Thinking of joining weight watchers... Need some input...

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  • LetterboxingMoose
    LetterboxingMoose Posts: 18 Member
    edited March 2015
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    When I first wanted to lose weight, I tried WW. I actually liked the meetings and found them very helpful. Personally, I liked sharing my ups and downs with the people in the group that didn't judge. If someone had a bad week and shared, the group was always supportive and helped to motivate that person and helped them get back on track. Usually the leader and others would tell stories of how they struggled with the same problem. I also like the fact that I could ask the leader questions and always found her answers helpful. After going for a few months for free after reaching my goal weight, I stopped going. If I wanted to go back I would have to pay again and I just don't have the money. I have a few friends on here that have been as supportive as meetings without judgement. Those are the people I get motivation and support from, not the message boards. I am getting similar results on here and it is free. If you decide not to go to WW and continue to use this site, feel free to add me as a friend.
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
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    Weight Watchers is excellent and is guaranteed to work. Health insurance even pays for it. Having said that, the most successful people stay on WW for life (plus they exercise but that's a different discussion.) My sister did it for a long long time then decided to go with the lap band.

    If you are doing WW online, you can just as easily post here. If you are going to real life meetings, that can't be compared to an online presence.

    You have to do what works for you.
  • DanniB423
    DanniB423 Posts: 777 Member
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    O
    kristen6350 wrote: »
    I know right now you aren't my biggest fan. I need to give a bit of background then ask you to think about something.

    I lost 50lbs in 2012 (193-143), using MFP for the last 20. From the summer of 2012 to the fall of 2013 I managed to maintain it within 5lbs. At that point I quit MFP because I thought I had it all figured out. I knew how to keep it off. In December 2014, I weighed in at 167. I had went back to all my "bad" habits pretty much forgetting everything MFP taught me. EVERYTHING. Even down to the eating out of a full bag of chips on the couch at night. I hadn't gotten on the scale for more than a year because I knew if I did I'd have to go back to doing the "right" things. The fun would end. So, after that weigh in and re-gaining 3 pants sizes, I re-remembered and stuck to all those things that MFP taught me - I'm now down 14lbs of that 20ish I had to relose. It's all about doing all those things you learned for the rest of your life. Not just while you are "dieting".

    I think you need to ask yourself, honestly, why you re-gained it? Were you doing things that weren't sustainable? Did you have extreme goals? Or did you just become complacent like I did? I've always said all this is totally mental. Getting your brain in a place where all of it makes sense and owning up to our mistakes. No one is perfect. We all fall down, it's about getting back up and believing we can do it.

    Now, if you feel that WW is better than MFP, I urge you to try it. I wish you the best of luck in life. I'm seriously not a malicious person. Not a mean bone in my body.
    Oh my goodness. We need no reassurance of your character. What you said on the first comment was spot on. Some just aren't always receptive.
  • TeamBlackAnchor
    TeamBlackAnchor Posts: 26 Member
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    As far as Weight Watchers, I've had a few friends sing the praises of the program itself. I have only ever been on MFP, though, so I wanted to offer another option as far as accountability... Friends.

    Now I know you're thinking, "Well no DUH", so I'll clarify:
    As soon as I chose to start using MFP I started identifying my friends & family who were on a similar path. Make that your tribe. They say the 5 people we associate with the most directly impact our persona. If there's any truth to that, then getting close to people who will have a positive impact is -crucial-. If you don't have anyone in your life who is trying to become healthier/lose weight/etc than I suggest reaching out on Instagram. All it takes is posting pictures of what's going on with captions and I promise you, the encouragement is there too. Just by putting the hashtag #fitfam on my weightloss journey posts I've made friends all over the world who are full of kind words (and some have great advice!). Just something to think about. And if you don't want to take any personal pics to post you can always just screenshot quotes or other pictures to have something to write a caption for.

    Regardless of your choice, I wish you the best in your journey. Any person or program can tell us how to be successful & how to stay strong. Each person must choose to turn those ideas into beliefs, though. Good luck!
  • ffallings
    ffallings Posts: 20 Member
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    I Have done WW in the past. it works, but it is pretty pricey and I eventually got tired of counting points and I drove my husband crazy counting points on eveything. Lol. I happen to like mfp better, but it boils down to weather or not you need in person suport, or if you are ok with cyber suppoert.
  • majoki
    majoki Posts: 151 Member
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    I am a WW lifetime member because I did it in high school. WW is essentially free for me when I gain weight because while I have a personal goal of 155lbs, WW allows me to set my goal at 179lbs. Since I never go above 179 - I only have to pay ~$13 one time each time I decide to start back at WW and then it's free as long as I weigh in at least once/month.

    Point is that WW and MFP cost me the same amount, so it's not about money for me. I prefer MFP. Why? Because WW has you learning "fake" things about food, I.e. their points system. Rather than looking at the nutrition panel on a food package and becoming familiar with all the macro nutrients in the foods you regularly eat, instead you think of things as 4 pts or 1 pts. This won't help you if you decide to lower your carb intake or raise your protein intake. So I didn't like that. I *always* lost weight when I went back to WW, but they are only about losing weight. When you are ready to build muscle, they aren't very useful.

    I also muuuuch prefer the food logging with MFP over WW.


    I did like the meetings and how it helped me be accountable. They don't weigh you "in front of everyone" in the sense that no one else can see your weight, and people tend to avoid watching out of respect.

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