Weight watchers v Fitness Pal

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  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    JaneiR36 wrote: »
    Tricia_ruby wrote: »
    I've been on WW since Oct and lost 12lbs. But now I was just thinking about what I am actually paying for. Basically just being able to track since I do all online. I'm figuring I can do the same on MVP for free and still lose weight and eat healthy.
    One thing I don't like about tracking on MVP is that you can't change the servings. If something has a serving of 5 pieces I can't change it to let's say 3 pieces. Or am I doing something wrong?
    Thanks

    When it says "1 serving(s) of 5 pieces", click on the 5 pieces and it should pull up options for other serving sizes, especially, say "1 piece". Then you can log 3 servings of 1 piece
    Or use decimals if there's not a '1 piece' serving, so .6 servings of 5 pieces would be 3 pieces. It takes math, though.

    Plus you have to remember that these are mostly user-created database entries and could be wrong. WW database is lame but if an item is there, it's usually accurate. Here, you have to kind of sanity check items, or look for user confirmations.
  • wrenak
    wrenak Posts: 144 Member
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    I've lost 40 pounds on WW previously (PointsPlus version) but couldn't afford to continue and had no idea how to eat since points does not teach you calories. Gained it all back and then some.

    I've lost 63-64 pounds so far with MFP and am still going strong. Just for kicks I calculated today's food so far with the formula they use for SmartPoints. I've consumed 928 calories. Now, I don't know what my points would be (41yo 5'0.5" 197lb female), of course, but I've had 27 points.

    I've had a protein shake for breakfast (not big on breakfast but I have meds to take), an oikos triple zero greek yogurt, a sourdough english muffin w/16g peanut butter & 20g strawberry preserves, and 2 cuties for lunch, and a carb balance wrap with 2.9oz thinly sliced smoked ham and 2 slices low-fat monterey jack cheese for dinner.

    Seems to me that I'd starve or go crazy and binge with the new setup. I shall be sticking with MFP. Can't beat the price and the results make me very happy.
  • namelesshere
    namelesshere Posts: 334 Member
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    I have tried both. WW didn't work for me as the free vegies and fruit were my downfall. I would rather be counting calories of everything than playing games with their (whatever is current) point system. Just me.
  • srecupid
    srecupid Posts: 660 Member
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    They are both the exact same concept except one works with bigger numbers and is free. I think weight watchers is probably the biggest scam in history. People know what to do to lose weight they just took it and made it so people could do the math easier on their fingers
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    wrenak wrote: »
    Seems to me that I'd starve or go crazy and binge with the new setup.
    They expect you to take advantage of produce being free and to eat more fruit and vegetables.
  • wrenak
    wrenak Posts: 144 Member
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    WalkingAlong wrote: »
    wrenak wrote: »
    Seems to me that I'd starve or go crazy and binge with the new setup.
    They expect you to take advantage of produce being free and to eat more fruit and vegetables.

    Fresh produce can get pretty pricey in Alaska, especially in the winter. Not always feasible to make up the caloric difference that way. Wouldn't it make more sense to make them cost low points and adjust other things (or allow for higher points) so that people are eating a proper calorie goal?
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    It doesn't have to be fresh.

    Their aim is to get people to eat more produce and not have to tediously count everything they put in their mouths, to encourage long term adherence. They've been studying this area and tweaking the plans with some of the foremost experts in the industry for over 50 years, with testing over hundreds of thousands of dieters. People average over 1800 calories on their current plans.
  • fifimcd
    fifimcd Posts: 10 Member
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    Interestingly in the last year or so I've had several friends who've had significant success with Slimming World. Seems to be more 'educational' than WW, therefore sustainable. Might just be a UK co though? Not sure.

    Personally MFP on its own has been fine for me but I didn't have significant food issues to un/relearn, just to get a handle on moderation and how that looked for me.
  • Hipp706
    Hipp706 Posts: 28 Member
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    I used to do WW, on the old plan, worked well for
    Me, lost my weight but then found myself eating low point junk food all the time and then just having some plain veg if I got hungry and had no points left. This time I'm trying to focus on healthy foods during the week, and junk only on a weekend. MFP makes me more accountable, and I feel I'm now sticking to healthier choices more.
  • TRC64
    TRC64 Posts: 22 Member
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    WalkingAlong wrote: »
    They expect you to take advantage of produce being free and to eat more fruit and vegetables.

    This is true. People rarely get overweight/obese because they're eating too many green beans, or even bananas.

    Also, recently on the WW boards, someone compared the Smart Points of 5 lbs of shrimp to 9 Lindt Lindor truffles, which were approx the same points. They were complaining ... but what they missed is that very few people can eat 5 lbs of shrimp, but almost everyone can eat 9 small delicious chocolate balls!

    I recently switched from MFP to WW, primarily because I liked the fact that I wouldn't have to count veggies and fruit. Those aren't/weren't my problem, so it's very freeing to be able to eat a banana as a snack between meals and not worry about the calories.
  • cupcakesplz
    cupcakesplz Posts: 237 Member
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    I did WW after baby 1 & 2, but after the twins I didn't have a lot of money to spend on WW. MFP is free and works just as well
  • watchhillgirl
    watchhillgirl Posts: 597 Member
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    No offense, nut isn't this like walking into a Honda dealership and asking what they think the good points of a Toyota are? Just seems odd to me to ask people on the map site if they think WW or MFP is better.
  • KittyHeaven74
    KittyHeaven74 Posts: 68 Member
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    WW actually worked for me several years ago - I loss 22 lbs and was very happy with the program. I went back to them recently, but decided that the cost wasn't worth it. I felt MFP was a better choice for me. But they are quite similar. I think ultimately it's the format that works best for you. Many people have been and still are quite successful with WW.
  • jandw122912
    jandw122912 Posts: 66 Member
    edited January 2016
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    I personally like WW. I lost 30 lbs! I love their app for tracking. In my opinion, its easier to use than MFP. And the meetings really help with accountability. Plus you have a leader that has lost weight on WW and can give you a lot of good advice... Downside is the price! I just couldn't afford it anymore so I switched to MFP. I've only been using MFP for 3 weeks but I have had pretty good success so far. The key to weight loss for me is tracking... Both programs seem to work, but I miss the WWs meetings...

  • Katiebear_81
    Katiebear_81 Posts: 719 Member
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    There is no way that the calories worked out to 1800 a day. I've don't that level of restriction here and not had losses, but steadily lost on WW... So I am going to guess its less than 1500.

    I did it, but in the end, it's expensive. This is free. I am still losing weight, and YES! MFP is way more tedious and makes me feel a little bit neurotic. But whatever needs to happen, you know? I quit last month when they changed the program. I was already eating a variety of foods and rarely purchased their premade crap. I was angry about the difference between the two points programs suddenly increasing the "cost" of everything. The amounts that I was eating before (and losing a pound a week on) were no longer available, and I was HUNGRY. Not worth the money I was spending, so I quit.
  • neumann16
    neumann16 Posts: 4 Member
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    I have done both. I like MFP better because I like to watch my sodium intake along with proteins carbs and fats.
  • KnitSewSpin
    KnitSewSpin Posts: 147 Member
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    Their new program is very restrictive and very low calorie. I would stick with straight forward MFP.

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