MFP or Weight Watchers?

lizziamber
lizziamber Posts: 22
edited September 22 in Food and Nutrition
I've done Weight Watchers and have had success (when I actually followed it) I've never tried the MFP plan because I just signed up today and made a commitment to start being serious about my weight loss. Which plan do you recommend?

Replies

  • lalouli
    lalouli Posts: 41
    MFP! To me, it's easier and obviously much cheaper. I love this site.
  • DiscoveringDena
    DiscoveringDena Posts: 57
    Agree! It's FREE and super easy :)<3<3 it.
  • BobbyDaniel
    BobbyDaniel Posts: 1,459 Member
    I don't see what it has to be an "either/or", i'm sure some on here are doing WW also.
    For me personally ,i didn't like the WW points thing. My wife did it a few years ago and she did a great job with it and asked me to do it with her, i made it through 2 days and hated it...wasn't my thing. Keeping track on my calories and exercise on MFP though has been so incredibly easy for me!
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
    MFP is free and has great support on the boards and newsfeed, plenty of tools to keep the motivation going. Seeing everyone doing so great is incredibly inspiring. I vote MFP:drinker:
  • reneeot
    reneeot Posts: 773 Member
    MFP!! YOU WILL FIND THE REPORTS ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL. EASY TO GO BACK AND SEE REALLY WHAT YOU ARE EATING. AND CHANGES YOU HAVE MADE. YOU CAN SEE OVER A PERIOD OF TIME, HOW YOU ARE REALLY DOING WITH SODIUM INTAKE, FAT INTAKE, CALORIC INTAKE IN A INSTANT!!
  • danmullen
    danmullen Posts: 94
    I followed WW for a few months last year and had some success. However, with MFP being completely free I don't see any reason to follow any pay-for plan. In essence WW is exactly the same... you're tracking calories and saturated fat, but using some special calculation so you only worry about "points". With MFP you're tracking the same things, there's a huge database of food and exercise and a great support community :)
  • doublexhelix
    doublexhelix Posts: 199 Member
    i've never done weight watchers, but i like MFP because its so easy! you just track what you eat, and i love that you can just search for food rather than manually entering calories! i <333 the android app. it's even easier to be able to carry it in my pocket!!
  • pitapocket
    pitapocket Posts: 287 Member
    Why not do both, I'm a weight watcher member (on maintenance now) and I track my points on the journal portion here at MFP. I also use the following web site to calculate my points. You don't need to go to weight watcher meetings to follow the program. All you need to know is your daily point allowance based on the following: http://meganandjack.com/points_calculator.htm

    1. What you weigh: enter the first two digits of your wieght in pounds i.e. if you weigh 160, enter 16 points
    2. Are you Female: 2 points
    Are you Male: 3 points
    3. How old are you:
    17 - 26 4 points
    27 - 37 3 points
    38 - 47 2 points
    48 - 58 1 points
    over 58 0 points
    4. How Tall are you?
    under 5'1'' 0 points
    5'1'' to 5'10'' 1 points
    over 5'10' 2 points
    5. How Active?
    sitting down (e.g. office worker) 0 points
    occasional sitting but mainly standing 2 points
    walking (e.g. postal worker) 4 points
    doing physicall hard work (e.g. construction worker) 6 points
    6 Nursing Mom's only
    soley breastfeeding 10 points
    supplementing breastfeeding 5 points

    Add your points for each question together for your total daily points. Plus you get 35 weekly flex points to use all at once or to spread out over the week. There are lots of free websites that have information on Weight Watchers, why pay for something that is already out there for free. Whatever you decide to do, the best of luck to you. You will find lots of support here at MFP.
  • ChattyKatie
    ChattyKatie Posts: 33
    Just joined a few days ago...so far I like MFP. WW is good for some. Important thing is that you find something than you feel comfortable with and can follow. Good Luck
  • 614jaimee
    614jaimee Posts: 34
    I followed weight watchers for a while, and I didn't lose any weight following it. They kept telling me that I wasn't eating enough, even though I was hitting my numbers. This site actually helps you stay motivated without going to a meeting, and it is free. I find myself consistantly hitting my calorie goal, and it's much easier than carrying a book and figuring out my numbers.
    Honestly, it is what ever works best for you. I prefer this, but it's about what you are comfortable with
  • Andi_Mo
    Andi_Mo Posts: 243
    I lost 90 plus lbs with WW online back in '04/05 and then yo-yoed through two pregnancies. I found MFP back in Feb of this year and I'm so glad I didn't go back. There were so many times that I had to add foods myself on the WW program but here, there have been maybe 4 or 5 in the whole 250 days I've been here. I love the support and the fact that it's totally FREE! I'd say why do both and waste time and money when you can do this for free with MFP only. It's all the same thing in my opinion, log your food and follow your calories to eat less and log your exercise. This is the only way to lose weight so do it for free. I'm down 30lbs with only 15 more to go. It works! Good luck : )
  • MzBug
    MzBug Posts: 2,173 Member
    I went to a couple WW meetings. They were being ran by a gal that must have weighed 250 and had been doing WW "for years"... Uhh, then why are you still big? The gals were sooo foaming at the mouth rabid about WW (not a skinny one among them) that I was just turned off about the whole thing. I prefer MFP where I don't have someone looking over my shoulder so to speak and telling me what I should and shouldn't eat or do. I know what I have to do...I just wanted to take the easy way out...find the magic pill or diet. I didn't want to have to WORK at it. I don't feel like the people on MFP are "blowing smoke up my @ss&quot;.
  • lizziamber
    lizziamber Posts: 22
    Wow....most seem to be in favor of MFP! I think I'll give it a shot! I'll be sure to track like a fiend to get the best results possible. Thanks guys!

    I'm also so sick of the "How many points is this...?" mentality, it's getting old.
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
    I would say do it both ways. I don't get the point system for WW, but I see in on many of the low calorie foods that we purchase for the house. I would say get settled in with MFP, it's a great tool to use and learning both won't hurt you.
  • Eidajan
    Eidajan Posts: 36
    I have done WW online for years. I did lose some weight but over the last year have only been able to maintain a weight that is 15lbs from my goal. I was happy enough but in the last few months, the weight slowly started creeping up. This was despite my always eating under my points and working out 4-5 days a week. Not sure why I stuck it out but just last month I got totally fed up and started counting calories instead of points. I started mfp 2 weeks ago and have learnt a lot since. I have lost 3 lbs in 1 month and i suspect it is because mfp tells me how much protein, fiber and sodium I am eating unlike ww which just focuses on points. I realized that I was literally eating empty calories in order to stay under my points with minimal nutrition and my body probably went into starvation mode so I stopped losing weight. I think the biggest advantage of mfp is that you pay attention to the protein and other macronutrients you put into your body. WW is probably good if you go to meetings and someone is watching your diet for you but if you do it online you can get into a rut like me and eat within your points but not have enough carbs or protein which are important to weight loss. As for myself I am really happy I finally broke the plateau I had been in for over a year. Can't believe I stuck to WW online so long. I am seriously considering discontinuing my membership but have not done that yet.

    [img]http://:wink: tickers.myfitnesspal.com/ticker/show/252/7576/2527576.png[/img]
  • twinsmomma02
    twinsmomma02 Posts: 79 Member
    I had been on weight watchers off and on for years, and yes I lost some weight but never kept it off...I got sick of counting points and calculating everything, and realized after switching to MFP that I had been eating so much sugar and carbs, and non-nutritional foods on weight watchers, even though I was staying with in my points daily. I exercised my butt off, but seemed to only lose maybe a pound a week and many weeks I stayed the same and seemed to plateau a lot. On MFP for close to two months, I have dropped 22 pounds and have been so much less stressed out by just logging my food on here and seeing exactly all the carbs, fat, sugar, and protein daily, whereas on WW I was only looking at my points. I love MFP and threw out all my weight watchers gear just a few days ago!
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