ex weight watcher!

dikowick
dikowick Posts: 8
in Introduce Yourself
Hi,

Just started using this site and app again after months of falling on and off the waggon with weightwatchers. I am shocked at how much better the myfitnesspal database is compared to the WW one and the barcode scanner is brilliant. Anyone else quit WW and sticking with this? I lost almost 3 stone on the old WW plan but just cant seem to stick to it anymore (resulting in gaining over a stone), any tips for calorie counting?
thanks!! :)

Replies

  • babsntony1
    babsntony1 Posts: 4 Member
    hi there. i actually quit weight watchers when it seemed like no matter how close to my point range i was in I kept going up .2 or .4 when i was so close to goal.
    I find that using myfitnesspal has been so much better for me. it seems like the tracking is so much better.
    Take it one day at a time. Write down everything before you eat it that way you can tell early if your under or over or right at your calorie range.
  • almc170
    almc170 Posts: 1,093 Member
    I was a dues-paying WW member until I found MFP. So much better!!! None of that points nonsense, entertaining (if sometimes maddening) forums, great friends. Plus it's free!!
  • msrootitooti
    msrootitooti Posts: 253 Member
    I just left WW too because I wasn't losing anything and was getting frustrated.. I lost great on past plans but just couldn't get into the new pointsplus plan. it just wasn't working for me. Hopefully this helps!
  • LydsVille77
    LydsVille77 Posts: 126 Member
    I left WW for MFP about 3 months ago. I was losing just fine when i stuck to plan, but honestly just got bored with it. And I couldnt justify paying monthly dues when i basically knew the secret was portion control and exercise. Im using MFP to help me lose the last 30 lbs. Add me if you like :)
  • lforner46
    lforner46 Posts: 103 Member
    I had been at "Weight Watcher" on and off for 9 years. This database is much easier to use. It counts EVERY calorie, there are no "free" foods which I believe is key to losing weight. Even oranges have calories. Also - the exercise database is fairly accurate. I checked it against my fitness watch and its very close.
  • Damnityell
    Damnityell Posts: 14 Member
    I just left Weight Watchers too! I was basically just floating between 5 lbs. and nothing would ever change. I was just wasting money and stuffing myself with fruits and vegetables since they were free.
  • BeachGurl815
    BeachGurl815 Posts: 295 Member
    Welcome!

    I did weight watchers and quit a few years ago. I decided at that time to spend the money on a gym membership instead. Then I later found MFP. Counting calories makes much more sense than counting points. I was always hungry on WW so I would eventually fail. I did learn a lot of good from WW but MFP makes so much more sense to me.
  • daizy1080
    daizy1080 Posts: 2 Member
    I don't exercise much and I'm trying to do better. I joined Curves recently and it made me feel like.. WOW I can really do this. I also have been doing Weight Watchers for two months and am feeling very frustrated. I go over points a lot, I double tracked with Weight Watchers and MFP and found that through Weight Watchers I was consuming roughtly about 1200 calories a day. Some days more, some days less. No wonder I feel so hungry all the time. MFP makes me feel like I can have a few extra calories to burn and not feel bad about it. I have found over the past 2 months I have learned way healthier habits and have incorporated lots of fruits and veggies into my diet. I will not be renewing my Weight Watchers next month. MFP definately has a larger datebase and their barcode scanner on my iphone rarely has an item not found (unlike the weight watchers barcode scanner).
  • jdmcc043
    jdmcc043 Posts: 5
    Yes former WW...yoyo back and forth but Ww did help me 10
    Years ago was 230...helped me get under 190...then alone
    got to 170...but slowly gained back to 186..started Ww and yoyo between
    6 pounds up down up down
    Friend told me of mfp and it's working for me its simple!
    I've was in Ww 6 weeks now lost and gained same amour..
    To me this is simple eat your calories if your active extra calories
    For you if you need or choose them..I want the fitbit....keep
    track of all my activity or lack of...ok good luck.with this ok
  • jdmcc043
    jdmcc043 Posts: 5
    Agree
  • jdmcc043
    jdmcc043 Posts: 5
    All of us x weight watchers folks need to become buddys
  • jdmcc043
    jdmcc043 Posts: 5
    Yes x Ww and I've done like you....I'm at 182 TRING to get to.172
    First goal...Ww got to be a pain..over 10 years same old stuff meetings
    Got boring and I just lost gained lost gained....last week I weighed
    in had done mfp lost 2 pounds I hadn't lost two pounds in forever
    So loosing weight and saving money...meetings got really hum drum to me
    So now I get my support right here..good luck to you
  • iwannabaloser
    iwannabaloser Posts: 1
    I also tried ww but i was hungry all the time and hated counting points with every meal i ate. Now im doing the Atkins program and i Looooooove it!!!! I dont have any cravings and i dont feel hungry like i do on other diets. it's a really easy program to follow. best of all there meal bars are awesome for when i have a sweet tooth i can eat chocolate and not feel badd yay lol i would definantly recommend it i been on it for 3 days and already lost 3 pounds!!!!
  • dq_diva
    dq_diva Posts: 66
    I am x-WW too. I loved my meetings and leader but HATED converting and counting points. This seems easier....just plug it in. As someone else said, the data base is much more comprehensive on MFP. I just got tired of paying the money when I wasn't really doing the program. It's nice to have daily encouragement on my wall too :)
    Feel free to friend me!
  • slowturtle1
    slowturtle1 Posts: 284 Member
    I'm seeing a pattern! I also have done WW in the past (several times), and like so many others I was hungry ALL the time (and quite bi*chy because of it). I stuffed myself with cherry tomatoes and carrots just to try to stop the hunger because they were low/no points. They changed the plan twice during my time on WW and while they said we didn't have to adopt the new plan, everything they talked about related to it, so the meetings were pointless after a while. In all fairness, I never got much out of the meetings even when I was on the plan of the week. I also hated having to weigh in at the end of the day (the only meeting in my area that I could make). I hated the point system because it never made sense to me, especially the points earned for exercise. With MFP, I can track my actual calories (which are real, not someone's made up formula/measurement), with my HRM I know exactly what my calorie burn is, I can weigh naked in the morning, and it's all FREE! I still have friends who are on WW, and one who is a lifetime member, and I feel for them as they try to figure out what they can and can't eat. So glad I don't have to do that anymore!
  • yacapraro5
    yacapraro5 Posts: 21 Member
    I literally just cancelled my subscription. It just isn't working for me anymore. I did it back in 2010 and lost 25 pounds easily (but I was also training for a marathon, which I completed) But now that I'm not as hardcore into running as before I literally just keep gaining and losing the same 5 pounds for the last 6 months. I feel like my money is wasted. I also felt undeniably guilty as I hit that cancel button. I can totally understand how it works for some people. But there is also that psychological ploy they have on you. They say "if you feel like quitting, get to a meeting ASAP". I did lose a few pounds. But I've been so unhappy with the going back and forth, that I get crazy emotional and just eat whatever I want, and gain, thus the vicious cycle. My boyfriend did MFP for about 2 months and lost 20 pounds. I'm really hoping that this is the way to go.
  • BeckyD1105
    BeckyD1105 Posts: 444 Member
    I am an ex WW as well. I was finding ways to get the most bang for the points (ie: knowing exactly where 1 pt became 2 pts) and I also got a tad annoyed with how many people around me were trying to come up with all these substitutes for food that I liked. Ok well maybe annoyed is the wrong word, but when I want pizza, I want pizza. I don't want a flat bread with pizza sauce and a few toppings.

    I floundered around for awhile after dropping WW - gaining about 30 of the 60 or so lbs that I lost. Then I found this site last fall. I love the support and I think I'm finding a more sustainable way to losing weight and keeping it off.

    Nothing wrong with WW and I learned a lot of valuable information which I've been able to carry into this. But I think this is by far a better site.

    Welcome to MFP and if you would like you can add me as a friend. Either way, good luck on your journey!
  • Bekkah376
    Bekkah376 Posts: 23
    I am also an ex WW, and I agree that the food database/scanner on MFP is a million percent better! It took a little practice to switch from points to calories, but you'll get it.... hang in there! :smile:
  • melwangerin
    melwangerin Posts: 6 Member
    Ex WW here as well. Lost 38 lbs since last August. Used MFP simultaneously with WW until Apr. 1 when I let my WW subscription run out. MFP food database is way better and and free! I was never very comfortable with the 0 points fruits/veggies. Took me a while but I finally figured that those zero point fruits & veggies must equal some kind of caloric value, I figured it was time to do this on my own, the good old fashioned way of counting calories. So here I am.
  • Jami_A
    Jami_A Posts: 19
    Ex-WW-er here. I got to goal many years ago before they changed the program. Once they changed things I never was able to stick with it . You learn how to cheat the system. Counting cals & eating clean seems to work pretty good for me so far. Glad I was told about this place :)
  • KathyPBiles
    KathyPBiles Posts: 292 Member
    I am actually both a former WW member and employee. Because of that, I KNOW what I should be doing, it was just doing it. This site helps me with that. The accountability is a huge part of it for me. Like in WW, I make sure I get all my fruits, veggies and water and go from there. I know I can have EVERYTHING in moderation, that way, I never feel deprived.

    I always enjoyed the support I received at WW meetings, but the support here is just as, if not more than that! MFP is a very important part of my new lifestyle!
  • LauritaS767
    LauritaS767 Posts: 71 Member
    DId the Weight Watchers thing myself. I was very successful (I lost 70lbs with their help). I have kept all my 110lbs weight loss off for five years now. I left because the meetings were getting super repetitive, and found that it wasn't matching my goals anymore. I also despised the fact that they changed the program. It worked well for me, but once they changed how they calculated the points, it seemed to change my results. I always did my tracking manually, so I'm definitely enjoying the on-line tracking!
  • Thorbjornn
    Thorbjornn Posts: 329 Member
    Me too! Me too! lol Ex-WW. I just canceled this week after joining in Jan. 2012. It *is* a good plan, I lost 30 lbs. It was a kick in the pants for me and got me started on losing the layer of blubber. But it stops working after a while, especially for weight lifters. It's a weight loss plan, not specifically fat loss. There's no way to track macros unless you write down the n.i. for each food and keep your own log. I had no idea how much protein I was getting, for example. Btw, each point is about 40 calories. I'm finding more and more neat stuff to use @ MFP. Besides I got run off the GoaD (Guys on a Diet) WW board for talking too much about weight lifting. I guess I did "goad" them. lol The community here is a lot more supportive and diverse.
  • kspexet
    kspexet Posts: 27 Member
    Hi! I am an ex weight watcher, too. I tried it off and on for about 5 years and almost made it to my goal weight. I got frustrated and quit, then I gained all the weight back. I signed up on this site last November, but I really just started using it three weeks ago. I think this site's database is much easier to use and also seems to have more information. I feel like I can be successful using MFP. Welcome!

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