MFP Vs. Weight Watchers
Replies
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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!
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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 -
The new points plus program takes the 5 servings of "free" fruits and veggies into consideration when they give you your daily points value. If they weren't "free" you'd basically be getting less daily points.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 -
Nothing beats MFP.....especially the Forums
:drinker:0 -
I was with WW for 3 months and only lost 6 lbs. I started MFP and lost 7 lbs in 2 weeks. The WW approach with no points fruits and veggies I think worked against me. I would eat a ton of fruit and veggies as well as all my daily points and I think I was consuming too many calories. MFP, to me is the same system without assigning points to foods.
My vote is MFP...0 -
My hubby joined WW a few months ago and is always trying to determine how many "points" items are. He is down 10 pounds now. I recently re-started MFP, as you know, for free, and just log the individual items and don't have to calculate points. We are both doing well on our respective programs, though I think when his membership comes up for renewal, he'll be joining me using MFP.
Whatever works for you, works for you, free or not!0 -
I started weight watchers Feb 26 2012, in that time I have lost 40lbs. For someone who has always gone to the gym and focused on body composition *always* starting WW and having them focus only on total body weight drove me flipping mental. I am still a member today, but have seemingly plateaued for the past 4 months. Lose 2lbs gain 2lbs.
I am starting MFP today, and have found that what I would eat for my daily points, does not marry up with what I should be consuming calorie wise. Thus, throwing my body into a huge defecit once you account for the amount and level of my training at the gym. Hence my plateau.
WW was helpful to get me going and be more concious of what i was eating and how much. MFP I beleive will take me to the next level in my journey and get me to where I want to be physically and mentally.
I do not beleive the cost of WW can be justified by the services that they are providing. The meetings are suitable for people with next to no knowledge of healthy living.
I would reccomend WW for someone who is just starting out with a healthy lifestyle.0 -
I lost 20 pounds on WW shortly after the birth of my child and that had been my goal. Their program works if you do it the way it's intended. I did "go to meetings" type of WW, not their online version. The leader presented info on a variety of topics, shared her personal story and we exchanged recipes.
Having said that, I hated having to weigh myself in front of the group leader. It reminded me of doctor visits. I didn't make any friends in the group (the ladies were much older and in different life paths from mine) whereas on MFP, I've found great supportive friends who have been there for me through various challenges. I like MFP much better. It's free, easier to use, and no public weighing. At WW, I didn't get much from the meetings. Much of the info is pretty basic. If you've read a few fitness type books or serious websites, you'd know much of the info anyway.
For me, MFP is better.0 -
I started weight watchers Feb 26 2012, in that time I have lost 40lbs. For someone who has always gone to the gym and focused on body composition *always* starting WW and having them focus only on total body weight drove me flipping mental. I am still a member today, but have seemingly plateaued for the past 4 months. Lose 2lbs gain 2lbs.
I am starting MFP today, and have found that what I would eat for my daily points, does not marry up with what I should be consuming calorie wise. Thus, throwing my body into a huge defecit once you account for the amount and level of my training at the gym. Hence my plateau.
WW was helpful to get me going and be more concious of what i was eating and how much. MFP I beleive will take me to the next level in my journey and get me to where I want to be physically and mentally.
I do not beleive the cost of WW can be justified by the services that they are providing. The meetings are suitable for people with next to no knowledge of healthy living.
I would reccomend WW for someone who is just starting out with a healthy lifestyle.
Just numbers on a scale. I also believe it is a bit deceptive as well. Because as big as Jennifer Hudson was there is no way she got that body without some kind of weight/cardio training. But the commercials would have you believe she did it all with WW and only WW. She lost over 80 pounds and there isn't an ounce of flab on her. She it tone and taunt.. You don't get that way from WW alone.0 -
I started weight watchers Feb 26 2012, in that time I have lost 40lbs. For someone who has always gone to the gym and focused on body composition *always* starting WW and having them focus only on total body weight drove me flipping mental. I am still a member today, but have seemingly plateaued for the past 4 months. Lose 2lbs gain 2lbs.
I am starting MFP today, and have found that what I would eat for my daily points, does not marry up with what I should be consuming calorie wise. Thus, throwing my body into a huge defecit once you account for the amount and level of my training at the gym. Hence my plateau.
WW was helpful to get me going and be more concious of what i was eating and how much. MFP I beleive will take me to the next level in my journey and get me to where I want to be physically and mentally.
I do not beleive the cost of WW can be justified by the services that they are providing. The meetings are suitable for people with next to no knowledge of healthy living.
I would reccomend WW for someone who is just starting out with a healthy lifestyle.
Just numbers on a scale. I also believe it is a bit deceptive as well. Because as big as Jennifer Hudson was there is no way she got that body without some kind of weight/cardio training. But the commercials would have you believe she did it all with WW and only WW. She lost over 80 pounds and there isn't an ounce of flab on her. She it tone and taunt.. You don't get that way from WW alone.
no that's exactly it. When you gauge your success based on their half truths, you start to beleive you aren't as successful as you actually are! My friends obviously have noticed the biggest difference in my body, and everytime I see them they always say how much my body is changing... where as the # on the scale contradicts that!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 amazing. Who knew you could lose a lot of inches and pant sizes just from exercising. You must be very proud of yourself.0 -
I started weight watchers Feb 26 2012, in that time I have lost 40lbs. For someone who has always gone to the gym and focused on body composition *always* starting WW and having them focus only on total body weight drove me flipping mental. I am still a member today, but have seemingly plateaued for the past 4 months. Lose 2lbs gain 2lbs.
I am starting MFP today, and have found that what I would eat for my daily points, does not marry up with what I should be consuming calorie wise. Thus, throwing my body into a huge defecit once you account for the amount and level of my training at the gym. Hence my plateau.
WW was helpful to get me going and be more concious of what i was eating and how much. MFP I beleive will take me to the next level in my journey and get me to where I want to be physically and mentally.
I do not beleive the cost of WW can be justified by the services that they are providing. The meetings are suitable for people with next to no knowledge of healthy living.
I would reccomend WW for someone who is just starting out with a healthy lifestyle.
Just numbers on a scale. I also believe it is a bit deceptive as well. Because as big as Jennifer Hudson was there is no way she got that body without some kind of weight/cardio training. But the commercials would have you believe she did it all with WW and only WW. She lost over 80 pounds and there isn't an ounce of flab on her. She it tone and taunt.. You don't get that way from WW alone.
I have read that she has a personal trainer and has probably since the beginning of her weight loss journey.0 -
I started weight watchers Feb 26 2012, in that time I have lost 40lbs. For someone who has always gone to the gym and focused on body composition *always* starting WW and having them focus only on total body weight drove me flipping mental. I am still a member today, but have seemingly plateaued for the past 4 months. Lose 2lbs gain 2lbs.
I am starting MFP today, and have found that what I would eat for my daily points, does not marry up with what I should be consuming calorie wise. Thus, throwing my body into a huge defecit once you account for the amount and level of my training at the gym. Hence my plateau.
WW was helpful to get me going and be more concious of what i was eating and how much. MFP I beleive will take me to the next level in my journey and get me to where I want to be physically and mentally.
I do not beleive the cost of WW can be justified by the services that they are providing. The meetings are suitable for people with next to no knowledge of healthy living.
I would reccomend WW for someone who is just starting out with a healthy lifestyle.
There are activity points, but WW does not really focus on people who are serious about exercise, they only recommend getting about 6 activity points and no more even at advanced levels. It definitely does not teach you how to exercise hard. They do recommend getting some sort of activity every day which is fine for beginners, but more is probably needed as you advance.0 -
What a great topic !!!!
I too have thought, why would ppl pay to go to WW as this is very similar...it's all a very personal decision.
My best friend and I stay accountable to each other. I weigh at my house every Friday morning regardless of the week I've had...she weights in every Saturday regardless of the week she's had...now i think a HUGE difference is that if i feel ive been doing "poorly" or if she feels she's been doing "poorly", we can text each other and say, ok buddy, im feeling like this, please kick me in the *kitten*...and cuz we are best friends, we have no problem telling each other to snap out of it or when we do awesome, we praise each other !!!
There is a certain Pandora charm I am going to buy myself when I reach the 20 lbs lost mark and she has a treat she wants to buy herself. I REFUSE to buy this charm until i hit 20 lbs.
I wish you all the very best of luck on this journey we are all on.
If anyone wants to add me a friend, that would be wonderful im looking for friends on here 0 -
I have been on WW for about 3 months now and I chose that program because that is what works for me. I have been seeing a steady weight loss and averaging a pound a week. A lot of it is common sense stuff, but I like the tools that WW gives me to help develop good habits. I track on here too because they do not give you a breakdown of fat/fiber/protein/carbs/sugar on their tracker and I want to see if I need to make any improvements in those areas. Also from what I have seen the message boards are a lot better too.
As far as exercise goes, they are starting to put more emphasis on it but I think that it's only to push the Active Link that they now offer.0 -
I joined ww about 10 years ago; did great, lost my weight & became a lifer.. stopped going to meeting about 4 years ago, but had gained about 9# during that time...lost this w/ help of mfp.. decided I wanted to lose another 5-7#; decided to return to ww.. (no monthly fee if you reach & maintain your weight & are a lifer, just have to weight in once a month). ON the new ww 360', daily points were up from 20 originally to 26 daily. I have not really lost weight (since Dec '12) just bounces around day to day.
I decided to come back to mfp, just started 3 / 4 days ago, have lost 1#..
Since I can, I will continue to go to ww once a month just to weigh in, gives me double support..
Weight watchers is great also, but has become very expensive in my personal opinion.
Good luck to you.. keep going w/ whatever you decide..0 -
I started weight watchers Feb 26 2012, in that time I have lost 40lbs. For someone who has always gone to the gym and focused on body composition *always* starting WW and having them focus only on total body weight drove me flipping mental. I am still a member today, but have seemingly plateaued for the past 4 months. Lose 2lbs gain 2lbs.
I am starting MFP today, and have found that what I would eat for my daily points, does not marry up with what I should be consuming calorie wise. Thus, throwing my body into a huge defecit once you account for the amount and level of my training at the gym. Hence my plateau.
WW was helpful to get me going and be more concious of what i was eating and how much. MFP I beleive will take me to the next level in my journey and get me to where I want to be physically and mentally.
I do not beleive the cost of WW can be justified by the services that they are providing. The meetings are suitable for people with next to no knowledge of healthy living.
I would reccomend WW for someone who is just starting out with a healthy lifestyle.
There are activity points, but WW does not really focus on people who are serious about exercise, they only recommend getting about 6 activity points and no more even at advanced levels. It definitely does not teach you how to exercise hard. They do recommend getting some sort of activity every day which is fine for beginners, but more is probably needed as you advance.
yeah I am well aware of the AP. In a slow week for me I log about 50-ish. During the late spring+summer+fall I average in around 80-100.0 -
I joined WW about 5 years ago, long time ago I know. At first I did great, went from 174 (which is ironic because that's where I am now after 25 lb loss) to about 158 without trouble. However, after that I felt as though I kept being pushed. No one ever discussed with me what an appropriate weight would be, they just encouraged you to keep losing until you couldn't lose anymore. Now I realize that I should have stopped myself, but the stress of going to a meeting and weighing in every week got me caught up.
I felt such pressure to lose weight each week and when when weight hadn't moved at weigh in one week, and got that disappointed/sad look from the leader it made me feel terrible. After that I made sure that I had dropped at least 1 lb each week, no matter what. This is when my Bulimia first started. I ended up going down to 143 lb when the leader told me that I was at goal weight since anything less would give me an "unhealthy" BMI.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that although it may be a great motivator for some people to weigh in in front of others, it can have the opposite effect as well. I took unhealthy measures not to have to feel embarrassed once I week. I feel much more comfortable doing MFP now and would never dream of going back to WW. I weigh in once a week now, but in the privacy of my own bathroom without anyone doing any kind of face towards me as a response to my losing or none losing.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 amazing. Who knew you could lose a lot of inches and pant sizes just from exercising. You must be very proud of yourself.
Well obviously I am counting/watching what I'm eating or I wouldn't be on MFP. I thought that was a given and didn't need to be expressed. My bad!0 -
I actually log everything on MFP and then convert the numbers to Weight Watchers. I'm on the "monthly pass" which is about $40/month - and I can use the e-tools.
There's something about the accountability in "having" to go weigh in, and you can attend the meetings if you want to for added support.
You also get awards for reaching certain milestone's (weighing in for 16 weeks straight, reaching 10% loss, reaching 25 pounds lost, etc.)
Anytime I can get around people who's goal is to lose weight, it's a good thing.0 -
Hmmm. This has been a very interesting thread to read, as I have just started WW. I have about 85 lbs to lose, and I have been trying to lose weight on my own for almost 20 years. Twenty years ago, I needed to lose 30 lbs....now, well, it's a lot more than that. I also just joined here, but I was on another tracking site for a while too (I like this one better so far). I signed up for a 10 week deal at my job. I *need* to go somewhere and weigh in with a live person. I only have 10 weeks though, and it is my hope that I will build a solid foundation of knowledge and methods that will keep me going. I have every intention of continuing with their points system, even if not paying for meetings. I set up a buddy in the class, and we are going to meet once a week and weigh with each other.
I actually enjoy doing the points, and I find the recommendations on here way out of line for the way I know I feel better: MFP says I should eat over 200 g of carbs -- no way! I feel better on <50 g. Even doing WW this week, I have stayed away from breads, pastas, rices, cereals, etc. I went into it knowing the controversy surrounding the "free" foods, so I've taken the recommendation of using the 5 fruits and veggies as free, then counting points for anything over that. Seems to be working well, as according to my home scale, I am down a little under 5 lbs. My weigh in and meetings are on Mondays at lunch time. We shall see.
Each person needs something different to keep themselves honest and accountable; for now I need to show up and weigh in front of pple and I need that pep rally. Some pple don't need that; hopefully, I won't need it after I've go things going for 10 weeks. I do intend on tracking here, blogging here, and trying to make supportive friends here so that I have a firm foundation here when the meeting stop. So far I really like it here.0 -
I am currently doing WW Meetings. If you have a great leader, it can be a huge motivation. Getting on a scale in front of someone else does help with accountability. Knowing that the weigh in is coming, I make wiser decisions leading up to it because I want to get good results. Even as an adult getting bravo stickers from your group leader and applause for dropping a lb feels good. I also get bravos and well dones when I say how many activity points I earned which makes me want to earn more the following week. When I don't lose, to have a leader go through my log for the week to give me tips, is incredibly helpful. I have logged everything I have eaten, everyday except for one in the last 7 weeks. I never did that on MFP or any other website. The app is much better than the MFP app. Also there is a recipe builder where you put in your ingredients and it will figure out your points. I never felt pressured at a meeting to buy WW products. I can go to meetings when I travel, which is great since I split my time between New York and Toronto. The only negative is WW online forums suck, which is why I stop by here from time to time.
Why online programs only don't work for me. I did WW online years ago and lost 20lbs. I only ate the frozen means and snack cakes so I didn't really learn anything. I tried online again and failed, much like I failed at sparkpeople, fitplate and MFP. The reason why online tracking only doesn't work for me is that I don't track when I over indulge or when I don't feel like it. I also don't enter weight when I gain. I spent a year on MFP losing and gaining the same 5lbs. Visiting the site alone is enough to have it appear that you are "logging" on everyday and you even get the congratulations for just turning on your computer, even though I didn't track a thing. I had some good friends on here who would send me a note when I didn't log in, but still that wasn't enough to keep me on track.
If you need support then go to the meetings, but if this is enough to keep you accountable then stick with it. The most important thing is finding out what works for your journey.0
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