Thinking about joining weight watchers

alednnz

I tried it but I never seemed to finish my points but yet the weight loss was minimum ... I felt like it was too much food

tinak33

I did my own fitness thing, then joined WW and then joined MFP.
I dropped 15 lbs on my own, then 25 on WW. I maintained for a year, and then decided to try MFP for the final 32-37 lb drop.

I personally liked WW because I enjoyed the accountablilty of weighing in each week. Also, I liked the WW leader, the meeting members and I always went to the same lady for my weigh in. She was great! The people were really supportive. That's where I first learned about CrossFit. One woman had plateaued for a few months and was getting really frustrated and she joined CrossFit and things started changing.
Another guy had lost almost 200 lbs and was still dropping and decided to train for a 5K and he set up a weekly walk/run with other WW members. They had a group on FaceBook and they were all very supportive of each other.

I think it depends on what you really need and what you are looking for.
I needed WW in the beginning. After a while I felt I didn't need it anymore and didn't want to spend the money.
So I joined MFP.

I really like how MFP counts calories because I can also track my sodium, sugar, fat, carb, protein, etc... intake. And that's important to me. I tend to eat high sodium foods and I want to cut back on those. I also tend to eat high sugar foods, and now I can see better which foods those are.
While tracking points was ok and a little easier than calories, I find MFP's way more effective for me.

Also, I am finding lots of supportive friends here. And lots of people here who are very inspiring to me and keep me motivated.

Oh, and MFP has a more extensive food database.

LovelyLibra79

Ive done Both MFP program and WW. I truly love weight watchers because I have MORE choices. I've learned more about nutrition by joining the program and I'm eating healthier than I ever had! I've lost 13.8 lbs on their program and only have 8 lbs to go before i reach my goal! I used MFP to get off 20 lbs but suffered a stall and had to try something new. Do what is best for you! and good luck

msliu7911

:laugh:

What are you going to do afterwards?

If you want to pay someone to tell you what to eat I have a paypal account.

mazdauk

I don't know if you have anything similar, but over here we have Rosemary Conley "diet and fitness" classes - where you get the weighing and talking bit but also an exercise class. I don't go to classes but do the exercise DVDs (which have healthy eating advice and ecipes etc as well) and they work for me, especially in conjunction with MFP. And at £5-8 for a DVD cheaper than WW or a gym!

mlogantra76

I did weight watchers. However I did not attend meeting. I just used the materials on my own. I got my support from family members who were doing weight watchers(and going to meetings) and from message boards. I lost 120 lbs on WW however I must say exercise was a big part of the weight loss. I got into running and long distance cycling. I had to give up running due to bad knees and made a conscious decision to "splurge" which eventually became too frequent and I gained weight. Now, I'm using mfp to lose the 20+ lbs. I am a big supporter of weight watchers as I know it works. I am using mfp because its free and because with the new WW system, you really can't calculate the points as easy(50cal no longer equals 1 pt). A difference I'm noticing is on mfp I feel like I have more freedom. I am staying within my calorie goal and eating things that I enjoy. On WW I ate very very very little fat and protien and a lot of carbs including fruits and veggies. It worked at the time but I can't go back to it. I used to eat a giant size bowl of broccoli with butter spray and hot sauce every day while my family ate pizza or whatever. Now, I can't even stand the smell of that let alone eat a mouthful:) On mfp, I'm eating eggs and full fat cheese (in moderation) as well as grains and I am not as hungry as I was on WW when I was eating a lot of carbs.

smokinjackd

My advice is don't listen to any advice including mine. You do whatever you think will work for you. People way over think this stuff, it's a luxury afforded us by being a rich civilization. The reality is, less calories in than you burn you will lose weight, it's that simple, over time, less calories in than you burn your body has no other option than to burn fat. Go to India nd see the street urchins, not a a Fat one in sight, it's our easy access to food and the predominance of pre packaged convenience food that is making us fat, so go do it, or Atkins, or paleo, or the next big diet fad, it's just food, not going to kill you, just put less in your mouth than you are putting out, period.

losingmybehind

Weight Watchers has helped a lot of people, though I'm not sure what their stats are for permanent weight loss. My suggestion would be to do some studying on your own...become a detective of your own body and what it needs. There is simply no out-of-the-box programs that are going to work for everyone long term, at some point you have to take responsibility and learn what food helps YOU reach YOUR goals. How much protein do you need? What is YOUR carb tipping point? That kind of thing.

If you're thinking of WW as a place for accountability, what about joining a meet-up group or searching MFP for some local ppl that you can check in with. Ultimately, tho, it comes down to YOU and YOU doing the work. I'm a huge proponent that we need each other for encouragement, but leaning on a program or another person without knowing your own personal needs will simply be a waste of everyone's time.

Just my two cents. I've been to this place more times than I can tell you.

stratcat45

Weight Watchers has helped a lot of people, though I'm not sure what their stats are for permanent weight loss. My suggestion would be to do some studying on your own...become a detective of your own body and what it needs. There is simply no out-of-the-box programs that are going to work for everyone long term, at some point you have to take responsibility and learn what food helps YOU reach YOUR goals. How much protein do you need? What is YOUR carb tipping point? That kind of thing.

You got it right - NO PROGRAM (including MFP) will work long-term (or forever) if you're not committed to doing it for a LIFETIME. The programs do not fail - the people do (though they like to blame it on the program).

losingmybehind

Weight Watchers has helped a lot of people, though I'm not sure what their stats are for permanent weight loss. My suggestion would be to do some studying on your own...become a detective of your own body and what it needs. There is simply no out-of-the-box programs that are going to work for everyone long term, at some point you have to take responsibility and learn what food helps YOU reach YOUR goals. How much protein do you need? What is YOUR carb tipping point? That kind of thing.

You got it right - NO PROGRAM (including MFP) will work long-term (or forever) if you're not committed to doing it for a LIFETIME. The programs do not fail - the people do (though they like to blame it on the program).

I disagree. I worked with a nutritionist who had me on what was basically the zone diet. I followed it strictly, checked in with her a couple times a week and did strength and cardio training, and after 8 weeks I hadn't lost an ounce. There were hormones at play and some other issues going on in my body that needed addressing. Not every program will work for every person, and there are very few that you can take and not make any adjustments to that will work long term.

That said, if a person is committed to getting the job done and making lifestyle changes that support their goals, almost any program can be used as a STARTING POINT. Pick one that, after being a detective of your own body and gaining insight, meets your needs and that you can stick to.

DianaSkinnyBy30

I did the WW online thing. I lost 20 lbs, then plateued for 6 months. Quit WW and found MFP. I don't count my fruits and veggies (just like WW) and when I actually am accountable to myself, I do lose weight with MFP no problems. I'd have to say, save your $ use your MFP and just don't count your fruits and veggies. And up your exercise, try more of something, maybe cardio, or strength.

UsernameStillLoading

I haven't tried weight watchers so I honestly don't know if they work or not. I do know people who joined and failed.
Have you tried seeing a nutritionist first...or better yet, your doctor who should know what you body needs based on your blood samples and whatnot.
Or instead of trying different eating diets...try different fitness regiments. Get a personal trainer, or a workout dvd. Get moving. Try something your body is not used to because shock is the ultimate way to counter a plateau.
But hey, if you want to give it a go, go ahead. Ask for a free trial. Maybe they can let you test it out before you commit. I mean, even landlords let you see the place before you rent. That's how you know if they moderately care about you, or just your money. A lot of gyms care about money but even they would let you try it out for a week or so.

borom44

WW/MFP

I have the greatest respect for WW having lost 75lb with them 2010, the structure gave me the means of controlling what I ate and made me think of options to increase volume of food whilst remaining within a controlled amount of calories. For me I knew from past experience that coupling the eating programme with good hard exercise was the way to go. WW may not be the exercise advice centre, however its designed to educate the clueless and simplify the process.

I am sure people will say that WW does not help you keep the weight off and its true I put a lot back as my stats reflect, however mine was not because I stopped WW its because following problems with my Knees and being told I could no loner run or it would be advisable not to, I thought sod it and took the opportunity to give in and blame my miss fortune for the ever increasing weight.

I have found a new goal, which now finds me on this site, however I am using many of the recipes I developed whilst doing WW and the food types, working out with a goal to complete a charity bike ride in July. Cycling and rowing is my new running and I can report that things are going the way I want. If at first you don’t succeed and all that

MzzFaith

Yes, been thinking about this for sometime now. Will be joining, next week. Thanks