Weight Watchers

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slb260
slb260 Posts: 52 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Since nothing I try on my own seems to work, I'm wondering - has anyone tried Weight Watchers, and did you have success?

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  • mis1022
    mis1022 Posts: 109 Member
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    I did weight watchers last year, I lost 25 pounds it does work. But I am now doing MFP because it is very similar program, log what you eat, make healthy choices, move more, but going to meetings gave me a lot of info that sorting through online would be difficult.

    Now that I have that basic knowledge and my hubby is doing this with me I don't feel the need to attend meetings. That was my main reason for weight watchers the meetings, this is hard to do alone.
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
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    I did ww and I did lose on it but I was starving all the time because the group leaders I went to didn't know what the duck they were talking about. They put me on the equivalent of 1200 calories and told me that because I had been working out since before I started ww I couldn't eat back my exercise points (I was running 5 miles a day usually) when I told them how hungry I was, they told me I wasn't eating the right foods. I should be eating clean foods and ww products only.

    It was absolutely awful.
  • dolliesdaughter
    dolliesdaughter Posts: 544 Member
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    I lost100 lbs with Weight Watchers 2011/2012. Maintaining with MFP.
  • skippygolunks2014
    skippygolunks2014 Posts: 10 Member
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    I used to be a WW leader. It is a great program and very sustainable. The only gripe I had was as a leader I was not to tell members not to eat processed and packaged items.( maybe because they sell packaged food?) In theory it was okay to eat whatever you want as long as you stay within your point range. A calorie is not a calorie and a point is not just a point if you want to do the best for your body. Maybe things are different now. I will say this, points are much easier to track than calories
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    slb260 wrote: »
    Since nothing I try on my own seems to work, I'm wondering - has anyone tried Weight Watchers, and did you have success?

    Weight Watchers is different from MFP in that food you eat has been given a point value. You count points instead of calories. It's still going to be portion control. It's still going to be reduced calorie.

    If going to meetings and weighing in will help you, then by all means it can be a good investment.

    As Asher pointed out WW determines the point values for food. Some point values do seem geared toward WW branded products. Yogurt is an example. My favorite Yoplait was twice the points of WW yogurt....only the calorie difference was 10. I can't eat what I enjoy because my brand is double points. I've also heard (no experience) that the newest WW points system penalizes carbs. I don't need to be low carb (no medical issues)....so restrictive carbs wouldn't be a lifestyle change for me.
  • jeepinshawn
    jeepinshawn Posts: 642 Member
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    I don't really understand why someone would need weight watchers. MFP makes it super easy, they give you exact calories you need, they have a huge, probably the biggest, food database. If your honest and log everything(accurately), you will loose weight. You don't need special prepackaged foods or points or anything. CI CO it's that simple.
  • slb260
    slb260 Posts: 52 Member
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    Thanks for all the comments! MFP is free, so that's a big drawing card, for sure. But WW has in person back-up, which is sometimes a really big encouragement. I will ponder all of this.
  • ElizabethOakes2
    ElizabethOakes2 Posts: 1,038 Member
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    The only reason to use W.W. in my opinion is if you aren't getting support for your lifestyle changes from your surroundings and the other people in your life. What Weight Watchers offers, more than the food counting, the point system, etc, is the sense of community, of people working together to change their lives. The meetings help you stay on track, and talk to other people making the same journey as you are. That kind of support can mean so much!
    The only real problem with it that I can see is that it doesn't teach you how to eat for life. It teaches you how to eat inside the program. I've watched some of my family members yoyo in and out of WW for years, because it's hard to learn to how to sustain outside of the program.

  • gooz71
    gooz71 Posts: 97 Member
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    I belong to WW and what keeps me going is the meetings. I have a great leader and group of people, I actually look forward to the meetings (even if I haven't lost that week). The meetings keep me going and it recharges me each week. The new program is now focused on sugar, fat and protein for the most part. The more sugar the higher the points the higher the protein the lower the points.
  • ldowdesw
    ldowdesw Posts: 222 Member
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    jeepinshawn wrote: »
    I don't really understand why someone would need weight watchers. MFP makes it super easy, they give you exact calories you need, they have a huge, probably the biggest, food database. If your honest and log everything(accurately), you will loose weight. You don't need special prepackaged foods or points or anything. CI CO it's that simple.

    Exactly this ^^.. Save your money each week in a jar for the new clothes you are going to need;)
  • ThomasPM
    ThomasPM Posts: 18 Member
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    I am currently a Weight Watchers member and a Guy.
    I must say even though I'm the only guy in the meetings, the support of the face to face interactions between others going thru what I am is Priceless.
    I must admit though through my company I pay only 17.00 a month for Meetings, Online and Coaching.
    I've learned so much from talking to the other members there and they always have something new for me to try and cook myself...
  • Brelynn
    Brelynn Posts: 105 Member
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    I also use Weight Watchers as well as MFP. Weighing in front of someone keeps me accountable. I also enjoy the group meetings. Another carrot is that once you reach goal weight and go thru maintenance you become a life time member and do not have to pay for meetings.
  • booksandchocolate12
    booksandchocolate12 Posts: 1,741 Member
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    I never found that the weigh-ins kept me accountable. Mainly because the opinion of the person who was weighing me was of zero importance to me.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    Paying for a program kept me on track, usually. WW has a good education component MFP doesn't have. They do of course have a maintenance plan, like any diet, but sticking to any plan in maintenance is tough. I think WW is a good starting point for many people new to dieting. The science is spot-on and it's fairly cheap compared to some programs.

    But the company can be annoying, the meetings can be tedious, the online tools are kind of lame and some find the new programs are not as restrictive as they'd like, so they have to not eat their weekly points or be careful with fruit.

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