Why I parted ways with Weight Watchers
annekenlon
Posts: 3 Member
Just blogged about my amicable split with Weight Watchers. Please add me as a friend if you've had a similar experience! (or if you're just curious about it….)
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I would love to read it. Where can I find it? I'm currently trying to decided whether or not to let WW go.0
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I also cancelled my ww lifetime membership. I was with them for over 2 years but now I am trying to maintain on my own through fitness pal a gym membership and walking at work.0
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I was with them on and off for decades. It works but I'd put it back on. I worked for them too for a while. They should pay staff properly. I am a lifetime member but will never go back. MFP is free and and a better tool.0
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Wow...people where i work are all over weight watchers. I love MFP my more and it seems easier.0
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The thing w/WW and similar programs is there is an "end date" and life isn't like that. (And who can really eat like that for the rest of your life?) The changes you make to lose/maintain a weight loss should be a lifestyle not a diet w/an end date. I read in one mag that it should be "a process and not a project (which has a completion date)".
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Weight Watchers made calorie counting easy when it was difficult to find calorie counts. (that's all that the Points system is, really)
Now with all the free apps with easy to access info, I find it hard to see how they survive.
I loved WW, but they need to come up with some new strategy to survive..
Free is always better.0 -
I tried WW a couple times and lost a little bit of weight, but always got frustrated with it after a few months. I tried again a few years ago just as they were transitioning to "Points Plus". I had been using the old points system (and I know you still can), but WTH?? Now I have to change up my way of thinking about counting points? Why?? I'm sure there's a valid explanation on their website, but I never got beyond my frustration enough to want to research it. It felt like just a corporate excuse to make members spend more money on the new "gadgets" to support the new system. When I would go to meetings they were always pushing the support products. (books, point counters, shakes, etc)
I also got very frustrated when my (more overweight) co-workers could have a lot more points than me and seemed to be eating all day. I'm not sure if they were sticking within their points or not, but I always seemed to be really hungry on WW. Just counting calories on MFP is a better fit for me.0 -
Loved the article. I never stayed "at goal" long enough on Weight Watchers. I got there and became a lifetime member but I think it was too low a goal for my body. Did not want to go to meetings and pay when it was such a struggle. MFP works for me and my lifestyle. Tools here on MFP and gym membership are just what I needed.
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griffinca2 wrote: »The thing w/WW and similar programs is there is an "end date" and life isn't like that. (And who can really eat like that for the rest of your life?) The changes you make to lose/maintain a weight loss should be a lifestyle not a diet w/an end date. I read in one mag that it should be "a process and not a project (which has a completion date)".
WW doesn't have an end date any more than calorie counting on MFP does. There is a maintenance component to WW - where (surprise!) your number of points (calories in disguise) are increased.
I followed WW for a while and when I was looking for something cheaper to replace it with logged my WW days in MFP and nutracheck (a paid for calorie counting site) and found that my WW total was in line with MFP and nutracheck (and fitbit!)(and Jillian Michaels.com!) targets.
I'm not sure what you mean by 'who can really eat like that' -- on WW I ate exactly the same food I do now that I'm calorie counting. I've never bought a WW ready meal or 'treat'. I just ate what I felt like eating I'd eat if I could fit it into my target. That included Dominos pizza once a week with my goddaughter.
I currently log my food on nutracheck as I found the database much easier to use and a little bit more reliable than MFP or the others.
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I would be in this camp. I was a meeting goer for 10 years straight with just a few lapses. Lost 100 lbs. and have kept the majority of it off since 2006. I've learned great tools with WW that have stuck with me since I first joined. They will be lifelong habits. They're program is great, AND has hit a the "end point" for me. The support found at a meeting can be fantastic. Its a great place to start. They aren't perfect. I can't wait to read the link! I'd love to friend up with the WW expats.0
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RaeBeeBaby wrote: »I tried WW a couple times and lost a little bit of weight, but always got frustrated with it after a few months. I tried again a few years ago just as they were transitioning to "Points Plus". I had been using the old points system (and I know you still can), but WTH?? Now I have to change up my way of thinking about counting points? Why?? I'm sure there's a valid explanation on their website, but I never got beyond my frustration enough to want to research it. It felt like just a corporate excuse to make members spend more money on the new "gadgets" to support the new system. When I would go to meetings they were always pushing the support products. (books, point counters, shakes, etc)
I also got very frustrated when my (more overweight) co-workers could have a lot more points than me and seemed to be eating all day. I'm not sure if they were sticking within their points or not, but I always seemed to be really hungry on WW. Just counting calories on MFP is a better fit for me.
I found WW over emphasized fibre and discouraged eating fatty foods. I used WW and MFP simultaneously for a month or so and discovered WW only had me on 1100 calories a day (since I'm not one to take full advantage of the "free" fruits). But it did help me lose weight and teach me how to cook. But I had to come to MFP to learn about nutrition and fitness.0 -
I tried WW a couple of years ago. I stopped going because the other members would give me hard time because I was not severely obese and had only (according to them) a few pounds to lose. I quit and had a hard time getting them to stop charging my credit card.0
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I did WW online and I think the app is good. The support and blogs are really good on WW. I feel as though they really make it a focus of their experience. That being said....MFP is so much better. Its free and I feel I have more control over how I eat and what I eat. OP, great blog. I very much related to what you wrote and reading it made me feel great for my decision to be on MFP. Lots of luck here! Thanks
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I've been a somewhat happy Lifetime WW member for many years now. I say somewhat happy because of their lack of support for LT members other than the free perks that they offer for maintaining. I am now 17 pounds under my goal weight and have always been 5 to 10 pounds below my goal weight even before this before this months weigh in. I find that even for those like myself who are more than a few pounds under the set goal, many WW leaders and receptionists are sometimes rude and very unsupportive. One leader actually had the nerve to ask me "why are you still coming here"? I let that comment ride since she obviously didn't know me or my story. I still go back once a month even though I know I'll get looks or a rude comment once in a while. I'm not maintaining for them I'm doing it for myself and as active as I am outside its not uncommon to weigh less in the summer vs the winter time....0
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WW is just a quick and dirty way of counting calories. Kind of like using your feet to measure your curtains. It's better than nothing, but why would you do it if you have a tape measure, especially a free tape measure.0
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I still have a lifetime membership to WW, but I doubt I will ever go back. I lost my weight a long time ago, and was not able to keep it off. I cannot say I have been any better with MFP, but it does not cost me a fortune, take an evening I don't have or make me feel like I am a major failure.
I may have difficulty staying motivated either way, but I feel more encouraged to stay with it here.
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I have been attending WW meetings for a little over 4 months.
I have been tracking here on MFP the entire time.
- calories are more accurate and simpler than converting everything to points.
- I can monitor my macro intake
- the WW app is absolutely terrible
I am only attending meetings for accountability because I was struggling to find the motivation to get started. I decided I was going to quit, because I had everything on track, but of course they talked me out of it, offered me a free month. Now I am only 4kg away from being eligible to become a lifetime member so I've decided to keep going so that I get free meetings in maintenance.0 -
WW is great for support and accountability something about stepping on that scale every week helps many people stick to their plans. The charms and rewards they offer you for attendance and doing well meeting your goals and such are pretty valuable to people. The direct feedback from the groups that you get when sharing offers many people the support and motivation they need to be successful. If your are a strong person who can hold yourself accountable and maintain your lifestyle change who gets their motivation from sites like this then WW might not make a lot of sense. I totally agree that their tracking system lacks much to be desired.0
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OMG those who say bad things about WW either don't really know/understand the program or didn't followed it like its meant to... How sad0
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If u kind of follow it, it kind of works...0
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OMG those who say bad things about WW either don't really know/understand the program or didn't followed it like its meant to... How sad
I understand completely how it works, and I still think it's terrible. All the focus is on points, very little on nutrition. Even if you do the "healthy checks" which are rarely focused on you can still have a terrible nutrient profile and within your points.
If I double track my calories here and points in the WW app on the WW program I only get to eat 1000 calories a day (excluding "free" foods). So my total intake would be approx 1200 calories assuming 200ish in fruits and veg etc. Telling people to eat so few calories isn't a very sustainable approach.0 -
kyrannosaurus wrote: »OMG those who say bad things about WW either don't really know/understand the program or didn't followed it like its meant to... How sad
I understand completely how it works, and I still think it's terrible. All the focus is on points, very little on nutrition. Even if you do the "healthy checks" which are rarely focused on you can still have a terrible nutrient profile and within your points.
If I double track my points here and in the WW app on the WW program I only get to eat 1000 calories a day (excluding "free" foods). So my total intake would be approx 1200 calories assuming 200ish in fruits and veg etc. Telling people to eat so few calories isn't a very sustainable approach.
It isn't meant to be sustainable because it's profit driven. If 1 keeps off the weight, they won't continue to make money; off of their customers & will eventually go out of business. I am skeptical of any advice/product, that isn't entirely free. I determine for myself, not with "blind faith" in what they do; what's appropriate for me.
It reminds me of the auto industry, they use to make vehicles that could be passed down through generations but they lost customers because of that, so they currently make them inferior & whole families, are being wiped out; by fender benders. Which ironically means that, their losing customers again but via a different method; this time. Eventually they'll have to make a combination of both, so that they don't last generations but better maintains, the lives within them; as well.0 -
Did u use ur 49 WP like encouraged to? AP?
I double track points and cals "sometimes" and my macros and cals are very similar, no starving here 1,400-1,600 a day to lose
2,000 + to maintain! 0 -
@kyrannosaurus
By the way did u know that the points value is based on nutrition? Better quality=lower points
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At the end u still have to make good choices just like counting cals, I'm not saying what's better, to each its own but I'm tired of the lies I read about WW because IMHO is just ignorance...-1
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@kyrannosaurus
By the way did u know that the points value is based on nutrition? Better quality=lower points
That's the WW tag line yes. Maybe try double tracking sometime. It's a very interesting experiment. I'd rather take greater control of my nutrition by tracking my macros and certain nutrients.
I'm glad WW works for you. I lost weight following points but MFP is more sustainable for me. And the MFP app actually works, the Australian WW app just an unreliable piece of junk.0 -
Also stopped WW I didn't loose the weight like I should have. Honestly didn't want to keep paying money. So hopefully this will work for me.
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After two weeks of doing MFP I cancelled my WW online membership. I was paying $19 per month - and MFP is so much better. I always found the points annoying and kind of a pain in the butt. Don't miss WW at all.0
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