Weight Watchers??

scotslass
scotslass Posts: 317
edited September 23 in Success Stories
Hey

What are your opinions on Weight Watchers, pros, cons, success, unsucessful?? I'm really thinking of signing up online for 3 months t give it a go, but don't want to waste my money or time without getting an insight into what people think or from experience.


Thanks Everyone!!

Lynsey
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Replies

  • goohan
    goohan Posts: 155
    every person is different so if you think it will help, go for it. but i think mfp is really good, ive lost 30lb on here just by logging every day and i get so much support from people on here, add me if you like, im happy to send support your way xxx
  • I have a friend who is doing it and she has lost weight. I have also known people who have not lost weight doing it. I think that if your in it to loose it, have a focused mind to succeed you will be fine. I dont know how much it costs. I do P90X myself and use the included website for nutritional meal planning. Been doing that for a month and have lost 10lbs. Been using my fitness pal for two weeks now so my total lost does not reflect my beginning weight.
  • fuzzymel
    fuzzymel Posts: 400 Member
    I lost over 40lbs on it.

    Gained half of it back within a year though.

    I prefer healthy eating, logging calories and exercise.

    Its different for everyone though and it is very successful.
  • Morning, you have to do what motivates you and helps you in your weight loss.... but honestly,... You can do everything you do on WW, on here..... for free. I actually think MFP is easier and more motiving because you see actual numbers rather than points. WW in my opinion, is highly over-priced.
  • Redkoala
    Redkoala Posts: 146
    I've used WW about 3-4 different times in my life, and everytime i've lost weight, can be expensive week after week, if you're like me who just goes to be weighed.

    With technology now a days with sites like MFP i dont see the point of WW other than to get support. If you have that at home then why go? Counting calories is the same thing you're still logging your food intake.

    WW is nice because you're a part of something, same people in your boat. And the stickers rewards are cool :-) I wouldn't have anything bad to say about WW it does work.

    Go along to a meeting see what you think :)
  • clahut
    clahut Posts: 211 Member
    Hi,

    I'm doing both MFP and WW. I lost my first stone on here and then started doing WW at home.

    I quite like WW, but to be honest, I think most people can achieve the same results here by sticking to the targets this give you.

    I agree with tokays72 - it all depends on whether you have the right frame of mind :smile:

    C
  • SmartFunGorgeous
    SmartFunGorgeous Posts: 699 Member
    I don't have anything against WW, but if you're just using the online part, MFP is free and offers tons of support. If you need training on nutrition and serving sizes and all that, their books are great at that, but I imagine you could get those from somewhere like Amazon. I've used it in the past and had success, but I choose to save my money now to spend on a gym membership.
  • Having found MFP I can't get my head round why you would want to pay? I have used WW in the past with varying success. I often found it difficult to stick to the points allocation, I found it a pain to have to convert foods to points and was always more likely to eat processed food.
    With WW you need to know the calories, the sat fat, the weight of the food & you need access to some kind of device to work out the points (ie you need their branded calculator, the website or the cardboard thing they give you on week one). With MFP you only need to know the weight of the food & the calories. I find WW meetings very demotivating. They tend to be full of overweight women who make degrading self deprecating comments about themselves whether they lose weight or not (I say that from my experience of 4 different clubs).
    I've recommended this MFP site to 6 people (who told me they were looking to lose weight) and sadly 4 of them said they'd NEED to go to WW because they need the humiliation to lose weight. I don't think WW plans to be humiliating, but at 3 out of the 4 clubs I've been to, sadly it was and I think it speaks volumes that so many of my friends (who don't know one another btw) accept that WW will provide them with the humiliation they need to lose weight. Personally I think losing weight should be about feeling good and being positive, I get that atmosphere here, I've never had it at WW.

    Why I like MFP, there's no mysterious magical protected formula, it's just calorie counting and exercise, there's a great forum, it's full of positive people I can 'surround' myself with, I love the app, the extensive database makes it easy & I can add my own stuff, it's FREEeeeeeeeeeeee!!
  • Andi_Mo
    Andi_Mo Posts: 243
    Hello My Gorgeous Friend :)

    I lost over 90 lbs using WW.com a few years ago but as the poster said above, its the same thing. You would have to log all of your food and keep track but you'd be paying for their clever little "points" formula. Yes, it reminds you to eat whole grains and dairy and all but I personally feel like the support here and seeing friends work hard and using it for motivation is really helping me. Give it a try if you need a change of pace but really it's just all logging. I also found that I can find more foods in the database here than on WW. Good luck girl. I know you'll do well no matter what you decide!

    Andi
  • traceytoo
    traceytoo Posts: 163
    each to their, but I've been there and done it with all of them .. ... always feel hungry on weight watchers for some reason .. to be honest we all know what we have to do, less calories in, eat more healthily and more exercise .. eat less than we spend so to speak ... and that's for free xxx
  • I became a Lifetime member of WW in April after losing 100.8 lbs. WW absolutely works IF you follow the program. I am having a hard time finding a balance between the WW "Lifestyle" and my life. I agree with the others who have said you can get the same kind of support here for free. MFP actually allows me more food than WW does, but this is my first week on MFP so we will see on Monday how things add up. The one thing that WW online is good for is recipes.
  • What the other members say is right, it's expensive and you have the same thing here at MFP for free. I am a life member(free now) and still go weigh in ounce a month for more support.Lost about 70 pound, but the meetings got boring after a year or so. You are doing great, but if you want more support try it out. It is 40 dollars a month, then 13 dollars a month for their web site. You eat regular food, but they do have WW frozen foods, bread, cookies, snacks, etc. MFP is for free and that is why I'm here and have met nice, beautiful friends like you. Your doing fabulous, just keep the right mind set as someone else said on your post. It a good program that teaches you how to live your eating life, and not dieting the rest of your life. Eat and live healthy, not over indulge as we tend to do, once in a while is okay, treat yourself once a week sound go to me. It all depends on you and how your body reacts. Your great girl. keep up the good work.
  • tacticalhippie
    tacticalhippie Posts: 596 Member
    personally, i have not done ww.
    but like the other posters here, you can get the tools you need here.

    the way i look at it, i would rather know the calorie content of what i am eating and learning to eat better than some magical point system.

    i think it really encourages people to buy their branded products and feel like they need to stick with them.
    if you learn about calories, how many you can eat and how many you burn then i think you're better off.
  • I did weight watchers. I lost 45 lbs and regained every darn bit of it back and then some! WW doesnt teach you to have new behaviors. They teach you how to eat differently. You lose your weight but didnt gain any knowledge on why you over ate.... yadda yadda yadda. Save your money. Count your calories. Watch your portions. Change your behaviors. Thats all you need!! READ LABELS!
  • canamoc
    canamoc Posts: 16 Member
    I have done WW a few times. I did always lose weight, I did always gain some of it back. I personally never stayed for the meetings, just went in to weigh. I know that it does work, however I find MFP a lot better, and though I don't post often on here I do check out people's success stories and that is more inspiration to me than any WW meeting or rep' could ever be. I find this much easier to track what I eat and I have lost weight MUCH quicker following MFP than I ever did with WW, and yet I find this far less restrictive in what I eat for some reason. I always tell people that WW works, cos' it does if you stick to it, just like anything else..... however which one do I prefer? MFP by far, I really feel like I could do this for life..... this doesn't feel like a diet, WW always felt like a diet. And to all those who post their success stories....... you are the inspiration I use and need to keep me going.......
  • suejonestx
    suejonestx Posts: 256 Member
    Friends and family I know that have done Weight Watchers say it works and is one of the healthiest diets around. However, when I researched doing WW, I realized that you have to learn a new system of counting food items (points), and I decided that learning to count calories was more applicable and beneficial in the long term of life. In either diet, the key is knowing and monitoring exactly what you are eating. Good luck with your decision.
  • akapel
    akapel Posts: 10
    You can try WW Online for free for one week. I tried it around the same time I found MFP. I cancelled WW after a few days because I found MFP's database to be all I need.

    Here's the link to the 7-day free trial: https://signup.weightwatchers.com/SignupVersions/Online/StepOne.aspx
  • kris628
    kris628 Posts: 15 Member
    WW i don't feel is worth the money you pay for it. I did a 12 week program and i lost weight but put it back on just as fast. And this seems to be more people friendly. WW just started a new program and the food is more points and you didn't go up in points ! It is your choice but if you have just started this on here I would give this a try before you start paying for a diet program! Plus you have support here on WW you don't get that on thier online site! Best of luck to you with the weight loss!
  • I lost about 60 pounds while participating in ww online. It works, but this site is similar! I appreciate ww because my mind begins to convert to points automatically and I find that it is a little easier to account for calorie and fat intake throughout the day because you become so accustomed to the syste. I enjoy this website and converted to save a little money! I do like the full nutritional info that this website provides. I think the key for both is counting, recording what you eat and staying on top of intake daily!! When I do not count or weigh myself, I tend to gain.
  • JEB77
    JEB77 Posts: 4
    Everything works if you sick to it.
  • 135sb
    135sb Posts: 24
    I lost 30 lbs and regained 28..Not because of ww but because i lost time and focus over the last 4 years..
    ww really is no different from this site except for the fact it can run into a lot of money. The meetings I attended really did not teach healthy eating. A lot of processed foods were the emphasis..one gal said she was able to eat a whole can of pringles and stay within her calories..They also drop calories down to 1000 as you approach your goal. They did not explain eating back calories which did effect my metabolism.. I opted for MFP over WW this time and am doing great.
  • 135sb
    135sb Posts: 24
    Friends and family I know that have done Weight Watchers say it works and is one of the healthiest diets around. However, when I researched doing WW, I realized that you have to learn a new system of counting food items (points), and I decided that learning to count calories was more applicable and beneficial in the long term of life. In either diet, the key is knowing and monitoring exactly what you are eating. Good luck with your decision.

    the point thing is no different from counting calories..1 point equals approx 50 cals. if you do the core program it is basically high protien with veggies and your allowed x amount of points each day so you can eat grains..
  • 135sb
    135sb Posts: 24
    each to their, but I've been there and done it with all of them .. ... always feel hungry on weight watchers for some reason .. to be honest we all know what we have to do, less calories in, eat more healthily and more exercise .. eat less than we spend so to speak ... and that's for free xxx

    you are right..I frequently went to bed hungry. I think it was because they never to tell you TO EAT any of your exercise calories or explain the reason behind doing so. They tell you you earned so many extra points from exercising and IF you want you can eat them.. I found that to be an important factor in sucessful weight loss, eat some or all you cals back and hunger doesn't seem to be a great issue. Plus I would be shakey sometimes..I was walking 5 to 7 miles a day and didn't have a clue???
  • scotslass
    scotslass Posts: 317
    Hi Everyone!

    Thank you all for taking the time for our advice! I have decided just to keep tracking my calories and working out, as I dont want to pay money when i really don't need to :-) It was just something i had in my head that I couldnt decide on, I am glad I asked :-)


    Thank you again!!
  • Healthydiner65
    Healthydiner65 Posts: 1,505 Member
    I signed up for weight watchers 6 different times and dropped out. I get more support here and I don't have to pay for meetings!
  • cacfish
    cacfish Posts: 24
    Like alot of people on the forum i've done everything - personally i found the classes very time consuming. By the time i got ome from work - went to weigh in and class - came home made dinner - what a drag!!
    I was in a similar situation as yourself two weeks ago and now --- i'm addicted to myfitnesspal! I never facebook anymore - i think why spend the money on weight watcher when this is free? I went out and bought a couple of dietry magazines and i can cook from that, i've a few weightwatchers readymeals in the oven.. ...i have big long weight loss journey to go on and i think can do it on MFP - i need to learn myself and make my own choices etc - for now and the future. WHEN i loose the weight i dont think i could follow a weightwatchers way of eating and i would be too scared to put it all back on!!!

    here's my brief summary of the others weight watcher quite similar to MFP and slimming world - good amounts to eat but not much long term learning.

    GOOD LUCK!!
  • Weight Watchers online is almost the same as this....but.... this is free! No blogs or friends the last time I was on WW!
  • I agree with kidtechnical, it's painful converting everything into points, then having to log. I find just putting the calories into MFP much much easier. I also ate more processed foods because unlike MFP, WW doesn't make you track sodium intake etc. I don't see why anyone would want to pay for WW when you have MFP, it's utterly fantastic. But like everyone said it's up to you and you should do what you feel is best. I've had success years and years ago with WW when I was about 21 I lost 25 lbs back then there was no points system it was just eating 3 heatlhy meals a day and a couple of snacks and cutting out crap. I tried it again years later, but it just didn't work as well as it did before. I think that's my MFP is working for me, because it is very like the old WW and I've lost 23lbs.

    Good luck on your decision :-)
  • I signed up for weight watchers 6 different times and dropped out. I get more support here and I don't have to pay for meetings!

    Me too! why is that? I'd go for 2-3 weeks and then ...that's it...gone!!!
  • shaunarlr83
    shaunarlr83 Posts: 374 Member
    I have a friend on facebook is posted today she was so excited that she has lost 10 lbs. in a month, but I feel sorry for her because she thinks she will continue to lose 10 every month from now on, if it doesn't happen for her that way she will probably be pretty disappointed, I have seen alot of food in the list with the ww points added so I figured you could basically do it on here also??? Good luck!
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