Myfitness Vs Weight Watchers

I think it pretty much does work in the same way, but MFP also has the tracking of certain things like Fat, Sugar, Carbs etc. So I guess as long as you track the ones you worry about most and try and keep them level (as well as the calories) you can pretty much eat anything but as I have tried keeping under the allowed calories, I have noticed that I very rarely go over the daily intake of fat and stuff, apart from sugar... fruit is my enemy!

Hmm...

This is actually pretty controversial and you might get a lot of responses that fall on either side.

In theory, yes, if you dont go over your calorie allotment, you will lose weight, and MFP doesn't take into consideration the quality of calories.

But individuals may vary and this also doesn't take into account your health, and lots of people get better results with eating less processed and more nutritionally rich foods. A lot of people also try to increase protein in place of carbs. But that said, lots of people get results from plain calorie restriction and eat whatever they want (just not how much they might want).

If you're wondering what is going to work for you, start by just cutting calories and portions then decide for yourself if that's working or if you want to also change what you eat. I'd just suggest that any changes you make, you do slowly.

I'm personally of the opinion that it makes sense to eat healthier and more nutritious foods most of the time, and leave more processed foods for rare occasions or when life gets in the way and you dont have a lot of choice in food availability.

When I did weight watchers I lost quite a lot of weight, but then they switched the way it worked (in the UK anyway) and I hated it. I wasn't eating enough and I was able to almost abuse my points with eating their own brand bars and ready meals and stuff. Now I realise that although a lot of that stuff may be low calorie, it's just putting crap into your body. Of course, you can do the same thing with MFP. But I've started using MFP because I've changed my whole diet to be healthy and as natural as possible. This just helps me keep track of it - I think that's important to me, keeping track of what I'm eating rather than relying on this to tell me what to eat.

I also wouldn't want to use MFP forever, but I'm glad I've discovered it and know that if I start to go off track a bit or just need a bit of a boost to help me stay healthy, it's here to return to for free whenever I want

I looked at WW Online back in February and I was tempted purely on the basis if I was paying for something I was more likely to use it (I know, I know lol). However, I was a bit put off by their heavy-handed promotion of their products and although I know a company has to make money, it was quite pricey for what was basically access to a forum and a fairly generic diet plan.

I'd registered with MFP last year but done nothing with it so before I gave WW my card details, I had a proper look here and realised it had all I needed to help me get fit. Lets be honest, if you can count Pro Points, you can count calories just as easy.

Each to their own but for me, MFP is great and I like the way it's not JUST about losing weight - there's a lot of fit people on here giving out good advice to newbies like me

Each to their own but for me, MFP is great and I like the way it's not JUST about losing weight - there's a lot of fit people on here giving out good advice to newbies like me

Totally agree:bigsmile: There are tons of fit people on this, looking to stay fit and healthy and primarily use myfitnesspal to keep track of there goals etc rather than to just lose weight, so MPF is used by a much wider range of people, meaning there is a broader range of advice and support available.

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I've been doing WW for a little over 2 years now (MFP about 3 weeks). I go to all the meetings and have found the meetings to be excellent motivation to "not gain weight" as opposed to "losing weight." At weigh-in, I definately do not want to gain so I keep close track of what I eat (on paper) and follow the PointsPlus system faithfully. I have lost almost 50 lbs while with WW so It has been a success in that sense.

I think the program is good, though as others have said, I wish WW concentrated more on whole foods. To be fair, you can eat whatever you choose to eat. As a vegetarian I make my own choices while others make their own choices about what to eat. I do believe that WW is heading that direction in their product line in that they have foods with fewer ingredients on the list - more whole grains, fruits and nuts without all the extra sugar and chemicals. WW does not neccessarily say you have to eat meat but I feel the suggested menus and recipes are meat focused. I have learned a lot about changing my environment, portion control and how many PointsPlus (calories!) are in food.

I do not use eTools, the website is too laborious to use. There is one aspect of eTools I really really like. It shows my weight loss on a graph that shows how I have been pretty consistent. The graph also shows periods where I've gone up or had a plateau. Of course, I could have been charting this myself :-)

WW really encourages exercise! I like that.

The cost is about the same as my gym membership but fortunately my insurance covers up to $500 in "health benefits" such as WW or health clubs.

I think it is very possible to lose weight with WW, especially if you go to the meetings. I've seen that when friends/spouses attend together, they tend lose weight and gain fitness much faster than us singles. I've also seen lots of people come and go without seeing any benefit at all. It depends on what drives you and if your motivation can come from standing on a scale in front on someone else who will know if you're down or up. It certainly motivates me!

MFP is different in that the motivation is almost entirely from yourself. Yes, you can have friends but unless you know them personally and keep track of each others food, activities and weight weekly then the motivation is on you. The food tracker is way better! and I love the exercise part. I would really like to be able to enter a weekly weight and have it show up on a graph like eTools.

Both MFP and WW have forums where you can find almost any subject thought MFP discussions are a bit more open (better IMHO). I also know people at work who do online/apps that do not lose weight. They keep up with the tracking for a few weeks then quit. Again - motivation!

In conclusion (finally!) - I have benefitted from going to WW and would encourage those having a hard time meeting their goals to attend meetings for a month or two, just to see how it fits your lifestyle, and to see if you lose weight! I would encourage you to use MFP also to get a different prospective. Then, after a couple of months, you can see which will benefit you most effectively.

BTW - I'm not associated with WW other than being a steady face at the meetings and paying them every month!

Yes it's the same concept. One big difference is WW gives you extra weekly points to use at your discretion, whereas MFP doesn't. I have had a lot of success with WW. I like the accountability (I never did it online though). The only problem is the money. Right now $40 a month is too much.

I would really like to be able to enter a weekly weight and have it show up on a graph like eTools.

I haven't found this on the online site, but on the phone app, they have a graph with your weight lost on it!

Quoted without commenting. Lol. Couldn't agree more about the wealth of info in the MFP database. Especially for us Canadian folk. WW database was challenging at times

Weight Watchers does work for some. It worked for me years ago to lose 50 pounds I did gained it back and then some. Not WW fault -- all mine.

I have tried to go back for years on WW and I was good for a few weeks and then I would fall off again. I guess I was not ready. I did not like going to meetings anymore. I just could not connect with others in the meetings. So I spent a lot of wasted time trying to get the weight off.

41 days ago I went to see my Doctor. Pretty much had a breakdown and told her I need this weight off. Well she gave me some suggestions and one of them MFP. In those 41 days I have lost 24.4 pounds. AMAZING cause I have not been able to do that in years. I feel better, act better and look better (in my eyes)

So for me WW no longer worked, because I was tired of counting points, I was tired of not meeting people. I just could not get the click in my head there that I needed.

For some WW is a lot of work. I don't find MFP to be a lot of work. I am use to measuring food so that is natural to me. I use the app on my phone. I also find that I eat some things now that I would not on WW to many points. Nuts are a good example of that.

I used WW before and lost a few lbs. Not as successful as I have been with MFP. I did not connect with any of my meeting people because I was in my 20s and everyone there was at least twice my age, if not more. And I started noticing that even though people were at goal, they really were not fit. They were still skinny fat. I had to do a lot of research to learn about health and how the body works. I am still learning, but MFP has helped so much with that. This is a good fit for me.