Differences with Weightwatchers?

PezAzul

So I did WW a couple years ago and was successful, but it eventually crept back on when I quit the program.

Does anyone know how they calculate the points? I ask because I had the hardest time staying under my points. I was chronically over nearly every single day, even eating lots of "free zero-point" fruits and veggies. I still lost though. Now, using MFP I am on the lower end for calories (1300ish) and so far rarely exceed it. I am also not very tempted to go overboard. I'm not as hungry and usually end up with an amount of extra calories that I try to find something good to use them up with, even when I'm not hungry.

This is just such a stark contrast with WW. In their formulation, does WW greatly restrict calories or something?

phantomrain100

I can't answer your question, but I noticed with WW that I was obsessed with what I could & couldn't eat so I wouldn't go over points, and that just doesnt work for me. Somehow just counting calories is easier for me.

cals83

Yes. I have taken the food diary of people on Weight Watchers and seen people eating up all of their points and hitting under 1000 calories. It will really depend on the food choices that you make while you are on the program. If all you eat is stuff that is really low in fiber but high in fat, you will burn through your points really quickly. When I looked into it, the only things that were taken into account were calories fat and fiber so it might be a little different now with the Points Plus system. Personally, I think it is easier to just count calories since they are on the side of the package.

vixtris

google for weight watchers points plus calculators. there are a lot out there on the internet to figure out food points, activity points, how many points you should eat per day, ect. its always 49 points extra allowed per week and i am pretty sure every 80 cals burned is 1 activity point.

SarahSmilesCA

I did weight watchers and lost weight, for a while. I found it very difficult to exercise with their program though because they are too big on promoting low fat (2 tsp a day? Are they nuts?!!) and low calories and I just could not work out as hard as I wanted on their diet recommendations. I also felt they were way too high in carb expectations and too low in protein for my personal preference.

Their point system is not hard to figure out. There is a new point system and if you Google it you find out how they determine the point values. It is a combination of calories, fat, fiber and now protein. Finally, after all these years WW is FINALLY acknowledging that protein is important, geeze welcome to the 21st century. In WW you can also gain extra points by exercise and you are expected to eat them back

MFP deals in calories in (food) and calories out (exercise and activity), net calories. It logs macro-nutrients. While they make recommendations, there are no hard and fast rules for macros. Though if you read posts you will find that people are all over the map on what should be recommend for macros.

Weight watchers expects their people to follow healthy guidelines on a daily basis:
8 cups of liquid a day
2 servings of dairy or soy alternative
2 servings of lean protein
pick whole grains
5 servings of fruit or veggies
limit sugar/alcohol
2 tsp healthy oil
take a multi-vitamin

MFP doesn't really set rules like this. Some of us follow rules like this because it leads to good health, others eat what they want and defy the science behind good eating. What we all have learned is that we can cut calories, still eat what we want (within the net calorie range) and still lose weight. For examples I have a DQ chocolate dipped ice cream 2 times a week. I do this to enjoy my life. I also do it WITHIN my net calorie goals and macro goals...one day a week I pig out at an all you can eat sushi bar, I watch the rice intake, but I still indulge...I have manage to lose 40 lbs eating what I enjoy. But I am mindful of my calories and my macros. I think most people successful with MFP are mindful of what they put in their mouth, especially in terms of calories...nothing hard in counting calories...society has really tried to tell us it is too hard to do on a daily basis and that is just not true. MFP makes it pretty easy.

BTW you can easily do both WW and MFP, they are compatible, you just have to convert your food into points as you log it. There are areas on MFP to make notes, and you could easily log points there.

I feel MFP is easier...and just as effective, even more so for an athlete.