Lost 60 lbs on WW, new to MFP and have some questions

I don't know what you ate for breakfast, but here's my take on it:

A) 1 to 2 pounds a week is healthy and sustainable goal. More than that and you could start losing more lean mass. Lean mass is nice when you have saggy skin, to help fill you out.

B ) Your calorie count for breakfast seems like it could be a little high, what did you eat and how did you measure (your diary isn't open)

C) If you exercise, you can eat calories to cover the burn. This is also supposed to help retain your lean body mass.

D) At your age and weight, you could eat more than 1590 calories and still lose weight. I am female, 5'7", 28 years old, and losing weight on that many calories in a day. Y'know, if you want to.

How does WW work with exercise though? MFP is myFITNESSpal, and is really designed to work with some sort of fitness plan - and lets you eat more when you do.

For starters, you already said that 49 points on WW was about 2000 calories for you, while MFP is giving you 1590. That's 410 calories right there. Plus, the watermelon is free in WW, but not MFP. So that accounts for some of the difference. I don't know what else you had for breakfast, so can't say much else about that. MFP is strictly calorie counting. WW points are based on calories, fat, fiber, carb and protein. Foods with lower fat and more fiber tend to be lower in points than something with the same calories but less fiber (or more fat).

Also, you have lost weight on WW, so you obviously were not eating too much. If you set MFP to 2 pounds per week, it often gives you calories which are too low. But you are expected to eat back exercise calories, which adds to your base. I lose on 1590 a day, and I am a 49 year old female. You can and should eat more. I would at least stick to what you were doing with WW and Eat more than 1590.

I am a lifetime WW member. I ended up on MFP because I went over my WW goal and didn't want to pay to get back. I am now below my WW goal. I attend meetings about 1-3 times a month depending on how busy I am. I lost 80 pounds with WW. Oh, and I am 5'5" tall female. My starting WW weight was 222 pounds with a goal of 142. Now I am currently 137.

I think both programs work, but I find that MFP (IMO) sets the calorie goals too low. I find that I need to get bonus exercise calories everyday in order to feel like I am getting enough food and that I often eat 200-300 calories over that about 1-2 days a week. I don't track every single day, but I track (oops, WW lingo, log...) enough to know what I am doing, plus I have been keeping track and learning about weight loss for many years now. I must say that I have never been able to get down so low nor have I felt so fit as this time around. I have been a horrible yo-yoer in the past (up 30 pounds then down 30 etc.). I attribute my success to a combination of many factors: extra support from a close friend, additional knowledge, more exercise (I started running to compete in a half marathon), drastically changing my perspective on food (I have gone to saying 'I can't have that' to 'I don't want that', reading a book entitled "Made to Crave" which was written who details her own weight loss from a spiritual, Biblical perspective, and probably others that I have neglected to remember at this time.

I think that it is helpful also to listen to your body and learn your body's signals for hunger versus other needs, such as water, exercise, or diversion (no boredom eating!).

Anyways, I hope that my rambling helped answer some of your questions...please message me if you have specific questions that I might have answers to. I am by no means an expert, but I have had experience with both programs.

For starters, you already said that 49 points on WW was about 2000 calories for you, while MFP is giving you 1590. That's 410 calories right there. Plus, the watermelon is free in WW, but not MFP. So that accounts for some of the difference. I don't know what else you had for breakfast, so can't say much else about that. MFP is strictly calorie counting. WW points are based on calories, fat, fiber, carb and protein. Foods with lower fat and more fiber tend to be lower in points than something with the same calories but less fiber (or more fat).

I've done both. For me, my experience was the opposite. WW became all about an arbitrary number of points (another term for calories, without knowing the exact amount of calories) and MFP not only gives me the exact amount of calories in, but it has me track my macros of carbs, fat and protein. If I want to hit my goals, I need to carefully track my fat, protein and carbs and not just eat an x amount of pre-packaged WW junk food snacks. MFP gives me much more useful information... for free. However, WW gave me the accountability and support when I really needed them, so they are quite helpful for some people.

I've done both as well, and I prefer MFP for the same reasons you do. I was simply trying to point out where the differences were in how he was looking at things. He said he had only eaten 1/5th of his calories according to WW, but almost 1/2 according to MFP. I was trying to point out that there are differences in how the two work. You are answering a different question, although I agree with you.

How does WW work with exercise though? MFP is myFITNESSpal, and is really designed to work with some sort of fitness plan - and lets you eat more when you do.

WW gives you activity points for exercise. Points are based on intensity and duration of the workout. You have the option to eat or not eat those activity points.

Hi
I've recently switched from WW to MFP and although I only have around 7 lbs to lose I'm finding it much better already. I'm finding I feel better generally, feeling fuller and not snacking as much. I'm sure it's because I am eating a more balanced diet and in particular more proteins, less fruit and more filling foods. Feel free to add me and see my food diary. I don't believe I was eating enough before and relying too much in "free" foods which were stacking up hidden calories.
Good luck!!
Becky