Weight Watchers vs MFP

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Jessica5000
Jessica5000 Posts: 65
in Food and Nutrition
I've been on WW for a few months and lost 10lbs. I'm doing the old plan on my own. However, a friend told me about MFP and so I've been doing both programs since June 01/11. I'm finding it exhausting to be plugging in my points & calories into 2 programs. I think it's time to break up with one program and concentrate on doing one program and doing it right.

Is there anyone who has broke up with WW and has been successful with MFP? And you successful MFP members, tell me why you have been successful on this site?

Thanks alot,
Jessica
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Replies

  • haeden
    haeden Posts: 183 Member
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    do you have to pay for the weight watchers site?
  • Jessica5000
    Jessica5000 Posts: 65
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    I don't have the pay for the site. I'm doing the old program so I have all the old materials. So it's free essentially. I paid for all the materials last year. And I don't use the online site. I manually track points.
  • haeden
    haeden Posts: 183 Member
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    i have never tried weight watchers but i really like this site.i dont like doing the points i just like tracking what i eat ya know.and i bet with two sites it gets very draining
  • Ahmee2034
    Ahmee2034 Posts: 1,330 Member
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    I've done WW before but I find it harder to stay on point with my diet. I understand how successful it is and has been for many people. I just don't think it is right for me. Being that you can "eat whatever you want" on WW (basically), I find that I tend to over-indulge. I know it is a mental thing, too, but for me, MFP was/is much more beneficial because you track your ACTUAL caloric intake. I just find it to be more practical.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    I broke up with WW at the end of last year when they switched the program. I'd been doing the old points on my own for about 6 months anyway and decided to take the holidays off from tracking and see how I'd do. Not bad but I definitely needed to reign in again and start tracking. Tried doing the new points plus on my own (bought a calculator, tracker and food guide but didn't become a member) but it was way too hard without support and more info. Thankfully about the time I was getting desperate, one of my co-workers told me about MFP and it was the perfect thing!!

    Something I actually took from WW was setting my goal. Started out at the "standard" 1 pound per month but found it wasn't flexible enough for me. So I used the 50 calories equals a point calculation (had 26 points so that equals 1300 caloires) and lowered my goal to 1.5 pounds per week (for me, that equals 1280 calories per day). Now I've got that same leeway that the Weekly Allowance Points gave me in the sense that if I go over a few hundred calories here or there, it's not going to mess up my hard work.

    I also find you can get as much support here as you would at a WW meeting - make lots of online friends and they'll cheer you on your accomplishments and help you through your tough times as well.
  • becalee26
    becalee26 Posts: 185 Member
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    I like this site better. I get a better understanding of the nutritonal value of what I am putting in my mouth rather than just points. You could always try this site for a couple of weeks and if it doesn't work then go back to WW.
  • rea1980
    rea1980 Posts: 93 Member
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    I like this site better. I get a better understanding of the nutritonal value of what I am putting in my mouth rather than just points. You could always try this site for a couple of weeks and if it doesn't work then go back to WW.

    This is exactly why I like MFP because you get to learn all the aspects of nutrion and you can better understand what you are actually eating without trying to convert stuff to that point scale of WW. Also this is free and there is great support on here. I use the mobile app all the time, and go online a couple times a day. So easy to use and stay current with. I love the fact I can scan barcodes with my phone to get the nutrional values.
  • kobzal
    kobzal Posts: 74 Member
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    I did WW online two separate times for 3 months each without much success. I think the points concept was too abstract. I love MFP becasue you see hard numbers. I have had amazing success on MFP so far and would take it over WW any day.
  • liznlu
    liznlu Posts: 16 Member
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    I like this site better. I get a better understanding of the nutritonal value of what I am putting in my mouth rather than just points. You could always try this site for a couple of weeks and if it doesn't work then go back to WW.

    This is exactly why I like MFP because you get to learn all the aspects of nutrion and you can better understand what you are actually eating without trying to convert stuff to that point scale of WW. Also this is free and there is great support on here. I use the mobile app all the time, and go online a couple times a day. So easy to use and stay current with. I love the fact I can scan barcodes with my phone to get the nutrional values.
  • liznlu
    liznlu Posts: 16 Member
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    I like this site better. I get a better understanding of the nutritonal value of what I am putting in my mouth rather than just points. You could always try this site for a couple of weeks and if it doesn't work then go back to WW.

    This is exactly why I like MFP because you get to learn all the aspects of nutrion and you can better understand what you are actually eating without trying to convert stuff to that point scale of WW. Also this is free and there is great support on here. I use the mobile app all the time, and go online a couple times a day. So easy to use and stay current with. I love the fact I can scan barcodes with my phone to get the nutrional values.

    How do you scan the barcodes from your phone. Is it on the MFP app or another app you need to download? Interesting!
  • liznlu
    liznlu Posts: 16 Member
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    I've been on WW for a few months and lost 10lbs. I'm doing the old plan on my own. However, a friend told me about MFP and so I've been doing both programs since June 01/11. I'm finding it exhausting to be plugging in my points & calories into 2 programs. I think it's time to break up with one program and concentrate on doing one program and doing it right.

    Is there anyone who has broke up with WW and has been successful with MFP? And you successful MFP members, tell me why you have been successful on this site?

    Thanks alot,
    Jessica

    I am a WW leader. I made it to goal on Momentum. When the new plan rolled in for us and set my points higher it became a struggle to maintain. I tried to figure out a way to work the new program (since as a service provider, I must follow the new program) and have tweeked it in my own way to make it work. But, honestly, I track my calories and nutrition information on MFP even though I get the WW app for free. I like to see how much carbs, protein, sodium, etc I am intaking not just PPV's.

    I hope this helps in your decision!
  • fsugirl26
    fsugirl26 Posts: 207
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    My parents have done WW and both lost 50+ lbs within a year. It definitely works, but I personally like using MFP better. I think converting calories to points is an unnecessary step. You can easily count calories with MFP and you become more accountable for limiting things like carbs and fats.
  • ChantalGG
    ChantalGG Posts: 2,404 Member
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    Pick one they both work. It is up to you.
  • nh2576
    nh2576 Posts: 69
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    I did WW on my own for a couple months (my boss was the group leader and I didn't want to weigh in front of her.) But, I had no success. So, I joined the meeting room - I lost over 20 lbs and hit 10% goal in about 16 weeks. My group got shut down by WW upper management (not enough paying members) so I found a new group. I lost my momentum (catch the pun?) but held my ground for a year. Eventually all but 7 lbs came back. I do not like the points - especially the new points plus - just don't have time to calculate EVERYTHING I end up eating in a day. But I do like my group and the support of real live friends at the meeting. Also, love having access to their snacks and meeting room tools. I love weighing in, in front of someone - having a loss and having every 5 lbs I lose being announced to the group and being congratulated - we all celebrate with each other ! Sort of like on here, only better! So now I do both - love tracking my food and exercise on here with all of my online MFP friends supporting me day-to-day and reaping the bene's at meeting time!
  • AlyssaAmes3
    AlyssaAmes3 Posts: 26 Member
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    I joined WW free trial for their online program and liked it a lot but was not willing to pay $ for someone to count calories/points for me! So a friend told me about MFP and I love it. It does exactly the same great things WW online does but for no $. I havent done my first weigh in with MFP since starting a little over a month ago but I know i have lost atleast 7 pounds! I keep getting compliments from everyone I know saying how great I look. And I feel great. I love this program! Ditch WW and save some $$$.
  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
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    I became a WW lifetime member 14 years ago. My two problems with WW was that I learned how to "play the system", so obviously I stopped losing weight. The second problem was that I found that I was eating entirely too many prepackaged foods on WW. I had done the Mediterranean Diet a couple of years ago and fell in love with "real" food, though I managed to cheat on that one, too. So I wanted something that would allow me to track real calories in the foods that I love. Plus I have been exercising regularly for over 4 years now. I found that WW didn't track my exercise points accurately and that was frustrating to me. I was always feeling deprived on WW, I don't on MFP.
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Both programs work!! WW has changed a few of my friend's lives. I would not do two programs at the same time--you'll drive yourself insane. Pick one or the other.

    I picked this because I was looking for a free program and a free app that is easy to use and log the food and exercise. For me, I made the right choice. :)
  • mrstyler
    mrstyler Posts: 43
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    For me, WW was just too difficult to deal with. I hated having to constantly calculate my own points from nutrition info because the brands I used were never in their books. The program just seemed so much more complicated than tracking calories.

    It also didn't help me eat healthier. I now try to keep not only my calories low, but monitor my fiber, sodium and fat intake to be healthy overall. Using MFP is easy for me and I never need to worry about bringing extra stuff with me to keep track of points. I have the app on my iPod touch and its very easy to use.

    I have absolutely lost more weight on MFP than WW, too, and actually feel more satisfied, for whatever reason.
  • unaffected
    unaffected Posts: 154
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    I did WW from January 2011 until May 31, 2011. It was slow and steady, and I did not use the online feature (I was already paying to go to meetings, I didn't want them to get even more of my money!). I found that even though I was going to the meetings, I wasn't incredibly motivated.

    I joined this site when I finally got fed up with counting points and losing so slowly. I think a lot of my frustration stemmed from the new plan and fruits and veggies being "free".

    So, from Jan to May of this year, I lost 12 pounds (with WW). Since joining this site in May, I've lost 6 lbs (in about a month!).

    From my experience, this site provides tons of motivation and information...way more than I was getting out of Weight Watchers. It's especially motivating if you join a weigh-in challenge of some sort, or a group that is supportive.

    Good luck, whichever you choose!
  • corinnak
    corinnak Posts: 51 Member
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    I also lost most of my weight on WW Momentum plan. I did make healthier choices most of the time and it worked well for me. I broke up with WW after the new program as well. I can't handle "Free Fruit" and I resent having to track something that they claim should be zero as something other than zero to make the plan work. I also didn't like seeing the points values of many of my favorite foods get inflated so much with the new plan. And I was too dependent on the eTools to go back to hand tracking the old program, so I moved to MFP.

    I do have some things I wish were different on MFP as well, BUT I've got some good friends here and it makes me a lot happier than PointsPlus, so I'm sticking around.

    The nice thing about your situation is that there is no money tied up either way - you can go with one for a while, then switch to the other later if you feel you want to.

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