Weight Watchers

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peepsnmax11
peepsnmax11 Posts: 11
in Health and Weight Loss
I am contemplating on going to Weight Watchers. Is there anyone out there that has tried it & had success? What is your opinion of Weight Watchers?
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  • BuffyEat2Live
    BuffyEat2Live Posts: 327 Member
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    I had a love-hate relationship with it. If by success you mean actual, never-gained-back-the-weight-I-lost-on-it success, then no, WW was not successful for me. I did lose 75 pounds on WW, but I gained most of it back.

    I think that WW is a reasonable plan, if you must follow a plan. It doesn't eliminate any food groups; it just helps with portion control and emphasizes the importance of whole foods (vegetables and fruits, for the most part, are "free"). It gives you extra points for exercise...

    The difference between WW and MFP for me is that on WW I had planned binges, because WW gave me "weekly points" to use on top of the daily points, and my activity points could be used any time within a week. This made it easier to excuse my binge-eating problems, because I could just not track for a couple of days and then just say "oh well, I guess my weeklies and activities are gone now" without really ever being accountable... It also made me eat by the week instead of by the day or by the meal, which I just couldn't do forever.

    I like MFP better for the following reasons:
    ~ no restrictions on what to eat besides calories (WW doesn't really, either, but some "simple" carbs are WAY high in points, which makes people who want to eat bread and potatoes regularly sad)
    ~ no mandatory weigh-ins (even using WW Online, you are required to weigh in weekly)
    ~ FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    ~ my group of friends here is AMAZING
    ~ more user friendly than WW site (IMHO)

    I think that the people who have lifelong success with WW are those who stay on it FOREVER, and I wasn't willing to do that.

    That being said, try WW if you want to, because I think that it's great to try new things. It helps to keep you from getting too bored. I went from WW to MFP and back several times, before realizing that MFP is where I need to be.

    :drinker:
  • mrsg2006
    mrsg2006 Posts: 120 Member
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    I did Weight Watchers online and attended meetings. It worked to a point. But I got tired of them changing (even minor changes)the plan, points values, points allotment every year. I got tired of counting points too. I was paying for it but I was not logging in or weighing in weekly. It ended up being a waste of money. Unlike what the OP said, I don't recall being required to weigh-in weekly when doing it online, Only at the meetings. About 10 years ago I lost 25lbs going to meetings . I gained it back when I got pregnant and then I lost 10-15lbs of doing it online. It's been fluctuating. I figured I would try something different which is why I am on MFP now.
  • mcsweetly
    mcsweetly Posts: 133 Member
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    I did not find success on WW. I am doing much better on My Fitness Pal. Its so much easier to count calories than the formula and in my opinion WW is designed to make you lose weight S L O W. They are in the business to make money, therefore do not want you to lose too quickly. Not that I want to lose quickly!

    I actually fell off the wagon on WW before because I had a ton of problems with their site not working and a lot of people did. They were slow to fix it if at all and keep changing things, so once you learn it I found it changed.

    Either way if you are trying to get healthy that's all that matters and everyone finds their own success. I wish you luck!
  • Cocobeancjr
    Cocobeancjr Posts: 11
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    Question: I am trying to understand Weight Watchers in general.

    So say you are at 28 points daily which I think is 50 cals per point so 1400 calories per day. And you don't use your activity points.

    Say you burned 600 calories working out 1.5 hours per your Polar Heart Rate Monitor.

    I am getting if that is the case you are living on only 800 calories that day from myfitnesspals program.

    Anyone on WW can you tell me if this is right? Thanks
  • nicole_andan
    nicole_andan Posts: 127
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    in my personal opinion weight watchers is just calorie counting so the only difference between MFP and WW is that WW has meetings (and not particularly good ones if you ask me - slimming world is much better for meetings if that floats your boat).
    In the UK there is a programme called Dispatches, it's a documentary and they did one called Weight Watchers: How they make their millions... It was eye opening to say the least!
    As you can tell I don't really like weight watchers! But in all honesty, if you find it helpful then you should go for it because we all have to find our own path to weight loss!!!
  • nicole_andan
    nicole_andan Posts: 127
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    Question: I am trying to understand Weight Watchers in general.

    So say you are at 28 points daily which I think is 50 cals per point so 1400 calories per day. And you don't use your activity points.

    Say you burned 600 calories working out 1.5 hours per your Polar Heart Rate Monitor.

    I am getting if that is the case you are living on only 800 calories that day from myfitnesspals program.

    Anyone on WW can you tell me if this is right? Thanks

    You can choose to use your "activity points" either daily or weekly or not at all.
  • Cocobeancjr
    Cocobeancjr Posts: 11
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    So if I didn't use them I would be living on 800 cals per day if I burned off 600 per workout right?
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
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    I was a member of WW for a while,l and I will say that at first, the group atmosphere and the "truth factor" of that weekly weigh-in was a great motivator.

    But for me, counting points was a pain in the *kitten*, and a lot of hocus-pocus math that gets to the same goal as MFP: eat less, move more, log what you shove in your face, and be realistic about your expectations and goals.

    I also REALLY got tired of the second-hand pop psychology. We regularly had a couple of members who used WW sessions almost like group therapy, and the leader did nothing to limit their constant whining about what their significant other "made" them eat, or all the stresses in their life that were making them stress eat. Hire a damned shrink already!

    There's still lots of whining and pop-psychology on MFP, but at least I can choose to ignore it if I choose (and I usually do!), and I get what really works for me--namely the logging
  • Punkedpoetess
    Punkedpoetess Posts: 633 Member
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    I had a love-hate relationship with it. If by success you mean actual, never-gained-back-the-weight-I-lost-on-it success, then no, WW was not successful for me. I did lose 75 pounds on WW, but I gained most of it back.

    I think that WW is a reasonable plan, if you must follow a plan. It doesn't eliminate any food groups; it just helps with portion control and emphasizes the importance of whole foods (vegetables and fruits, for the most part, are "free"). It gives you extra points for exercise...

    The difference between WW and MFP for me is that on WW I had planned binges, because WW gave me "weekly points" to use on top of the daily points, and my activity points could be used any time within a week. This made it easier to excuse my binge-eating problems, because I could just not track for a couple of days and then just say "oh well, I guess my weeklies and activities are gone now" without really ever being accountable... It also made me eat by the week instead of by the day or by the meal, which I just couldn't do forever.

    I like MFP better for the following reasons:
    ~ no restrictions on what to eat besides calories (WW doesn't really, either, but some "simple" carbs are WAY high in points, which makes people who want to eat bread and potatoes regularly sad)
    ~ no mandatory weigh-ins (even using WW Online, you are required to weigh in weekly)
    ~ FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    ~ my group of friends here is AMAZING
    ~ more user friendly than WW site (IMHO)

    I think that the people who have lifelong success with WW are those who stay on it FOREVER, and I wasn't willing to do that.

    That being said, try WW if you want to, because I think that it's great to try new things. It helps to keep you from getting too bored. I went from WW to MFP and back several times, before realizing that MFP is where I need to be.

    :drinker:

    I had a similar experience, except I had lost 35 pounds on WW and kept about half of it off before coming here. Just working on the last few pounds now, but doing much better.
  • Cocobeancjr
    Cocobeancjr Posts: 11
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    OOO NO I am not a WW member. LOL

    I do my fitness pal and fitbit. I was just wondering cause my friend is way into it and was worried she was not taking in enough calories to be healthy. I keep trying to explain to her the concept but I don't think I am explaining it right of the net calories for the day that MFP gives me.

    Since she is loosing so much she is all about WW. I just want to understand how some can live healthy on less that 1200 calories per day.
  • meganfoster12
    meganfoster12 Posts: 411 Member
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    I did weight watchers and didnt enjoy it at all; it was costly and not the greatest support system. Plus I count calories which MFP does and WW doesnt really because there is "free food" (veggies, fruits) even though there is calories in them! I am having more success on MFP than I did wiht WW :)
  • eileen0515
    eileen0515 Posts: 408 Member
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    I've had great success with WW online. I've lost 41 pounds on the program. Being online means I did not attend one meeting. I'm here because I want to compare, and really see the calories, and nutrients I'm eating. I am also getting close to goal, and need a plan for maintaining for the rest of my life, that does not cost anything, or require I weigh in for Lifetime.

    I see a lot of people saying it didn't work for them, both here and on the WW forum. But when you read them, it is obvious they were not "really" following it.

    Bottom line becoming a healthier you requires discipline, whichever you choose.
  • pdphelps138
    pdphelps138 Posts: 25 Member
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    WW was good for me at the being...

    I had used WW forever and then they changed to the 360 which we all had to convert to but I never lost another pound. Not long ago I shared with my doctor that WW was not working for me anymore. She mentioned that there had been several people to tell her the same thing. My doctor is the person that told me about MFP...and that it is free! I am a saltaholic and I love being able to view my sodium intake. Maybe you should try this site for a while before putting money into WW.
  • rekite2000
    rekite2000 Posts: 218 Member
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    I did it for a couple of months, but hated I couldn't see anything but points so I was double journaling my food with MFP. Why pay to do that. I just did online since getting to meetings wouldn't work. From what I understood, if you burn more than four points in activities then you eat the extras. You can eat them all if you wanted. I just felt like it wasn't teaching me proper nutrition. Plus their barcode scanner sucked! MFP is much better for that. I don't think it is bad, but I just wanted more knowledge about my foods. The meetings might make a huge difference. Not sure.
  • ChantalD75
    ChantalD75 Posts: 680 Member
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    I have tried WW 3 times. I find MFP SO much easier. PLUS it's FREEEEEE!!!! Can't beat that! If you miss a meeting at WW you need to pay for that missed meeting the following week. I find my group of friends on MFP more modivating and helpful. When weighing in at WW I felt like a heard of cows... they never gave me encouragement or a 'talk' if I gained weight.

    Hands down MFP is my choice!:flowerforyou:
  • mklassy123
    mklassy123 Posts: 153
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    I did weight watchers and I even worked for them for awhile. This was many years and many program changes ago. It was prior to the points system, it was monitoring your carbs, proteins, fats, milks, etc... I loved it and I thought it was very healthy and easy to follow. Of course over years I gained the weight back, but I also stopped following hte program. The points system was too much for me and I was constantly obsessing over points, calories, this, that, food, etc... Now I don't like the new program at all. I do have friends who are very successful on it. Everyone is different and not everything works for everyone.

    I don't want to pay for it. I don't want to have to attend meetings. One of my biggest issues with it was the weeks that I didn't go weigh in were the ones that I cheated, and then cheated some more because I didnt' weigh in. It made me rely too heavily on someone else as opposed to myself.

    I haven't tried this new version but I had friends who have done it or are doing it explain it to me. I can't be told I can have unlimited fruits and vegetables and not eat much of other foods (too many points). For me that is a recipe for failue.
  • ellepribro
    ellepribro Posts: 226 Member
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    I just ended Weight Watchers when I joined MFP. It works if you follow it. Like anything else, you need to have the commitment and determination. Both are lifestyle changes, and are easy to follow.
    WW changes frequently (that's how they get you to keep paying to go back). MFP was free, so that was a bonus for me.
  • Cocobeancjr
    Cocobeancjr Posts: 11
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    I would give MFP a try first ! I just found this site and its the best. ANNNND it's FREEEEEE

    I know to some logging in all you eat all day on here is daunting but we are creatures of habit when it comes to food I've found.
    After a while MFP is easy cause all your foods will pull up for you to just check mark them to add them to each meal.

    Plus I have never found a website with such a great array of brand foods listed. It is very rare I have to add my own foods.

    If your going to spend your money, spend it on a good Polar Heart Rate Monitor. I have the FT7 model and love it. This will help you to log your fitness calories burned on here because after all its your heart its monitoring right? :)

    I have lost 4lbs in 4wks on here by just watching my calorie intake with MFP. I know not much but its a start.

    I will reach my goal weight on Dec 15, 2013. So it is a long road but if your willing to work for it I think the pay off is well worth it.

    BTW in the big picture of things a year of your life is like a BLINK. (Thank you Kenny Chesney).
  • nicole_andan
    nicole_andan Posts: 127
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    So if I didn't use them I would be living on 800 cals per day if I burned off 600 per workout right?

    Basically you are allocated a number of daily points which are worked out according to your weight. The lowest you can go is 28 daily points and then in addition to this you get 49 weekly points that you can use for what you want, when you want or not at all. Similarly to Slimming World fruit and veg (apart from starchy carbs) are free.
    So in answer to your question, if you didn't use your activity points or your weekly points then you are right you would be living of very very low calories daily.
  • Rowan813
    Rowan813 Posts: 170 Member
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    I am a lifetime member of WW. The program seems to be most helpful to those new to weight loss. If you get into a good meeting you can make some good friends and it can be lots of fun. There was a time when I liked the accountability of getting on a scale in front of someone else once a week. WW really just encourages healthy eating and portion control.It does try to get people to look at a new lifestyle instead of a short term diet. At this point in my life I prefer MFP. WW doesn't have much to offer after you have been there a long time and you are at goal. I really hate all of the fake diet foods they push while telling you to focus on fruits and veggies.

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