weight watchers v calorie counting

77loopylou

Hi. I am currently doing weight watchers on line and using my fitness pal and am thinking of cancelling weight watchers. I am really worried about cancelling. has anyone done weight watchers and wondered what they thought of it?

North44

I did WW a couple of years ago and I loved it. I lost over 20 pounds, got my goal weight and maintained as long as I had my online membership. It really taught me how to eat and I use those skills now on MFP. The reason I'm not on it now is simply because its not free like this is. I think I'm pretty much resigned to the fact that I will always need structure and accountability to maintain my weight.

hopsywopsy

Hi.

I did weight watchers online about 8 years ago, and though it worked for me, I find it does basically the same thing as myfitnesspal (sets your points/calorie goals, log your diet and excercise, weigh in, weight loss tracker, message boards, etc). Except they charge you for the service. So on that basis, I would go over to MFP. The other benefit is that you are using calories rather than points, which is easier to work with when you are out and about.

healthfulnow

Hi, I started weight watchers online September 2012 and finally cancelled late January of this year. I lost over 45 lbs by using the points system (I had 26 points). Very rarely did I use the add on points and I upped my activity level by doing Wii Fit Plus free step for about 50 minutes a day (averaged about 4,700 steps), walked and then began running in November. I lost weight every week using the online program and found it beneficial for me at that time. Since this year, I figured I am in enough of a routine that I don't need to pay for the program to keep me accountable. MFP works for me now. I have lost about 5 lbs more since mid January and am almost at my goal weight of 129 lbs. I enjoy reading and getting motivated by the stories here. Feel free to add me if I can be an encouragement to you.

dovetail22uk

I haven't done WW but I did Slimming World and lost 3.5stone. But I started to feel accountable to THEM for losing weight and not to me. I now feel like I've taken control of my weight and my eating habits and I've stopped feeling guilty if I want to sometimes have a treat (and don't even mind logging it!).

I'd say ditch the WW and stay with MFP, get lots of great friends to support you and save the money you'd have spent on WW in a pot to spend when you get to your goal (or part way) on new clothes or other lovely (non food) treat!

Good luck!

lauren3101

I have done Weight Watchers.

The basics of WW is no different to MFP, you just count points rather than calories. If you can do WW, you can do MFP.

MFP is free. WW is not.

WW encourage you to buy processed, expensive, chemical riddled food in portion sizes big enough for a small child. MFP teaches you how to eat healthily without the need for microwave meals.

MFP teaches you about macros, healthy amounts of protein, fats, carbs, and sodium levels. WW simply concentrates on points.

Switch to MFP. You won't regret it.

c_faulkenburg

I did WW a couple of years ago and I loved it. I lost over 20 pounds, got my goal weight and maintained as long as I had my online membership. It really taught me how to eat and I use those skills now on MFP. The reason I'm not on it now is simply because its not free like this is. I think I'm pretty much resigned to the fact that I will always need structure and accountability to maintain my weight.

This exactly. And I've had three children since I became a lifetime weight watchers member. Feel free to add me, I believe my food diary is open.

LuvHinesWard86

I'm a current WW member. Lifetime in 2007. I lost 52 pounds in 7 months and maintained for around 5 years. I'm now paying once a month for WW. Why? I'm not sure... I love WW and keep track of both points & calories (on MFP). I weigh in again this Thurs. at WW and I'm sure i've gained. I love WW but since they changed the program it hasn't worked as well for me.

North44

I have done Weight Watchers.

The basics of WW is no different to MFP, you just count points rather than calories. If you can do WW, you can do MFP.

MFP is free. WW is not.

WW encourage you to buy processed, expensive, chemical riddled food in portion sizes big enough for a small child. MFP teaches you how to eat healthily without the need for microwave meals.

MFP teaches you about macros, healthy amounts of protein, fats, carbs, and sodium levels. WW simply concentrates on points.

Switch to MFP. You won't regret it.

I disagree with this. I didn't feel encouraged to buy anything processed, and if you dig a little deeper you can see that if you ate healthier ie more protein and fiber, the points system accounted for it and you would be able to eat more volume. MFP could just be a calorie counter too if you don't dig a bit deeper and look at your macros, etc. I think WW does a better job of encouraging you to eat healthier. I know they've changed the point system bit, so I'm not sure how it works now. I'm very glad I used WW first, because now I'm more conscious of things like protein, carbs, nutrients, etc. and I'm not just counting calories.

sherig1127

If you want to do more of a WW plan (but counting claories instead of point) do you have to change the nutritional calculations (%protein, %carbs , %fat) in the goals section ? Also, how many calories would equal 26 points , plus weekly points?

lauren3101

I have done Weight Watchers.

The basics of WW is no different to MFP, you just count points rather than calories. If you can do WW, you can do MFP.

MFP is free. WW is not.

WW encourage you to buy processed, expensive, chemical riddled food in portion sizes big enough for a small child. MFP teaches you how to eat healthily without the need for microwave meals.

MFP teaches you about macros, healthy amounts of protein, fats, carbs, and sodium levels. WW simply concentrates on points.

Switch to MFP. You won't regret it.

I disagree with this. I didn't feel encouraged to buy anything processed, and if you dig a little deeper you can see that if you ate healthier ie more protein and fiber, the points system accounted for it and you would be able to eat more volume. MFP could just be a calorie counter too if you don't dig a bit deeper and look at your macros, etc. I think WW does a better job of encouraging you to eat healthier. I know they've changed the point system bit, so I'm not sure how it works now. I'm very glad I used WW first, because now I'm more conscious of things like protein, carbs, nutrients, etc. and I'm not just counting calories.

Obviously there are exceptions to the rule, but I do think they encourage you. Whether or not you succumb to it is down to the person.

There was in fact a programme on about WW the other day, and out of everyone they interviewed they ALL said given the choice they would choose the WW product over a normal product, because it was convenient. This doesn't mean everyone would do this, just the majority. However when they looked at the ingredients of most of WW meals they were full of absolute rubbish.

As for the macros, that's the trouble, most people don't dig any deeper. I've been to a few WW meetings and in not one of them did they tell you about the importance of eating fats and protein to keep you full. In fact in one I was even told not to eat back my points gained from exercise and it would 'help me lose more quickly.'

I don't agree with any 'diet', that is however just my opinion.

ashleydmassey

I tried WW for about 3 or 4 months. I know, not long enough to do much, right? The fact that all fruits and veggies are zero points, and learning that you can eat as much as you want of them and lose weight pretty much confused me. While those particular foods are great for you, and are significantly lower than other foods in calories, they are still calories and they do still count toward your daily food intake. Plus, with all the Weight Watcher's frozen sweets and processed foods on the shelves, I never really learned how to "eat" properly for a long-term, sustainable lifestyle. I do still have an occasional sweet treat, but I don't allow myself to grab one off the shelf each day. I've learned to eat more well-rounded on MFP. Like others have said, too, MFP is free. This is the first avenue I've taken toward losing weight that I have been able to commit to. I do not feel like I'm "dieting". I don't feel like I have to "eat this way just a little while longer". I feel that this is my new way of perceiving food intake and calorie output.

Another aspect I love of MFP is, the community heavily promotes fitness. Not just losing weight. Not just a little exercise here and there to get you through. But you really learn to embrace a fitter lifestyle. I have learned to not only appreciate exercise, due to healthy peer pressure of the community (and reading along with what others are doing), but I thoroughly enjoy working out.

carrysa

I personally have not done weight watcher. I've done many diets though and taken diet pills. What has been the easiest for me so far is counting calories. I'm more aware of what I 'm eating when I'm tracking my meals. It hasn't been too difficult to stick to a 1200 calorie diet. I really didn't thinking counting calories would work as well as it has for me. I also exercise 6 days a week nothing extreme just walking and jogging and zumba. I suggest do whatever WORKS FOR YOU!!!!....Every body type is different what works for me might not for you, but I honestly feel if you just track your calories exercise and eat healthier you will be amazed at the results. And remember losing weight can be a slow process dont give up!

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calihoya

I lost weight pretty quickly on WW, but then stalled out. I think it's because I wasn't eating enough on WW. It's easier for me to see how many calories I'm eating as well as watching my macros. Plus, this is free.

Guamybear

I have done WW online and only lost a couple pounds.. this program for me is so much better..no worry about converting points or anything..

butterfli7o

The fact that all fruits and veggies are zero points, and learning that you can eat as much as you want of them and lose weight pretty much confused me.

Ugh!! Why do people keep saying this?? I've been on WW for almost a month, and even I know that a) Not all veggies and fruits are zero points - most are and b) A SERVING of them is zero points. No where does it say you can shovel as much as you want.

I don't know, I love this forum for advice and whatnot, but I like having to only count points versus counting cals, proteins, fat, carbs, sugars.....

CM9178

I have done Weight Watchers.

The basics of WW is no different to MFP, you just count points rather than calories. If you can do WW, you can do MFP.

MFP is free. WW is not.

WW encourage you to buy processed, expensive, chemical riddled food in portion sizes big enough for a small child. MFP teaches you how to eat healthily without the need for microwave meals.

MFP teaches you about macros, healthy amounts of protein, fats, carbs, and sodium levels. WW simply concentrates on points.

Switch to MFP. You won't regret it.

I completely, 100 % disagree with this.

The Weight Watchers program does not encourage you whatsoever to buy their products. I did WW 10 years ago and I am doing it again for the last year and they have never once encourage me or even said one word to me about buying any of their products.
They are a business, so yes, they have their own products for sale - but they don't encourage you to buy them - that is 100% up to the customer. I have never purchased their frozen meals or anything else unless I WANTED to (and that has been VERY rarely).

Yes, they do charge to be a member - BUT I don't see anything wrong with that -because there are many people who do better with a weight loss program/routine, when they can physically go to a meeting, get weighed in by someone else, and have in person support.

While MFP offers "support" from the community on the message board - it is strictly online - and although free - may not be the right tool for everyone.

I have been extremely successful with weight watchers and if you understand how to work the program, it 100% works.
I lost 70 lbs the first time, and this time I've already lost another 38 lbs in 11 months. IT WORKS.

That being said, I joined MFP last year as a place to log all of my food. Since I had become a WW lifetime member years ago and knew the program VERY well, I decided to do it on my own this time - so I am following the points system but I don't attend the meetings or pay anything to them.

Also, there is a very useful tool that can be used in conjuction with the MFP food diary, so you can actually see your points in the diary - this eliminates the need for paying for a WW e-tools membership.

See this post for instructions on using the WW points tool: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/822197-how-to-track-weight-watchers-points-on-mfp

With all that being said, if you've learned the WW system well enough and now how to count your points, but you don't want to pay for it anymore - and you don't feel the need to have them weigh you, then I suggest counting your points and logging them on MFP using the above tool.

Weight Watchers does teach you how to eat properly if you understand how it works and how to follow it.
It is not about eating their foods, or buying their products or only allowing you to eat certain foods, like other programs like Nutrisystem or the Atkins diet. It teaches you how to eat properly - for the rest of your life. It is not just a "diet".

CM9178

The fact that all fruits and veggies are zero points, and learning that you can eat as much as you want of them and lose weight pretty much confused me.

Ugh!! Why do people keep saying this?? I've been on WW for almost a month, and even I know that a) Not all veggies and fruits are zero points - most are and b) A SERVING of them is zero points. No where does it say you can shovel as much as you want.

I don't know, I love this forum for advice and whatnot, but I like having to only count points versus counting cals, proteins, fat, carbs, sugars.....

I agree, it is much easier to just count the points.

Fightin2GetFit

I've done WW several times and ended up cancelling every time because I couldn't afford to pay $15.00 per week. I've been doing MFP for over 6 months now and found it to be very effective. I've met lots of people (online) and found them very supportive. Even better, you can search for friends within your perimeters (age, gender, location, goal, etc). I don't think you can do that with WW. I log my food all throughout the day, not at the end of the day. I mostly use the mobile app but I like to login from a desktop too and read or post in the message boards for additional support. I would not hesitate to cancel your WW membership. Best of luck

Amberh82

I've done WW before and lost about 10 pounds. I'm on it again now because I let myself go afterwards and so far I've lost 5 pounds in 3 weeks (and I'm a petite). I like WW more because it gives you the extra weekly points so that way if I go over my daily points, I don't get so upset about it. Where as counting calories, it discouraged me when I went into the red. plus I didn't know how far in the red I could go without gaining or to still lose.

Yes, most fruits and veggies are "free" but they also tell you to eat them in moderation and only until you are full. In other words, don't gorge on 10 bananas just because they are "free".

You do not have to buy the weight watchers products or smart ones. Just because it has their name doesn't mean you have to eat it when you are trying to follow weight watchers. yes, they might email you about them or if you go to a meeting they may advertise, but it has their name on it so why wouldn't they?

As far as anything else goes, follow it like you would MFP. and like I said, I just like the little bit of wiggle room it allows me. It works for me every time I have followed it in the past. No matter what, do what's best for you. Try it for a month and follow it properly and if you don't like it, then switch back

Amberh82

oh and they do have a weight watchers online so you don't have to pay for the meetings. it is a lot cheaper that way.

editress

I actually love weight watchers and use to do meetings then switched to online because my schedule got too busy.

With the people who say they encourage junk and not to eat your exercise points are dead wrong at least at my meeting. If fact they say not to starve yourself and to find the right balance with the exercise & weeklies points for you own body. They real do push clean foods which are power foods, veggies, whole grain, protein good oils and you get more bang for your points when you eat them. Yes they have thier junk products but I never bought them. Also they take into consider that you will eat about 300 calories a day of fruit and vegetables so that is factored in to the points you get. Also since fruit is free it encouraged me to grab for a fruit instead of junk when I was hungry.

I have tracked both WW with 28 points and MFP and it comes out to around 1300-1400 calories and that includes at least 2 fruits and a lot of veggies ( i love vegetables).

Now that I am on a budget I am just doing MFP which I also love at it syncs to my Fitbit. The only drag is I have to count every vegetable, condiment and fruit and it can be tiresome but it is free!

I say maybe just do MFP for a while and if it does not work for you go back to WW. They do keep all your info on file so you just hop back on were you left off.

editress

Oh and if you make goal on WW you can go to a meeting and the e-tools are free.

aplhabetacheesecake

I did weight watchers until august of 2012
I put pen to paper and figured out why I got so food obsessed.

I dropped from 197-177 within 12 weeks, and suddenly I was havign issues with food binges and constant hunger, I felt out of control.

I took my ww days worth of logged foods and put that into MFP....shocked to see 1358 cals.

WW is a VLCD (very low calore diet) and ultimately this will help you to lose weight with or without exercise.....the issue is the points they give you are a very BROAD estimate. at 177lbs I was down to the 26 points per day and 49 weeklies. This simply want not enough, even without exercise I burn on average 2800-3000 cals per day just in my regular job so no wonder 1358 cals was like starving me, I would eat my weeklies the day i got them and then try to fill up on fruits and veg but i NEEDED PROTEIN!

I started reading up on "eat more to weigh less" and the issues associated with very low calorie diets. For me, eating more works, I feel satisfied after my meals and snacks and no longer binge eat. I am losing weight but much slower this way, but it feels more sustainable than WW ever did.

food/exercise are very personal and individual for each person and no one right way is going to work for everyone.

put your pen to paper and figure out what you need, your goals and you answer of what will work for you will be in plain sight.
Cheers!
H

sweetpea129

Waste of money IMO.

lewcompton

Did weight watchers and lost a lot of weight years ago and gained it all back twice! Plus additional pounds as well... I have lost more here and the best part of it is that I don't pay and there is no plan... I just simply track and lose! Lots of people to chat with about good ideas and no meetings!

karendee4

I prefer calorie counting. Why spend the $ when you can do it yourself. Unless you need the meetings. Which would be great I admit.

I did WW and I do better on my own. I am learning more about food etc.

Do whatever works for you. Maybe you can try one then try the other. See which you like better. Either way you would lose weight.

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kristinL16

I have done Weight Watchers.

The basics of WW is no different to MFP, you just count points rather than calories. If you can do WW, you can do MFP.

MFP is free. WW is not.

WW encourage you to buy processed, expensive, chemical riddled food in portion sizes big enough for a small child. MFP teaches you how to eat healthily without the need for microwave meals.

MFP teaches you about macros, healthy amounts of protein, fats, carbs, and sodium levels. WW simply concentrates on points.

Switch to MFP. You won't regret it.

Have you done WW? Much of this is not true. Yes, they do have their own foods that you can use if you want, but in no way does WW teach you to rely on their foods for weight loss. They also do more education regarding healthy food guidelines than MFP does. Yes, you can learn from others here but MFP itself doesn't educate you. It is a tool to help you track your goals. Also, in a lot of ways WW is similar to tracking calories, but their formula is different and more complex.

That being said, OP, have you looked into any of the other unoffical WW points calculators/tracking apps that are out there? There are a few that are supposed to be good and are low cost so that you could continue to track your points but for free. I recently saw a post here on how to make your MFP tracker show points as well as calories. I thought that would be cool but couldn't figure it out. I am not losing by tracking calories alone and was considering joining WW. I have done WW in the past after pregnancies.

sandydiane

I'm a current weight watchers member but I find I use my fitness pal much more. The site is more user friendly and it's easier to make friends and I retract with them here. I like that support and motivation. Plus I like to see the way my food diary breaks down I stead of just looking at points. And the biggest plus is that MFP is free. I already cancelled weight watchers and plan to just use MFP.