Why Weight Watchers Didn't Work for Me!

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  • meli_loses_it
    meli_loses_it Posts: 16 Member
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    It's not Weight Watcher's fault you didn't use your points for nutritious foods. At the meetings, they are always talking about power foods and healthy options. What you choose to do with your points is your decision.

    You're right WW can't take all the blame, but I feel that they're program/website wasn't a right fit for me. When I would go to meetings we'd talk about all the foods we were tempted by and then I'd think about treats all day! IDK I know a few people that really did get healthy on WW, but it wasn't the right fit for me.
  • princessage117
    princessage117 Posts: 171 Member
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    It's not Weight Watcher's fault you didn't use your points for nutritious foods. At the meetings, they are always talking about power foods and healthy options. What you choose to do with your points is your decision.

    You're right WW can't take all the blame, but I feel that they're program/website wasn't a right fit for me. When I would go to meetings we'd talk about all the foods we were tempted by and then I'd think about treats all day! IDK I know a few people that really did get healthy on WW, but it wasn't the right fit for me.

    Sorry for sounding snarky, I am also enjoying MFP along with WW, you are right, it's not for everyone.
  • eclipsejamie
    eclipsejamie Posts: 2
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    I agree with the responses to this message board. I did WW on and off for years with some success but got tired of stressing about points as well. I do enjoy seeing my calorie/fat/protein/carb intake; makes me want to make better choices. And I'm not going to lie MFP is free and 1000+ calories mentally seems more satisfying then 30+ points.
  • 18guyhornet
    18guyhornet Posts: 195 Member
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    My wife and I both did WW before I joined MFP - I lost 20 lbs and just plateaued. Since joining MFP I've lost another 10. The difference I see is on MFP the focus is on being healthy, not just loosing weight. You are asked to make conscious decisions about how you feed your body rather than counting the minutes before you can consume more points. As a result I am loosing weight AND I feel better. I have energy because I'm not starving!
  • Mamasota
    Mamasota Posts: 144
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    It worked for me for a while and then I plateaued for 3 months and no one had any suggestions for me except to keep on counting points. It's so much more than points. Slow weight loss is good but no weight loss when counting every point is terrible -- but they still get paid! I wanted WW to care about me and I finally realized that the only person who had to care about me and my weight was me.
  • yavrig
    yavrig Posts: 28
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    10 years ago, a nutritionist told me I had to lose weight. DUH! As if I didn't know that! Anyway, she told me the 3 keys to lasting weight loss, as supported by some studies (I forget the names) were: 1) keeping a food diary, 2) exercise 3-5X per week, even if it was only 10 minutes at a time to start with, and 3) support system/support group.

    I have lost all my weight on WW. It has worked for me because I already understand nutrition. The MOST important part for me is the support group. It's convenient that we have WW meetings at my work. Then I have a built-in, day in, day out support group, even when we're not having meetings. WW got me accustomed to tracking my food and has helped me with picking out light exercises to start with. I use MFP in conjunction to get more detailed data. No matter what you do, you will either be focused on points or calories. They are both numbers, just different numbers. With the WW Points Plus reshuffle, fattier foods having the same calories than a bigger plate of better-for-you foods have a higher point value. They have done this to help people make healthier/better choices. Remember, not everyone is as savvy as we MFP users.

    What can I say? I'm a tools/data-junkie. I track my food on MFP, I go to my WW meetings and get weighed there. I use mapmywalk.com to track my walks with the GPS in my phone. I use calendar reminders to plan my workouts and to remind me to take my vitamins and cozi.com to plan my meals. I use Groupon and LivingSocial to get active and try new things like Bikram Yoga, CardioBarre, Boot Camp classes, etc.

    No matter what, you have to be focused. If you need tools to help you stay focused, do it. It doens't matter what tool(s) you use, as long as they help you get focused on your goals. :happy:

    Good luck everyone!
  • SyntonicGarden
    SyntonicGarden Posts: 944 Member
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    I had success with WW until they changed the plan a few years ago. When I went back and looked at my books, I figured out why. I was eating 20 points a day, which at the time, calculated to about 1000 calories. I've been at least maintaining on here and am more aware of what I eat and am less likely to eat poorly. Being able to see other people's diaries helps too.

    Now I'm on this awesome site and can use the monthly WW payments on good, healthy food instead of on a website that wasn't helping me at all. :)
  • readyfor50
    readyfor50 Posts: 6
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    Melissa, I cancelled my WW last night because I too felt that I wasn't really learning anything as to how to maintain a lifestyle, without counting points. I was really glad to see your post, I just joined MFP and I am really excited about changing my life for the better.
    Good luck to you, hope we succeed together :)
  • Kat8976
    Kat8976 Posts: 23
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    I agree. I learned how to control portions while on WW but MFP has taught me portion control plus eating the right foods!! Plus MFP is FREE :-)
  • readyfor50
    readyfor50 Posts: 6
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    thank you :smile:
  • tlo23
    tlo23 Posts: 68
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    I agree with you 100%!
  • SHernandez391
    SHernandez391 Posts: 2
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    And I thought I was the only one x] It didn't work for me either!
    And as far as changing eating habits, I think this works sooooo much better
  • csi4us
    csi4us Posts: 74
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    I agree with you. I am canceling my online to ww subscription which I pay $18 a month for .Dont get me wrong ww works I just prefer to use mfp. I am new to mfp and love it. Not just cause its free., but I love reading about other peoples successes. Hearing the struggles and mistakes as well as victories from real people will help me stay motivated. However I understand I am accountable for my own sucess in this life style journey. Add me as a friend if u are a positive person who is truly motivated to be healthier and lose weight!
  • meli_loses_it
    meli_loses_it Posts: 16 Member
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    10 years ago, a nutritionist told me I had to lose weight. DUH! As if I didn't know that! Anyway, she told me the 3 keys to lasting weight loss, as supported by some studies (I forget the names) were: 1) keeping a food diary, 2) exercise 3-5X per week, even if it was only 10 minutes at a time to start with, and 3) support system/support group.

    I have lost all my weight on WW. It has worked for me because I already understand nutrition. The MOST important part for me is the support group. It's convenient that we have WW meetings at my work. Then I have a built-in, day in, day out support group, even when we're not having meetings. WW got me accustomed to tracking my food and has helped me with picking out light exercises to start with. I use MFP in conjunction to get more detailed data. No matter what you do, you will either be focused on points or calories. They are both numbers, just different numbers. With the WW Points Plus reshuffle, fattier foods having the same calories than a bigger plate of better-for-you foods have a higher point value. They have done this to help people make healthier/better choices. Remember, not everyone is as savvy as we MFP users.

    What can I say? I'm a tools/data-junkie. I track my food on MFP, I go to my WW meetings and get weighed there. I use mapmywalk.com to track my walks with the GPS in my phone. I use calendar reminders to plan my workouts and to remind me to take my vitamins and cozi.com to plan my meals. I use Groupon and LivingSocial to get active and try new things like Bikram Yoga, CardioBarre, Boot Camp classes, etc.

    No matter what, you have to be focused. If you need tools to help you stay focused, do it. It doens't matter what tool(s) you use, as long as they help you get focused on your goals. :happy:

    Good luck everyone!

    I wish I had been educated about nutrition before joining. I love the recipes and still go back to them, but at the time my focus was solely on weight loss and not nutrition. The data MFP gives me has helped me to understand nutrition better and that why I like it :) I'm glad you are having success on your journey and good luck to you :)
  • kellimr
    kellimr Posts: 69
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    I lost about 80 lbs on WW online 3 years ago. I made healthy choices and followed my points and lost about 12-14lbs/month. My points started out in the 30's but after all the weight lost they were down to about 23 and I just couldn't maintain on so few points. So now I have gained most of it back (completely my fault & I don't blame WW for it) and am having success here. The only thing I don't like about MFP is them subtracting the exercise points from my daily total so I don't log exercise points. If I eat exercise points I don't lose as quickly. Both are good tools but MFP is better for nutrition tracking and it's FREE!
  • lulaloops
    lulaloops Posts: 78 Member
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    If you do it properly, focus on eating a varied balanced nutritious diet - the word for food not what people perceive WW to be, it will definitely work!!! Its all about balanced meals, healthy portions and healthy minds.

    I have been doing it for 20months and have lost 62.5lb so far, i use MFP alongside, more for curiousity than anything.
    It works for some, not for others. simple as. If you do it right and properly then yes it wil work.

    As long as you are all finding something that suits you then so be it. Good on You.
  • brendaj39
    brendaj39 Posts: 375 Member
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    great job on your weight loss already, feel free to add me if you'd like..keep it up!
  • MAngel128
    MAngel128 Posts: 15 Member
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    I have tried doing Weight Watchers four times in the past. Each time I have lost weight and think the program works if you stick to it and are able to correctly calculate exercise and portion sizes... However, I have quit each time and never reached my goal weight on the program. I think that was a little discouraging to me. I am quite active and I was never truly able to determine my needed number of points based on what I was burning. I would plateau. And stay there. After a week or so of that I would quit because I could not figure the system out. I am now trying this site and so far it seems pretty easy to use and makes calculating exercise into my daily totals much easier.

    Great job to all of you who have already done so well with reaching your goals! Your stories are very inspiring, thank you!
  • LailaB123
    LailaB123 Posts: 18 Member
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    Hello. I just joined MFP today, after years of WW ups and downs. I would very much appreciate being a friend to someone who has gone thru the same challenges, and would be willing to offer advice. I'm a TERRIFIC cheerleader! Thank you for your time.
  • bohonomad
    bohonomad Posts: 171 Member
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    Totally agree! I lost a lot of weight on WW but realised it was only because I was starving mysekf and avoiding good foods like almonds and avocado because they were high in points plus values. No diet should make you avoid healthy food!

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