Weight Watchers vs. MFP

lifeispractice

I have been a WW for many years,and subscribe online, but today I came onto MFP- free- and realized the amount of calories I am consuming versus what I need to lose.

Has anyone switched from WW to here, and what do you think? This seems less easy, but its new to me...

whadda think?

meonfp

I have joined WW many times and truthfully although it works, I always gave up becuase I would think more about food and converting to points and always trying to figure my daily numbers so I wouldnt go over. The whole idea to me is to think less of food, not more and WW just wasnt for me. With MFP I can quicly look at calories and easily figure my day. I Love It!

cjcmrn

I would think that the biggest difference is that with WW you have to be accountable every meeting to what you have ate and potentially lost (they will give you *kitten*) Here is it just you, you have support from other users, but if you need that physical accountability every week then WW might be a good place to start. Just my opinion.

abrodniak

I switched over from WW, and I am finding this to be so much easier. I think it's just because I got bored with WW and needed something new and different to motivate me.

bostonbonny

I too have been a member of ww for two years now. I seem to be at a plateau that I am stuck In.I am also trying MFP for the first time. I have nothing to lose & only money to save. How many days have you been on? Good luck to us! Bonny

lifeispractice

Thanks for the responses. This is my first 5 minutes on MFP and I am liking it so far. I put meals in breakfast and lunch, and realized I only had less than 500 calories for dinner if I want to stay within the 1200 calories to lose...could be the reason I have not been having much success with WW...I guess it wouldnt hurt to do both until this comes more easily.

Do you find you end up eating the same things so its easier to track?

sa11yjane

I like this site as technically you can eat the foods that you choose as long as you log them accurately so it takes away any guilt when you sometimes choose unhealthy foods. Good luck!

imstrong4me

I have tried ww but I could never stick to it but mfp I can stick to it I been on here since aug 2011 and I love it

Bbwnomore2

i refuse to pay to lose any weight (other then the healthy foods i choose):drinker:

alsoagood1

I have been a WW member on and off (mostly off) for over 25 years, this is my first time trying a calorie counting way of eating and am finding it quite refreshing but know I need to be careful of what I eat. I was under eating the first week and didn't get enough fat in, this week I have really watched those two things and am feeling much better. Will find out Monday morning if it worked better. I think it is a personal choice how each of us goes about losing weight. Good luck!

aggiejk94

I am a life time member of Weight Watchers and it worked for me when I was younger, but the several times I started up again it did not. I have thyroid issues now and other hormone issues, but if you add some friends on here and get a good motivation and accountability group this can work . I would recommend determining your BMR (you can search for that term) and put in that you want to lose a pound a week or read some community posts on eating more. 1200 calories, in my opinion is too little and not a realistic goal for your weight loss journey. Also, when you exercise you get more to eat. Feel free to add me or message me if you need more help.

calhooner

To me this is where MFP worked better for me because I would get to dinner and not like the number of cals I had left. That motivated me to get off my can and work out.

KellyJoMorris

I did WW online for two years and got bored with it, I had some success, losing a stone and a half but then I was kind of stuck around 13 stone for the next quite a few years. You know how it goes, lose a bit then gain a bit!
I started on MFP in August 2012 and I have just recently hit 11 and a half stone!! I am soooooo pleased. I last remember weighing this much pre children and my eldest is now 24!!

I found this very helpful at the beginning of my MFP journey.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Kelly xx

Lipstickcherry

I went to WW for the first time at 9 years old (my dad used to take me). I tried off and on through the years. I got tired of the meetings, I don't like them too much as I have sat through too many of them. I did the online thing but it got kind of pricey (it was close to 17$ when I last did the online thing per month and now it's up to 19$ per month). I did not at the time find a lot of things in there and it was a memory hog on my phone to use it. I understand now more things are in the database and they have improved it. But I've been on MFP for awhile and I like it. It's easy even to track my vitamins I take daily. And best of all...it's FREE! And it has a great community. :flowerforyou:

ruthiejewell

Welcome to Wonderland! To me, no comparison. WW have had all the money they're getting from me for memberships and plastic sugary foods!!! What a goldmine!!! Logging and supporting and getting support on MFP is far superior and 10 times more educational and informative. Love it!!!! Good luck.

FinallyDoingMe

I did WW three times and then decided that MFP was the better option for me. While the meetings work great.....and I got used to converting points...I felt that I didn't have to pay to lose weight. The cost of healthy eating is high enough.

sunsnstatheart

Tracking your calories and macro- and micronutrient intakes for free seems far superior to an artificial and expensive program that doesn't actually teach you how to eat in a healthy manner.

cinbol

I hit goal at WW back in the late 90's but sadly put it all back on and then some when tragedy hit our family. I think both programs are good for the right people, but for me it's too easy to eat the wrong foods on WW. I have switched to eating low carb/high fat/high protein and I seem to be loosing at a steady pace but never hungry. My doc wanted me to stay under 50 carbs per day - ignoring calories, fat, etc and it's working. For me personally I am finding that breads, pasta and sugar are my downfall but on WW I could sneak in some cookies or breads and just give up the points elsewhere ( or use those wonderful "bonus" points). But when I went back to WW and the new program and was eating really good, I still wasn't loosing - it wasn't until I cut the CARBS that I started having success. Now after 3 months I don't have those carb cravings and I have permission to have a "cheat" day but find it hard to cheat - I'd rather have a huge salad with chicken or ham than a cheeseburger..... now I look at the carbs on the package and ask myself if it's worth it?

Bottom line, is you have to find something that works for your body and stick with it. Every "body" is different - mine is "insulin intolerant" and I just can't convert those darn carbs the way I should so I stay away from them. Will I never eat Pizza again? Yes I will as a matter of fact had it a week ago but 2 pieces instead of 3 or 4 and I was stuffed and felt lousy afterwards - won't do it again soon!

Momma_Grizz

I moved to MFP from Weight Watchers (I'm a lifetime member and also worked for them for a while). To be honest, MFP taught me the real values of the foods I was eating. Yes I lost weight with WW (the old program, anyway) and I ate better than where I started but all I learned was the 'points' of food rather than their nutritional values. I never truly learned how to eat properly.

It took me a while to get use to counting calories, fat, carbs and protein vs converting everything to points but it's worth it. I love MFP. It's free - and by adding friends, is an awesome support system.

ellymae55

Aggie, I am a lifetime WW as well...and yes it does work but I need a little something different myself....I'm not sure how to have "friends" on MFP....I do think that would help with the motivation!!!

mamadon

I tried weight watchers twice and it wasn't for me. I'm sure it is for some, but I need to keep it as simple as possible, or I get frustrated and give up. I got tired of keeping track of points. MFP is simple and I love that. I am also not much of a meeting person.

kwimpress

MFP all the way! Its here 24/7for inspiration and information. A WW meeting will never give you the knowledge and support that the friends here will give you. Good luck :drinker:

cinbol

Tracking your calories and macro- and micronutrient intakes for free seems far superior to an artificial and expensive program that doesn't actually teach you how to eat in a healthy manner.

I have to disagree with you - WW is a great program and does teach you how to eat healthy - it's all about portion control, eating the right foods (ie salad instead of a cheeseburger) etc , and leaning to eat healthy sustainable foods. The classes are informative and there are people on the same journey as you to offer encouragement along the way. The weekly weigh-in is designed to keep you accountable and to help you learn what foods "don't work" for you. Once you reach goal you check in monthly for free - you still get the support group but at no cost - so it's an incentive to stay on track and get to goal!

That being said, I am a WW dropout - my issue was it was too easy to cheat on that program and swap points. Being on a LCHF program has opened my eyes to where the real culprit was in my diet - I cannot convert CARBS - my sugar levels were pre-diabetic, and my cholesterol 239 - now I am lower in sugar and down to a total cholesterol of 170 - 3 months into the program! Using MFP works for me because I can set my goals to be what I need for carbs and ignore the rest - calories and fat don't have to be counted - only the carbs so this tool works best for me now.

But please don't bash another long standing well proven program if you don't truly understand how it works.

Kerrio247

*Waving hand* I have! I was on Weight Watchers for a while last year (2012) and it was great. Lost 32 pounds. But, I wanted to save money, I have to buy new clothes, after all. I think their prices are just too high for the online portion. If I were going to meetings, then I would understand. MFP has been a God send! It's free, so it works in my budget :0 and I can now look at a food item and tell ya how many calories and fat are in there. On WW it was sort of a mystery. I think this is more useful in the "real world" - know what I mean?

Let me put it this way, I'd pay for MFP. That's how much I love it. I haven't used the forums very much, I have had problems in the past with people on a another site, so I'm nervous about talking to people on here. But every other aspect of MFP has been very positive. Which ever way you choose, best of luck to you on your weight loss battle (I refuse to call it a journey, cause it FEELS like a battle).

Kerri

lrae42

Hi I am Laurie and I started this plan after seeing it on one of the talk shows, on January 7th of this year. I have found it SO easy to follow. I am staying around 1200 calories. they tell me I should be at 1290 so I am staying under that for sure. I downloaded the APP on my iphone and have been documenting everything I eat and one of the neat parts is you can scan a lot of the foods into your phone by barcodes and it documents the food by itself into MFP. Love it. the one thing I have been surprised about is the fact that now I am finding it so hard to even eat the 1200 calories allowed to me. I have never joined WW but I am using their recipes for a lot of my food choices. The recipes are really good. I am also learning how to make my meals with less calorie choices by substituting ingredients for lesser calorie items. My niece and I are doing this together and also work out together with the WII Active. I have lost 23 lbs so far and down a pant size from 22 to 20. I love it. I feel better and my clothes are falling off. We have even gone out to eat and if you check the menu before hand you can pick foods that are better to choose from the menu. also the waitresses have been very accommodating to help us substitute foods when needed.

SkimFlatWhite68

I'm not sure if WW Australia is different or not. I was a member and lost quite a lot of weight with them over an 18 month period, got to goal became a life member and kept the weight off successfully for 5 years. Due to my own failings I put the weight back on.

I ate real food with WW, but counted points not calories, and never had any real background information into TDEE, BMR and how exercise affects things. I know I always lost more weight when I ate back my exercise points. Plus, the meetings are terrific if you have a good leader and I met many real life friends there. For me it was a lifestyle change, not a diet. I still had chocolate and wine, and I lost weight and kept it off for 5 years. It wasn't WW fault I put it back on, that was my doing.

This time around, I did think about joining WW again, but a friend mentioned this site, so I gave it a try and it suits me perfectly.

I would never bag WW. I think it's a great programme and suits many people.

I think the secret is to find something that suits your lifestyle and stick with it. Don't diet. Change your lifestyle for the better and make it a real life change.

Good luck!!! This is a terrific site and I am so pleased to have found it.

SkimFlatWhite68

Just one more thing, if you go by the MFP calculation for calories, please eat back say 1/2 to 3/4 of your exercise points. MFP calculates a deficit for you already if your goal is to lose weight.

MFP does not allow for your planned exercise, it expects you to add the calories to your diet. However, the exercise calories can be a bit over estimated, so eating back 1/2 to 3/4 usually is the right amount. Of course, we are all different according to genetics etc, so find the amount that is right for you.

Again, best wishes.

tealskater

I have done WW most of my adult life!! I reached my goal weight in 2003, but since then piled it all - plus a whole lot more - back on! I have followed WW on and off ever since. At the end of 2012, I decided to get stuck back in - went to the last class held before Christmas, and managed to maintain my weight over the holiday period. However, nothing really happened after that.

Last week, I decided to double-track - I entered everything I ate into MFP and the WW site. I finished the day eating 1,200 cals - but I only had about 21 ProPoints. My daily allowance on WW was 30 ProPoints. If I had continued eating to use up my points, I would easily have eaten around 1,600 cals. That was a bit of a shock to me.

I have decided to focus solely on calories in and out now - plus I find the support on here to be great. To see people on my friends list saying "well done" etc when I record exercise or eat within my calorie limits is really helping me. It is only in the last week that I have been adding friends and logging everything, but already it is helping me - people are supporting me and I don't want to let them down! I never really had that feeling at WW classes, particularly as I attended on my own.

And of course, the best thing about MFP - it's free!!!

rachellefitz

I'm doing ww now. I did ww 4 years ago, lost 16lbs and got into the best shape of my life, I saw my high school track coach and he told me I looked better that day then I did in high school. That was on the old program though, when fruit was 1 point and not 0 points. I'm currently using ww and mfp to see which one I like better and which one would be better for me to use in the long run.

When I first did WW I planned on sticking with it until my goal of losing 18lbs but there were extenuating circumstances with my family that caused me to fall out of my routine and that was when I dropped ww. I actually found the meetings great, I really appreciated the support I received even if I only lost 0.2lbs in that week. I was always reminded that I should be proud that I am trying to better my life by caring about my body.

I joined mfp because my friend told me that there is a huge support network here and I am noticing that already (I've only used mfp for about a week). You should definitely try doing both at the same time (i admit it is a pain inputting my food and exercise twice) for a while until you know which one will really help you for the future. It's not just about losing the weight but finding a lifestyle you can stick to in order to maintain the goal weight.

Good luck! I hope you enjoy your time here, if you want another friend in the same boat feel free to add me

DarcysMuse

HI,

I was on MFP then switched to WW. It was too expensive and too difficult to constantly convert to points values all the time. Now, I am back on MFP (as of yesterday) and already doing sooooo much better!! It really is simpler in the long run to use MFP!

All I did was yo-yo on WW. On MFP I lost weight!

Best of Luck and welcome!

ruthiejewell

This is another reason why MFP is better; we can give opinions and describe experiences more and it's great to see things you totally identify with! I too now experience no cravings and prefer "good" food treats to junk ones. Never thought I could say that!!


I hit goal at WW back in the late 90's but sadly put it all back on and then some when tragedy hit our family. I think both programs are good for the right people, but for me it's too easy to eat the wrong foods on WW. I have switched to eating low carb/high fat/high protein and I seem to be loosing at a steady pace but never hungry. My doc wanted me to stay under 50 carbs per day - ignoring calories, fat, etc and it's working. For me personally I am finding that breads, pasta and sugar are my downfall but on WW I could sneak in some cookies or breads and just give up the points elsewhere ( or use those wonderful "bonus" points). But when I went back to WW and the new program and was eating really good, I still wasn't loosing - it wasn't until I cut the CARBS that I started having success. Now after 3 months I don't have those carb cravings and I have permission to have a "cheat" day but find it hard to cheat - I'd rather have a huge salad with chicken or ham than a cheeseburger..... now I look at the carbs on the package and ask myself if it's worth it?

Bottom line, is you have to find something that works for your body and stick with it. Every "body" is different - mine is "insulin intolerant" and I just can't convert those darn carbs the way I should so I stay away from them. Will I never eat Pizza again? Yes I will as a matter of fact had it a week ago but 2 pieces instead of 3 or 4 and I was stuffed and felt lousy afterwards - won't do it again soon!