weight watchers
amberforgo
Posts: 7
Hi all,
Like me my wife wants to lose some weight. She wants to start weight watchers and wants to drag me along tonight.
A few people she knows are doing it at the moment and are having some great results.
I am interested to hear if anyone on MFP has used weight watchers before and how did you get on with it? Did you find it helpful and was it easy to follow?
My wife has tried different diets before, some very expensive and some not so. I want to help and support her so am interested to hear opinions please
Thanks
Like me my wife wants to lose some weight. She wants to start weight watchers and wants to drag me along tonight.
A few people she knows are doing it at the moment and are having some great results.
I am interested to hear if anyone on MFP has used weight watchers before and how did you get on with it? Did you find it helpful and was it easy to follow?
My wife has tried different diets before, some very expensive and some not so. I want to help and support her so am interested to hear opinions please
Thanks
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Replies
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There has been a few threads about WW recently.
From personal experience:
Good points : It's easy to follow and not as restrictive as some diets.
Bad points : It encourages you to buy processed convenience food that is low in calories but lacks any sort of nutritional value. The portion sizes are fit for a child and they don't teach you how to eat healthily. As long as you stay within your points, you can eat whatever the hell you want. It's also expensive.
WW is a diet and not a lifestyle change. Get your wife to sign up on here.0 -
I am on weight watchers and it is the best "diet/lifestyle" change that I have ever been on, and always come back to weight watchers to lose weight. The points are easy to use, and you can pretty much eat anything you want, as long as you are in your points system. For me this is the BEST weight loss program that is life long
So thats a YAY for me..0 -
you can pretty much eat anything you want, as long as you are in your points system
See, for me, it was this bit that I didn't understand. I know a few people that are/were on WW, and they would have a tiny microwave meal for dinner, then stuff their face with several WW desserts. Or have 3 packets of crisps for lunch rather than say, a sandwich. What's healthy about that?0 -
Hi !
I spent about a year or so on Weight Watchers but unfortunately did not lose much weight. I would lose weight a week and gain it back the next so I maybe lost about 5 pounds... In a year... I left Weight Watchers for mfp (although I registered with them before), and in 20 days, I've lost about 2 pounds... Sure it's a beginning but my average weight loss on weight watchers (per week) was 0.1 kilos or 0.2 pounds.
I was tracking everything. I had 26 points a day and 49 a week. I used about 29 a day. One points equals about 40 calories so I was eating about 1160 calories but I would stuff myself with fruit and vegetables ( all 0 points) which is probably why I did not lose any weight.
I do agree about the fact that it encourages you to buy branded processed food as well. The major problem for me was that it wasn't realistic. Fruit and vegetables had no value so I would eat them. Probably my fault but I had no idea that I would pack in so many more calories!
Also, it's expensive. In the UK, you pay about 10 pounds a month for the online version (so no meetings) and that's 120 pounds a year. Okay, it may not seem like a lot but it does add up especially when MTP is free!
I think that you can get inspired by Weight Watchers "lifestyle" if that is something you want to do but with counting calories on mfp which is also much more user friendly. Just have a healthier and balanced diet
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WW - you count points and you have to calculate them and it costs money.
MFP - you count calories and the site does all the calculations and it is free.0 -
Nothing healthy! Thats the thing, if you eat the wrong types of food you are not going to lose weight and you waste your points. Veggies are 0 points, so you can chow down on veggies for free...
I am on 23 points a day, and for example my meal plan for today is: Oats, 125g Blueberries, Beef Steak sandwich with lettuce onion mushrooms etc, an apple, greek yoghurt with black cherry, a protein weight loss shake, and pasta for supper. On average I always lose 2kgs the first 3 weeks, and then a steady 0.5 to 1kg per week after.
You obviously NEED to eat a healthy balanced diet, weight watchers says the same thing.0 -
I've done WW and was quite successful until I had a major lifestyle change and all the weight and more came back.
Since I've been using MFP I can't believe I ever thought WW was a good thing. MFP makes you way more accountable for what goes in your mouth and you learn pretty quickly a better way to eat. Plus it's free, no one tries to make you buy anything, and there's a wealth of information at your fingertips.
Lauren 3101 has made some good points about WW as well.0 -
My wife is with Rosemary Conley and she has noticed that they are getting quite a few converts coming over from WW. I think trying to look at this objectivly it is down to personal preference if points counting is your thing them WW is for you, it you like calorie counting and exercise then RC may be more for you or my personal preference is MFP logging and a bit of exercise.
I must admit since being on here I have lost more weight that I ever did on WW (oh yes, been there, done that )0 -
I did Weight Watchers several times and it did not click for me. I like the idea of counting points, but I can count my calories and macros here on MFP in a way that works better for me. The best thing about the points is the floating points you can use throughout the week for a splurge day.
The group support and accountability is also good, but I probably get more of that on here for free than I did on WW.
However, I didn't like the meetings. I try to eat "clean" and move towards more nutritionally dense foods, and at the meetings, they talked a lot about 100 calorie packs of things (processed foods) and sugar-free items, etc. all with the goal of being low points. However, the never really focused on the importance of nutrients in terms of their health benefits. I would leave the meetings wanting 100 calorie packs of cookies when going in, I was thinking about eating fruits and veggies and lean proteins. I feel like they focus too much on processed, modified food "products" instead of keeping it simple. When you eat nutrient dense foods, you feel 100 percent better. You don't achieve that positive shift in how you feel by simply eating less or by eating foods that have been chemically modified to lower the calories.0 -
Nothing healthy! Thats the thing, if you eat the wrong types of food you are not going to lose weight and you waste your points. Veggies are 0 points, so you can chow down on veggies for free...
I am on 23 points a day, and for example my meal plan for today is: Oats, 125g Blueberries, Beef Steak sandwich with lettuce onion mushrooms etc, an apple, greek yoghurt with black cherry, a protein weight loss shake, and pasta for supper. On average I always lose 2kgs the first 3 weeks, and then a steady 0.5 to 1kg per week after.
You obviously NEED to eat a healthy balanced diet, weight watchers says the same thing.
I'm not sure if fruits are also still free on WW but they were when I did it. And that, I think, is part of the problem with WW. Because it's free you can find yourself gorging on it even though you may not really want it - you eat it because you can. It's good for you and all, but it all still has calories. Eat 20 bananas in a day and you may find you're not losing weight.
The thing I like about counting calories is that it really makes you think about whether you do really want to eat something, whether it's a banana or a piece of cake.
Obviously we're all different, and I don't think WW is bad. But in my experience, and with the relationship I have with food, MFP is the way forward.0 -
Here is the key point : "and (I) always come back to weight watchers to lose weight".: If you "always come back... to lose weight" that means you didn't learn how /why to maintain healthy eating and activity when you weren't "on the program"-- it didn't become a lifestyle that you WANTED to keep doing for the rest of your life. Doing a program is a different mind-set than figuring out what and how to eat and exercise so that you feel so good that you want to just keep on doing it forever. There isn't any need to "come back" to something to you never left.0
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Nothing healthy! Thats the thing, if you eat the wrong types of food you are not going to lose weight and you waste your points. Veggies are 0 points, so you can chow down on veggies for free...
I am on 23 points a day, and for example my meal plan for today is: Oats, 125g Blueberries, Beef Steak sandwich with lettuce onion mushrooms etc, an apple, greek yoghurt with black cherry, a protein weight loss shake, and pasta for supper. On average I always lose 2kgs the first 3 weeks, and then a steady 0.5 to 1kg per week after.
You obviously NEED to eat a healthy balanced diet, weight watchers says the same thing.
I'm not sure if fruits are also still free on WW but they were when I did it. And that, I think, is part of the problem with WW. Because it's free you can find yourself gorging on it even though you may not really want it - you eat it because you can. It's good for you and all, but it all still has calories. Eat 20 bananas in a day and you may find you're not losing weight.
The thing I like about counting calories is that it really makes you think about whether you do really want to eat something, whether it's a banana or a piece of cake.
Obviously we're all different, and I don't think WW is bad. But in my experience, and with the relationship I have with food, MFP is the way forward.
^ this ^
I did WW a while ago. Lost a bit of weight. Wasn't anything impressive. I gave up.
I found MFP, I am losing better here than at WW. I have support 24/7 at my fingertips and I don't have to pay for it!))
I have been way more dedicated here, this lifestyle change is a learning experience and MFP has all of the tools for that.0 -
I found WW easy to follow and did well on it when I stuck to it although I agree with some earlier posts that there is a tendency to overuse convenience food and to buy overpriced WW products, their scales, points calculator, cook books and magazines.
Personally having found MFP I feel it offers exactly the same service as WW for free. It is easy to follow, you can weigh in weekly and you have the MFP community to support you along the way. Once you have lost the weight you can maintain it for life as calorie countiing can continue. Whereas in the past few years WW has changed its programme and points value calculations several times meaning the weight management skills you learnt are no longer relevant.
I would suggest your wife initially commits to trying MFP for 3 months for free before she bothers with WW.
I hope she succeeds with her weight loss goals.0 -
The freedom to eat ANYTHING as long as it fit into my points was just wayyyy to unexplainable to me .... I also dont understand how fruits and veggies are completely free because they are still filled with calories, sugars, carbs, etc
Personally I received 65 points a day plus the 49 points a week (never used them) and let me tell you 65 points is like eating 4000 or more calories a day ..... I had to leave WW because it was just too unrealistic for me and I wonder why in 1 month I only lost 3 lbs but in the 2 months following while using MFP I have lost another 16lbs ....
Every person has to find what works for them but I do like that MFP is teaching me more about portions, more about choosing foods that you get better bang for your calories with, and is free
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Here is a site I found on Pinterest - - HOW TO FOLLOW WEIGHT WATCHERS FOR FREE!!!!
http://freckleberryfinds.com/2012/01/how-to-get-weight-watchers-for-free-really/
On this site they give you the calculator to determine how many points a day you should eat and then it also has the calculator for determining how many points are in a certain food .... As far as the calculators THEY ARE ACCURATE because I checked them against my paid WW account HOWEVER you do lose out on the activity calculator and the community by not paying for a true WW account!!!0 -
I'm not sure if fruits are also still free on WW but they were when I did it. And that, I think, is part of the problem with WW. Because it's free you can find yourself gorging on it even though you may not really want it - you eat it because you can. It's good for you and all, but it all still has calories. Eat 20 bananas in a day and you may find you're not losing weight.
The thing I like about counting calories is that it really makes you think about whether you do really want to eat something, whether it's a banana or a piece of cake.
Obviously we're all different, and I don't think WW is bad. But in my experience, and with the relationship I have with food, MFP is the way forward.
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Sorry still new here and trying to figure out the message boards
Yeah fruit have points now, I guess I am used to it, not that I have achieved my goal weight before because I keep falling off the wagon I use the MFP as a back up type of thing and more for the support. but when planning my meals for the day I use the points as the reference. Ive found it helps me a lot, calories are all so new to me so points are easier. and I dont go to classes now, that was useless in south africa, there were no meetings just the weigh ins..(which I can do at home) So i just use the books that I have.
Guess its all different for everyone 0 -
MissCKemp, in the bottom right corner of each post there's a blue "Quote". You can use that rather than copy and pasting the post you want to comment on.0
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I have a friend using WW and she is doing great, but she also skip real food and have a shake..for breakfast and maybe dinner. Thats not realistic to me.
I only found out since being on here that a banana is 100 calories. Geezzzz, and here when i was doing everything on my own...wasnt realizing that even a little breakfast with OJ, banana, Apple...and all this good stuff...was adding up calories really fast...almost didnt have room for substance food. So, i think this site has been helping me realize things a little better....I dont go Rambo on the OJ anymore. I stopped buying nuts because i was over doing it. a handfull a day..i was having 5 handfulls an hour :-(0 -
Almost 10 yrs ago, I lost 70 lbs in 9 months on WW. During that time, I learned portion control, developed awareness of good food choices and not so good food choices, and realized that I had a choice - I was in control What I loved about it is that I learned I can eat anything I want - not just EVERYTHING I want! WW does not push pre-packaged food and you are not required to replace regular meals with shakes, Lean Cuisines, or Smart Ones. Unfortunately, at the meetings, a lot of people would discuss the 100pt snacks, etc, because they were notorious snackers and were searching for a less damaging alternative to a carton of oreos or a bag of chips.
In the past 10 yrs, I have maintained my weight for the most part, but find that from time to time I tend to slip back into my old habits. I absolutely do love food! When that happens and I have put on an extra 5lbs or so, I get serious again until I'm back to my new/old habits. WW taught the tools to be able to do that.
Although I am typically not a meeting type person, I found the group atmosphere to be very helpful. No one was more surprised than me!
The best part about MFP is that it is free. Other than these forums, though, there is not much information on what your body needs to obtain and maintain a healthy lifestyle.0 -
Nothing healthy! Thats the thing, if you eat the wrong types of food you are not going to lose weight and you waste your points. Veggies are 0 points, so you can chow down on veggies for free...
I am on 23 points a day, and for example my meal plan for today is: Oats, 125g Blueberries, Beef Steak sandwich with lettuce onion mushrooms etc, an apple, greek yoghurt with black cherry, a protein weight loss shake, and pasta for supper. On average I always lose 2kgs the first 3 weeks, and then a steady 0.5 to 1kg per week after.
You obviously NEED to eat a healthy balanced diet, weight watchers says the same thing.
I don't agree with that because even though I had a super healthy diet, my calories were over estimated and I ate too much fruit and vegetables which 0 points but not calorie free!0 -
WW - you count points and you have to calculate them and it costs money.
MFP - you count calories and the site does all the calculations and it is free.
This, thats all there is!!!!.... plus MFP is far more accurate, taking into account everything you eat! It teaches you a healthy lifestyle, as you know exaclty how many calories are in eveerything, wheras WW you just see everything as a 'point', however a spagetti bologneise is very differnt in calories if you use 5% fat beef, to a 12.5% fat beef... yet i bet there the same points, so you wont have learnt to spend more on leaner beef?.... (i also find the fruit and veg thing a joke!, a banna has like 100kcal and under WW that is free?!)0 -
I did WW a few times. The first time I even lost 10% and got my key chain reward (not sure where the heck it is now though!). I did find myself eating a lot of Lean Cuisines and stuff like that since it had the points on the package for me and I didn't have to think. I certainly wasn't ready for life off WW and slowly, but surely, gained it back. I went to WW again, didn't work as well for me. I never found anything good from the meetings listening to the same few people talk every time. I am sure that was my fault and not the fault of the program though.
On MFP, I make real meals at home that are good for me. I tweaked everything that I love to eat to make it a little better for me so I don't have any out of control cravings for something I feel I have given up. I still have sweets, I still have pizza, I still have burgers. I don't feel any desire to "cheat" on this...I just make sure it fits into my calories and close to my macros for the day. And I've started working out more and in different ways than just going out and pounding the pavement four times a week. The support and information from these message boards is great. And it's FREE!! FREE!!! FREE!! I can do it around my schedule and not have to make sure I am at a meeting at a certain time.
I don't think WW is bad...I just think free (and better results for me) is better.0 -
I am on weight watchers and it is the best "diet/lifestyle" change that I have ever been on, and always come back to weight watchers to lose weight. The points are easy to use, and you can pretty much eat anything you want, as long as you are in your points system. For me this is the BEST weight loss program that is life long
So thats a YAY for me..
DItto!! I started with MFP only back in Feb but kept gaining and losing the same 6 pounds. Then joined WW online and right away lost 4lbs and then the 2nd week lost 3 and every week after for the first month another 2 lbs. Things are slowing down now and I'm averaging 1.5 pounds per week. I still track on MFP so I can also see the calorie count. I love WW and feel its the best plan so far. I've tried LA weight loss several years ago after my last child and while I lost the weight it was very strict with what you couldn't eat with other foods, first week no carbs, then slowly adding carbs, then no corn with pork, or no potatoes with pork etc. It was mind numbing and very strict. Not something I could follow for a life time. WW does not make you buy their food. I eat real food that I prepare. You can even eat pizza if you want to. Its all about moderation and keeping track of everything you put in your mouth. I'm on my 6th month now and very happy with the plan.0 -
I did WW from February 2011 to Sept this year. I lost the first 40 lbs because of WW. I never felt like our leader encouraged the use of the WW line of food and snacks, she mostly told us how to get the fruits and veggies on the cheap, and who was having good sales on lean meats. Our group was always exchanging recipes and websites for healthy meals/snacks. Yes, fruits and veggies, were "free" foods, but she always referred to it as pre-budgeted, and encouraged us to eat only the recommended servings. I look at diaries on here and see people eating within their calories, but some people are eating a bunch of processed stuff and hardly any veggies and fruit. I do not eat drastically differently than I did with WW. I am having faster results right now, but its because I took the $$ I was using at WW and added Zumba classes and other fitness activities to the curves workouts and walking I was already doing. I think MFP is a good alternative, but honestly I really think I needed the face to face accountability and support when I first started. There are too many conflicting views on what is healthy and works on here, I think a newbie with a lot to lose could get overwhelmed and not know who's advice to take.0
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WW - you count points and you have to calculate them and it costs money.
MFP - you count calories and the site does all the calculations and it is free.
This, thats all there is!!!!.... plus MFP is far more accurate, taking into account everything you eat! It teaches you a healthy lifestyle, as you know exaclty how many calories are in eveerything, wheras WW you just see everything as a 'point', however a spagetti bologneise is very differnt in calories if you use 5% fat beef, to a 12.5% fat beef... yet i bet there the same points, so you wont have learnt to spend more on leaner beef?.... (i also find the fruit and veg thing a joke!, a banna has like 100kcal and under WW that is free?!)
Nope, The one made with 12.5% beef would cost more, probably 3-4 points more actually. The points plus system they started using in 2011, weighs fats and carbs more heavily. Foods that are lean protein or higher fiber "cost" less. One example I remember from the teaching materials..1 croissant with 1 tbs butter was the same points as a piece of Canadian bacon, 1 poached egg, a piece of whole grain toast, 1 tsp of butter, and an orange. Then they made the point "which one would keep you full longer and be more satisfying" They just simplify it. I think some people who are just getting started will find that easier than all the Paleo vs. Clean vs. moderation vs. whatever that goes on here on MFP.0 -
I absolutely love Weight Watcher's. I lost over 30 lbs and have kept it off for years. I reached lifetime in 2005 and get my etools for free. I track on MFP also for Carbs/Protein/Fat. I go to meetings sometimes and my leader does promote healthy, natural food not processed. I will say the plan has changed from when I became lifetime and for the better! More veggies, more fruit, less processed for sure! I eat really, really natural foods and stay away from processed junk which I believe is really is the key to health and fitness. I think WW would be fabulous for your wife. There is something about a group of people trying to do the same thing that makes it very motivating. The recipies wonderful too. What I really like is with WW I don't go overboard and try to be "perfect" all the time and can have an occasional treat without feeling bad about it. I wish her the best! 0
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I follow MFP for my tracking, but I go to our WW at Work for the accountability and to weigh in. Our leader never pushes products and always encourages us to eat fresher foods. I think a lot of it is based on what you need and your particular leader's outlook. I need accountability and I get it there. I don't like the POINTS and prefer to count calories. I do like some of the recipes and tips I get from the weekly handout. I like the social aspect and the group support. It really depends on what she needs from a program.0
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I did WW about 10 years ago and it worked great. I didn't eat all the WW branded crap that they sell in the freezer section. The problem was the whole points system. I got sick of having to use their formula to figure out points. I know they've revised it, but I can't imagine it's that much better than it was. Basically, 50 calories was a point. It's much easier keeping track of calories using this site and especially the mobile app. I also like that this site tracks nutrition along with the calories and that exercise is factored in. But what really makes this superior to WW is that this site is 100% free!!0
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I started weight watchers (again), this time I go to meetings. I feel that meetings do matter. I tried online WW but did not succeed,If I had not started going to meetings , I would have been filling up on the fruit and veggies until I was sick. My Leader tells us that you can't eat 10 bananas and expect to lose weight, because you won't. Even though fruits and veggies are free, you still have to stick to portion control
. I dont know about other leaders or meetings, but they never pressure us to buy any of their products. If anything, they say to try to stay away from it because of the sodiium. I love weight watchers! I eat healthier, I walk more, I pay attention to what goes in my mouth alot more now.
Bottom line, WW is a great program, MFP is not a progaram but can help you stay on track and has a great support system!0 -
I have been doing WW for coming up to 2 years now, have lost 67lb in total, unfortunately gained 2.5lb two wks ago (so down to 64.5lb) and was unable to attend my meeting my last week, so hopefully tomorrow will be the new fresh start I need!!
I have about 11lb to go to reach my goal, but will no doubt go on to lose another 7lb, we shall see once I eventually hit goal!
I've had a bit of a roller coaster WW year to be honest, I hit 50lb in Nov last year, and really messed it up until March/April this year, so on & off its been terrible! But hopefully this is the last straw, the last fresh start!!
I'm also a helper for my local meeting and have to say, i know the leader always goes on about saying its better to stay to the meeting afterwards, but it really is such a help! the support and advice you get from everyone else goes without saying! even if you've had a bad week, seeing the other members just spurs you on to do better!
I use MFP more for curiousity than anything, I use it alongside WW but there are plenty of people I have on here to give me moral support etc and to be quite honest alot of the girls on here also do WW or SW alongside MFP!
Keep up the hard work ladies, and remember WW, SW, MFP, whatever you use, they are all lifestyle changes, everything in moderation, nothing to be deprived of, just do what you can and results will show
xx 0 -
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