MFP Vs. Weight Watchers
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I went to WW. All I remember thinking was that there were really nice women at the meetings, but why was I PAYING to weigh in? I really liked the support there, and hearing the various stories, but the other thing that kind of bugged me was that I felt like the WW products were really pushed hard at us. I never understood why package, processed foods were encouraged to be consumed in lieu of eating fresh fruits and vegetables. Their products were/are by no means inexpensive, either. So, I guess to each their own...I find viewing the success stories on this site are very uplifting, and I also love the database of foods here...I have NEVER not been able to find any food on this site's database. It's really incredible. AND it's free...
Anyway, best of luck to you!! 0 -
I hated there food library (never had it in there) and there scanner never found what I had scanned. I would use the MFP food journal or scanner to find out the info then put it in the WW journal and that to me was silliness! I would rather have people motivating me then some high paid actress who probably has food prepared for them most of the time anyway. And as for the free food, if you juice it then its not free.0
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Honestly I'm thinking the same thing and I'm currently on Weight Watchers. I keep battling with the decision if I should cancel. One thing that I do like different with WW vs. MFP is that fruits and veggies are free points so I don't have to calculate them whereas with MFP EVERYTHING we eat has a caloric value that has to be calculated into your allotted caloric intake for the day. The meetings can be helpful if you need that moral support however I rarely even stay for the meetings but they're there if I need them. When I joined MFP I noticed that the gyst of the app was practically exact to the WW app as well.
It sounds the same to me as well. I don't have an iphone so I can't use either.0 -
I am a Lifetime Member of WW and have attended off and on since I was in college. I lost 45 pounds with them. The program is very good. The amount of research they do is amazing. I find that they are excellent for those new to weight loss. The meetings can be good and you can make some good friends and exchange ideas. At times I like the accountability of getting on a scale in front of someone else and having them track the number. These days MFP is working better for me. I know how to eat and mostly need to track my intake to stay on plan.
The other thing I dislike about WW is that they try to get you to eat pretty clean, then they try to sell you a bunch of junk food bars and processed crap.
So true! I guess they only do that to make money. I don't buy any of their products. They are expensive.0 -
Honestly I'm thinking the same thing and I'm currently on Weight Watchers. I keep battling with the decision if I should cancel. One thing that I do like different with WW vs. MFP is that fruits and veggies are free points so I don't have to calculate them whereas with MFP EVERYTHING we eat has a caloric value that has to be calculated into your allotted caloric intake for the day. The meetings can be helpful if you need that moral support however I rarely even stay for the meetings but they're there if I need them. When I joined MFP I noticed that the gyst of the app was practically exact to the WW app as well.
I have a friend still on WW and she uses a nutribullet and logged her drink and it was not free. Apparently when you juice its not free, free it was worth 7 points.0 -
I found WW to be very helpful when I first joined. I lost 40lbs and was at a great weight and very fit. For someone who has never eaten healthy it is a great introduction to portion control and healthy options. They did not emphasize exercise very much but I exercised quite a bit on WW. I found eventually that I "outgrew" WW. After my 2nd baby was born I went back to WW but soon found that the cost wasn't worth what I was getting since I knew the strategies to use to lose weight.0
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The only difference I see besides the cost is the meeting aspect of it. If you like that sort of thing go for it.
I did WW and found them to not stress the exercise part of weight loss. Most (not all) but most of the ladies I encountered were very flabby with a lot of weight around their middle. Skinny fat. I didn't want that. Now don't get me wrong I lost weight on WW, but that was because I stopped eating like a hog... Also I was eating a lot of the WW meals which we all now know are not good for us. Personally I think you can do the same or better on MFP. You will learn a lot about nutrition, not just cutting calories.
Lastly, I have noticed that every so many months or years I see commercials for the 'NEW' Weight Watchers. There is one out now. Why do they keep changing? If its working why change it? Last time I checked it's pretty easy to lose weight and the formula for it is never new and improved. Portion control and exercise works every time. No gimmick needed.
Hope that helps... Good luck to you in whatever you decide...
I have noticed the flabby stomach thing too. Every meetings leader around me kind of had a flabby stomach even though they were quite thin. The celebrities who lose weight on the program don't really but they often exercise like 3 hours a day. There is no way with a family and in the future working that I can exercise 3 hours a day like Jessica Simpson did.
I chalked the flab up to the fact that are getting little to no exercise. Which isn't stressed at all. At least not the last time I did WW back in 2011... It may be different now.0 -
I went to Weight Watchers on and off for about a year and lost about 7lbs overall because I couldn't commit to meetings (work and money, WW Online isn't available in my area either) and I just simply didn't have the patience to be working out the points all the time. For me its a lot quicker to put in the food and portion size on MFP, and then Bob's your uncle, you've logged your intake. With WW, you'd have to figure out how much carbs, fat, protein and fibre were in your portion before you could even start to calculate your points. And don't even get me started on potatoes - I could never ever figure out what the points were.
I don't feel guilty on here either if I indulge in a bit of something "naughty"- if I ate some on WW, say a 45g bar of Dairy Milk, 7 of my daily pro points would be gone in a flash. It just seemed so restrictive, even with free fruit and veg because there was just too many things I like and cutting them generally resulted in me bingeing.
I had a look at the nutritional values of some of the WW products (namely biscuits and yoghurts) in the supermarket the other day and they seem to be only marginally "better" than similar standard products. I know I'd rather eat a smaller amount of nicer, more flavourful food than a larger amount of bland, highly artificially sweetened food. I can see why people eat them though, its just easier than working out the points yourself!0 -
I just realized that in the WW world I would be considered a failure. Month 2 of Insanity and I have only lost about 4 pounds since beginning of March. But I've lost a lot of inches and almost 2 pant sizes.. hmmmmm Something to consider. How do they measure success? The number on the scale or your body fat% and how fit you are?
That thought just hit me like a ton of bricks. That alone would never have me go back to them because if success is measured strictly by the number on the scale, many of us would be failures.
Yes MFP is so much better. IMO0 -
I like that answer!0
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I joined WW in Jan. 2012, not as a resolutioner, but because I needed a jumpstart after 2+ years of gym layoff and diet going to the dogs. WW seemed like a no-brainer and it was. I lost 30 lbs by May 2012, but then things conspired against me, and I lost motivation. I tried to pick it up again on and off since November 2012, but I just couldn't do it. I got tired of the meetings which were always commandeered by two or three people. Moreover, for a weightlifter, WW doesn't work. WW is a weight loss plan, not necessarily fat loss. Don't misunderstand, it does work, depending on one's goals. MFP was recommended by the guys at bodybuilding.com Admittedly I found it is much easier to track points in WW than macros in MFP, but MFP gives a far more complete picture. It also does not rely solely on the BMI, as WW does. So I finally cancelled my WW membership this month.0
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I just realized that in the WW world I would be considered a failure. Month 2 of Insanity and I have only lost about 4 pounds since beginning of March. But I've lost a lot of inches and almost 2 pant sizes.. hmmmmm Something to consider. How do they measure success? The number on the scale or your body fat% and how fit you are?
That thought just hit me like a ton of bricks. That alone would never have me go back to them because if success is measured strictly by the number on the scale, many of us would be failures.
Yes MFP is so much better. IMO
That's why I say WW is a weight loss plan, not necessarily fat loss. Moreover, if you are given 40 DPs, that's a whole plain pizza. You could nickel and dime it to death all day and still be within points, but is it a healthy way to eat? WW stresses the power foods and GHGs, but how many people really pay attention to them? That pizza fits in my points!0 -
I have tried WW off and on over the years, with some success. I would always end up quitting because I didn't like the leader. She has been there for years and is the leader at every meeting location within an easy drive of my home. She just didn't motivate me and her voice is like chalk on a blackboard! I do think they offer a free, sample meeting. Maybe that would help you decide.0
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It is almost the same as MFP, but not quite.I have a couple of friends who have been really trying to get me to join them at weight watchers and I have been a little intrigued by the meeting aspect of their method. However when I talk to them about weight watchers approach and how the eat it sounds like EXACTLY what I am doing on MFP...and I am doing it for FREE!!! I am trying to understand why I would pay for something that I am doing here for free...So my question is...is there something about the weight watchers approach that is more beneficial other than just the moral support at the meetings then MFP alone???
- Some people find it easier to count and calculate points, vs counting calories. I am still torn as to which one I find easier (I've been a WW member for over 10 years).
- Some people find the support of meeting in a group setting, sharies stores, successes, failures, ideas better than using the online forums of MFP. I
(I personally feel that while there is a lot of support on MFP, there are also a ton of people who a)have no idea what they are talking about and/or give awful advice and
a bunch of very rude people. In a personal group meeting type setting - I don't think you see as much of that).
If you have the option of doing either WW or MFP, I'd suggest trying both and just choose which one you prefer. For many years, I actually NEEDED the accountability of going to the WW meetings and stepping on their scale every week, in order to stay motiviated and continue losing weight.
Now, I have found that I don't need it - and I can stay motivated on my own - so I stopped paying to get weighed in there, stopped attending the meetings - and I just count points on my own, because as of right now - I prefer calculating points vs. counting calories.
Since your friends are trying to get you to join WW it may not be a bad idea to go with them - some find the support of their friends VERY helpful in staying focused with their diet. When you have your actual friends supporting you and doing the same program as you - it tends to be a little easier. With MFP, I feel like you are much more on your own as far as motivation goes, and the support of the strangers in the forums.0 -
I just realized that in the WW world I would be considered a failure. Month 2 of Insanity and I have only lost about 4 pounds since beginning of March. But I've lost a lot of inches and almost 2 pant sizes.. hmmmmm Something to consider. How do they measure success? The number on the scale or your body fat% and how fit you are?
That thought just hit me like a ton of bricks. That alone would never have me go back to them because if success is measured strictly by the number on the scale, many of us would be failures.
Yes MFP is so much better. IMO
^^^^ THIS!0 -
I just realized that in the WW world I would be considered a failure. Month 2 of Insanity and I have only lost about 4 pounds since beginning of March. But I've lost a lot of inches and almost 2 pant sizes.. hmmmmm Something to consider. How do they measure success? The number on the scale or your body fat% and how fit you are?
That thought just hit me like a ton of bricks. That alone would never have me go back to them because if success is measured strictly by the number on the scale, many of us would be failures.
Yes MFP is so much better. IMO
That's why I say WW is a weight loss plan, not necessarily fat loss. Moreover, if you are given 40 DPs, that's a whole plain pizza. You could nickel and dime it to death all day and still be within points, but is it a healthy way to eat? WW stresses the power foods and GHGs, but how many people really pay attention to them? That pizza fits in my points!
:drinker:0 -
Is having to be accountable to an unknown lady a good reason to pay 60$ per month? Maybe not...
Exactly! For $60/month you can join a gym and weigh-in in front of the receptionist, OR, go to your doctor's office for that matter! I gained wait when I first went to WW becuase I didn't know that my breakfast of cut up bananas, grapes and oranges was too much sugar! Because the points were "free," I thought I was being a model member. NOT!
Love MFP! I also love that programs like Runtastic and gadgets like FitBit automatically upload to the program, automatically adjusting my calorie totals!0 -
Personally, I tried WW and I did not find it as convenient as MFP. I didnt like counting points nearly as much and dont agree with some things being free because I can have 5 cups of grapes and that is 500 calories but 0 pnts on WW. Also MFP is free and I love all the support that comes along with it. But if you have friends doing WW that might be beneficial because you guys can do it together! 0
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I did WW more times and spent more money than I will admit and this is free and just about the same thing. I love the daily support and encouragement I did not feel like I was getting from the meetings. The people I am friends with (feel free to add me) are extremely supportive and I don't feel alone during the week on my journey.0
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No matter what method you use, it is your responsibility to educate yourself on what is healthy and what isn't. At least at my Weight Watchers meetings, they gave us weekly reading materials on what foods are better to eat, and things like that. It is up to you to read them and learn how to eat properly. They are just giving you the tools to make healthier choices than you were before you joined. It is the same as MFP. MFP teaches you absolutely nothing about what foods are better for you. If a pizza fits into your calories for the day, why shouldn't you eat it? It is the same thing. I just get a little aggravated when I see people blaming Weight Watchers for not teaching them what foods are bad and good, because it just isn't true.
Plus, it is somewhat common sense that certain fruits have more sugars in them than others.. and who said natural fruit sugars are bad for you anyway? WW is telling you to eat 5 servings a day, so you aren't eating anything "bad" if you stick to that.0
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