Weight Watchers drop out... are you ?

darlenepatrice
darlenepatrice Posts: 11
in Introduce Yourself
Hi

I am have been on and off WW for a few years. I love the support of going to a meeting but they have made counting points so difficult. I feel that I am investing to much time to figure out what is what and I find it easier to just type in the calories and just watch how many calories I eat.

What are your thoughts and experiences ?
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Replies

  • leni1us
    leni1us Posts: 855 Member
    I totally agree. I've been on an off of WW for about 15 years and I just kept gaining and losing the same 10 lbs. Their program is good but just not for me. Counting points is very difficult when you travel a lot, eat out often and entertain a great deal. MFP has been the only thing that seems to work for me. Counting calories, exercising and being accountable. With MFP I've been able to lose more than I ever did with WW.
  • jozzler
    jozzler Posts: 37
    I certainly am!! But I'm on maintenance now. I need structure and routine and this provides the control that I need for free!!
  • belladonna786
    belladonna786 Posts: 1,165 Member
    I had never gone to a meeting but I did follow it and was shocked at what they make you pay to track online! Lets say my WW relationship ended quickly. I think MFP is wayyy better anyway
  • monicamk1975
    monicamk1975 Posts: 298 Member
    I had a hard time losing weight on WW and I always felt like they were trying to sell me something. I never really felt like the meetings worked for me and they were so inconvinient when I was working 60+ hours a week. MFP has really been my lifesaver and opened my eyes to calorie consumption.
  • zigeuner62
    zigeuner62 Posts: 88 Member
    I'm a WW dropout. The points were driving me nuts. I also found that a lot of their WW products are very high in sodium and very sweet. I much prefer just counting calories.
  • RVfrog
    RVfrog Posts: 213 Member
    been there and done that ..........that is why I QUIT....I just want a plan to eat and NOT worry about how many pts this has or that has. Myfitnesspal makes it alot easier to just log what you eat and it totals it up for you.
  • Lisamba09
    Lisamba09 Posts: 20
    I totally agree. I've been on an off of WW for about 15 years and I just kept gaining and losing the same 10 lbs. Their program is good but just not for me. Counting points is very difficult when you travel a lot, eat out often and entertain a great deal. MFP has been the only thing that seems to work for me. Counting calories, exercising and being accountable. With MFP I've been able to lose more than I ever did with WW.


    well said. I cannot fathom counting points while I am on business travel or while I am on a business lunch. Tracking my food on my phone with fitnesspal. is a no brainer
  • Katie1951
    Katie1951 Posts: 312 Member
    WW lifetime member and decided that using MFP is much better and easier than counting points.
  • kenazfehu
    kenazfehu Posts: 1,188 Member
    I dropped out too.
    1) I got sick and tired of calculating points.
    2) I wasn't ready to change my life and cheated more than not.
    3) At the rate I was (not) losing weight, it would have cost me thousands of dollars to (never) get to goal weight.
  • jerbear1962
    jerbear1962 Posts: 1,157 Member
    I did WW years ago and didn't like having to pay money to lose weight. The support was OK but nothing that I couldn't get from friends and family. I've even tried other online calorie counters and have enjoyed MFP the most. There's a real community feel here and I feel I'm not only helping myself but I'm able to assist others.
  • Lisamba09
    Lisamba09 Posts: 20
    I'm a WW dropout. The points were driving me nuts. I also found that a lot of their WW products are very high in sodium and very sweet. I much prefer just counting calories.

    oh my goodness!! TOTALLY!! Their products are also loaded with alot of chemicals and non-GMO foods as well. That was the primary reason I cannot support their plan. The points system is non-sensical when you should actually be watching calories/fat. and what is UP with them still charging $40.00 per month to track food and exercise when you can get it for free??!!
  • bettywin
    bettywin Posts: 14
    Yep, I'm a WW drop out! I did it for 12-14 weeks and lost 11lb. To be fair it is the most weight I've lost in forever, and I did keep very motivated, but I soon found I was tracking properly on MFP and became less interested with WW. My enthusiasm for nutritional information rather than propoints became obvious so I got rid of WW and am gonna spend the extra £10 a month toward gym membership :)
  • Dad_of_3
    Dad_of_3 Posts: 517 Member
    I do both, and I like both. WW gives me face to face interaction, but I think the calories on MFP are more sensible. I could eat tons more based on my points, but I don't- I go by MFP calories. I follow everything on WW except for how many points I get per day. Also, the weekly weigh assures me that a highly accurate scale weighs me weekly.

    Tracking is very easy on MFP-much easier than anything else I've tried.
  • LoveToCwtch
    LoveToCwtch Posts: 6
    I tried following WW online, and paying for the privilage. I stuck to it & didn't lose a single lb. I found it hard to calculate a lot of the points and so decided to give up.
  • BARBnKS
    BARBnKS Posts: 84 Member
    WW is good if you need the group interaction but also when they changed the way to count points they made it more difficult as if it wasn't already. Keeping track of calories is much easier & MFP is free!
  • IndianCat3
    IndianCat3 Posts: 158 Member
    I too am a drop out, but Im doing it on my own, meaning countin points on my diary..not online..i have invested in the calculator and I'm gonna use it ;) I like MFP too, but the calories on fruits and veggies are never accurate :(
  • _AllieCat_
    _AllieCat_ Posts: 515 Member
    I joined WW when I was young because my parents wanted to help me lose some weight. I was about 14/15 when I first joined. It wanted to lose the weight, my parents weren't forcing me!

    I remember the points and thinking it was the best thing since sliced bread back then. I was able to drop 20 pounds while a member and I used the things I learned to go on and lose about 40 more pounds before I slowly gained it back (obviously), now I'm losing it again.

    MFP is easier to keep track of because I don't have to convert calories to points. Also, I like MFP much more because I can keep track of my macros and not just points. Macros are hugely important for me this time around because I want to maintain as much muscle mass through my loss as possible. Plus, it's completely FREE. Doesn't get better than that :)
  • csalter61
    csalter61 Posts: 13
    I track with MFP but go to WW meetings for the group support.
  • jobee3
    jobee3 Posts: 35 Member
    Me! I never went to meetings, but did the online tracker on and off for a few years with varying degrees of success. I also didn't like that fruits and veggies were free - I think I understand the reasoning behind it, but at the end of the day those things have calories!

    I like MFP so much better for many reasons, but the biggest one is that if I have a high calorie day and didn't work it off, the next day is a clean slate with MFP. With WW it haunted you until your week flipped over and was very demotivating.

    Plus I just really like the MFP feature when it tells you "if every day were like today, you would weigh X in 5 weeks." It motivates me to stay on track!
  • PattyC64
    PattyC64 Posts: 56 Member
    I love that MyFitnessPal totals various nutrients and not just points. It helps me see if which foods are doing what for me. Their tracking tool is great, especially on the phone. Of course, it's also free! I like WW, and never ate their brand food. But I didn't like not seeing the nutrient values.
  • darlenepatrice
    darlenepatrice Posts: 11
    Thank you for the feedback. I am getting more support then I did at WW :)

    Does anyone know how to change the breakdown of fat/carbs/protein. I am tracking a 1200 calorie diet for now and want to eat more of a high protein and low carb diet.

    Thanks !!
  • SallyBlake
    SallyBlake Posts: 7
    I loved weight watchers. I only did online and it was a very helpful sight. I lost 6 lbs in 7 months with weight watchers and felt like I did great, then I started slacking because I felt like I no longer needed to measure because after 7 months I knew what a cup looked like and how many PP was in it. My weight loss slowed down dramatically. Then one of my co-workers introduced me to MFP and said it was free. I started doing both for about 3 weeks and found MFP is alot like WW with the online tools only now I need to pay attention to calories instead of the formula of fat, carbs, protein, and fiber. So I cancelled with WW and am sticking to MFP well. I do have to give credit to WW for getting me started on my journey and teaching me so much about nutrition. They just cost too much! I never stepped into a WW meeting before.
  • ddtph_hayes
    ddtph_hayes Posts: 12 Member
    I too am a weight watchers drop out. Counting points seems so time consuming. If I went over I would feel bad.I didnt feel like it was teaching me to make a lifestyle change.
  • BedfordRunnerMom
    BedfordRunnerMom Posts: 7 Member
    I am a lifetime member with WW - I really like it - I went to a meeting this morning!!
    It helped me get to my pre-pregnancy weight twice (after gaining 40 and 50 pounds)!
    I am not one for tracking so I lost and maintained my weight eating what they call Power Foods (fresh fruits, veggies, chicken and fish - I stayed away from processed and packaged food) and exercising (I trained for a full marathon). I needed to go and have someone weigh me in - I didn't want to pay them so I needed to lose the weight! I also enjoy the group setting. I NEVER bought any of their foods - I agree with someone else's post - they are full of chemicals and sugar!!
  • Sassysraa
    Sassysraa Posts: 3
    I did weight watchers and I lost...then I gained what I lost back plus some...FAST! I'm new to MFP and I hope it's what I'm looking for. I love to eat and because I don't eat meat I love to eat carbs and cheese. It's almost 1:00pm and I've already ate all my cals for the day. :( I think this is going to be a long process.
  • Suzyqall72
    Suzyqall72 Posts: 105
    I've belonged to WW a few different times. Lost some weight each time, and then got tired of the gimmicks. Counting calories is much better, especially when you belong to a site like this one. Way back when I remember being a WW member, and them taking me to the BIG scale in the other room. Very motivating. ... NOT!
  • NicholAshmore
    NicholAshmore Posts: 18 Member
    I've been on and off WW for about 10 years....so I'm REALLY new to counting calories. But, I just felt like WW wasn't working for me anymore. I lost weight successfully following WW a couple of times, but in the last year or so I just haven't been able to fully get on track with WW. I think I got tired of the point counting... AND...I never made lifetime in all of those years! I can't imagine the amount of money I have invested in still being fat....that is a sad realization. :-(
    I really hope MFP works for me!
  • newatbritt
    newatbritt Posts: 23 Member
    I dropped out of WW circa 2006? I lost 38.6 pounds on WW over 6 months, I was also much more active then. I think the points system was totally different back then. I just started MFP but I find that I have an extreme amount of support on here. I am quite shy so group meetings were okay for me, but with MFP, I get to update my status and get direct encouragement. I love MFP!
  • JLjmckesson
    JLjmckesson Posts: 31 Member
    I am an online WW member. I started about 1.5 months ago and have a three month subscription. I had lost 9 pounds and then I gained 3 pounds back, doing the same thing. I heard about my fitness pal and I love it! I can track more than points and see what may be causing weight gain and where I can make changes. I have used my fitness pal for almost 2 weeks now. The first week, I lost back 2 of the 3 pounds I gained; crossing my fingers to see more of a change on Tuesday. If what I see on the scale today is any indication, I will happy on Tuesday. I will cancel my WW membership when the 3 months is over. Free is so much better and there is more information I can track on this site and lots of nice and helpful people.
  • mrg68
    mrg68 Posts: 48 Member
    I've been on WW for almost 2 yrs now. I lost 60 lbs in a year and have never felt better!! But I haven't lost much weight (or keep see-sawing) in about 9-10 months. I know I could follow the plan better, but something quit working for me. Then they recently updated the mobile apps and although I have not updated it on my iPhone, I did on my iPad & wasn't very thrilled with the changes. Reviews from other members on their message boards reamed WW & the update so that is why I haven't changed it on my phone. Also, Ive been thinking that I don't want to pay almost $20 a month (I just do online) for the rest of my life. So I tried MFP after hearing about it on the WW message boards & can't get over the ease of tracking! I never thought tracking WW was that hard. But I agree with others that I like seeing other nutrients & vitamins that I am taking in. I never watched it too carefully with WW but now I do. Although I've always felt that WW was the only thing that has ever worked for me, I now feel that I can do this with MFP because it is almost just like WW, but better. And you just can't beat the price. I can do this for the rest of my life without feeling like I am not getting my money's worth!!

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