Anybody else actively following Weight Watchers program along with MFP?

I used WW for two years and lost 20 pounds, but I put it all back on. I had an awesome meetings leader, but I moved and could no longer go to the meetings. A few things about WW rubbed me the wrong way. They put a lot of emphasis on eating "diet" everything. They were also always promoting their products. It was also possible to cheat the system. The 49 extra points...I found I didn't lose if I ate those. Plus, with fruit and veggies being "zero" points, I was overeating fruit, which can have a lot of calories.

On MFP, things are much more exact. I know the caloric deficit needed to lose a pound per week. The message boards are full of help with weighing and measuring food and lots of other great tips. There are tons of members, so the database has tons of different foods. I found it helpful to join an accountability group to post weekly weigh-ins. People on here are really encouraging and helpful.

I think WW meetings are super helpful for people just starting out. I learned a lot and felt really inspired. However, the e-tools by themselves weren't doing it for me. Plus, they raised the price to $19.95 a month, which was the last straw.

One of the main differences is "free" veg and fruit on WW. Your points allocation is lower than your MFP calculation because WW expect you to eat a couple pieces of fruit and a bunch of veg on top of your allocation and so that is factored in.

I was a WW member on and off for many years. MFP has taught me better habits, I've stuck with it far longer and kept the weight off. Plus, it's free.

Hi, I'm a lifetime WW member; I actually made goal once, but had a difficult time losing on WW. Lost 26lbs. the last time with them but eventually calorie creep happened and gained 11lbs. back. Then I found MFP and, for me, it works so much better. I took some time to educate myself about nutrition, calories in/calories out, and some tweaking of my calorie allowance but it's been the best plan for me.

With WW I was still eating all the wrong foods to manage my weight loss; too many carbs and high glycaemic foods and I was always hungry. Once I figured out what I was doing on MFP and adjusted my macros (protein, fat, carb grams) my weight dropped consistently at around 2 to 2 1/2lbs. per month. Through the MFP community I found the best exercise plan for me as well, a combination of resistance training and some cardio.

I liked WW however it really wasn't the best fit for me because I was still not eating and exercising in a way that worked for me on a long term basis. So far I've lost 41lbs and I'm just 10lbs away from maintenance. It's taken me over a year but my long term goal is 50lbs. and then finally maintaining consistently.

Knowing exactly how many calories and nutrients I need each day to maintain my weight loss and eventual maintenance is so much more rewarding than the WW point system for me. I feel in total control over my new lifestyle now as opposed to just doing what WW told me was good for me but not fully understanding the weight loss process.

Also, WW was becoming very expensive and I did not like the WW leaders pushing the WW food/snacks and other items since most of it was too high in sodium for me. I wasn't fond of the meetings either although they work for many people.

I'm still a fan of WW because it is a good system for many people but I've had much more success on MFP. I think it's probably because I was finally ready to take responsibility for my weight and I was determined to succeed.

I've been dual tracking with MFP and WW for about 4 months now. I've used MFP in the past, so WW is what is new to me. I like the fact that the points system of WW encourages you to eat more fruits/veggies since they are "free" but, like others have said, it can be frustrating when your "free" foods end up being a bunch of calories at the end of the day on MFP.

I really like going to the WW meetings, because they keep me accountable. Plus my employer helps us get a discount and the meetings are during your lunch break at work. That being said, I think if I ever had to leave my employer, or if they stopped offering the discount, I would ditch WW and stick to MFP.

I really love the MFP community. I love the fact I can hop online and find a thread for any problem I am struggling with. The WW eTools do not have much of a community at all. I hear that if you blog through their site, you can begin to make those connections, but I haven't seen it in action.

TLDR: Both WW and MFP have their merits, but overall I like MFP better.