Myfitnesspal vs Weight Watchers

smthingforme
smthingforme Posts: 5
edited October 7 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, My name is Rachelle and I have had a membership with both myfitnesspal and weight watchers and I am just wondering if anyone else has tried the weight watchers. I have been following it pretty good with the new points plus system and I am finding that I had done better with myfitness pal. I would appreciate any input you might have. thank you!
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Replies

  • chanstriste13
    chanstriste13 Posts: 3,277 Member
    hiya! i did weight watchers online a few years ago and it worked pretty well. however, mfp is doing the trick a bit better, and it's free. i don't miss ww at all, and i actually think the community is much more active and supportive than ww.
  • Zurichnee
    Zurichnee Posts: 25 Member
    I am glad you asked that question. I was thinking of re-joining ww online because I wanted to know more about the new program. I have no way to find out about it or get new materials. I think as far as tracking, MFP does what I need it to - and want it too. Ijust would like to incorporate the new weight watchers too - if possible. But now, I think I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and hold off on the ww online ...for now.
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
    I did WW that was how I started out last year, I lost 40lbs in 4 months then I joined MFP and never looked back. I like the fact it`s free and when comparing allowable points vs calories I was allowed almost identical amount of food each day so no need to stay with WW. I like MFP better anyway since the support is way more awesome and I find it just suits me better.
  • lsand
    lsand Posts: 78 Member
    There are not alot of foods in the ww database so you have to input the fat, carb, fiber, and protein yourself to figure out the points, MFP has a much bigger database of foods. And it's FREE!
  • ChristineM1953
    ChristineM1953 Posts: 135 Member
    :heart: I agree. WW is good, but if you do the meetings and go online with the e-tools it is an extra charge. I would rather put that money toward gym membership or Zumba. I like the community better too - I don't think with WW you have "friends". That part is more similar to Faebook. I have had far better success with MFP than with WW. I love it!
  • AmeMahoney
    AmeMahoney Posts: 232
    Weight Watchers is all about Points. This does NOT teach you how to really eat healthy foods unless you are committed to learning more than WW teaches. I have met SO many people on Weight Watchers who have no clue as to how or what to eat, and no idea how to do anything without WW. It really has become a crutch for some of them - they can't go off the program. Maybe they're not doing it right, but when I hear over and over again, "I can't eat lunch - I'm saving up my points today so I can have cheesecake at dinner," well, let's just say I am LESS than impressed with that program.
  • carriep2010
    carriep2010 Posts: 117 Member
    I have done WW in the past and lost weight. I am finding that I like MFP much better, You get a lot more support and it's FREE!!
    The calories come about about the same as the points and you don't have to do all that figuring.
  • Fit2_T
    Fit2_T Posts: 317 Member
    I've been doing WW since last July. I have 2 weeks left on the last 17-week pass I bought and then I probably won't go back because of the cost. So sad since I am about 3- 4 pounds from goal. As I understand it once I reach goal I have to keep paying for 6 weeks until I have maintained the weight loss. Money is just too tight.

    I counted points when I started, but when it changed to points plus I just could not make myself learn the new point values. Lame, I know. I did not use the online feature at all (extra cost). So I've been using MFP and going to meetings to weigh in. I needed something to keep me accountable and the meetings did the trick.

    I personally think it is a great weight loss system. It really worked for me and I'd highly recommend it.

    I love MFP though! I highly recommend it too!
  • cahira
    cahira Posts: 163
    I just canceled my Weight Watchers online membership. It will run til the end of the month. I started up MFP sometime in January and I tracked some sample days on MFP just to see how things compare. For the last couple of weeks I have been double tracking things - and I finally decided today to cancel my WW - we are saving for a down payment on a house and every penny counts.

    Plus I really find that the MFP food database is way more extensive. The community is easier to navigate and I find the support here way better. The WW forums get really nasty and snarky.
  • bex1408
    bex1408 Posts: 39 Member
    I've also just cancelled my WW membership. I, like Cahira, had been double tracking for a while and found that MFP is actually easier for tracking and seems to be getting better results for me. WW is fine, but the concept of free fruit and veg bothered me - hence why i started double tracking, and some days i was eating 500cals worth of fruit and veg!! Plus, like everyone else has said - MFP is free.

    You could always follow it without joining so to speak, go along to a meeting, there's vouchers everywhere at the moment to waive the joining fee, get the info and give it a go. The online tracker / iphone app i don't particularly rate - MFP is much more extensive and there are other apps out there for about £2 which will allow you to calculate the points on things. Although i definitely find just looking at the calories is easier than trying to look for the fat, fibre, carbs and protein!!
  • LauraMcGanity
    LauraMcGanity Posts: 112
    I tried weight watchers online and found the community a lot less friendly than here. They all use acronyms for everything and I felt like an outsider looking in.

    Here everyone is friendly and supportive and there's the opportunity to make friends as you go along - I love that aspect of it.

    And best of all, it doesn't cost anything and it works!!:love:
  • mikeyrp
    mikeyrp Posts: 1,616 Member
    Did a local WW a few years back - it works - its good - but its really overpriced and I think if you want to loose weight on line rather than in a 'real life' group MFP is much better in terms of making you feel like part of a community.

    Verdict:

    MFP 9/10.
    WW 7/10
  • kkyishkkii
    kkyishkkii Posts: 51
    I've always avoided weight watchers, lighter-life etc as primarily their goal is to make money not to help you lose weight. They stop earning money when you have lost the weight you require so i have always been a little dubious regarding their methods which appear to change every 6-12 months or so
  • Chelise74
    Chelise74 Posts: 4
    I used to do WW and left when the new program came out. I didn't feel like it worked for me. I lost 20 lbs on weight watchers two years ago so I basically know how to eat right and exercise. I like MFP and it's free. It does the same thing for me and I find that the food database is much better. Half the food I eat I cannot find in the WW database.
  • debbie4health
    debbie4health Posts: 16
    I am doing both myself. I love the new program, have lost almost 27 pounds since Jan. Then a friend posted about this website and now have family and friends on here too and love their support. WW is pricey and if it wasn't for my husband doing so well, the only thing that's worked for him, I'd be tempted to quit. We are both very overweight, so do not want to stop something that's working. I do really like our leader and that means a LOT. That being said, wish I had found this place a LONG time ago! Love it!! Like someone else sald, so much easier to find foods on here and the search is much more user friendly. Good luck!!
  • MissAmyB80
    MissAmyB80 Posts: 159 Member
    I did MFP - then quit for WW - and now back to MFP. I love WW - I think it's a great program. But I felt like I was eating much more then I was with MFP. I never double tracked....but it just felt like at the end of the day I was having large snacks to have my remaining points. And I wasn't seeing much progress. I was there for 9 weeks and lost 11 lbs. And I was being diligent about tracking.

    Not to criticize WW - I honestly think it is an amazing program. But I am going solely with MFP now. I agree with everyone else about the cost savings too. It's amazing the support and the program you get here for FREE. Love it!
  • lasugar
    lasugar Posts: 2
    I am double dipping. I am still a WW member and I am newbie to MFP (first week) but so far I am in LOVE with MFP; the food database, the tracking, charts and SCANNING (love it) !! Wow! WW could learn a thing or two from this site. As my friend said, MFP is the new Facebook! LOL

    I have been a WW member many times, and I think I have done all of their programs. The last time I joined was in 2009 and I said I would stay a member until I reached lifetime because I feel I will need the help after the honeymoon of losing that weight is over. 2 years later I am still not at my goal, however I haven't given up. I know MFP is great for weight loss, but does anyone know how easy it is to maintain weight loss? I'm assuming you would just change your goals.

    MFP is way more user friendly, with friendlier people! I am double tracking and the calories/points are very similar. As a MFP newbie I don't want to give up WW just yet, but plan to see how it goes. I do like the accountable, and the walk of shame of doing the WW scale. However, having my friends see what I eat is a good way to stay accountable also!
  • duckpond11
    duckpond11 Posts: 197 Member
    I have done both, and I prefer MFP. It is FREE, and I can talk my friends into joining without having them shell out any cash. The support is better, the interface is better, and I also like that this site to me seems more about fitness than weight loss (although weight loss is needed for fitness for many of us).
  • beingskinnymeansbeingpretty
    beingskinnymeansbeingpretty Posts: 7
    I did weight watchers last summer and it did work but it required a bunch of effort. the new program sucks however and i didn't lose weight on it. i hope mfp will be a success for me as I hope to lose 30 lbs by next summer.
  • 2beesmon
    2beesmon Posts: 1
    I'm a newbie this just today as a matter of fact done weight watchers twice and lost a total of 115 pounds together. Does this really work m just want some encouragement!
  • cloneme_losehalf
    cloneme_losehalf Posts: 356 Member
    I have both, this seems to work better for me. I did well on WW too though. I use WW for recipe ideas and more support. Figure it doesn't hurt to have and use both!
  • chrisnap70
    chrisnap70 Posts: 2
    I am doing both ww and mfp. I lost 18lbs with ww last year and gained almost all of it back once the ww plus program started. I like how ww gave us weekly points to take from does mfp do something like that as well? I'm only allowed 1200 cal a day and I always go over on the days I don't work out. I'm not sure if I'm doing it right. I'm always starving.
  • BamaGurl47
    BamaGurl47 Posts: 45
    This was really informative .. I have always wondered about what people thought of other weight programs.. I am glad my aunt suggested this site to me .. Its free and im loosing wieght! And Im doing this in the comfort of my own home.. No meetings and i have exercising equipment at home so no need to go to the gym ... Loving it ..
  • kriddaz
    kriddaz Posts: 1
    I have done WW five times in the last decade. when I tracked by hand and went to meetings I was very successful. Then i switched to the online version, and it is VERY hard to use and takes a long time. i lost interest but still tried to do it for over a year. I have been on myfitnesspal for only five days now, and already dumped Weight Watchers. I LOVE THIS APP, especially on my iPad. I am down 5.7 in the first week and only have 94.3 pounds more to lose!
  • kazpixie
    kazpixie Posts: 20
    I'm running both simultaneously as well!

    Just had my first weigh-in today...think I need the regular weigh-ins to keep me motivated but I like this for monitoring my calorie intake and the support better. Good luck with it :)
  • nickykf201
    nickykf201 Posts: 10 Member
    i tried weight watchers and found it all a bit confusing and therefore didnt get on with it. im finding this sooooo much easier to follow and its so simple to add foods on...
    x
  • WhiteRaven
    WhiteRaven Posts: 138 Member
    I did the WW thing as well. Made it to Goal, and LIfetime I also worked for them for a while... then things happened and it all came back. I tried following again, and I found that the new Points Plus system doesn't really work. they changed alot of the food values, and it seems alot harder to get the weight off, and a lot more work to get your "points" each day (figuring them out and eating them all.)

    I find MFP a way better way to go. The people, the community, the tracking system and the motivation from friends Is all 10x better than anything I got from WW

    Save your Money,
    Devote time and effort to MFP
    and you WILL be successful :)
  • abc2003family
    abc2003family Posts: 57 Member
    Thanks to everyone who posted, I also had been thinking of trying Weight Watchers and then I heard of this site and app this week. I think this is an awesome program and has some definite benefits over anything else I've seen. I'm definitely staying with MFP! :happy:
  • klbaierwalter
    klbaierwalter Posts: 308 Member
    I did Weight Watchers last February and at first I liked it. However I did the online version and I noticed it was hard to keep myself accountable. I got busier with work and gained a little weight back and became discouraged. I stopped tracking like I should have and overall, I wasn't seeing very good results. So I decided not re re-new my subscription. I had been thinking about getting back into WW and giving it another try and seeing if maybe I would have different results this time. I stumbled upon MFP last Friday while on Facebook and decided to check it out. From last Friday to this past Monday, I had already dropped 3 pounds! I feel like MFP is so much more user friendly and I love the fact that it's free! I feel like this is a much more welcoming group of people and that everyone is there to motivate and help one another.

    You guys are awesome, and I'm VERY happy to be here! :-)
  • Classic65Mustang
    Classic65Mustang Posts: 12 Member
    I started on WW last year after the roll out of the new points plus program and I lost about 20 lbs. I did online only and was doing well but had to drop it due to cost. After dropping WW I did well at first and still managed to lose another 5 pounds only to start gaining it back due to no tracking or accountability. I tried using Livestrong.com for a while and it was ok but a bit more confusing and I don't think the database of foods was as large. This is my 3rd day on MFP and already down 2 lbs :smile:
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