Weight Watchers vs.MFP

Having been a member of weight watchers since I was 8 and seeing all the changes through the years - I can tell you it is accounted for - even being free. If you log an entire bag of vegetables on line - the points DO NOT come up with Zero - it does count it - I did it for years - and know that it counts it. As of right now - I haven't lost anything on MFP - if anything I've gained. I'm trying now to figure out what is going on....

So ask WW, if I eat a bag of 200 cal veggies for each meal, does that mean I haven't eaten today?

I think WW is assuming people don't eat enough fruits and veggies and so this is thier way of getting people to eat them. It might work for some... Not to be redundant, a calorie is a calorie.

i never really understood why weight watchers would have foods that didn't count as calories. veggies and fruits have calories, granted they don't have as much as other foods, but i think that if you eat something, you need to count it.

this was a huge debate when i was in WW. what it comes down to is this-- INDIVIDUALLY a fruit or veggie is zero. when combined they are not. and if you combine them as a recipe they will NOT be zero on WW in their recipe generator. same with a salad.


every week people would argue their salads were zero. and every week the leader would say they were not. the people who said their salads were zero also lost at a lower level since in reality they were frequently going over points they were not counting.

WW points didn't work for me either. I much prefer to count calories. I am learning much more about good food choices this way too.

It doesn't matter if you log it or not, your body will count it.

^^ this..

Stay within your calorie goal! If you put it in your mouth..count it!

I agree, a calorie is a calorie no matter what it is.
I also believe if you use WW, you need to use WW... nothing else and vice versa.

They all work a bit different and when I started on MFP I tried to do WW too and it was a mess.

I have used WW numerous times and always had success losing 40ish lbs, but I always gained it back.
On MFP I have had bigger success over a longer period of time, and lost it quicker to be honest. This time I wanted a LIFESTYLE change, not a diet that I consider WW to be (that is just me)

Second, but I had no success on WW. Between those extra points and the free fruits and veggies, I didn't have to make a single change to my diet, weird right?! So WW don't log it, MFP log it. But you should really choose one and stick to it.
Good luck!

I have recently started WW and therefore am now doing both WW and MFP. I feel that WW keeps me honest as I physically have to go and get on a scale! I love the support and great ideas that I get here at MFP. However, it really does come down to personal choice.

I tried Weight Watchers for several years. When I stuck to the program, it worked. However, I find MFP much easier and so far it is really working for me, and I kept dropping Weight Watchers because I HATED going to the meetings. If you didn't lose that week, it was miserable. And I didn't like sitting around and listening to someone whine that they couldn't eat vegetables or drink water.

I will say that if you know nothing about nutrition and how to lose weight in a healthy way (vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, etc., not Snackwells), then Weight Watchers can be helpful. But, you could also get a few books or read some web sites and educate yourself (WebMD is very good). If you already know about nutrition and exercise, I recommend myfitnesspal.

Also, I never liked the idea of being wedded to Weight Watchers "points" system. It is a company, after all - if they can get you hooked on their proprietary system, and you can't maintain your weight any other way, they make $$$$. I can find calories, fat, protein, carbs for most foods right on the Internet - for free. And I wonder if you really learn about a food's nutritional value if you are counting points rather than seeing the entire nutritional breakdown. (I'm on a low-sodium diet, and MFP has been incredibly helpful in tracking that.)

WW wants you to stay fat. That's why their method is much slower than MFP's...