Switching Over From WW

catsnorchids
catsnorchids Posts: 2
in Introduce Yourself
Hi, new here, so ... I lost 30 lbs on WW (online only, no meetings) from late July 2012 til now. Average probably a pound per week. Would have liked it to be more, but I would lose and gain the same 1 to 1.5 lb over and over on some weeks. My own fault, I'm sure, as I fell away from daily food diary and can't seem to get the habit back. SO ... paying almost $20/month for WW, I am conflicted ... if I quit it, will I stop losing, perhaps backslide? BUT ... what am I paying for monthly, since all I do is track my weight ...? You see the conflict.

My sister and a good friend swear by MFP, so I'm going to give it a try. Telling myself if it doesn't work for me or I backslide, I could always re-up for WW, right? So here I am!

Would love some input from others who may have switched over from WW, if you would?

catsnorchids
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Replies

  • laynabs
    laynabs Posts: 3 Member
    Hi, catnorchids! I'm in a similar situation. I just switched over from WW to save some money. (My original idea regarding WW was that I would be more likely to track my food intake if I was paying for the service). Though I'm new to MFP, I've lost approximately 90lbs and maintained that loss with calorie counting. I think consistent tracking is the key. I lost 1.4 lbs this week with MFP which is in line with my progress at WW.

    Good luck, whatever you decide!
  • cheryl529h
    cheryl529h Posts: 19 Member
    I used to belong to WW online, and like you, I was not good about tracking nor did I use their community feature. I love MFP! Love that it's free, love that you can follow any weight loss plan you want, love the friends I've made on here ... *love*!
  • 130annie
    130annie Posts: 339 Member
    Hi I did WW for many years....But I got bored with the whole thing, especially after they stopped doing daily menus..I find this much better and I can interact with people if I want....
  • NanzyBoek
    NanzyBoek Posts: 151 Member
    Hi,

    Ive done both. Im now only on MFP. I love seraching the message boards and always find my answers. Ive made some good connections with people on here to, making it nice to have a support system that I didnt get on WW.

    WW is great but you can do all the same stuff on here and more. I love my fitbit that syncs to MFP giving me added motivation to move.

    Try this site out .. you cant go wrong its the same if not better and FREE :)
  • KathyPBiles
    KathyPBiles Posts: 292 Member
    Hi. I previously attended WW and actually worked for them. The reasons I like this site are - accountability - you bite it - you write it - if you don't log - someone will ask you what is happening. Also, the support here reminds me so much of those meetings that I loved. Only difference here, is you have to be 100% honest, even if it hurts - such as eating not enough, too much, not exercising enough and weigh in.

    I use what I learned in WW for my eating habits. Let's face it - we know what to do, it is just doing it. Save that money and put it towards all those fresh veggies and fruits we know we should be eating!

    I love this site! Please feel free to add me - I will be glad to support you and I would like your support as well.

    Have a great day !
  • p1ppers
    p1ppers Posts: 40 Member
    Same here, I've done WW off and on for last year or so, just doing community challenges mostly on the website as a non-member and then doing a 3 month stint online when they run a special. I did lose weight but it was never a pound each week, more like a pound every 2-3 weeks. That's where I saw a ad for fitbit, on the WW site and looked at it and thought well this might be the ticket to see how many calories I burn vs how many I am eating each day AND with fitbit One, see my sleep patterns. So I bought one and fell in love with it. The online tracking was about like WW where you couldn't find lots of foods, so several suggested MFP for the diary part and I'm so glad, because it is the best. I linked the two and HAVE lost a lb each week doing these together. My lastest challenge on WW will end Valentines Day, and I don't see myself going back to their website after that. This is easier, cheaper, validates where you are all day long, and you can find friends at the drop of a hat and challenge them daily as they sync. If you stick with it, I think you will be much happier with your results (and I've only been doing it since Dec. and feel that way). Friend me!
  • cindypalm1
    cindypalm1 Posts: 28
    I did WW at home from my moms old points and it worked I lost over 40 pounds but then somethings happened
    in my life I got busy stopped tracking and put back on most of it. I tried to do WW's again but it was not working this time
    a friend of mine told me about this site and I love it. I can track right on my I Phone so there is no forgetting what I put in my mouth
    because my phone is with me at all times. I really like this site!
  • DebbieMc3
    DebbieMc3 Posts: 289 Member
    I also made the switch. You will do great! (and save some $)
  • cloversunshine
    cloversunshine Posts: 2
    Hello there, I am from WW too. I have found this site to be much more user friendly, fun and economical. Also, tracking points made me crazy so I would end up getting frustrated.
  • BearNelson
    BearNelson Posts: 4
    I've done both programs, but have come back to MFP because I find it easier to track on my phone. With WW I was always losing my tracking form or getting frustrated with the app.

    Looking for friends. All are welcome to add me!
  • ToriLynnYoung
    ToriLynnYoung Posts: 10 Member
    I also did WW off and on both live and online. I really liked it and, like you, didn't like the price. Now with MFP I can do the same thing without the hefty price tag. I restarted in January (2nd) and have lost 12.6 using this site. Yay! I find that completing the food diary is important though. With a big however, you will find it has a much larger data base. Every single food I've looked for has been there already so no need to sweat the details. Good luck and have fun!
  • aplhabetacheesecake
    aplhabetacheesecake Posts: 181 Member
    Hi,

    Ive done both. Im now only on MFP. I love seraching the message boards and always find my answers. Ive made some good connections with people on here to, making it nice to have a support system that I didnt get on WW.

    WW is great but you can do all the same stuff on here and more. I love my fitbit that syncs to MFP giving me added motivation to move.

    Try this site out .. you cant go wrong its the same if not better and FREE :)



    Nancy- are you still losing or in maintenance?
    I was losing 1-3lbs weekly on ww- and when I would enter foods into mfp a typical 26 point day would only end up being 1400cals.....hard for me to maintain

    so I quit ww and rebelled (hello gained all my weight back!) and im now here, fitbit tells me on average I burn about 2900-3100 cals a day, so I am eating around 2000 cals a day and the scale is stalled. I have lost inches, I can see a difference, but nothing on the scale.
  • kelr0110
    kelr0110 Posts: 213 Member
    Hi, new here, so ... I lost 30 lbs on WW (online only, no meetings) from late July 2012 til now. Average probably a pound per week. Would have liked it to be more, but I would lose and gain the same 1 to 1.5 lb over and over on some weeks. My own fault, I'm sure, as I fell away from daily food diary and can't seem to get the habit back. SO ... paying almost $20/month for WW, I am conflicted ... if I quit it, will I stop losing, perhaps backslide? BUT ... what am I paying for monthly, since all I do is track my weight ...? You see the conflict.

    My sister and a good friend swear by MFP, so I'm going to give it a try. Telling myself if it doesn't work for me or I backslide, I could always re-up for WW, right? So here I am!

    Would love some input from others who may have switched over from WW, if you would?

    catsnorchids

    Sorry I am opposite actually. I like coming on MFP for the message boards and group specific subjects (CrossFit section), but I still use WW points and pen and paper, which I've already lost 150 lbs on. I have about 40-50 lbs left and no, I'm not always angelic at my tracking, but I find it's easier because I don't necessarily have to log most vegetables because they are 0 points. I get irritated with tracking the calories of every single little thing on this food tracker.

    Please note I did NOT attend/pay for meetings while I lost the 150 lbs - I did it on my own with my points tracker and my journals (and of course exercise). Some people NEED the meetings for support and discussion, while I just found them boring and ways for people to share which new processed "fat free" foods they found just so they could fit in a taste of fake chocolate for 2 points hehee....- which was not helpful to me becasue I was trying to get away from processed fake stuff.

    Some people swear by MFP and that is awesome. Gotta do what works for you. I track using the memopad function on my phone and I have an electronic points finder I keep at work, but I've been on the program so long that I have the luxury of knowing how many points most things are.

    Either way, you HAVE to track, so if you've already stopped tracking and fell out of the habit, you're going to have to find a way to get back into it. I find the barcode scanner on MFP extremely helpful, so maybe using the SmartPhone app will be fun for you to see it calculate everything automatically :)
  • skinnyforcruise2013
    skinnyforcruise2013 Posts: 74
    I was doing ww and then I went to Atkins but after a cruise I just couldn't get back on the low carb life. So a ww friend suggested mfp and I joined today!

    I think I need the accountability of tracking my food and exercise.
  • marcia724
    marcia724 Posts: 180 Member
    I was a lifetime member of weight watchers as well. i switched to MFP and was skeptical.. but now I love it best hands down!!!
  • goddessmaurinha
    goddessmaurinha Posts: 1
    Your letter was so similiar to my situation, for a moment I thought I wrote it!! LOL…..I left WW recently because I just couldn't afford or justify the monthly fee. Although it worked great, I had fallen off a bit due to a busy life but continued to pay…I think it was beginning to feel like my crutch. I took the chance and joined MFP and although I just started, I feel so hopeful. I think from all the responses, you made the right choice. Good luck, we are on this journey together!
  • Marg3030
    Marg3030 Posts: 11 Member
    I did ww but I have found tracking food and activity easier with this site. I always felt guilty at ww when I didn't lose weight every week and the cost is a disincentive. I am working out where I go wrong looking at the reports and nutrition analysis.
  • Andyandyandyandyandy
    Andyandyandyandyandy Posts: 18 Member
    I started WW in August 2012 and made the switch to MFP on January 20. Like you, I only used the online tracker and never went to any meetings. In 5 months I lost almost 10 lb and in the three weeks on MFP I've lost 4.5 lb. I am MUCH happier with MFP than I was with WW. Like you said I was paying $20/month to track my food.

    While I found the points system easy to understand it gave me no idea about my NET intake and honestly I never knew what calories added up to until switching. I was hesitant to switch at first, but now that I understand more about calories and MFP I like it a lot more. Plus having friends in MFP makes it A LOT easier to stay motivated and on track.

    I highly recommend MFP and stop wasting $ on WW if you aren't using all of its services.
  • msemich
    msemich Posts: 3 Member
    I started the New Year by giving WW a try.. AGAIN. I signed up for a 3 month trial. I keep going back to them because WW was the way I lost weight 20 years ago - though at that time I went to meetings, this was long before the online option.

    I heard about MFP through my Facebook running group. I have found it (and it's supporting apps on iPhone and iPad) to be of IMMENSE use to me, and just as user-friendly if not more so than WW - AND ITS FREE.

    My daughter (17 and full of opinions LOL) asked me the other day, "Why do you enter your daily information in three different programs?" (this one, WW, and myapexfitness.com - the online program for my Bodybugg) Well, because two of them I paid for! The Apex site is paid for thru June and WW thru April, so I intend to get my money's worth out of it! They all have their own distinctive bonuses, but when push comes to shove, I think MFP is the winner. It would even synch with my Bodybugg if I were to buy a new one - mine is over a year old and so the two are incompatible. So when WW is up, I'm dropping it. And when June rolls around, I just might buy a new Bodybugg that will work with this program.:happy:
  • trina33
    trina33 Posts: 58 Member
    I had great success with WW in the past, but stopped counting points, and put the weight back on. I went back to meetings, but found myself struggling with the new program and got frustrated that I was spending money and not actually following the program. I joined MFP instead, and, once I started taking it seriously and tracking, I have lost weight and I love it!
  • andreamarieroberts
    andreamarieroberts Posts: 34 Member

    Let's face it - we know what to do, it is just doing it. Save that money and put it towards all those fresh veggies and fruits we know we should be eating!

    EXACTLY THIS ^

    I have used and been successful with both, but now I know that WW is just another "product". They have to keep changing it up and keep everyone guessing (how many points is in X??) so that they get paid. MFP is FREE, EASY, and totally TRANSPARENT.
  • rvfamily4
    rvfamily4 Posts: 30
    Welcome! I was on WW as well and a friend told me about this site. Same thing but free. I see a few differences but for the most part it is the same. I just got an iphone so I like that I can enter my stuff on the go and it is updated on the web.

    I really didn't chat with people on WW but I am a lot more active on this site which has helped.

    Good luck.
  • sallyaj
    sallyaj Posts: 207 Member
    As a former WW leader, I think it's smart to get off the point system and start to learn what your most effective eating plan means in terms of fat/protein/calories. Go, you!
  • deluda
    deluda Posts: 146 Member
    I, too, have done WW. I worked for them for 14 years also. I never understood why someone would pay the weekly fee and not work the program. I don't like their PPS system though. MFP fits into my budget better since it's free! A couple weeks ago I felt I needed a little more accountability so I dug out my old WW material, made a journal and now I'm recording in both places. So far I'm happy with this progress.
  • randilynn113
    randilynn113 Posts: 227 Member
    I've done WW 3 times twice online only. I found that I got bored with no interaction with people, and there was something about the points that I just got too hung up on - I don't know what my problem was. After a lot of research, I find that I like the idea of seeing my actual calorie intake on here. (this is my third go-around on MFP because I wasn't as motivated as I thought before, and I let "life" get in the way. Now I am on board, I track everything I eat no matter what - and I love the app on my phone, what a tremendous help. I love to see the calories I'm burning with my HRM. I guess I feel like this is more "real" and more of a lifestyle for me rather than always worrying about the points for the rest of my life. I also like the motivation and support on here... and I don't miss the monthly fee from WW. :smile: Good luck to you!
  • nashsheri33
    nashsheri33 Posts: 225 Member
    i did ww a few years ago. somebody at the meeting made me so mad i refused to go back. so i gained a lot of weight (that'll show them!) and was miserable. and when i'd had enough of myself, someone told me about mfp. i love that it's free, it's more user-friendly than the ww site (but it's been quite some time since i viewed the ww site, so it could be different now), and i count calories instead of points. i like that my 'friends' are all over the place and help keep each other encouraged and motivated, and comforted but held accountable if someone has a bad day and doesn't make the best choices. i also think that the community is much more varied. i see people on mfp who are interested in fitness - seriously interested in killing it at the gym, or running a marathon. at ww, i was encouraged to 'push' myself by walking a mile or so a few times a week.
    at ww, everyone wanted to lose weight. at mfp, it's easy to find people who have similar goals, whether it is losing weight, getting stronger, being healthier, whatever. ww was solely concentrated on weigh loss.

    it's true that ww is a nutritionally sound program. on mfp, you have to be careful to make sure you are eating correctly, not just counting calories. ww does try to make sure you get all the dairy you need, all the protein, etc., and on mfp you can eat pop tarts and taco bell every day - as long as you stay inside your calorie limit. but that's not so healthy. so ww gets my thumbs up for being nutritionally sound.

    if ww wasn't a great program, people would not have success. but they do. ww has been around for decades and has proven it's worth, as evidenced by the millions of people it has helped.

    it just wasn't the best fit for me.

    and the only way to know which is best for you is to try them both. welcome to mfp!
  • ladyrider55
    ladyrider55 Posts: 316 Member
    It's about time you left WW :smile: Welcome to MFP, it's a million times better! :wink: :happy: :love: :flowerforyou:

    I broke free this last November & joined MFP(friends advice)and I never looked back! :love: :heart: :blushing:
  • Gerd52
    Gerd52 Posts: 1
    I just did the same thing. Lost 45 pounds three years ago by going to WW meetings. Gained half of it back. Joined WW Online. Hate paying a fee just to track. Daughter-in-law hooked me up with this. So hard to get serious during the winter!
  • looopyloops
    looopyloops Posts: 84 Member
    I too have done weight watchers on the old program and had success, I learned a lot from the meetings that was the best part of ww and the part I still miss. I am not able to afford to go and tried out mfp almost 2 yrs ago, telling myself I would try it on my own, and I have found success, the message boards are great , lots of helpful info, but I do admit I still use a lot of what I learned in weight watchers, although now I track calories vs points, Welcome and good luck with mfp
  • BalmyD
    BalmyD Posts: 237 Member
    I was doing ww online program before they switched to pointsplus and I lost 20 pounds in about 3 months. I think that's where I really started to learn what the right portions for different foods are and how satisfying something small can be.

    However, when they changed to PointsPlus, there were too many variables that you were allowed to change. I ended up not losing any weight at all for a couple months even though I was trying to do exactly the same as I had before. Then I realized with all those variables, it had gotten so complicated I may as well count calories straight up.

    That brought me here, and I'm happy and losing weight again. :flowerforyou: I hope it works well for you too.

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