Any Reformed Weight Watchers people?

yvonnemoore003

I am a Lifetime WW member and have nothing against the program. I lost 76 pounds years ago and then got pregnant shortly after that. I have struggled to get that weight off ever since but that is my fault not the fault of WW. The only reason I'm here and not at a WW meeting is because I would have to pay again. I am putting myself through college and need to save the money for school. I do miss going to meetings. I really enjoyed the support. I wish I could have gone to meetings while I was pregnant. I think it would have helped me stay focused on healthy eating and not fall into old habits.

sherita461972

Does anyone else hear a theme here? Haha!! :laugh:

I too am a former WW member, I did it for over a year in 2007/2008. I lost over 60 lbs doing the old point system. I was for the first time in my adult life under 200 lbs!! But then life took over, we were foster parents at the time and was very busy. I tried doing it myself, ultimate fail!! I have now gained 44 lbs back, and after seeing a photo of me at a friends wedding, thought Oh my stars I've got to do something! I was going to rejoin WW and then a friend told me about MFP.... and I LOVE IT!!

It's so easy and really helps me keep on track!!

liznotyet

I was a WW regular for several years over a decade ago. The points counting was a drag and I didn't like paying to chitchat and confess around the table. The only part of it that really really worked for me, that I want to get back to, was the "fat and fiber" approach, where you try to have twice as many fiber grams as fat grams each day. When I was true to that I was always successful. It is not easy to do especially if you try to get all of your fiber grams from food and not supplements, which I never used. I love MFP because I can see the data each day.

sherita461972

Oh yeah how do you all get those cool Tickers??

Sydney1756

I also tried with weight watchers a few times and it never worked out for me! This system is super easy to use and it really works if you stick to it.

belladonna786

I have had 100x more success here than with weight watchers!

its_your_day

It works better for me here also. My diet is higher in carbs than most, since I'm a vegetarian. I felt like the new program was not that great for vegetarians; it was too difficult to control points. Strictly counting calories and avoiding junk food seems to work best for me. I did like the old WW programs.

pbyrne73

Hello My name is Patty and I am currently on WW, lost 44 lbs on the old points system but seem to be strugging on this new one. My physician really wants me to get this weight off, so I decided to try this and got a FitBIt which links to this also. I am hoping that by using this site, counting my calories and with your support I can finally get down to where I need to be for me and the doctor.

sandilee27

Yep! Been there, done that .... I like MFP so much better! It's easier ..... and FREE!!

Penfoldsplace

I used to do ww online, it's a good program but I became unemployed so I couldn't justify the cost anymore. Now I have found mfp I don't think I would go back as I found the database here to be much bigger and I rarely have to input the values myself like on ww, also mfp is free!

I think if you like the support system it's worth doing but me personally never liked that aspect of it, I'm very private. I was only using the online tools.

Margthecar

I lost about 20 lbs a few years ago on WW using the old points system. I got very discouraged because as I lost the weight, my daily allotment of points DECREASED, only making me hungrier, both physically and mentally, :grumble: . And I stopped losing weight! Gained all the weight back as I gradually reverted to my old eating habits and stopped going to meetings and stopped tracking.

Fast forward to about a year ago and I heard about MFP--wonderful! I am a data junkie and the phone app makes it so easy to track all those wonderful calories, macronutrients, etc down to the gram, as well as pretty good accounting of exercise. But the real kicker came when I hit my first plateau and came on these boards looking for inspiration.

I fortunately don't have a lot to lose--about 25 pounds and had lost about 5 on MFP when I plateaued. My weight loss goal was 1 lb/week. So I read here and there and found a post wherein a woman similar to my situation was given this advice: EAT MORE TO LOSE WEIGHT. Huh?! I thought. How can this be? Well, the reasoning goes like this: As you get closer to your goal weight, to keep it going, you need to lose weight SLOWER. Change the goal to 0.5 lb per week, so you actually get more calories to eat per day as well as make sure you eat back all your exercise calories. That way your body does not go into "starvation mode" and you keep losing weight, but at a slower rate.

For me this has been a revelation. It's the exact OPPOSITE of what WW did on the old points system. Instead of being punished for losing weight by having to eat LESS, I am actually rewarded by getting to eat a bit more! It took a bit of mental readjustment to handle the slow rate of loss, since our culture is so hung up on fast results and instant gratification, but this approach is totally working for me. I have now lost another 10 lbs, albeit at a rate only 1-2 lbs per month. But I finally feel this is an approach to eating and fitness that I can sustain over my lifetime--not just a temporary diet. I rarely feel hungry and deprived, as was often the case on WW, and when I do stray now and then, as one always does, it is easy to get back on track with my daily goals because I don't feel like I am fighting against a system that punishes me for succeeding (as felt with WW).

My original goal was to lose 15 lbs, which I have now achieved, but have upped the the goal to 25 lbs since this method is working so well for me. That would put me back at the pre-pregnancy weight I was at for many many years. Until finding MFP, I thought I would never be at that healthy weight again, but I now think with patience and determination, I can be there in 6 to 10 months. Then it is a simple transition to adding a few more calories to MFP to maintain the weight.

wendyjane75

I did WW last year and lost 30 lbs and then hit a plateau. I thought the pts worked well for me losing weight, but I didn't think that it was a long term way of living having to calculate some made up number. It makes more sense to me to use the actual calories you're consuming and burning. I've been very happy with MFP and think that it is better at supporting an actual lifestyle change, and it's FREE!

StarLeopard

I tried WW online and, when that didn't work, believed the hype that people who attend meetings have more success. I knew it was a mistake the moment I walked in the door and saw all the tempting WW snack food for sale. But I gave it a try, lost some weight and promptly gained it all back when I finally quit. Now I look askance at any diet that shows photos of tempting desserts "you can still have" on their plan. I no longer crave desserts I can still have. "Opportunity knocks but once, while temptation leans on the doorbell all day long."

I'm low-carbing now and will never go back. I can't go back. I'm past the point of no return plus I don't want to go back. My name's Ed, I'm type 2 diabetic and I'm glad to be here. Thanks for all the wonderful advice and support so far.

sharonlouiset

I lost weight a couple of times on the old points system. I am a real yoyo dieter and put it back on. I did rejoin earlier this year but found the new pro points system to complicated to follow.

luvs2teachincali

"Opportunity knocks but once, while temptation leans on the doorbell all day long."

^^ This. I love this. Thank you! :flowerforyou:

Edit to add: Oh yeah, I was on WW. I lost 30 pounds on the OLD SYSTEM years ago. Then got pregnant and quit. I rejoined after my son was born but had to take him with me to the meetings. I hated the stares I got when he cried. I stopped going. I rejoined WW on the new system with my mom. We went to meetings. Neither of us did well on it.. her especially, since she never has more than 15 pounds to lose. We felt like we were often neglected at the meetings and treated like black sheep. We quit going. I rejoined as on online only member in 2011. I started at 205 and got to 187 (losing 18 pounds), but it took me about 4 months! I started to feel discouraged quickly with how slowly it was coming off. I left and regained some, going back up to 198. At 198 I recommitted myself to WW online and then started hearing about MFP on the forums over there! I thought, hmm, I'm gonna check that out. I created an account here and tracked on WW AND MFP for two weeks. I found that although I was eating ALL of my points plus, I was NOT having enough calories (even with free fruits/veggies). The second week, I was driving myself crazy because I didn't know who to trust. WW or MFP. Do I go over my points plus in order to hit my 1200/calorie minimum? I decided at the end of that crazy week to unsubscribe and go soley with MFP and haven't looked back. I have had MUCH more success here.

BeforeTigers

Hello everyone! I'm BeforeTigers.

I just joined MFP today. I logged on immediately to see if there were any former WW people here and to get advice. I joined WW a little over a year ago and I actually loved the Points+ system. I lost 30lbs. Although the initial start up to the program was time intensive - learning the points for everything, etc. It worked for me. However, I needed to save money and canceled my online membership. You'd think I'd have learned enough to keep track of points and food on my own, but the weight crept back on.

My questions for you former WW people, how did you make the transition from just looking at a piece of food (or weighing it) and knowing the point value to the calorie counting system? Is it the same time intensive start-up? You just learn the calorie counts for the foods you eat? How do you all deal with the "all calories are not equal" on MFP? I loved being able to eat fruit if I was hungry because most of them don't have points on P+, here, everything has calories. It seems as if this method requires a lot more accountability to eat the right food and keep track of fiber, carbs, fat, etc. I'm willing to give it a go but would love advice and insight from this group.

If these have all been answered on previous threads, I'll read those if someone could direct me to them.

Thank you so much! Sorry for all these newbie questions.

AshLinds11

I've done weight watchers old points system several times and it's worked great. Until this past time. I use the materials I've saved over the years but the scale wouldn't budge. Started mfp and I've only gained weight. Thinking about switching back to weight watchers OLD system where fruits and veggies do count. I would typically eat oatmeal for breakfast with a light English muffin, oatmeal for lunch and whatever I wanted within reason for dinner and I lost 10 lbs and kept it off for three years. Started doing this and I gained 10.

simini77

Hi!
Im reformed WW too, I just couldnt get my head around points - this works so much better for me as i am starting to understand the types of food i am eating, and being aware of the foodgroups, and WW just doesnt help with that as everything is about points.

dieting for the last time now - wanting to change my life and give myself a plan i can stick to, and allow myself the food i love, just limit the amount!

good luck with your journey x

Mrbusterb

I'm a former WW member.It worked for me until personal problems sidetracked me.But from what i hear now the new system is very frustrating

Ariadneo

I have been paying for...but not really using the WW online for the last, oh...to be honest....year? I used that tool for about a year and while I was "on track" I did lose weight and felt better. I don't have any negative experiences with them. I know it worked because I havn't gained anything back. I decided to try MFP out because a friend of mine that has a truly hectic lifestyle has been raving about how easy and user friendly it is. So much so that her husband even started using it. (I love the barcode scanning feature!) Right now I'm trying to move my recipes and favorite foods over here so the mobile ap will be more functional for me. I will be closing my WW account eventually. I honestly think I'm just ready to move on to the next step and this one is going to be it for me. I am a really new member though....so just blink and I may disapppear.

On a side note...yesterday I clicked on a link on this site for a "mini challenge a day" that led to a group I can NOT find now. The exercise challenge listed for today was 50 butterflys. Does anyone know which group that was?