Weight Watchers VS Calorie Counting

I was a WW member and lost 61lbs while I was still in high school as a heavy teenager. Between high school and college I had stopped going to meetings and gained more than half of what I lost back, because I wasn't tracking everything according to point values. I was trying to just do it in my head.

So, when I heard of MFP, I decided to try it and I LOVE it. I believe its been 3 years or so for me on here and I have maintained (pretty much give or take 10lbs) my goal weight. I love that it is free and that it has a food diary and app that I can use from my smart phone to hold me accountable. It got me through college. Also, in place of meetings - the forums (here!) are a great place for answers to questions and support! It's just a bigger support group.

I much better prefer MFP because I feel like its much more of a lifestyle change than a diet.

You should stick with what you like and what makes you happiest.

Some people weigh every bit of food and do math calculations to set a number they eat up or down to. Some skip that.

Some eat McDonald's. Some eat healthy.

Some eat all day, others want one big meal.

Some eat when their hungry and stop when they're full.

It's all about what works for YOU. You know you best...What do you want to do? (Do that.)

I like that MFP gives macros (protein, fat and carb) as well as calories.

I think if you ask here people will say calorie counting and if you ask there they'll say weight watchers.

I'm a math person. Calories make sense to me in a way their points system does not. In the end you'd hope they do a similar job.

My roommate is on WW and she does like it a lot. And when I complain about 100 calories for an apple or for a glass of orange juice she proudly states, "this is why I love WW". Now that's fine, but I don't like that so-called "unhealthy" food is penalized and "healthy" food given a free pass. None of it's calorie free and I don't believe that for me it would allow me to make good choices in the future if that line of thinking became ingrained in me.

Edit: i have not tried WW, only looked at it b/c my roommate was trying to convince me to start it.

Either approach will work if you take it seriously (i.e., you can cheat either system). Only you know if you're the type of person would needs / likes the meeting thing. My wife like the meetings, and does weight watchers. Meetings bore me, so I do MFP. We're both losing weight.

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Here is my two cents:

I used WW for many years (not continuously) and lost weight several times with the program. I liked that it worked and I feel that it is a really good program for people who know nothing about hunger cues, portion sizes, etc. However, for me, it felt way to "diet-y." I didn't like how it centered so much around the scale and really didn't push the fitness side at all (this may just have been my experience and meetings). Both times I lost significant amounts of weight but I didn't feel "healthy."

When I got to my highest weight ever after having my third child, I thought back to all my various journeys and realized that I was in the best shape of my life when I was just eating heathier things in smaller portions and working out and lifting weights (not following any program). I decided to stop weighing myself and start working out. I am counting calories because I really think I have ruined myself with hunger cues, etc, so I need that to stay on track. A month and a half in I am down a couple of dress sizes and feeling great.

MFP feels like something I could do forever (I don't feel like I am DOING anything, just living healthy). WW felt like a diet.

At the end it is the same thing.
It doesn't make any difference if you count calories or points.
You will not go to meetings anymore and save some money.

Hi I never used WW but when you say you enjoy the meetings I totaly get that and have maybe a suggestion for you.
you can go to over-eaters anonymous (OE) meetings for FREE and then use MFP for FREE.
Even if you don't consider yourself an over-eater the meetings are there for us free of charge and you can get the type of meetings you like.

I used to do WW as well and lost 30 pounds back on their old program. Now after being pregnant and gaining 52 pounds I gave it a shot again and it did not work for me at all.. apparently WW changed their program. Logging onto here and writing down what I was eating on WW I was shocked to discover that on some days I ate only 900-1000 cals a day but went over my points on WW big time. WW gives a higher amount of points for foods they consider as 'not as optimal/healthy'. I am on a paleo diet with focuses on lot's of veggies, fruits, proteins and fats. The problem is that fats and protein gives a lot of WW points. To make a long story short my body held onto the weight on WW and I ended up gaining weight. I dropped WW and only use MFP now

I was on WW last year (meetings and online) and after six months I switched to here after deciding to log onto this account and track my macros. I tracked on both for about a month and within a few weeks I decided to cancel my WW membership. The thing that really sold me on it was how much better this site is. The food database is bigger and items are easier to find and on top of that it's free. WW's outdated website and food database was always a pain.

Another thing that I like about MFP is that their forums are a lot more active and not restricted like the one on the WW website. At least here people can share links.

One more thing that really stood out was that after I started reading the forums on MFP was the lack of emphasis on fitness with WW. The only time it was really promoted was when their Active Link was on sale. It just made more sense for me to switch to a better product that I didn't even have to pay for.

"Do you have MFP set up to calc Points?"

How do you do this?

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/822197-how-to-track-weight-watchers-points-on-mfp?hl=weight+watchers+points&page=19#posts-20300387

jkal- I totally agree.

Bianca- It's not the protein the Points calc penalizes, it's just the fat. They encourage protein and fiber. Alcohol now has a big penalty, too.

If you can afford WW, there is nothing wrong with using that for the meetings and support that you get, while using MFP for your tracking of calories. No one has to know that you are not using the points system. This way, you can get what you need from each - having a personal program that suits your needs. Good luck!

I prefer WW but it's really individual preference. I find points easier to deal with than calories. I know I have 10 points left for the rest of the day and I know what my usual foods are, point-wise. Plus it encourages me to eat fruits and veggies, and I need that encouragement. I'm not one to overindulge on produce - if I were, WW would not be for me.

I do like MFP for keeping track of protein. And the fact that it's free. But WW works better for me.

I prefer MFP... because it's free


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