Weight Watchers vs. MFP

For me, Weight Watchers didn't fix what was broken. I'm also a life time member. I don't blame WW for me not keeping the weight off, so don't get me wrong there. It is, just like weight watchers was a game. Points vs. food value I take the food value approach.

I love MFP so much better! Find it easier and more motivating! I have cosistantly lost with MFP but not WW. You have to find what works for you.

I am a WWer and this is what I discovered doing both at the same time....if you consume more starchy carbs then your calories on MFP will be less then if you eat more non-starchy foods. When I eat more vegetables & fruits in a day and very minimal starches even if healthy like whole wheat bread then I eat my calorie limit here on MFP or slightly more. Funny I always wondered how many calories was in the points I was eating at WWs now I now!
I am about to quit again because of the money. I must say I have learned a lot again from the fabulous leader I had...she is awesome! Free is always a bonus!

Thanks for the responses. This is my first 5 minutes on MFP and I am liking it so far. I put meals in breakfast and lunch, and realized I only had less than 500 calories for dinner if I want to stay within the 1200 calories to lose...could be the reason I have not been having much success with WW...I guess it wouldnt hurt to do both until this comes more easily.

Do you find you end up eating the same things so its easier to track?

Count your calories as points or as calories...I go with the real deal!

If your at 1200 calories....you must be in the 1% in the world that is actually on a 1200 calorie plan. Somebody send her the roadmap link.....I'm not that technical....Thanks....Show her how to eat more and lose.


Nutrition is a diet.............Nutrition with exercise is a LIFESTYLE!

Aggie, I am a lifetime WW as well...and yes it does work but I need a little something different myself....I'm not sure how to have "friends" on MFP....I do think that would help with the motivation!!!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/help/faq/43-how-do-i-add-a-friend

Today I came onto MFP- free- and realized the amount of calories I am consuming versus what I need to lose.

Has anyone switched from WW to here, and what do you think?

Places like MFP and Calorie King are more finite to a more definite total calorie count.

I remember my mother doing WW successfully in the early 1970s and back then it was more like MFP & CK.

WW is a bit nebulous ... rounding things off to near enough points/numbers.

I've done WW twice in my adult (male) life and I can say that I was the only male in my local WW group both times. It was more tailored to the mass of females in the group. They were nice to me but in the long run it was too expensive for a weekly weigh-in and a "motherhood & apple-pie" lecture from the group leader.

MFP & CK are more suitable if you are good at personal responsibility.

Also, I like that it fits the Smartphone era.

Good luck with your weight loss journey.

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Regards,
Green Peace …
THE RAINBOW WARRIOR
TORONTO, New South Wales,
(East Coast) AUSTRALIA

r_a_i_n_b_o_w__w_a_r_r_i_o_r@hotmail.com

I've done WW many times over the years and I get out of it what I put in. I quit this time because I was losing and gaining the same few pounds over and over for years. With MFP i'm trying something different and expecting different results. It's much easier to track calories instead of converting everything to points. So far, I've tracked 45 days in a row. I'm hooked.

Thanks for the responses. This is my first 5 minutes on MFP and I am liking it so far. I put meals in breakfast and lunch, and realized I only had less than 500 calories for dinner if I want to stay within the 1200 calories to lose...could be the reason I have not been having much success with WW...I guess it wouldnt hurt to do both until this comes more easily.

Do you find you end up eating the same things so its easier to track?

I often will eat the same things to make it easy to track, but once you've been at it for a few weeks, you'll have lots of different foods that are easy to log. You'll develop a rythm. My advice to you, is to try having a larger calorie goal, don't do 1200 if you don't have to. If you've got the time to be patient, take it at a slower pace. What works for me, is to use an online calculator to find out how many calories i need to maintain a weight that is 10 lbs. lighter than my current weight and set that as my net goal for calories. Once i reach that weight, i set a new goal, and new calorie goal. Hope this helps! Good luck!

I switched and couldn't be happier.

I was stuck at 142+ lbs on WW, because if fruit is FREE I will overeat on it - I could pack over half a day's calories into a smoothie. I'd also eat snacks over 100 calories (a whole can of green beans) that were "free."

On top of that, I had learned to "max out" every point value . . . I'd stay on the eliptical for 27 minutes for 3 points, instead of 26 minutes for 2 points, then switch machines and do the same. I'd add food to my scale, one piece at a time until it popped up to the next point, then take the last one off - so every point I ate was at the top of its range and every activity point I earned at the bottom.

If you're battling serious obesity and a lifetime of such poor eating habits that you really don't know how to eat a healthy diet, then Weight Watchers MEETINGS are a good starting point. Otherwise, MFP has it beat, hands down - and unlike the fruit and vegetables on the Weight Watchers plan - MFP really IS FREE.

THIS. I ate so much fruit...yes, you can pack on pounds eating bananas and grapes. I can did eat that much. And I would eat exactly my points for 1 week...and gain. I had to always eat under them. It's because I think I "tweaked" them too. I would push the limit.

I find I need the discipline for myself to put in all my calories. And have no "free" foods like bananas.

I have been using MFP for over a year (including while I was pregnant). Within the last week I signed up for weight watchers and am shocked. I still tracked on MFP to compare calories. Everything I have read says a woman should not eat less than 1200 calories a day. So far the days that I tracked on both WW and MFP when I reached my total points for the day I was only at 900-950 calories! How is that healthy. I signed up to make it easier for my husband but I don't want to "starve" myself either! I'm canceling my WW and sticking with MFP!

I just came over to MFP after being on WW for 6 months. I was able to lose 38lbs on WW so as far as success goes, it worked for me. I learned a lot from going to the WW meetings and having the weekly accountability of getting on the scale. I'd like to learn more about healthy eating by knowing how many calories a food item is, not just a point value. Those 0 point fruits and veggies have real live calories so I wanted to learn to get a handle on the calorie counting thing. I need to learn to be accountable to myself for the # on the scale. I don't fear it (getting on the scale) like I used to. I've taken a bit of a break (about 3 weeks) from trying to lose and have just tried to maintain. I've been tracking everything but not being super strict with myself about sticking to my regular eating routine, and I've still managed to lose 2 lbs in those 3 weeks. So far I absolutely love MFP, I think the database of foods is soooooooo much better and the price is definitely right! Good luck in making your decision.

I am so happy that I found MFP! I am tracking on MFP and WW online for now, but I really like MFP better than WW. I did well on the old WW, but the new Points Plus just wasn't working for me.

I think the problem is that fruits are 0 points. I can see why it's like that, because they are trying to encourage you to make healthier choices, but that didn't work for me because I was already eating a lot of fruits to begin with, and they still have calories. Also, foods with a lot of carbohydrates cost a lot of points to encourage you to eat more high fiber, high protein foods. If I ate foods with carbohydrates, I used up a lot of points and I was hungry because I didn't have enough points for later in the day. I found myself counting down to the end of the week until my weekly points would reset.

I joined MFP a week ago, and I find that I'm not hungry like I was on WW. (I set MFP to lose 1 pound/week). It's also so much easier to just look up the calories. I don't have to waste time converting to points, and since I'm not hungry all the time, I know I can stick with MFP for a long time. Another plus is that MFP is free!

I've tried WW several times but never lost weight with them I prefer calorie counting because it is so straightforward. It's scientific - if you eat more than you expend you gain weight, if you eat less you lose weight - so simple. It is working for me and it is the only thing that does. When I was younger I could have lost weight on 1500 cals, but now my calorie goal is 1000 cals but I still lose terribly slowly on that so rather than reduce further, I have to exercise (a lot) as well. Being able to see and keep track of the numbers really motivates me.

I've tried WW and I actually like this better! It seems easier to me bc you learn what you need to adjust rather than just calculating points. You see the breakdown better here...and it's FREE!! 8D

I started WW in Jan. 2012 and lost 30 lbs up to about June. Then I stalled because I ignored the plan and stopped working out because of serious rotator cuff injuries. At any rate, WW does work but it is not designed for weight lifters. It will stop working. It's based only on the BMI, which WW admits is not perfect but it's all they have to go by.

I was introduced to MFP by a few of the people at bodybuilding.com, and cancelled my WW membership just the other day. At 34 Daily Points, 49 Weekly Points and about 21 Activity Points spread out over 7 days, that came to about 1720 calories per day, or 43 DPs. I'm 190 lbs (5'5") with about 24 % bodyfat. All other calorie requirements calculators put me at about 1900 calories for weight loss to get to about 165 and 14% b.f., not 1700 calories. Even on the 1900 I'm a bit hungry. But I guess "a bit hungry" is good.

Anyway, I wish WW had a way of tracking macros in addition to points, but keep in mind WW is a weight loss plan, not necessarily a fat loss plan. A whole pizza is about 40 points. I could have eaten that pizza all day long and been within my allotted points. But is it the best thing to do, Good Health Guidelines notwithstanding? I gotta say no.