weight watchers

rahulkhosla
rahulkhosla Posts: 17 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
hi folks,

I've been doing ok, with MFP in tracking calories. I target 1600 caolories a day and when possible cut back on carbs. Ive hit a platue lately and dont seem to be losing weight.

I'm thinking of switching things up and am considering weight watchers.

Any feedback on weight watchers ?

Replies

  • RainbowPride06
    RainbowPride06 Posts: 17
    Actually, I've tried Weight Watchers twice now and I can honestly say it works pretty well if you stay committed to it.

    The first time I did Weight Watchers, just by following the new Points Plus system, I lost 7 lbs. in the first month.
    I could've lost more if I had actually thrown in some exercise!

    Sadly, the first time I did it, I had to quit a month into it due to family issues :(

    It focuses more on getting into the habit of eating more fruits and vegetables and healthy foods .
    It's pretty much a low-fat, low-carb diet...except you can eat whatever you want...you just have to watch your points!

    And if you go to meetings or order the "book package" online, the package will come with a Weight Watchers recipe book, a Guide to Eating Out, an A-Z book listing all kinds of foods with their point values, and a Points Plus calculator that you can use to calculate the number of points based on the Nutrition Label off of packaged foods.

    The number of points you can eat per day is based off your height, weight, and age. But you also get more points per day by exercising!
  • suzieqcookie
    suzieqcookie Posts: 314 Member
    i have done it as well.. and i can honestly say the only difference is the price. You HAVE to purchase the points conversion calculator but ultimately you get the same amount of calories.
  • freew67
    freew67 Posts: 348 Member
    If you like to spend money then go for it. :) A platue has nothing to do with MFP but just the weight loss process in general. I was stuck at 260 lbs for almost 2 months. I finally added jogging into my daily workouts and within a few weeks I started moving in the right direction. Norm to break a plateu you need to change something up. Either cal intake or exercise intensity. I say normally since everyone is different.

    As for WW, I did it about 6 years ago (lost 50) but felt it required a little more work then here. I also found it odd that it allowed you to eat some foods and not count them. IF you eat it, how can you not count it?

    http://freew67.blogspot.com/
  • alphabetsalad
    alphabetsalad Posts: 24 Member
    I switched from WW Online to MFP back in July, and I've actually done better on MFP. Plus, it's free! I very much doubt I'd ever go back to WW. It's a good program, but a lot of money to spend when all the resources at MFP are available for free. That said, I was doing WW Online (i.e., not going to weekly meetings), so for a person who needs/wants the "in-person" accountability of weekly weigh-ins and meetings, WW might well be worth the money.

    Hope this helps. All the best in breaking your plateau, whatever you decide! :smile:
  • leafstucker16
    leafstucker16 Posts: 136 Member
    It depends, for me I didn't like it. My sister however lost over 80lbs and is a meeting leader now and runs 5 meetings a week, so it really depends.
  • Melwillbehealthy
    Melwillbehealthy Posts: 894 Member
    I tried, lasted one meeting and quit. It was just too expensive for me and I"m used to counting calories. I didn't want to learn how to convert to the 'point system'. I think it's a very, good program...It just wasn't for me.
  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
    Actually, I've tried Weight Watchers twice now and I can honestly say it works pretty well if you stay committed to it.
    MyFitnessPal, LiveStrong, SparkPeople, etc. - all of these sites work as long as the individual makes a commitment.. If the individual isn't willing to make a commitment for change, then it's unlikely that change will happen.
  • rahulkhosla
    rahulkhosla Posts: 17 Member
    Thank you all for your advice...plenty to think about. I like MFP for its simplicity and the commmunity aspect. As some have suggested, perhaps i need to try work the levers of excersie and calories first before trying something else.

    i'll do some research and will let you all know where i end up and the results in about a month or so..
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I haven't used WW, but from what I can gather, it's not much different from using MFP except that it isn't free, and has less of a focus on nutrition, since you're only using points and don't see your carbs, fat, protein, etc.
  • Libb3C
    Libb3C Posts: 56 Member
    Weight Watchers new Points Plus focus' on protein and fiber higher, fat and cabs lower. All fruits and non starch veggies are 0 points. It is a great program and very helpful if you need support face to face. I am currently in lifetime status and meetings are free for me. I don't do points but track here, however I go to the meetings for support.
  • lyttlewon
    lyttlewon Posts: 1,118 Member
    I am more successful doing calorie counting. Plus their point calculating system doesn't make sense to me. Carbs/fiber/fat don't in themselves make you fat so I don't understand why their points are influenced by this.
  • chrlslove7
    chrlslove7 Posts: 136 Member
    I was on it for 4 months and lost 14lbs. It got annoying trying to find the point value for foods not listed in their database. Price-wise, I don't think it was worth it. I didn't take advantage of the online support like I do here though. With MFP, I like just punching in the calories and just being done with it! There is a higher range of foods listed here in MFP which makes for less frustration. $18 a month isn't bad (I did online WW) so if you feel like trying it out, go for it! Most of raw fruits and veggies, or steamed, are 0 points which for someone who is trying to slowly lose, is a good deal. Personally, MFP is doing just as well for me so I'm choosing here! Good luck!!
  • LERadicalDreamer
    LERadicalDreamer Posts: 61 Member
    For me, it wasn't worth it. I also felt that I ate less often and indulged on unhealthier foods since it was allowed, and since I wasn't cheating the system I did lose the weight... for a little while. It didn't encourage me to eat healthy. MFP works much better for me, and I am using the Game On diet to dictate what I am eating.
  • maggamooo
    maggamooo Posts: 23
    I have done weight watchers twice before . This is almost the same thing. You just have to pay for it there and they make it more complicated. I agree with most of the other people, you need to switch up some foods or exercise or something. But I wouldn't go to weight watchers.

    You can make it through it.
  • emmie0622
    emmie0622 Posts: 167 Member
    Hi - I am been doing WW for over 10 years on and off - I love the program and achieved Lifetime by attending meetings. The meetings are great but they really depend on your leader, you may have to bounce around meeting locations to find one that you like. I did find them motivating and other members input helped me too. If you are considering just on-line, and also if you get a monthly pass you have access to on-line for tracking, their Etools is horrible. They just did a huge database update that was a disaster, half of the foods were missing. Thing that really irritates me about WW if they just do not respond to the members or let you know what is going on and you are paying for the service. I was doing on line and that is what caused me quit and rejoin MFP. The Etools is like a very clumsy to get around and add your foods, and quite honestly the site gets boring after you have been on it for awhile. Some members complain about the app they cannot track with it they get error messages. Their scanner app is horrible. I will not even consider going back to WW until the modernize Etools and their app. If you want to do WW quite honestly you can do it on MFP. You just need to set your food diary settings so they show what you need to figure out the points. You cannot order from the WW store unless you are a member on line (there is now a 29.95 registration fee, never used to be one). If you go on Amazon or Ebay and get a starter kit and a points calculator, you could figure out your points on MFP and you would have the starting guide to know your points allowance. Personally, I found that counting calories, I was about 100-150 more calories the way MFP figures when I count points on MFP. I just got a Fitbit a week ago and I absolutely love it, I have found my biggest problem was not the food, but I am not moving enough. Best of luck whatever you decide. If you have any questions about WW, feel free to message or friend me.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    I learned a lot on Weight Watchers and lost quite a bit of weight. However, like MFP, WW is just an east less/move more program. There is nothing magical about it. It isn't a product you can buy. Maybe, unless you really are set on it, try changing up what and how much your eating in general.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    For me, it wasn't worth it. I also felt that I ate less often and indulged on unhealthier foods since it was allowed, and since I wasn't cheating the system I did lose the weight... for a little while. It didn't encourage me to eat healthy. MFP works much better for me, and I am using the Game On diet to dictate what I am eating.

    In what way does MFP "encourage" you to eat healthier foods? It's a tracking system. You still choose what to eat.
  • 2011Eileen
    2011Eileen Posts: 63 Member
    I was on ww for 18 months and lost 70 lbs, and also learned so much from it. To me it is all the same either pts or calories.
    I felt I needed a change as didn't have the motivation. Again best of all is that this is free.
  • sjackson7707
    sjackson7707 Posts: 24 Member
    I have used WW and personally I like MFP better. I use MFP to track my food and then I take my totals for the day and plug those numbers into another app (iTrackBites) just to see how many points I am consuming for the day. Without, exceresing and just following MFP daily goal totals (1200 cals, 40g of fat and 14 dietary fiber) I would probably gain weight. Those totals convert into 27 WW points on the old system and I should only be consuming 24 points.
    13371629.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Weight Loss Tools.
  • bonniecarbs
    bonniecarbs Posts: 446 Member
    I was just thinking about WW today. I know I hate their point system cause its just as easy or easier to count calories. They have another program that they stopped even advertising called the core system - that's the one I liked better than points. On the core program you cut out bad fats, sugars and bad carbs. There is no counting but you have to do it like they say. Its just that WW is too expensive for me to do what MFP is showing me to do. But I do like it.
  • Tedebearduff
    Tedebearduff Posts: 1,155 Member
    WW is a calorie deflect more or less... I would just keep logging food and making your own healthier meals instead of buying that crap .... that's just my opinion though
  • rahulkhosla
    rahulkhosla Posts: 17 Member
    Thank you all.

    First off, there is an incredible sense of community here at MFP. The volume of responses and well meaning advice is amazing.

    Also, looking at some of your trackers, these are some incredible success stories. I have been yo-yoing 10 lbs up an down for 2 years now.

    I need to be more diligent about things. I think I'm going to stick to MFP but be more diligent. Lets see where i end up before considering my optioons.

    For those of you who are looking to make a good go at it for the next 3 months, pls add me to your list...

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