Does anyone follow weight watchers here?

honeybee739
honeybee739 Posts: 66 Member
in Getting Started
I'm trying to decide if my fitness pal is a good fit for me or weight watchers.

I've tried ww in the past and hated it. hahaha! It's supposed to be easier than calorie counting, but I don't find it to be that way. And now they, of course, have changed their entire program and the way they calculate "points" for a certain food item. Their system used to be called points plus, which worked by taking in the numbers of protein, carbs, fat, & fiber to get a point value for the food item. Now smart points calculate their points by taking in the numbers of calories, saturated fat, sugar and protein to get the point value.

My thinking is this... MFP is FREE. WW is $20 a month (online version) or more if you do other versions. And, calories never change. Programs do. Sounds like I've already answered my own question on which path to take.

What's your opinion?

Replies

  • lucasdarathy
    lucasdarathy Posts: 13 Member
    I've heard about all the issues WW is going through right now, which is unfortunate, since it seems to truly work for some people.

    But it was never an option for me. I'm Brazilian, so $20 would be almost R$100 to me. It's a lot of money to spend, especially when there are free options around, such as MFP.

    I like the system here. I also enjoy that you can add how much exercise you get done, since that motivates me go to the gym too.

    And the cups of water in a day is good too. I'll often forget I need to drink more water, so it's a plus.
  • BLifts38
    BLifts38 Posts: 248 Member
    when I was doing WW, I tried to use this app AND the WW app, and found that it just didn't work. it has to be one or the other... and I chose WW since I was paying $45/month for it. I'm not doing the WW program anymore since I reached maintenance, so I'm strictly been using MFP.
  • tiptoethruthetulips
    tiptoethruthetulips Posts: 3,371 Member
    OP it's clear what you don't like about WW and it's clear what your preference is. Go for it.
  • honeybee739
    honeybee739 Posts: 66 Member
    bmarge10288 wrote: »
    when I was doing WW, I tried to use this app AND the WW app, and found that it just didn't work. it has to be one or the other... and I chose WW since I was paying $45/month for it. I'm not doing the WW program anymore since I reached maintenance, so I'm strictly been using MFP.

    YESSS! I have done it both ways too. Insanity. haha!
  • makingastart2015
    makingastart2015 Posts: 18 Member
    honeybee739 wrote: »
    I'm trying to decide if my fitness pal is a good fit for me or weight watchers.

    I've tried ww in the past and hated it. hahaha! It's supposed to be easier than calorie counting, but I don't find it to be that way. And now they, of course, have changed their entire program and the way they calculate "points" for a certain food item. Their system used to be called points plus, which worked by taking in the numbers of protein, carbs, fat, & fiber to get a point value for the food item. Now smart points calculate their points by taking in the numbers of calories, saturated fat, sugar and protein to get the point value.

    My thinking is this... MFP is FREE. WW is $20 a month (online version) or more if you do other versions. And, calories never change. Programs do. Sounds like I've already answered my own question on which path to take.

    What's your opinion?

  • gems74
    gems74 Posts: 107 Member
    I used weightwatchers online in the past and loved it. But getting back on track now and with all the changes that WW online has done, it didn't appeal to me. I like MFP and also like the fact that I can track my sodium among other things. (and its free!)
  • rselzler
    rselzler Posts: 1 Member
    I just at left WW and am finding MFL much easier to use so far. I'm trying the premium subscription which is still tremendously cheaper although the cost of WW isn't what motivated me to change. It's worth the investment in yourself at WW or MLF premium cost if it works. The new smart Points system is just to complicated. That coupled with all the crashes and bugs in their system lately pushed me to explore something new.
  • KathyApplebaum
    KathyApplebaum Posts: 188 Member
    I did very well with WW for several years, but now I find it's not meeting my changing needs. Really, it's an individual decision -- some people will do well with one, some with the other, and some won't make either one work for them.

    A moment of irony, though. One of the reasons I left WW was all the technical glitches they've been having with their site and app. My membership still has a couple of days left, so I just popped over to learn about their Smart Points. The log in page is broken, so I wouldn't be able to log anything there today. :/
  • luvmybee
    luvmybee Posts: 58 Member
    I've lost so much weight with Weight Watchers...50 pounds before I had kids and 60 after. I've done 2 days of Smart Points and I'm heart-broken. There's now a lot of restriction. I will probably be coming back here to lose my last bit of weight.
  • tryagagin14
    tryagagin14 Posts: 2 Member
    honeybee739 wrote: »
    I'm trying to decide if my fitness pal is a good fit for me or weight watchers.

    I've tried ww in the past and hated it. hahaha! It's supposed to be easier than calorie counting, but I don't find it to be that way. And now they, of course, have changed their entire program and the way they calculate "points" for a certain food item. Their system used to be called points plus, which worked by taking in the numbers of protein, carbs, fat, & fiber to get a point value for the food item. Now smart points calculate their points by taking in the numbers of calories, saturated fat, sugar and protein to get the point value.

    My thinking is this... MFP is FREE. WW is $20 a month (online version) or more if you do other versions. And, calories never change. Programs do. Sounds like I've already answered my own question on which path to take.

    What's your opinion?

    I'm doing ww just signed up last week and I am not liking the new change at all they give you more points but the food has also went up in points I have to go and weigh in this Saturday but I believe I will stick to fitness pal
  • FredKing1
    FredKing1 Posts: 98 Member
    I've done WW, both group and on-line and had success with both. On-line offers tracking and community boards - I'm told it has other information, I didn't find value in it. The group offers the in-person weekly weigh-in and personal interaction - I didn't benefit from that as much as some others. I've also used Livestrong for tracking. WW Points are proprietary and you have to pay for that. I prefer MFP. Tracking calories is more intuitive. The community and resources are welcoming and useful.
  • carolynameeks
    carolynameeks Posts: 5 Member
    I just started WW about a month ago and was liking it but not sure about the changes and the app is a hot mess
    I used myfitnesspal a couple years ago and lost 50lbs which I later gained back
  • Healthydiner65
    Healthydiner65 Posts: 1,552 Member
    I quit WW because it did not work for me. MFP is much better and you have mutual support here all the time.
  • aag27
    aag27 Posts: 1 Member
    I'm new to MFP, but I decided to transition over from WW for many of reasons already mentioned about the new plan. I did well on the old WW points plus program because it worked well with my lifestyle (lots of travel) but I think the new plan will be more difficult to maintain and I worry about become discouraged not being able to stay within the new point range. I'm still figuring out MFP, but what I like what I've seen and experience so far.

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