Struggling with the weight watchers mentality

IbiH

I'm a veggie, eating too much fruit and veg (plus other carbs) made me put on weight. By managing my portions and counting calories I've lost the weight.

BigBrunette

I did Weight Watchers for 10 months. When I started, I was overeating and avoiding fruits and veggies. WW encouraged me to pay attention to what I was eating, and I actually STARTED eating fruits and veggies because they had 0 points. So that kind of thinking definitely improved my eating habits.

But my weight loss eventually stalled out, and I decided I needed to dig a little deeper into calorie counting. That's when I came back to MFP. It's hard at first to make the switch from counting points to counting calories, but you get used to it pretty quickly and it gives you a more accurate picture of your diet.

pippywillow

I did weight watchers online a few years agos, I did lose weight. But then I found this site and I can't believe I paid to use the other one. Food already comes with calorie labels on it, why pay for the inconvience of converting those calories to points? It just seems so silly. There also seems to be a much better sense of community here on mfp. I really feel encouraged, not just to lose weight but to be healthier.

The free fruits and veggies seem like a good idea, but you can overdo it. I think one of the main points of this site is to be aware of every thing you're eating, not just to find a way to cheat the system.

sweetlouison

LOL...I could just as easily say I have counted calories many times with success... The problem is the relationship I have with food. Not the program I am on. 2 years ago I joined WW because I was fed up with my out of control habits. Lost 55 lbs. Still had 25 lbs to go..and I stalled out. The program did not stop working. Honestly, I just did not want to do it anymore. I stopped WW last October and started MFP. I have to be honest as say that I have maintained...not lost on MFP...but that is not the programs fault. It is mine. I do not follow it rigorously like I did WW when I started that. I was tired of counting in general, and I still am.....Changing programs helped some. I no longer felt guilty for paying for what I was not using. One thing I loved about WW that I do not get here is the weekly weigh ins. Having to be accountable to the person I am weighing in front of helps me. Also, having to be accountable to my husband for spending money that I am just wasting helps too. LOL...he don't mind if i am following the program and doing what I am supposed too, but if I am just paying for it to eat whatever...well i might as well not be paying for it.

To the OP: I have thought about playing with 0 calorie fruit, but I have not done it as of yet. One thing that made WW really work for me was that 0 point fruit. If I needed a snack, I would grab that ...because it was a mind game for me. It made making good choices an easier choice. I also found when I was eating more fruit and veggies I was more satisfied and less hungry all the time. I think that is one reason they allowed for the 0 point fruit. It makes it a better choice and at the same time gives your body the nutrients it needs so you are more satisfied. Honestly, when I have to count the fruit, even though I know it will better satisfy, I have a hard time eating it. I don't want to waste the calories. I have thought about lowering my calorie intake by a couple hundred per day to allow for 0 calorie fruit but have not messed with it. My mind is just not in that place.

I also miss the Weekly points that I could use any time I wanted during the week. But, I do not see any way to make that work unless it was set up in the system. It would be too difficult to do that on my own with in this program.

seths_milf

I struggle with the idea of WW giving fruits and veggies 0 points. They have calories. It's a fact.

This.

lynheff

It seems that if you are using ther MFP food tracker, you don't need to add points on top of that. It will tell you the nutritional breakout of your food, including calories. If you use the food tracker for the first 1400 calories and add an uncounted 300 calories of fruit, you have eaten 1700 calories and your body will treat them ( store them) just as if you had added on 300 calories of bread, cake or pork chop. So I am not too sure where the blend of the two systems would be.

Bernadette60614

Yes, but....

Pre-WW, my snacks were pretzels, Baked Lays, and Junior Mints. Now my snacks are apples, peaches, pears, plums.

The idea isn't calories, the idea is nutrients and satiety. The "loop" is "more nutrients/more satiety" fewer calories.

I've seen many people lose weight on WW, but like any "diet" it has to become a lifestyle.

As I mentioned earlier, I can eat 4 lbs of grapes (which is why I'm doing MFP!), but before WW I could easily eat a gallon of ice cream instead.

lexingtn7

Thanks for the info! Based on everyone's comments, and my own suspicion, I will continue to count my fruits and possibly even reduce the amount I'm eating. It sounds like the 0 pts, as everyone mentioned, was created to get people who normally avoid fruit to eat fruit. I guess it's time for me to track every single thing as a calorie regardless of what it is. I loved WW but it really does mess with your head. I was thinking about rejoining it but I can't keep joining and stopping and joining and stopping. I need a tool that is quick and easy without converting everything into points values!