Myfitness Vs Weight Watchers

Long ago I reached my WW goal and became a lifetime member. But the weight came back. When I went back to WW, 3 times, it did not work for me in the long run (at one point I had lost 40 pounds, which came back). When I would show a weight gain at weigh-in, they'd say "you're up 2 lb, $2.00 please." I'd stay after meetings to ask the instructor for some help, but she'd be out the door like a shot the minute the meeting was over. I was "on program" but gaining. Looking back on it, I think the free foods were defeating me.
All that said, I do love their cookbooks. Some great healthy, delicious recipes in those books. Just bought another one a few weeks ago, aimed at people cooking for one.
A diabetic friend of mine has been going to WW for the past 4 years and weighs the same now as 4 years ago. She hasn't changed her bad eating habits, just kept them within the point totals, when she's on program. WW does provide exercise information, but that part is easily ignored.

To give my two cents, MFP is very similar to WW. MFP replaces the WW's Good Health Guidelines with focusing on macro content.

Both plans will work equally as well - you will get out of it what you put into it.

And yes, MFP's database is tons better than WW. I would switch so I'm not paying $18 a month for the online service, but I personally find it easier to count points.

To give my two cents, MFP is very similar to WW. MFP replaces the WW's Good Health Guidelines with focusing on macro content.

Both plans will work equally as well - you will get out of it what you put into it.

And yes, MFP's database is tons better than WW. I would switch so I'm not paying $18 a month for the online service, but I personally find it easier to count points.

I agree. WW and MFP are nearly identical, one just uses points, the other uses calories. You get to choose what kind of calories you fill your body with in both (I have seen some terrible food choices from food diaries here on MFP, some people will go days without a fruit or veggie... but they're within their calories, sooo...). I liked that WW took fiber into account, something that is high fiber is less points. I lost weight on it many times. Im only on MFP because it's free and I like the community here.

ETA: Oh, I also dont like how MFP automatically puts everyone so low with their daily calories and you have to visit these forums to figure out how many calories you actually should be eating (like with TDEE and all that). That part was frustrating at first. I like how WW just spits out how many points you should have. Easy.

WW is a great program as long as you follow it.
You are under no obligation to buy WW products. I never do because it is the same crap as in the stores.
With WW you can not eat 20 bananas in a day and expect to lose as would be the same thing with MFP. Maximum is a combined total of 5 fruits and veg's a day.
With WW, as long as you eat food that is high in fibre and protein, filling foods than there is no need to log/count points.
Both WW and MFP are great programs. Their goals are for you to learn to eat more nutritional food and to get away from empty calories which is junk food and the foods that clog your arteries.

Both programmes are fantastic in their own different but similar ways.

MFP is Free

WW causes you to part with cash to be told your weight and how much to eat.

With MFP you can eat what you want within your calorie goal.

WW pushes their own products on you to try to make you part with more cash.

WW allows fruit / veggies to be free food which can be very misleading. If I eat 20 bananas in a day those calories should definitely be counted.

MFP has a great database of foods. Logging is easy, no complicated points to calculate.

So MFP all the way!


oh by BTW, a standard McDonalds meal (in the Uk at least) is around 1000 cals. If that is more than your entire calorie goal for one day then your calorie goal is too low.

I've never done Weight Watchers; although I looked at it seriously several times, I could never get over the fact that it was so expensive, plus food. I joined MFP for three reasons -- they had a BlackBerry app, they had nearly all the food I eat in the database already, and it's free. I did try another free online tool for a week or two some months before I found MFP, but the food database was so small I had to enter everything myself. It was just too much work. With MFP, it's already in the database. (Although some of the food entries are hard to match up with what I'm eating if I eat homemade foods, because there are so many choices, it still gets me "in the ballpark".)

With MFP, I only keep track of two things: calories and fiber. Other than a Fiber One bar in the morning, I get all my fiber from Fruits and Vegetables, and I usually eat 2 or 3 times the MFP recommended fiber intake. 30g of Fiber is a low-fiber day for me. Calories are calories.

Although I've never tried WW, I don't think it would work for me even if it were free, given what others have said about being able to eat unlimited amounts of some foods. Any system you can "game" and still be "on the program" just wouldn't work for me. You can "game" just about anything but calories. I used the Atkins Nutritional Approach for a long time years ago, and for quite a while it was very successful for me, but it quit working because I started gravitating to high-calorie foods that were low-carb, effectively "gaming" the system.

The thing I found most effective about Atkins was that the food was very satisfying, and I was rarely hungry, even when the system was working for me. With MFP, I still use that concept. I find that as long as I'm within my calorie and fiber goals, I can eat some foods that are very satisfying (high-fat and protein) and make it so I don't feel hungry all the time, even at a calorie deficit. That helps me stick with the system.

The bottom line for me is whatever works for you is the thing you should use. Although I would never join WW and I've been very successful with MFP, I would never look down on someone succeeding with Weight Watchers.

Perhaps I should have clarified. I meant without cheating. Sure, you can cheat, but you can't game them.

Hi! Thanks for all your replies!

I do try and go for the healthy nutritious food 98% of the time, but I guess my reason for asking is simply because at times i just CRAVE certain foods especially at certain times of the month. So the days that I I'm salivating and looking like a woman possessed lusting after that bar of chocolate, or that plate of chips, would that be ok as long as I make sure i dont go over my allowance?

As somebody else already said, yes!

Vis a vis WW vs. MFP - I started this year using WW and lost my first 20 lbs on that. The rest I've dropped using MFP. I switched in June. What I like better about MFP is that it gives you better control over your macronutrients. WW does calculate the point value of foods by taking into account recommended macronutrient amounts, but it is non-transparent. On MFP, it is all fully transparent, so you understand what trade-offs you are making.

But you can lose weight using either. Depends on what works best for you.

Hi! Thanks for all your replies!

I do try and go for the healthy nutritious food 98% of the time, but I guess my reason for asking is simply because at times i just CRAVE certain foods especially at certain times of the month. So the days that I I'm salivating and looking like a woman possessed lusting after that bar of chocolate, or that plate of chips, would that be ok as long as I make sure i dont go over my allowance?

As somebody else already said, yes!

Vis a vis WW vs. MFP - I started this year using WW and lost my first 20 lbs on that. The rest I've dropped using MFP. I switched in June. What I like better about MFP is that it gives you better control over your macronutrients. WW does calculate the point value of foods by taking into account recommended macronutrient amounts, but it is non-transparent. On MFP, it is all fully transparent, so you understand what trade-offs you are making.

But you can lose weight using either. Depends on what works best for you.

This. I am a WW member but log most of my food here. I go to meetings with one of my friends and it helps me stay motivated and gives me some good ideas/practices. They do push exercise and at least my leader does not push WW products in fact she brings other brands in to show what is good. I think it varies by site and leaser. Overall, I think both are very similar and it comes down to what works best for you. Also some veggies do have points and my leader is very clear not to eat too much fruit. Really they are very similar, but what I like here is the larger DB and its easier to see all macronutrients. The plans are very similar.

OP - that is not at all how WW works. You have to get in all the good health guidelines, while staying within your daily and weekly points. The GHG's are just as important as tracking your food and practicing portion control.

Exactly! I am surprised on these WW threads how many people don't read the material, and understand how it works. And the free fruit bashing drives me nuts. The materials clearly state to consume a reasonable amount of fruit. I don't know how people think the plan says eat as much as you want.

I lost 40 of my 65 pound weight loss on WW online. Never bought one of their products, or attended a meeting. It's a good program that encourages healthy food and relationships with food.

I switched to MFP because it is free, and I was getting bored. Also MFP does technology much better.

Ok, off my soapbox

Reading this, as I am currently interested in using WW as opposed to MFP. I did lose weight on Weight Watchers after I had my son. However, with the official online app, I had to enter in a lot of foods, the database really wasn't that extensive, and I have had to cancel after I finished my first 3 months.

But, I have found an extensive app, called Point Plus Diary that is JUST like WW, but the app only cost me 1.99, instead of a monthly membership fee. The food database is as extensive as MFP and there is even a barcode scanner, like MFP.
So, if you don't want to do meetings, pay a monthly fee, but use WW, I highly suggest that app pointsplusdiary.com/

If you think losing weight is just about calories, you're in for a big surprise. What you eat plays a big part in weight loss. Eating junk won't get you to your goal here or at WW.

Ive done both..WW is points..you reach your points your done..but can still eat fruit & vegies...myfitnesspal is calories..they both track your fat.carbs.protien & fiber...fitnesspal will also track more too like your sugar.salt ect

Actually, fruit is only "free" up to three servings a day. And really, fruits and veggies aren't actually free. Your daily points are assuming you are eating the recommended amount of fruit and veggies. If you calculate points into calories you'll notice that it seems low, that's because it's assuming the addition of fruits and veggies. The idea is that making them "free" encourages people to choose fruits and veggies as snacks.

I am in the process of transitioning. I have been on WW since Jan 1, 2014 and I've lost 26lbs so far but I am not happy. I lose so crazy. One pound here, then nothing, then 5lbs there, then nothing. HATE IT. The activity points, flex points, zero fruits and veggies thing just feels funny. Please let me know if you continued or dropped one or the other. I'd like to know your progress and what you think of both.

I am finishing this month (June) with WW and tracking in MFP as well to compare.