How does mfp compare to weight watchers?

Iwantatinytum

I am going to try switching from weight watchers to mfp. Just wondered if anyone else has made the same switch and if you felt it was more beneficial?

kellster111

I have done WW and Slimming world in the past and struggled to lose the weight, I find MFP fits in better with family life as I can have what everyone else is having rather than making 2 or 3 different meals each day. You need to look at what you are eating, how you are cooking it and portion sizes. My family's diet is much healthier now as well because of less processed food and more vegetables. My husband has embraced the new lifestyle and he has also lost 2 stone in the process.

You have nothing to lose by giving it a try, just be honest with the diary and try and get so exercise in to help with the weight loss.

stacy_1971

I made the switch last week. I feel I get more support on MFP from the friends I have made, and that, for the most part, most MFP users promote a lifestyle change versus just getting to a goal weight. WW is so focused on weight, that it excludes other things such as strength and endurance.

But, some people do well on WW. I guess to each their own.

claudineer

A friend in my PhD program says that they are basicly the same program, but one is free. I never tried weight watchers, I guess it's good if you want to learn how to do the same thing as myfitnesspal, have a "food sponsor", and meals. Ask some people at your job and see what they say. Did you notice their changes and have they improved their meal plan.

SorchaRavenlock

I find MFP is less confusing then WW since you simply count calories, you don't have to convert everything in points. I also really like how you can customise your own settings, and track carbs, protein, fat, sodium, sugar and so on separately.

For me MFP is going slower then WW, but I'm eating a lot better and exercising a lot more. I'm losing more inches then I was on WW as well, despite the slower weight loss. MFP is more sustainable in the long term for me, with WW I gained everything back.

And of course the fact that it's free is a big plus too!

artslady96

I have used WW to drop weight in the past, and I always gained it all back and then some every time I stopped going to meetings. I agree with other posters that so many weight watchers focus so much on the numbers on the scale that most (myself included) never develop the habits for long term success. That's not the fault of the program, mind you, but its users. I used to make eating my points a game; how many could I squander during the day to eat extra cookies at night. That's stupid, right!

I find that I focus more on being healthy on MFP, perhaps because here we see all the nutritional intake and friends call us out on it. For example, I plateaued in July, and several people commented that I was consuming too much sodium. Now I prepare a lot of my own meals because that's what keeps me within the sodium range. It definitely helped.

Plus, as claudineer points out, why pay for WW when MFP is free and does the exact same thing in that it limits your food intake and encourages exercise!

Good luck, and feel free to friend me if you think I can help you on your weight loss journey.

Imaan2012

I have! I've just joined MFP and within days I've cancelled my membership with WW.
I've always have been a great fan of WW and still think it is a good way to lose weight.

However with MFP I feel I am getting a better understanding of what I am actually putting in my mouth.
The trackingsystem is very good ( I am Dutch and still there are so many items that I use in the food database ) What I've always felt to be a bit of a challenge with WW was ' am I going to use my weekpoints and my active points and how many?'.
Now MFP has calculated my personal calorie intake. I track my exercises using a HRM and put in the calories burned. This will
automaticly be added to your daily calorie total and I use them all.

I feel more independent using MFP and like very much how people are so supportive here, not only on nutrition but also on excercise. That last part is something that I miss from WW.

With the App on my phone and the fact that it is free, I am a happy girl :laugh:

Imaan2012

I find MFP is less confusing then WW since you simply count calories, you don't have to convert everything in points. I also really like how you can customise your own settings, and track carbs, protein, fat, sodium, sugar and so on separately.

I agree!

Iwantatinytum

Great feedback, thanks everyone!
I'm feeling quite positive about giving it a go and trying to shift some weight before christmas.
Always looking for new friends for help & advice so please friend me
x

gardendolly

I couldn't get on with the WW Pro Points plan, despite having success with the old plan. I found that i was gaining and losing the same few pounds over and over again. It got very disheartening. MFP makes it very simple. By counting calories you can control exactly what you eat, and how your exercise affects your weight loss. I am also beginning to enjoy cooking from scratch again!

RainbowBrightww23

I switched! After reading everything on here about BMR, TDEE, etc. it just seemed to make so much more sense. I was put on the lowest possible number of points on WW, and I would lose weight quickly initially and then just stall. Now, I think it was probably because I was eating below my BMR, and my recent investment in a FitBit has also shown me I burn more exercise calories in a day than I would have expected. I also prefer just counting calories, because some of the points plus values just don't "line up" with my real life as a student, specifically alcohol. This community is also a lot more supportive and inspiring! Lastly, the food data base here is MUCH better, and MFP is free!

melsinct

I find MFP is less confusing then WW since you simply count calories, you don't have to convert everything in points. I also really like how you can customise your own settings, and track carbs, protein, fat, sodium, sugar and so on separately.

I agree!

I agree with this. Calories make sense to me since they are a unit of energy. WW Points don't make sense to me (what *is* a point?), plus everything has to be converted to points. Not to mention, all of the macros you can track on MFP (protein, carbs, etc.) really allow you to learn more about what you are eating instead of learning X meal is X points. Plus, MFP is free!

laurainparis

My co-worker is using WW. When we came back from lunch, I went on MFP immediately and logged my lunch in about 2 minutes. I asked her if she was going to log hers on WW, but she said it was too much of a pain to figure out all the points, she needed her paper book but lost it, etc. So for me, the ease of MFP "outweighs" (ha ha!) WW. Plus, it's free!

joycehostetler

I did WW for awhile and the points can be misleading. When I first started mfp I also did the points for WW. I found that even though I was eating under my points, calorie wise I was over because those fruits, they really add up. I also found the wesite for WW confusing and frustrating. I like mfp a lot better for sure.

cappri

My co-worker is using WW. When we came back from lunch, I went on MFP immediately and logged my lunch in about 2 minutes. I asked her if she was going to log hers on WW, but she said it was too much of a pain to figure out all the points, she needed her paper book but lost it, etc. So for me, the ease of MFP "outweighs" (ha ha!) WW. Plus, it's free!

Your co-worker is an idiot then! I use both, yes I track all my food twice! WW and MFP are basically the same thing, counting calories. WW just converts them to points. Neither is difficult. I will say MFPs data base is much, much better than WW's for finding food, but again anyone who says either is hard to use to track is just being lazy.

T1mH

Weight watchers is a company trying to make money. They push processed and packaged meals because it's so much easier to track your points if it says on the package what they are. They also make money when you buy their meals and snacks.

KathyRed07

I think Weight Watchers is a good program...BUT....I find the MFP is much easier in keeping track of what you eat. I remember when WW changed to *all fruit is free* and everyone seemed to go out and loud up on bananas <g> Which to me, just makes you see that people FELT restricted. You still have to COUNT that banana!

I think its more important to realize WHAT you are eating, not just being sure to eat the amount of points you have left. When you are looking back, you are seeing how many POINTS you are eating...not really the breakdown of Calories/Fat/Carbs <or whatever you are tracking>

Thats just MHO....

honeybee1036

I was with WW earlier this year. It gave me the understanding of how important it is to log the food intake. But just points alone did not do it for me. I believe that exercise is a very important factor of being healthy. Not to mention that a diabetic cannot eat as much fruit as any other person can. And WW seemed to push eat as much fruit and veggies as you want. They had free points. Not always a good thing.

I joined MFP last month and already am more accountable, active, and motivated to my lifestyle change than any meeting I ever attended.

The logging of the food is sooooooo much easier than WW. I really like seeing how much fat/protein/carbs/iron etc I consume. This is very helpful in the carb dept considering I am diabetic and anemic. WW did not do that for me.

Also, MFP is FREE whereas WW has a cost. Should I go on?

Have a Happy Thanksgiving all

cappri

Weight watchers is a company trying to make money. They push processed and packaged meals because it's so much easier to track your points if it says on the package what they are. They also make money when you buy their meals and snacks.

Yes they are a company trying to make money. I have not found that they push processed and packaged meals, they actually stress good healthy guidelines and "power foods." Just like on here there is information and learning to be had, it's just a matter of being willing to take it in.

For some people it is easier to let the prepackaged food do the work of figuring out their portion controls. If that is what works for them so that they lose weight than so be it. I feel no need to be a food snob about what other people are eating. I'm just going to do what works for me.

rubberbiscuit

I've done weight watchers in the past with success, until I stopped going and gained it all back. I like mfp much better. I like keeping track of calories instead of points, or however they are doing it these days. I like that the program doesn't change every 6-12 months, making me have to learn something new all over again. I like that it is specifically tailored to me and my needs, it fits in very well with what my doctor and nutritionist want me to do. I get a lot more out of my small group of friends on here who offer me encouragement everyday than I ever did out of my meetings. And finally, mfp is free. Good luck and if you decide to make the switch, feel free to add me as one of your friends.