Thinking of ditching WW for MFP

rburd12
rburd12 Posts: 15
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been doing Weight Watchers for about 4 weeks now. The first week I lost 3 lbs, the 2nd week (week of Thanksgiving) I only stuck to the diet for 2 days and lost a little over 1 lb, last week I lost 1 lb, and when I weighed this morning I've GAINED a lb. What's going on!! I stuck to my diet every day this week and hadn't even used all of my extra weekly points yet.

I'm so confused by my progress on WW and I'm thinking about trying out MFP. I've done the calorie counting thing in the past and never had much luck with it. I think my problem was I had no idea how many calories I should actually be eating. At about 1300 calories/day I had gained 2 lbs in 1 week.

Some basics-- I'm 24, 5'4", and 150 lbs. I've lost about 35 lbs within the last 2 years but I can't seem to consistently lose. I'll lose 15 and then gain 5 back. My goal weight is 135 and I'm afraid since I've already lost a bunch it's going to be super hard to get the last 15 off.

Has anyone done WW in the past and had better luck on MFP? Or does anyone have any suggestions for me?
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Replies

  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    yes, and yes. MFP is the way.
  • lilpoindexter
    lilpoindexter Posts: 1,122 Member
    It's worked for me...look at my ticker...and the price is right.
  • jmc0806
    jmc0806 Posts: 1,444 Member
    well I've never tried WW but this site has worked for me...

    I have a feeling if you ate 1300 calories a day and gained 2lbs in a week your sodium intake might have been pretty high and caused you to retain water weight, but that's just my thought...
  • keem88
    keem88 Posts: 1,689 Member
    mfp is free, and easy to use. you can tweak the settings they give you, and the food datebase has tons of stuff listed. the support on here is good too
  • Ronngie
    Ronngie Posts: 295 Member
    WW isn't bad, I did fine on it, but I lost weight very slowly. MFP is free, and I think easier.
  • Assistlo
    Assistlo Posts: 7 Member
    FREE!!!!!!! It has all you need and great support !!!!!! Can weigh yourself anytime u choose !!! And did I tell u it is FREE!!! Love It!!!!
  • Deipneus
    Deipneus Posts: 1,861 Member
    I like MFP for the reason others say: It's free! I caution you though that your experience after just 4 weeks could happen on MFP too. Weight loss is not a straight decline. It goes down, it ticks up, it plateaus, goes down again... and that's if you are really faithful to your plan. If you fall off the wagon and get back on a lot it's even more complicated.
  • iSurvive
    iSurvive Posts: 91
    I had success on weight watchers about five years ago. I loved it, it was a fun program and I really liked my leader. I joined again a couple years later, and I hated the leader and I felt the program (although the same as before essentially) was not working for me so I quit and counted calories and had success there. However life "stuff' happened and I put it all back on again and so now I am here on MFP. I think that if you need to go to the meetings, and you like being there then it is worth paying for, but to pay for the actual program I don't think is worth it.
  • fittertanme
    fittertanme Posts: 259 Member
    I have done weight watchers and tthey both work but I find that on here you get more support and motivation than ww and in the first few weeks you will lose thet weight then when your body settles down it willl be slower in some cases so dont feel let down if your not losing it sa fast as before
  • myogibbs
    myogibbs Posts: 182
    Are you working out too? That gain could be muscle...one or two pounds could even be water weight. I did WW once & I did lose, but then one day I gained ONE POUND & I cried all the way home. WW works for lots of people, including my mom, who has been on maintenance for years. This past January, I joined a program at my gym that included a nutrition class once a week & a personal trainer twice a week. The nutritionist recommended MFP & I have been on here since. I love MFP. It gives me accountability & support & my friends are wonderful. The other advantage of MFP is that we celebrate NSVs (non-scale victories), which I love. I didn't get that at WW, so I say...go with what works for YOU...I can personally recommend MFP.
  • emmeylou
    emmeylou Posts: 175 Member
    Whether to use weight watchers or MFP is definitely a personal decision... but I just wanted to comment on the weight "gain"... you said you have been on WW for one month... there are so many reasons why your weight might go "up" a bit... it could be TOM, it could be water retention, if you are exercising it could be muscle growth. Please don't beat yourself up over one pound!! Slow weight loss is still weight loss, no matter what. I've lost a TON, and the majority of it was at 1 or 2lbs a week... it stinks when its the first few pounds, but it adds up!
  • Wendysworld13
    Wendysworld13 Posts: 225 Member
    Are you doing WW online, or going to meetings? If it is online, MFP does exactly the same thing, and like many others have said, it is free - however, there is some real accountability to going to a ww meeting where real people weigh you in and see you in person week after week. MFP is great, but the only accountability - really is you. Just sayin
  • rburd12
    rburd12 Posts: 15
    I do like the free part-- but it's not a huge decision maker at the moment. I've already paid for 3 months of WW online and I'm 1 month in :(

    I understand I can't base my decision on 4 weeks on a program, but this is the 3rd time I've done WW, and the 2nd time was like this the whole last month. I only went back because I was gaining weight counting calories and had no where else to turn. I'm so scared I'm going to gain all the weight back.
  • dorlincecum
    dorlincecum Posts: 39 Member
    WW is a very good program, but with anything you have to give it a chance. MPF is a very good plan also, free, good data base. helpful people, BUT YOU HAVE TO GIVE IT A CHANCE!!!!
    Good luck
  • beekuzz
    beekuzz Posts: 428 Member
    It's worked for me...look at my ticker...and the price is right.

    Agree. I've done WW before. You will learn so much more here and spend that extra money on good food instead of corp profits.
  • rburd12
    rburd12 Posts: 15
    Are you working out too? That gain could be muscle...one or two pounds could even be water weight. I did WW once & I did lose, but then one day I gained ONE POUND & I cried all the way home. WW works for lots of people, including my mom, who has been on maintenance for years. This past January, I joined a program at my gym that included a nutrition class once a week & a personal trainer twice a week. The nutritionist recommended MFP & I have been on here since. I love MFP. It gives me accountability & support & my friends are wonderful. The other advantage of MFP is that we celebrate NSVs (non-scale victories), which I love. I didn't get that at WW, so I say...go with what works for YOU...I can personally recommend MFP.

    I already like everyone here :) So much support already!

    I know how you feel about the gain 1 lb and cry-- I've pretty much been on a diet for the past year and my mood revolves around what the scale says. I hate that it's come to that but I feel that if I don't keep a tight eye on my weight it will get out of control.
  • AnnaVee84
    AnnaVee84 Posts: 345 Member
    MFP is free and you can maintain whatever foods you want to eat for the rest of your life, I just know how to fit them into my macros and goals for the day. I feel like it's more of a lifestyle change and helps build good habits when it comes to eating and exercise, at least for me, that's what I learned in my weight loss journey. It's not a program, it's taking back control of my life!
  • Ivyzmama
    Ivyzmama Posts: 108 Member
    If you have an awesome leader, then stay in WW. Also, WW is good for getting people to switch to different foods than the foods they got fat on - you know, eating leaner, more veggies, more fruits. WW is really educational in a lot of ways that MFP isn't; measuring portions, etc. If you have a great leader, then they address emotional reasons why people ate, etc. How to tell if you have an awesome leader: do you feel inspired after the majority of meetings? Do you feel like your church should be as good as your WW meeting? Then stay in WW because that leader will keep you on track and motivated when you've forgotten your motivation.
    I lost 50 lbs on WW back in 2001 that there is NO WAY i could ever have lost on my own because I had been fat all my life. I thought I knew everything I needed to know about nutrition before WW; turns out I didn't know half of what I needed to know. I did keep the weight off till 2007, even while having a baby in 2004, but in 2007 I took a stressful 50 hr a week job with a 2 hour each way commute, and I started gaining a pound a month. This time I'm doing MFP because I moved to an area without any good WW leaders. (I did WW 3 times in the last 3 years, tried out all the meetings near me - none of them compare to the leader I had back when I lived in a big city.)
  • beekuzz
    beekuzz Posts: 428 Member
    I do like the free part-- but it's not a huge decision maker at the moment. I've already paid for 3 months of WW online and I'm 1 month in :(

    I understand I can't base my decision on 4 weeks on a program, but this is the 3rd time I've done WW, and the 2nd time was like this the whole last month. I only went back because I was gaining weight counting calories and had no where else to turn. I'm so scared I'm going to gain all the weight back.

    When I lost a lot at WW and got frustrated, there is nothing really to help you through that. MFPals have helped me so much understand what is going on. Today is 180 days for me and there's just no going back. When you feel all alone and nobody around to understand, you don't have to wait for your meeting - just hop on here 24/7 and you will find people willing to help.

    When I gained after a few weeks of working really hard, they had nothing really to say about it. Now, I'm in control. I weigh every single morning and log it as part of my accountability. It's not a manic thing that makes you weigh everyday, like many programs will make you feel and then you have a home scale and doctors scale and WW scale. None of them would ever match. I don't have to do any crazy things from day to day like when you only weigh once a week and want the best number possible.

    Good luck.
  • beekuzz
    beekuzz Posts: 428 Member
    Oh, and your new best friend is a good kitchen scale. For real!
  • kimosabe1
    kimosabe1 Posts: 2,467 Member
    I have a couple of friends that do both.......
  • bridgelene
    bridgelene Posts: 358 Member
    I think MFP is great. I've never done WW.

    But whatever you do, you need to actually stick with it and give it a chance.....
  • Feed_the_Bears
    Feed_the_Bears Posts: 275 Member
    The two can go hand in hand. MFP is just a journal. It's what you make of it. I realize WW does points but it's all the same in the end. MFP has a community too. It just comes down to whether you think looking people in the eye every week is more motivational to you.

    I will say one thing about WW though. I followed it for a decade (not a real member, learned it from my mom) the most success I've had was joining MFP and the Eat More to Weigh Less group. Check it out.

    Good luck.
  • Retiredmom72
    Retiredmom72 Posts: 538 Member
    Since have already paid for 3 months, why not do both. I have tried WW and so many other plans. Weight loss is not always steady. I am looking for something that will not be a passing fad or program. I get to eat what I want and if I am going to run low on calories, I exercise to get more calories. Just log what you eat and drink plenty of water. Good luck.
  • jessicaecohen
    jessicaecohen Posts: 6 Member
    I've been on WW for many years (on and off success) but decided to finally ditch it when they introduced the Pro Points Plan. I eat a LOT of fruit (easily eat an entire pineapple instead of a bag of chips) but felt that I was lying to myself when WW claimed that all fruits and veggies are zero. As you will see on MFP, that's not the case at all.

    However, I know lots of people that have been successful with WW so I guess it's just a matter of what works for you. Good luck :)
  • RoadsterGirlie
    RoadsterGirlie Posts: 1,195 Member
    I tried to make the switch from WW to MFP. I couldn't do it - I like counting points much better. I also like the weekly points for splurges, which is something they don't give you on MFP.

    That said, I like the MFP forums, so I stick around.
  • mambagirl
    mambagirl Posts: 137 Member
    I like the WW Meetings,it was always helpful to have others to talk to about weight loss.That being said,I think that most of the leaders are trained to teach you that its all your fault if you are not losing weight..That you MUST be tracking wrong or not following the program correctly.I used to weigh and measure EVERYTHING when I was on WW..I would lose the first 2 weeks then lose SLOOOOOOOOOWLY anytime after that.It was hard to get on that scale knowing that you did everything right but losing nothing.The Leaders did not teach me that I could be "Up" from eating sodium or from exercise-they just gave me sympathy looks.

    I also think that they give you too many points to keep you as a member longer.

    As far as food goes..this site is better and the database is WAY better.WW has a deal with some of the food companies so those products are usually easiest to find in the WW database,others not so much.MFP has EVERYTHING In its database.

    This forum is better,but if you need that in person support WW is great..their website is also good for finding healthy meals.
  • tekwriter
    tekwriter Posts: 923 Member
    I lost 44 pounds on WW last year, but then quit when they dropped the at work program. It was super expensive also. I just discovered that I would not go out of my way to go to meetings. Now that I have found MFP I would never go back. The support is phenomenal, a lot more than I ever had at WW and that was in person. The tools make it easy to know how much. It will be up to you to research and learn what is good for you and how to eat healthy.
  • lisabinco
    lisabinco Posts: 1,016 Member
    I think you can do both.
    I've lost 25+ lbs this year on WW and several years earlier I lost 58 lbs on it. It works if you work it. It is a good way to learn to eat in a relatively healthy manner. It held me in good stead for many years, even though it meant going hungry a lot. It was the only way I could lose weight before.
    MFP is a nice adjunct to any eating plan you choose, including WW, but it won't teach you how to eat well and it doesn't care if you still eat cr@p food. It's a tracking program not an eating plan. I primarily use MFP as a way to track sodium. For my blood pressure. And to talk to other nutritarians who eat the way I do now. I've lost enough weight to return to WW for free as a Lifetime Member. Sometimes I drop in and share my success. It's good to be around like-minded people. The support is uplifting.
  • lauriem1966
    lauriem1966 Posts: 134 Member
    I paid for 6 months online of WW and am 3 months in....I'm tracking in both. I like the WW but I don't see myself counting points for the rest of my life and I really would like to learn how many calories/carbs/protein/fat I'm eating at the same time...WW doesn't give you that breakdown.

    Just do both in the meantime...and then don't renew. That's my plan :)

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