Switching from Weight Watchers

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Hi there! I am considering switching to MFP from Weight Watchers. My biggest concern is that I like the weekly points with WW and the freedom it gives me to have a treat here or there. For those of you who have made the switch, how did you deal with this? How did you budget in "treats"? I'm at 1340 calories at 1 pound/week on MFP.

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  • Gramps251
    Gramps251 Posts: 738 Member
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    "Treats" are calories. Just work them in.
  • clynnharris12
    clynnharris12 Posts: 19 Member
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    Yes, but when my daily calories are so low, I'm afraid I'll be hungry if I limit myself to just the daily calories. Any advice on "working them in"?
  • amberrenee813
    amberrenee813 Posts: 395 Member
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    "Treats" are calories. Just work them in.

    Yep!
  • amberrenee813
    amberrenee813 Posts: 395 Member
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    Yes, but when my daily calories are so low, I'm afraid I'll be hungry if I limit myself to just the daily calories. Any advice on "working them in"?

    Fill up on protein and fiber
  • amberrenee813
    amberrenee813 Posts: 395 Member
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    Hi there! I am considering switching to MFP from Weight Watchers. My biggest concern is that I like the weekly points with WW and the freedom it gives me to have a treat here or there. For those of you who have made the switch, how did you deal with this? How did you budget in "treats"? I'm at 1340 calories at 1 pound/week on MFP.


    Also, you can press "quote" instead of "reply" to directly reply to someone's comment :)
  • babinsiegel
    babinsiegel Posts: 38 Member
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    Yes, but when my daily calories are so low, I'm afraid I'll be hungry if I limit myself to just the daily calories. Any advice on "working them in"?

    Workout! Just like WW it add extra calories to the daily allowance. I used to be a WWer and when I started on MFP I would work out during the week and mentally save those calories for the weekend if that makes sense. I felt like they were compartable to my "flex point" on WW. Hopefully that makes sense and helps a little :)
  • becksxxx70
    becksxxx70 Posts: 234 Member
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    Perhaps you could exercise to 'earn' extra calories......you can then use them for what you want.......mmmm chocolate, wine.
  • KendraT1992
    KendraT1992 Posts: 32 Member
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    I personally like MFP more than WW for a few reasons. Fist off IT'S FREE!! and second MFP is more focused on over all food AND exercise. I felt like WW was mostly focused on food. Don't get me wrong I have nothing bad to say about WW, but really it just comes down to calories in vs. calories burned. If you do the switch I highly suggest adding as many friends as you can from the community boards to keep you motivated/accountable. Watch what MFP gives you for a calorie intake.
    I highly suggest reading this post, and think about taking the advice so you are truly setting yourself up for success.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here

    Good Luck!
    Kendra
  • TLwineguzzler
    TLwineguzzler Posts: 289 Member
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    When I switched I found that the 29 points pretty much equated to 1200 calories, give or take a few, and I used the exercise calories for any "treats".
  • slk_5555
    slk_5555 Posts: 177 Member
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    Hi I did WW in the past but much prefer MFP. What points were you on on WW - daily? Did you eat weekly points also? I am sure you know but 1 WW Pro Point is the equivalent of 40 calories. With this in mind, how does your allowance on WW compare to what MFP has given you.

    MFP gives you a lot more control & a better understanding. Basically you want to be burning 3500 cals more each week than you are eating - this will result in a 1lb loss in that week. For example I eat 1650 cals a day & I burn approx 2200 - each day I have a deficit of 550 cals, which over the week builds up to a total deficit of 3850.

    I was eating 1200 a day on WW - constantly tired and barely lost any weight. Now I eat 1650 a day, loads of everdy and a steady loss of1-2lb per week. The food database on My Fitness Pal is far more extensive than WW database was, in terms of quick calorie advice. If you use the My Fitness Pal app, you can also scan bar codes on your food packaging, to add them to your daily diary.
  • NCM158
    NCM158 Posts: 1 Member
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    I am new from WW too. In fact I still have not cancelled my online account. The thing I miss was fruits are free. BUT after tracking calaries on MFP it explains why my weightloss was not as fast as I was hoping.I actually tracked WW and MFP for a few days and was amazed at how many calories I was eating on WW. Fruit Calories adds up fast. Stick with MFP and see what you find. Keep it up.... There is no easy way to lose. :)
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    "Treats" are calories. Just work them in.

    +1
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    I love WW and learned a lot about the science behind weight loss from that program. I won't bash it or the company. However, MFP is free and you could acheive the same results here.
  • chloepitts
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    I think the best way to lose weight and have a balanced diet is not to follow any kind of programme and just gain knowledge and understanding of what eating healthy is. Surely just using MyFitnessPal is enough to keep track of what you're eating? You'll where you're going wrong when you go over your calories.
    Can I please ask, are you trying to lose weight? If so the comment about you being hungry is just a fact, if you eat on a calorie deficit you WILL be hungry as you body isn't receiving the required amount of calories it needs.
    It's hard losing weight and there isn't a quick fix. It's about motivation and control, something I have learnt over the years and so happy I have!
    Just stick with calorie counting, and try and balance your protein, fat and carbs and you'll be fine :-)
    xx
  • XLMACX
    XLMACX Posts: 346 Member
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    hi i moved this been my first week after 4 years on and off on WW so BIG CHANGE FOR ME! what i do is use my TDEE method-20% i went on "fitness frog" to calculate this. it takes in to consideration your exercise and gives you a daily amount you stick too this means no messing around adding exercise ect just stick to that number...im allowed 1700cals a day what i do on a Saturday is eat 2100 (which can get you a hell of a lot of goodies). i then eat 400 calories less on Tuesday which is the day i don’t work out so im still netting 1300cals. i find MFP a lot better with WW i would eat fruit because it was "free" even if i didn’t fancy it i would eat it because i didn’t have points. now on MFP if im hungry i can eat whatever i want like a bag of snack oh jacks if i don’t want fruit. it looks like im going to lose 1lb this week following this so its defiantly working :)
  • rworton
    rworton Posts: 28
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    a good rule of thumb is every WW point = 50 calories, multiply your points by 50 and see if this is the case. As far as running out of calories, exercise and eat those calories back too, I'm an adult male who weighs 259 pounds and I am set at 1540 calories a day before exercising.
  • clynnharris12
    clynnharris12 Posts: 19 Member
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    I'm at 26 PP on WW but not losing when I eat my full weekly amount plus exercise points (they have a way to log exercise now).
  • rorlie
    rorlie Posts: 36 Member
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    I just started MFP this week after being on WW off and on for a few years. I lost 30 lbs this last time on WW but didn't want to renew my online membership since I know everything I need about the program. I had the same concerns, I never ate my activity points but I always ate my weekly 49 points on weekend so I could eat a little extra. I was on 26 daily points but I didn't count all the veggies I ate and only ate 2 fruits because I know those could affect weight loss if I ate more. Basically, what I have learned so far this week is eat the calories they give you plus your exercise calories and this should give you a good amount to get through the day but I like to "save" those for the weekend and try not to eat them on a daily basis so I can eat a little extra on weekends. To me, this is not a "diet" it is a lifestyle change and while many say eat whatever you want and just count the calories, I am of a different mind set. If you are not also trying to eat healthy then what is the point if you are still putting junk into your body. You could be thin but still have a very unhealthy body, that just does not work for me.

    Try it out, play around and see what works for you. Just keep track and you should still be able to get those treats in with exercise and stuff. Good luck. Rose
  • clynnharris12
    clynnharris12 Posts: 19 Member
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    Thanks, all! I'm currently not really exercising (I walk 20-30 mins/day several times a week) but I am on my feet a lot of the day. How should I calculate that?