Weight watchers, opinions?

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  • LouiseC1977
    LouiseC1977 Posts: 5 Member
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    Just to add another voice into the mix...

    I have used Weight Watchers in the past with great results; I lost 48lb before my wedding in 2012. I admit that I felt at times that I was not eating as much as I thought I should be and was hungry too, but I had a very definite goal that I wanted to achieve so I kept at it. It worked. But 18 months on, I'm back to where I was.

    I've tried WW again but I'm found that I wasn't really 'feeling it'; there is something missing for me, and I think it's more about the balance of everything calories, nutrients etc, and so I looked to MFP. I don't know whether it's a new way of tracking that holds it's appeal to me (although I've had an account for a while) but I feel more in control of what I am doing, it's not just about counting points but looking at what I'm eating.
  • crudd123
    crudd123 Posts: 244 Member
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    I tried ww and I only could lose 25 pounds than I plateaued and nothing they told me worked to break plateau. I ended up quitting and gaining the weight back. They don't really teach you what to eat. They just said it 27 points worth of food. I'm doing the Curves diet now and they tell you exactly what to eat. It's working better for me than ww ever did.
  • Tigermum9
    Tigermum9 Posts: 546 Member
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    It wasnt for me xx
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    Weight watchers like any other thing can work for some and not others. My Father in law law lost 4 stone using weight watchers and has kept it off for 5 years. There is not one method that is perfect for everyone.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,287 Member
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    If you are on a tight budget why pay for weight watchers when you have this? Put your money towards your food. Find an Aldi Grocery store..you will save 30 to 50 percent on your bill. They have fresh vegetables..oatmeal..eggs …yogurt…great frozen vegetables..and a line of reduced calorie foods for dieting. Also cheap spices, vinegar …and the quality is all very good.

    I also did weight watchers years ago and felt so starved I hated it. I only lasted a few weeks I was so miserable. That was my personal experience. Other people love it.
  • beckytcy
    beckytcy Posts: 135 Member
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    I liked ww when I did it but it was subsidized by my work. If I had to pay for the whole thing myself, I don't think it would be worth it.
  • tech_kitten
    tech_kitten Posts: 221 Member
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    Weight Watchers has helped a lot of people lose weight, but it's like anything else, it's only as good as your motivation to use it to obtain your goals. I personally don't think it's worth the money, there are so many free programs out there that you can just track your food/results in MFP and not spend money on something telling you how to lose weight. However, that said, some people need an organized program to motivate them, and if that's you, do it. Worst thing that happens is that it doesn't work and you try something else (and you're out however much money). I can't do WW because they focus on points, which completely confuses me as to how many calories I eat, and I would probably eat too many "free" or low point foods just because they have no/low points and my daily calories would still be over.
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
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    Sainsburys have on online plan in which you can count calories or use their meal plan or a mixture of both.
  • keziak1
    keziak1 Posts: 204 Member
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    Another WW veteran. I lost 30 lbs on the program but gained it back (my fault). I thought their database was great until I found MFP's which is better. Plus how can you beat free? One thing WW has is the meetings which frankly I think I could use. But this board has a lot of support and good ideas so don't really need to pay WW for that either.
  • craftywitch_63
    craftywitch_63 Posts: 829 Member
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    WW costs money. Overeaters anonymous has free meetings, http://www.oa.org/membersgroups/find-a-meeting/ . If you can't find one in your area, they have real-time online meetings.

    Mostly, though, WW is a "diet." The point system no longer uses calories as a base, it now uses fat, fiber and carbs so you have no idea how many calories you are actually eating. Some foods are free because they are low fat, low carb and high fiber. You really don't know how many calories you are consuming each day unless you log into another site such as MFP or Livestrong.com, both of which BTW, are free. http://www.exercise4weightloss.com/points-plus-calculation.html

    I lost weight on WW too but I didn't really feel like I learned how to sustain the weight loss. Also, the "free points" system was a major obstacle for me. I could suck up my free 35 points the first day of the week, then, as one previous poster pointed out, starve for the remaining 6 days. And, I'm sorry, but lettuce just isn't an acceptable substitute for food!

    Like MFP, you eat foods you like but the points are based on something other than actual calories, so they really are "judging" foods, attempting to steer you towards food they feel is "acceptable."

    If you just really want to give money away, however, I can steer you toward a few good charities that can use it . . . :happy:
  • Fast_Track
    Fast_Track Posts: 33 Member
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    I really like WW -- I've done it online before, but lost the willpower and motivation just tracking online and ended my membership 7-8 months ago. I decided I wanted to try it again after some of my friends had some great success going to the meetings. At first I was a little skeptical, but after attending meetings now for over a month, I'm down over 6 lbs.

    Do I think I'll be on WW forever? Probably not -- it can add up over time. I know that a point is roughly 50 calories and I think that at some point, I'll move back to tracking on MFP. But really, the meetings and in-person support that I've gained from attending meetings has really helped keep me on track and accountable. On their site, they say that members who attend meetings lose up to 8 times more weight -- I believe that.

    Really, its whatever works for you. For me, I think attending WW meetings for now is giving me the jump start and routine that I need to drop this last little bit of weight.
  • cychogal
    cychogal Posts: 39 Member
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    I had joined weight watchers online a few years ago, and cancelled it because I didn't think it had any more to offer than this site, or others like it. I was intrigues by their 'simple start' campaign, but I am going to use common sense and not be fooled into thinking there's anything new or different. I'm not saying weight watchers is bad, but I don't think it really gives you anything for your money that you can't find for free. I should clarify that I am just talking about the online program. The accountability and social aspect of going to meetings with real live people could be a huge motivator for some people, and for that reason, it's probably worth paying the membership fees.
    I'm just glad this site is here for me to get my reality check.
  • kellyk1111
    kellyk1111 Posts: 7
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    I have had great success with WW online, lost 115 lbs and still losing. After hitting a plateau around 100 lbs, I started going to meetings and tried their Simple Start, which really kick started me. With that program (which is their Simply Filling technique, slightly modified) you don't track points. You get a long list of things you can eat as much as you want of-lean proteins, beans, all fruits and vegs, eggs etc., 2 tsp of healthy oil per day. You get 7 more points a day for indulgences-wine, butter, other things not on the list.

    Even when I was counting points, I have never felt hungry, and I'm not sure what the others were eating that put them at such low calories, but I've tracked both WW and MFP for almost a year, and at 26 WW points plus, I'm usually right around 1200-1300 calories per day, which is where MFP has me based on my weight'/goals etc. When I started WW and had over 100 lbs to lose, I was allowed 39 points per day, so that was a lot of calories, it's gradually gone down as I've lost.

    That said, the reason I joined MFP was to save $$ and quit WW, but I decided to do both. If money were an issue, I'd just do MFP because it really is great.
  • JenJBS
    JenJBS Posts: 83
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    There are free apps that are the same as Weight Watchers. I used Value Diary for a while before coming to MFP. I really liked it and did lose weight. And I loved that it is free - unlike WW.
  • vegandave
    vegandave Posts: 40 Member
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    I',m a WW lifer, started 7 years ago - drifted on to MFP cause it was 'free' and "I got it now", and I'm back at WW about 3 weeks now. Here's the thing: First, once you maintain goal, WW costs nothing. nada. it's free. Second, most people don't have to track calories and intake. We have a mental issue that results in the ability to eat but not stop. Counting points don't help with that. Fellowship and accountability do. My take. Just sayin.

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