Weight Watchers compared with MFP
caddir
Posts: 150 Member
I went to WW for two and a half years and lost 4st 13lb (69lb) with them. I know that they are successful and wouldn't want to criticise the work they do, but I have now moved over to this site and wanted to give my first impressions and possibly ask a question or two.
The reasons I gave up WW were twofold: firstly I felt that I could do better, in order to get a more accurate idea of the calories I was eating, by including the fruit and veg and counting the exact number not just multiples of 40. Secondly I felt that I could do this for free instead of paying for the privelege. The acquisition of a new set of bathroom scales helped too!
My first thought is that I like the look and feel of the site, and the community seems vibrant and helpful. The real bonus point to me is the app - wow! So far I have only found one product that the barcode did not find, and coming from WW where the barcode rarely matched anything, this is an absolute marvel.
I feel that this is because WW is a long established, pre-internet organisations trying to adapt to the world of IT, whereas MFP has its very roots in IT.
So far I feel motivated and find the tools on the site and the app are keeping me extremely motivated and the community are doing so too. I have three friends now and would welcome others (especially women who are fifty+ and not fit at all yet).
I feel I have learned more about nutrition in one week from this site than I did in the past year!
I did have an issue with the logging of sugar - until I found a thread which suggested that I should perhaps ignore the goals set for sugar, but just watch my sugar intake. This is what I am doing. Is there any way to hide the sugar goal?
The reasons I gave up WW were twofold: firstly I felt that I could do better, in order to get a more accurate idea of the calories I was eating, by including the fruit and veg and counting the exact number not just multiples of 40. Secondly I felt that I could do this for free instead of paying for the privelege. The acquisition of a new set of bathroom scales helped too!
My first thought is that I like the look and feel of the site, and the community seems vibrant and helpful. The real bonus point to me is the app - wow! So far I have only found one product that the barcode did not find, and coming from WW where the barcode rarely matched anything, this is an absolute marvel.
I feel that this is because WW is a long established, pre-internet organisations trying to adapt to the world of IT, whereas MFP has its very roots in IT.
So far I feel motivated and find the tools on the site and the app are keeping me extremely motivated and the community are doing so too. I have three friends now and would welcome others (especially women who are fifty+ and not fit at all yet).
I feel I have learned more about nutrition in one week from this site than I did in the past year!
I did have an issue with the logging of sugar - until I found a thread which suggested that I should perhaps ignore the goals set for sugar, but just watch my sugar intake. This is what I am doing. Is there any way to hide the sugar goal?
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Replies
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Welcome, good luck and yes - swap it out for something useful like fibre
go to settings - diary settings (I think that's what it's called) and there's drop-downs for what you're tracking0 -
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings. I have fiber there as well as the rabbit0
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I found the WW forums to be incredibly snarky. And, I don't like to pay for anything I could do on my own, for free. Welcome, and congrats on the loss, it's impressive!0
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Yeah, WW internet presence is pretty bad, including their foods database and forums. $500M in annual revenue from the site alone... you'd think they could do better.0
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I used WW for years. I like their site; however, the apps continuously crashed on me. When I first started in 2003, I loved their message boards. There were so active. Now it seems like the same thing over and over with little encouragement and interaction. I was also tire of paying the high cost.0
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I used WW successfully from 2008 though 2011 and would go back to it if I ever got track, but ever since the plan changed in November 2011, to where you didn't count fruits and vegetables and had a higher points goal, it never worked the same for me. I switched over to MFP then, and agree, the app has been awesome! It works. I was also inspired to start running a year ago, and this year completed several 5Ks, a 10K, a 13K, 18K, and a 1/2 marathon. I love being able to sync MapMyRun with MyFitness pal, and it automatically enters the calories I burn. This year, I am looking to learn more about nutrition and eat smarter. I am hoping these boards will help. Welcome to the community!0
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My main reason for preferring MFP over WW is that, with MFP, you can set and follow your macronutrient goals better. I need to limit my carbs to a max of 180 g. a day per Dr's orders and it is so much easier with MFP. I don't mind paying for something if it gives me what I need. With WW, I had to use a separate website to track my macro and micro nutrients so I was entering my food twice and was a pain in the backside. Here, it is one and done. MFP even sends my food info over to the Fitbit site.0
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Personally, I wouldn't like to be told which foods I can/can't eat or what to avoid. This is a great site you'll do well here.0
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Bravo!!
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Welcome to MFP. I haven't done WW, but I love MFP and have been using the site and app religiously for almost 1 year. One of the things I love about the app is that you can see a pie chart of your Protein, Fat, and Carbohydrates. I also love the forums, but you have to have a tough skin about you to venture into some topics (and know which topics to just plain ignore- never mention the word "clean" ever ever ever).0
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Personally, I wouldn't like to be told which foods I can/can't eat or what to avoid. This is a great site you'll do well here.
WW does not tell you what food you can or cannot eat. It is a calorie counting site, just like MFP except it assigns point value to count calories instead of calorie and macronutrient value.
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cdfitness200 wrote: »I used WW successfully from 2008 though 2011 and would go back to it if I ever got track, but ever since the plan changed in November 2011, to where you didn't count fruits and vegetables and had a higher points goal, it never worked the same for me. I switched over to MFP then, and agree, the app has been awesome! It works. ..... Welcome to the community!
Ditto! I lost 35 lbs with the old WW at work and loved it. Of course, doing it with all my coworkers definitely helped. However, their new PP+ plan just doesn't work for me. I actually gained weight following it. That's when I switched to MFP and couldn't be happier. It's a great tool and free! I agree that WW is based on an old model that isn't as internet friendly.
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Laurend224 wrote: »I found the WW forums to be incredibly snarky. And, I don't like to pay for anything I could do on my own, for free. Welcome, and congrats on the loss, it's impressive!
The forums were the main reason I switched to MFP. I like to read them for encouragement and ideas but many WW on-line members are confrontational, especially to those who don't have thousands of posts. Much better atmosphere here on MFP. Thanks, everyone!
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i lost my first 35 with weight watchers and the rest with MFP. I have lost 71 pounds. It could have been more but i was out of it for a while. This app is great and the people are wonderful. It is far better than a weight watcher's meeting. A lot more support and someone is always around. Add me if you like too0
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I know that people have a lot of success with Weight Watchers, but I went to two trial meetings a few years ago, and it was definitely not for me.
In my experience, the user population of WW tends to be skewed towards middle aged women. Almost all of the women in the meetings complained about people in their life sabotaging them with "foods they can't have" like cake or sweets. Even when I was at my heaviest, I understood that it was from my choices, not anyone else's actions. Also, weighing in was something I was NOT prepared to do mentally.
I think the community here has more diversity in terms of age, lifestyle, etc, and the fact that I am accountable to myself, not to any "coach" or other member, fits my personality much better. Also, its free, and I don't have anyone pushing me to buy branded food!0 -
I did online WW membership from the end of Jan, 2014 until the end of Oct. It was helpful & I lost weight steadily at 1 to 1.5 lb a week. But I started double tracking with fitbit to keep track of macros especially during the time I was lifting heavy, and it was getting to be a pain so I switched over to MFP/Fitbit and am continuing to move toward my goal (at a slower rate, as I am now at the top end of healthy range for me). Plus, it appears to me that I am getting better information regarding protein, carb and fat ratio.0
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I lost 35 pounds with weight watchers 14 years ago and have kept it off. The plan was better then. After the last change, I don't find it as "lifestyle" as it was before. Also, they don't really have a great plan in place for maintenance support. It was frustrating to go to meetings and weigh in and have the clerk tell you "no loss this week"..... well, I wasn't trying to lose, thanks for the encouragement!.... I also found a lot of ladies there for the 2nd or 3rd go 'round because they couldn't keep it off. MFP is so much more than I think WW is. WW doesn't teach you fat carbs and protein. You just learn their points system and have to trust it. This is a great forum with mostly helpful people. Glad you are here!0
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I lost 80 lbs with Weight Watchers years ago and loved it. I kept off the weight for about 2 years until I slowly started gaining it all back. I did it again eventually and lost 40 lbs. Then I decided to try MFP. I stopped WW once I started inputting my food into MFP and realized that I was eating WAYYYYYY too low a number of calories. I'm talking like 900 calories per day. But yet I was meeting my points.
I realized that I gained back all the weight after doing WW because it never really taught me WHAT to eat. As long as I was meeting my points goals, I didn't care what I was eating. Now I realize I wasn't eating properly and as a result I majorly screwed up my metabolism. I hit a plateau for 6 months once I started eating right and have been struggling for the last year to lose any more weight. I will never again do WW, that's for sure. And I used to be a HUGE advocate for them. Yes, their program works, I just don't like the way it works.0 -
WW is at least better than the more gimmicky programs out there (drink shakes! buy premade food! Don't eat any food that is Yellow!) , but I do think the recent "improvements" have it heading in a more fad-diet direction.
That said, I have a neighbor who lost over 100 pounds on WW and still uses the point system to maintain. It's a useful tool for her, and I won't argue with success! (She also walks 3-5 miles a day and lifts weights, so she's gone beyond WW, which I think plays a huge role in her continued success.
I tried following the "points" program as recommended for a few days and compared it to my MFP log...I was going OVER calories on my MFP and UNDER WW points. Their "free" food has calories, as does all food!
I don't even remember what the default nutrition trackers are, LOL. I dropped sugar and one other (although I do still periodically get a warning that I am approaching my "goal" for sugar for the day) and now track Carbs, Protein, Fiber, Fat, and Calcium.
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You will get out of it what you put into it with either program. Some people benefit greatly from in person meetings and support with programs like WW...also, the point system is easier/faster math. My mom had a lot of great success with WW years ago and has kept her weight off going on 15 years now...62 years old and she's still out there doing triathlons. I don't know if they still do it or not, but when my mom did WW, they basically had meals you could buy which is pretty much a non-starter for me...but I suppose it is helpful for many.
I personally prefer MFP and understanding the actual calories vs assigning points. It is my understanding the WW gives free points for certain things while inflating the point values of others to compensate...for my money, I'd rather just know how many calories are in what and practice proper portion control. I would also get little benefit from group meetings and whatnot...I really don't care for groups of people in general.
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I lost 129 pounds on WW over a 2 year period. I loved the program. I went through a divorce, getting adjusted to new lifestyle, Single, getting a new place, dating, eventually remarrying, etc....needless to say, I gained back a lot of it. So, now that my life is calmer and happier I'm back to working on ME. Since I do not have the money or time to do WW again, I found MFP online. I truly enjoy this site and find it to be easy to track food and the community support is excellent.0
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I have had success with WW in the past so I checked their website to see how much it costs now. I was thinking of a 3-month deal. I went to a WW meeting and was told that they could not match the internet price for meeting plans. Do you mean to tell me that the corporate driven pricing is not honored by the franchises. Ridiculous, everyone looks at the internet before they go to places in person now. WW needs to get with the times or the only clients they will have will be little (big) old ladies. I'm saying this and I'm 57! I REALLY like saving money. I walked out the door, plan never to return. MFP fits my lifestyle, crossing my fingers it works.0
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Yep, same here. My whole state is a franchise and charges more. I guess the upside is they don't push WW products, virtually at all. It's not their pockets. But say you're doing eTools and meetings... your meeting weigh-in isn't even entered into the system because it's all on paper here, so you have to log it manually online. Silly.I have had success with WW in the past so I checked their website to see how much it costs now. I was thinking of a 3-month deal. I went to a WW meeting and was told that they could not match the internet price for meeting plans. Do you mean to tell me that the corporate driven pricing is not honored by the franchises. Ridiculous, everyone looks at the internet before they go to places in person now. WW needs to get with the times or the only clients they will have will be little (big) old ladies. I'm saying this and I'm 57! I REALLY like saving money. I walked out the door, plan never to return. MFP fits my lifestyle, crossing my fingers it works.
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I did WW. I had some successes with it, but I never really felt comfortable there. I have done both online and meetings. I found the meetings too cultish for me. I'm not a "rah rah" type person. I'm very private and don't like sharing this journey, at least not until I'm on my way and comfortable in my skin/mind. And by comfortable, I mean the psychology of losing weight.
I felt, they had 2 choices of plans, one was count your points, no foods are off limit, but to make it work you needed to use "lite" and "low fat". The other was their "lifestyle" and they had off limit foods, and still needing "lite" and low fat". Neither were sustainable for me.
I have adopted following calories (man was that an adjustment from thinking in points - I have struggled with it a bit actually), from there I have discovered eating clean, which has lead me to watching my macros and seeing what works. And then seeing how really exercise fits.
Once I got over myself and those "points" I'm really loving the control I have simply using my calories. Calories in < Calories out. I understand it. I can make it work. I can use it to impact my health and the side effect is that I can lose weight thus even better impacting my health.
Plus the barcode reader of mfp rocks!
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Did WW years ago, lost 100 lbs and have kept most of it off. But, like many of the other posters here, am finding that the unlimited fruit and vegetable thing is becoming a hindrance. So I'll probably drop them. The MFP database is much better as well; it's easy to find the restaurant foods I'm likely to eat on MFP whereas the WW restaurant database only covers chain restaurants.0
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Personally, I wouldn't like to be told which foods I can/can't eat or what to avoid. This is a great site you'll do well here.
You must not read the forums on here much.
I'm not using Weight Watchers anymore but it still bugs me when people think you have to eat their food. It's a point system there. You can eat any damned thing you want.
Really, the only difference between WW and MFP is that you pay for WW and you get to pretend some foods don't have any point value.
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I love MFP! I have done both and have lost weight on WW but the community here and the app just seem to flow better! Feel free to add me!0
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WW works well for many people. I love the bank of recipes! Especially the series called A Cut Above. But having said that I find the point system dumbed down. I like knowing whats in my food. It helps me make positive changes. The other problem I have is that the members I've met attend because they "have" to lose weight. I don't experience any excitement about getting more fit. Some of the meetings have a stodgy atmosphere.0
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I became a life time member of WW in the late 70's, and then again in the late 80's. I applaud WW for seeking new ways to help many people successfully lose weight. That being said, I utilized another on line non logging , non counting plan to lose weight , learn to maintain, plan and have kept the weight off - but I logged the first six months on Loseit, and then came on over to MFP for the 7th month and am now on my forth year of my new healthy lifestyle. I feel that WW is a great place to learn daily discipline, but it doesn't really have a the rah-rah I get from MFP at whatever stage I am at in my healthy lifestyle journey. I, too, like to customize my macros and calories to my goals. And learn from the other members of MFP every day.0
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I've done WW meetings and on line had some success with meetings a little with on line. For me the key is tracking, whether it is points, calories, macronutrients, whatever. (I still in my head sometimes think about points). As someone else mentioned, I like the forums. I don't often comment, but find these very motivating. Still get e-mails from WW to come back - I check it out once in a while curious if they have lowered their rates of what is different. I see that WW now has a live-chat available on line - I guess that is how they justify charging. Again can come on MFP and pretty much get a conversation going at any time of day. Again, MFP is great, I've also used Lose-It (non-premium) and I like it too and both are also available mobile.0
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