Weight Watchers Vs Calorie Control

Hello, I have done both but find calorie counting on MFP much better for me personally. I guess it depends 'how' you're wanting to eat though.

What I mean by this is, are you intending to eat nutritionally well, or just calorie count 'regular' foods. If you just want a method of counting regular foods then WW might be worth a go, as they have the 'eat anything so long as its within the points' focus. If you are wanting to make a healthier and nutritionally balanced diet and are interested in balacing your macros etc, I would recommed MFP instead.

I've tried WW twice. I had a hard time following it. To me, it is easier to use MFP. The database is bigger and it's easier to count the calories. I had issues with WW trying to figure out how many points something would have if it wasn't in the database. You need to do what you find easier for you to use.

I have done weight watchers twice before and took about 30 pounds off (and regained it). I didn't get a lot out of the meetings except accountability (which is huge) however once I missed two meetings in a row I was done. I thought about doing it again but my Dr recommended seeing a nutritionist instead so I started tracking here which I prefer to the last WW app I used. It all depends what works for you, it is a good program.

I followed the Weight Watchers plan like 10 years and lost 25lbs. Honestly, I just do MFP now because it's free. I don't really see a difference in effectiveness between the two (although I think back then I liked the online community a little more with WW), my motivation was much better back then. I think that has more to do with where I was in my life versus the programs.

At this point in my life, I do appreciate the opportunity to see the breakdown in my macros/micros.

I am not a member, but my friend is and she told me (while I was telling her about MFP's whole theory of a calorie deficit) that WW doesn't really do that. It focuses more on healthy choice, lifestyle change, eating less, etc. She said it really does not count calories. Maybe she has hers set differently than most, I don't know but she does not even look at calories.

This is free.

I had much success with Weight Watchers after I had each of my two older kids. More recently, after my third baby, I thought I'd give it a try. The plan had changed quite a bit, and I found it pretty tedious to track. (And to be honest, I also find it tedious to track on MFP, so that's not really a fair complaint.) I also kept trying to trick the system to get more for my points (for example, a recipe was often fewer points than entering food items separately.) With MFP, there are no tricks--a calorie is a calorie.

I also hated the WW online forum. MFP has its fair share of boobs, but there's lots of good nutrition information given out too. When I was using WW, there was a gaggle of zealots who were really annoying. I remember saying something about how my hot cocoa had calcium and so I counted it as a milk serving (on the old WW plan this was allowed) and boy was I in trouble for that!

I started weight watchers when I was in 8th grade [old program many many many many years ago] and decided to try it again after the birth of my 3rd child. It worked for a while and then i went on to just using mfp. A few months ago I started doing it again, and also logged everything on mfp and realized I was way under 1200 calories, even more so on days I worked out. [which is almost everyday] I hated how unhealthy that was so I stopped doing it.

I also tried WW more than once. Besides the cost, I did not like the points system. I agree with a previous post...I was always hungry! With MFP, I can eat whatever I like, within my daily goals. Since I prepare most of my food, I can enter recipes that I use. The database is great and a good tool when planning to go out for dinner. With MFP, I have been losing weight without feeling deprived. I cook the same way for the family and they aren't feeling deprived either. In my opinion, managing your weight loss with MFP is more sustainable and realistic. & free.
Good luck!

To me a banana is not free. It is too calorie dense, high in carbs and sugar. How can it be free? I liked WW years ago, but think now they really messed up a good thing. I much prefer MFP, and the fact that it is also free of charge is an added bonus!!!

I was a lifetimer with WW since 1985. Yeah.

In 2009, I stopped going and started using VARIOUS online services and apps, some I liked better than others. I ended up with MFP and have stayed.

Healthy living is a big experiment. I was told from the 1980s that whole grains and vegetarian lifestyle would best help me control my already evident genetic cardiovascular issues. A few years ago, I switched to Autoimmune Protocol and went from needing meds (for CVD) to having PERFECT blood panels. Who knew? Heck, I did it for my lupus but ended up fixing my other thing (so far, 3 years and counting, touch wood!).

Unfortunately, I'm not somebody who can just eat healthy food. I can gluttonise anything, anywhere, so I continue to track food. It's also a MASSIVE plus the last few years with MFP because I can whip out and share with my doctor EVERYTHING I've been eating when a malabsorption issue comes up, like anemia, for example. 'You're not getting enough iron.' Then I can show exactly how much I am getting.

You don't get that with WW. I continue to try new things and keep as healthy as possible whether I'm a size 2 or a size 10.

To me a banana is not free. It is too calorie dense, high in carbs and sugar. How can it be free? I liked WW years ago, but think now they really messed up a good thing. I much prefer MFP, and the fact that it is also free of charge is an added bonus!!!

Our WW leader told us this when everyone had concerns about bananas being "free", she would say, "nobody ever got fat from eating too many bananas!!", that always stuck with me because it is true!!

I did WW for years, did OK but wasn't losing that much.Checked on here and found out just how many calories I'd been consuming in 'free' fruit! Not saying it doesn't work, just that I wasn't good at it.

Also they push their products so much, and if you want to work out PPoints in stuff you need to buy their books, calculators etc whereas almost anything you can buy already has calorie counts on it.

Then I found out they were a NY stock exchange company, and wasn't too pleased about shareholders profiting from my weight problems!

Furthermore, MFP is free, so I'm saving a lot of money.

Hi, I recently did Weight Watchers for 8 months and only lost a total of 3 lbs..I even exercised an hour a day and lifted weights 3x a week. In addition, I went to weekly meetings, tracked everything, and drank lots of water. I only had 20 lbs. to lose, but I felt defeated. I was worried there was something wrong with my body and I wasn't capable of losing weight. In retrospect, the reason WW didn't work for me, was because the plan says that fruits and vegetables are 0 points. Maybe that works for some people, but I'm convinced that was the reason I didn't do well on the WW plan. I would eat 1-3 bananas a day and a couple of salads and wasn't suppose to count any of that. With myfitnesspal, I've lost 8 lbs. in 2 months. Anyway, I know WW works for people that have a lot of weight to lose, but I also know people who have a lot of weight to lose do well on myfitnesspal. I am thankful for the time I had at WW, because the meetings helped me realize a lot of things I hadn't thought about. I began taking habits more seriously and changing things thanks to the meetings. I know that when I reach my fitness goal, that I'll continue to track, or I'll gain it all back - I learned that from some of the people at WW. Getting the last 20 lbs. off has been hard for me, and myfitnesspal has been my road to success. I'm so happy with my progress.

I lost about 60 pounds on Weight Watchers before completely stalling out. I don't blame WW for the plateau, but I found that counting calories has helped break my plateau for a few reasons:

1. I was eating A LOT of fruit and veggies in addition to eating nearly all my WW points. Though fruits and veggies are 0 points, they still have calories. So I was probably eating well over my weight loss calorie goal even though I was still within my points.

2. Exercise isn't a big focus with WW and I workout a lot -- training for a half marathon, running a half marathon, cycling upwards of 20 miles at a time and strength/circuit training. MFP has a better system for tracking exercise and eating some of the calories back bust still saying at a net goal.

3. WW didn't allow me to track carbs, protein and fat in an easy way, so I have no idea if I was eating a balanced diet.

I think WW is a great tool to start with to learn how to eat better foods and incorporate more fruits and veggies, but I've found that MFP is better for someone who understands calories and nutrition and who works out a lot.

^^This exactly. (Well, except the half marathon part; I'm lucky to get in 6 miles a week.)

I lost a good bit on WW last year but then when I stalled, I was lost. Their point system is proprietary and counter-intuitive, so when I hit my plateau I couldn't figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. I was at the mercy of the point system, and of the "experts" who work at the WW center. Boy, that's a joke! They have no clue and all they do is parrot the same tired old lines we've already heard. On week 3 or 4 of my stall, one of them asked me if I was getting 2 daily servings of dairy. Not being a huge dairy fan I said no, usually just 1. So she immediately stated that was the sole reason I wasn't losing anymore. I NEEDED 2 servings of dairy every day, just like their "Good Health Guidelines" suggest. I think that was the day I finally quit.

With MFP, YOU are in control of your calories and all the other macros, mircros, whatever you want to track. Yes, that's intimidating but it's also very empowering and ultimately the best way to be successful. In some ways I liked having someone else tell me what and how much to eat, but in the end I think I always knew that I needed to take full control of the reins if I am to reach my goals.