1pp / 40 cal with 9 grams of fiber to boot
Coffee (about 2 cups) 0 pp / 5 cal
1 Tbsp half and half - 1 pp / 20 cal
1 tsp Sugar in the Raw 0 pp / 20 cal

~Susan

I agree that using MFP while doing Weight Watchers makes it a lot easier. Really, once you learn how to eat properly - which is what you should learn from Weight Watchers if you follow it properly, there is nothing complicated about it. Once you know what foods you should be eating/not eating and the correct PORTION sizes, you don't have to be constantly counting points. I can pretty much figure the points in my head for everything I eat in one day without having to use any kind of calculator (I still use it to be sure, but just making a point). The best thing about MFP, is there a Firefox add-in for your browser that will calculate your points for you in your food diary! How cool is that! So I enter the food I ate into my MFP diary and then I can see my points tally as well. That way, I don't have to pay for WW E-tools or write anything down. I can do it all in one place.

You should never feel restricted with WW if you are doing it right. I can't say this enough times. On Weight Watchers, you can eat ANYTHING. You just need to do two things - PLAN and eat the correct portion sizes. If you want a piece of chocolate cake, you can eat it. There is nothing you aren't allowed to eat. I eat everything I want. I have higher point days and lower point days. I eat when I'm hungry and always have enough available points. Again, if you think of WW as a diet, it will not work for you. It is a lifestyle change meant to last forever.

If you'd like to see my food diary, let me know. I'd be happy to share.

CM9178

Sorry for all of the posts, but I just read the OP's post again and now I clearly see the issue.

With the old WW plan, the points were calculated based on Calories, Fat and Fiber and Fruits & Veggies had points values.
The new Points Plus program calculates points based on Carbs, Fat, Fiber and Protein, and Fruits/Veggies are Zero points.

As a result of the new program, many foods are higher points than they used to be.
I don't know for sure if 26 points adds up to 1200 calories, but that definitely makes sense.

HERE IS WHY:
We should be eating at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies every day.
While we aren't counting points for them, we are still eating the calories - so this is where you eat the amount of calories you should be eating!!

If you don't eat any fruits and veggies all day (didn't look like you did from what you posted), then that is why you had used up all your points, but were under your calorie level. Eat some fruits and veggies, and you will meet your calorie goal for the day, and not go over your points.

Some people get carried away with the whole "fruits and veggies are zero points" thing, so they end up eating too many calories and don't lose weight, and then wonder why.

nowakkk

I'm making the transition from WW to MFP right now and finding it very difficult to mentally use both programs. Starting to prefer MFP over WW, but I have noticed the weight coming off MUCH SLOWER where as on full time WW I would be consistently losing. I would tend to eat a ton more fruits on WW, but noticing how much of a sugar and carb intake I would get a daily basis, I started adding more protein since switching over to the MFP app and cutting back on the fruit.

Now it very well could be that since I'm almost to my goal it's definitely harder to lose the last 15 lbs, but now by using MFP I'm almost always going over my Weight Watchers points including all of my activity points that earn for that day. It's frustrating to see I'm eating healthy according to MFP's standards - staying under 1,200 net calories getting in my recommended macros and exercising, but I'm still 2 or 5 pts over my WW goal because I chose to eat a greek yogurt and almonds for a snack versus 2 cups of fruit which are zero points.

Could somebody please message me or add me as a friend and share their transition from WW to a full MFP user? Why did you decide to make the transition? Was it a struggle? Was it relatively easy to continue to lose? Why you prefer WW over MFP? Etc.

Thank you!

LouisaRoots

i have been yo yo dieting for the last 3 years, and at my heaviest was 18 stone, and joined rosemary conley and got down to 13 stones and felt amazing, all heading for a holiday went on holiday put on a stone and never got back into it

last year i decided to try ww, the new plan allowed me 29 points plus my weekly 49 points, and also being able to eat my activity points, i lost about 1 stone 4 on it, then again went on holiday and have since tried to get back into it but find the converting time consuming, the app is great on the iphone but again i have to pay for that, my trouble is that i love excercise and run a lot, and my activity perdometer would say about 3 points on a run where as my hrm would show about 400 cals, and they never really equated

they also introduced a plan where you could eat unlimited amounts until full of certain foods but as an over eater it didnt work for me
i also cant attend regular meetings as i work a shift pattern.
i had the same struggle as you, if i fancied a packet of decent crisps i would clock up 5 points which would be about 16% of y allowance and would feel really cross with myself and be left with nothing by tea time, yet on here its only about 8% of my daily allowance
i also often feel bad if i dont stick to something when ive paid for it, and turn to food
im loving the app on this with the barcode and happy zapping everything and have stuck to it for 3 days and normally now id be feeling deprived but on this im not
its a good plan if it suits you but if you find any difficulties or you question it maybe its not the one for you.
im a numbers girl i like creating calorie targets etc and seeing the results
good luck what ever you decide

plantgrrl

The thing about WW is it's trying to force you to weight cost/benefit on foods. So a food that is high in protein or high in fiber or magically both...? would have much lower points number vs. foods that have high calories and low protein or fiber. That's WHY WW works. And now they've modified it to allow MOST (not avocado and mango I believe) fruits and veg to be free. This is to make people eat more fruits and vegetables. It's a fact that people who eat more fruits and veggies and less random calories weight less. It's basically MAKING you make better choices. Higher nutrient density foods are what WW is trying to teach us about.

I love WW, I just wish it wasn't quite so expensive--I wouldn't be here. The only thing I wish it had had on the online was a sodium MG display, otherwise, A+.

chunkydunk714

I love weight watchers and lost 40 pounds counting points ....I never felt restricted because of the extra 49 points you get each week.

I love MFP because it breaks down the sugars, sodium, carbs, etc. and I felt thats what I was missing. However, I do feel restricted here.

Just today I started combining the two...counting points AND MFP...so wish me luck. As if counting calories isnt enough But my heart is with WW....I just got bored and needed a change.