Why I parted ways with Weight Watchers

I only think it's funny because I have read so many posts on this site from people saying it doesn't matter what you eat so long as your in a deficit and then I see folks complain how WW doesn't help you make good choices by paying attention to your macros. They do have a system as above poster noted in which the better food choice you make the less points. The formula is not just simply x calories =x points. At any rate it really is to each their own and what makes your most successful. WW works for many many people both my wife and I have been attending meetings and I personally like their setup. As someone above also said "If you kinda do it, it kinda works" I love that!!! So true in everything. Yea their are many systems out there and MFP is really good, I like the community and the data base much better than what WW offers. I find it hard at times to find certain foods on the WW data base and end up having to build my own recipe. The meetings and accountability is cool though.

I loved my in person WW experience but I did try five different meetings to find the right one for me. I did lose sixty pounds and for whatever reason found it made me stick to plan to jump on the scale in front of a stranger - accountability. The entire time I was a member I was a member of spark people and tracked and blogged there also tried MFP so counted calories because the points to me was stupid and not real world but points were biased to healthier food choices. To me points are a marketing choice as if WW used calories there is nothing proprietary about their approach but it works for so many. Since 80 percent of dieters gain back weight WW pretty much mirrors society so that is why so many members rejoin.

I'm an emotional eater and put it all my weight back on so am on here again and taking the same weight off but this time and working with my medical doctor and am accountable to her and feel I have a handle of those issues and better coping skills than turning to a bag of candy. I watched this week's extreme weight loss and almost cried when I saw the contestant fall back to her old ways on her journey as it reminded me of myself.

My employer just started subsidizing WW and is starting an at work meeting and even for 1/2 price I can't bring myself to go to another meeting. They cycle through the same material year after year like organizing your refrigerator and pantry and as I tell my doctor I can actually lead a WW meeting if asked, I need to walk the talk so in a few months I plan to have an awesome before and after to post and stay at that "after" forever.

I have a few friends that are lifetime members and it works for them so they don't pay anything now and none has reported a bad experience, I told them they help the leaders keep the newbies coming back as they are an inspiration - I always thought the leaders loved to have lifetime members at their meetings.

2snakeswoman wrote: »

I found converting everything to points WAY too tedious.

That's cause u never "got it" is really simple

I went to the local WW once, sunce my friend swore by it (she lives in another city so she goes somewhere else). Well, the one I have nearby gave me the most deferring experience. The receptionist completely ignored me for several minutes, not even a nod. After I asked her to tell me about WW, she pointed at a poster by the door (at which I'd been staring since I came in, waiting for her). I asked about the prices and why are the bundles getting cheaper and cheaper, the more services are in them. She just brushed it off, and later on I found out that once you pick the cheapest deal, you have to set up automatic payments, and many people have difficulties cancelling those payments if they decide to discontinue. It's nearly impossible to get reimbursed the money once withdrawn, and no one in their right mind would pick a non-automated withdrawal for double the price.

I know that my experience is not representative of all locations, but it was definitely a huge turn off for me, and I'm happy I got to MFP instead.

bfanny wrote: »

ThomasWright1997 wrote: »

Frankly, I can't see why anyone would join Weight Watchers, anyone care to enlighten me?

Here we go:
First u learn to eat better, to make better choices, motivation, tips, obviously there is support (personal) accountability, therapy LOL
A bit of everything...I know, i know is not for everybody but it's been out there for sooo long for a reason don't u think?

Good marketing, good organisation and a lot of desperate people.
I dont really have much problem with it as it works for some people, plus there are worse programs. Its also got the advantage of the real life group meetings. Not for me but i can see why it works for some. its still a system though.

BDA verdict:
The ProPoints plan is generally well balanced and can be a foundation for long-term changes in dietary habits. The support group approach can help keep people motivated and educate them about healthy eating. But it’s vital that you make the connection between the points system and calories if you want to avoid putting the weight back on once you leave the programme.

[/quote]

Good marketing, good organisation and a lot of desperate people.
I dont really have much problem with it as it works for some people, plus there are worse programs. Its also got the advantage of the real life group meetings. Not for me but i can see why it works for some. its still a system

Well at the end of the day is going to be as successful as u want it to be!
The paying for it was my motivation to reach my goal "soon" now I get it for free for years and years, why? Because I'm at goal so profit from me? Nah

Only because it works

2snakeswoman wrote: »

I found converting everything to points WAY too tedious.

Between the WW app (for those who use it) and the little points calculator that you get, I fail to see that is so tedious about the points. All one needs to do is scan the food bar codes (same as the MFP app) or plug in a few numbers into the calculator and the points are figured out for you. Simply write them down on the paper tracker and use up the number of points allotted along with any exercise earned points and the 49 extra points that you need. For those who use the app it is even more simple since it totals everything up for you and automatically removes the 49 points as you use them.

ThomasWright1997 wrote: »

Frankly, I can't see why anyone would join Weight Watchers, anyone care to enlighten me?

I think WW must be doing something good for people as they were rated number one in several dieting categories here: health.usnews.com/best-diet

I lost with online and then they changed the programme to free fruits and 49 'extra' points a week - my brain couldn't work with that and I was always going well over. I had tried the meetings as well but they were either just condescending lectures or sales pitches. I'm doing much better with MFP

Wildflower0071 wrote: »

I have hypothyroidism. my metabolism is super slow and i just don't lose weight the way others do. instead of understanding my problem and trying to help me figure a way to work it, i felt i was put on the spot for not losing. i hated that.

I have hypothyroidism as well and weight loss is more about getting yourself on the right medication and dose. Nothing WW can do about this as it is something that you and your doctor need to work out. I lost 26 pounds with WW many years ago ago simply by following the program and being on the right dose of Synthroid which had to be adjusted once or twice during my weight loss period. Now I'm still maintaining that lose along with being 17 pounds below the goal that WW set for me. Talk to you primary care doctor or endocrinologist about adjusting your medication if you are not losing weight while following WW system correctly. Recheck how many points you are eating. Don't go over the 5-8 free recomened servings of fruits and vegetables. If you do all of these things I can't see why you can't lose weight with WW.

Five years ago, I lost 42lbs with Weight Watchers. Then I discovered MFP and realised it's EXACTLY THE SAME and free. That's why I switched. MFP doesn't cost me money!

With WW you have to log everything you eat, accurately. They just have point values instead of calorie values. If they haven't changed it since I left, you could earn extra points with exercise, just as you can with cals on MFP.

When I switched, I could eat exactly the same daily diet within my MFP cals as within my WW points.

No difference at all.

All of the weight-management clubs (WW, Slimming World, etc), get you to eat at a calorie deficit. They just all do it in different ways. WW is the closest to calorie-counting. Slimming World works for people who can't be bothered with weighing and logging everything as you don't have to. You have to eat certain foods and not others, but you don't have to weigh everything.

What MFP doesn't have is the weekly meetings. I didn't use them - I did WW online. Some people need the weekly meeting to keep on track, and enjoy the social aspect.

Horses for courses I say. My mum has lost 28lbs and counting with Slimming World and absolutely loves it. It works for her. She's quite different to me and calorie-counting wouldn't suit her. I can smile smugly knowing that her plan is just calorie-counting dressed up a different way. They all come down to keeping you in a deficit - MFP is just completely open about it.

Interesting to read everyone's take on WW. Having been an off-and-on WW member since the mid-70's, I can tell you that back in the day, there was no alternative to the WW model. It was so simple, so easy, and it worked. If someone had a good recipe, they'd post it on the blackboard (this was before whiteboards, folks!) for others to copy down; nowadays you can buy a cookbook for $20. Back then, you didn't have a "gift shop" to negotiate around as you enter the place, where you can buy candy bars (disguised as 2-point snacks) or bags of chips (again, 2-pt snacks). You can buy bowls, measuring cups, exercise equipment and DVDs, etc, all overpriced. It's all about the revenue stream now. I finally got to Lifetime about 10 years ago, backslid, then re-attained Lifetime weight about 5 years ago. I'm now 20 lbs below my original goal, so I'm still golden if I go up a few pounds when I do the monthly check-in. I do enjoy the social interaction with people who share an obesity problem, plus I do get something from the accountability of a monthly weigh-in. However, with all the free on-line logging and other resources, I don't think I'd join WW today. I only see the rare person at the meetings who is below 40. The company is in dire financial straits and I wouldn't be surprised to see them go bankrupt. They have not adapted well to today's world.

Eileen_S wrote: »

jkal1979 wrote: »

I quit a few weeks after logging on MFP. I was losing weight just fine with WW so that wasn't the issue. I just found the app to be very frustrating to use (the barcode scanner was pretty much useless) and the meeting topics were getting to be more and more gimmicky each month. It didn't make sense to me to pay for it when MFP is free, easier to use, and I get more information than just a points value.

I can tell you from using both that the WW App is 100 X better than the MFP Premium version. There are so many bugs within the MFP App that I don't even know where to begin. I can't tell you how much I regret going Premium. At least the WW App works as it should. Don't know what your issue was with the WW barcode scanner. Since they moved the scanner to within the WW App itself it has been much better. The only items that it won't scan for me are the bulk items that I purchace at BJ's warehouse. Which is not a problem since I was able to find them anyway while doing a search.

Well the Australian version of the WW app pretty much never works. When I first joined they made an update which had a bug meaning you couldn't use decimal points in the app. When they fixed that, the points calculator stop working so that no matter what you entered the points were always zero. It took them two months to fix it. Then with the next update fitness trackers stopped syncing to the app. They still haven't fixed that issue. The Australia iphone version of the app doesn't even have a barcode scanner, only the android version has it. And the database it terrible and only has WW branded food, foods manufactured my affiliated companies and pantry staples.

I have none of these issues with MFP and this app is free. Admittedly there are bugs but none of them seriously effect it's functionality.

I felt that Weight Watchers was very cliquey and not for me. I tried it and quit multiple times. My last time was about ten years ago. I'm much happier with MFP. To be fair, technology has come a long way in that time and it has made tracking much easier.