First day....trying this before I join WW. Hoping this works instead. Need to lose 40

This site has some great features and if you track your meals and exercise, you should find success! Good luck. My doctor was even impressed with how the site worked.

I did WW 6 years ago and lost about 40lbs, but I got way off track and depressed and moved a few times. Now I've got a fitness tracker and MFP (I just bought a manual treadmill)--I've lost 17lbs this time--only those additional 40 to go! (grin) Every now and again I'll use my points calculator to see what WW would say about a food before I put it my diary/face, but mostly just try to track accurately (just like WW licks, tastes, sips) (I still use my WW food scale) and track exercise accurately as possible as well (fitness tracker or phone app or timer or HRM and the like). Don't eat too *little* (1200 might not be enough), try to balance carbs, protein, fat in a way that keeps you satisfied. It can work. Set goals. I'm trying to get enough miles walked a day to walk from my house to Key West by the end of the year. I track it on a map. It makes it fun.

Anyways, that's all the advice I've got--not that you asked LOL. Oh! And get a buddy or 10! Feel free to add me. That's the thing I miss most about meetings. A shot in the arm with new ideas and friends once a week. This works too. Maybe not quite as well as WW, you've got to maintain your own inertia, but I'm sure if we focus together we'll all get there.

I lost weight before doing both. Both programs are awesome.

I had almost the same post back in January of 2013. I had about 15 lbs to lose and was looking online for different programs. I thought about WW, but came across MFP and have been using it off and on ever since. Instead of buying into WW, use that money to purchase a food scale and a heart rate monitor. IMO, those are an important part of MFP. Its all about CICO (calories in/calories out). The food scale will help your CI be more accurate and the heart rate monitor can help you with your CO (to estimate your calorie burn while exercising).
I have been maintaining now for over 2 years and will come back and log every now and then just to keep me in check.
HTH!! You can do it!

This is going to make me sound super dumb, but I'm over fifty so...who cares! I used WW the first time, and lost 40 lbs. It taught me how to eat healthy foods and explore getting much food for very little points (2009 version). Then when I gained back 25, I wanted something free on my phone and easier than calculating points. This time I knew how to eat in a healthy way, so MFP was a champ. Well, I yoyo-ed again, gained 30 back, but have lost 20 of that since October. Are you lost yet? I say all this to say, whatever works is the best for you! If MFP started to fail me, I'd try to find the motivation to go to WW. And, find people to talk to and share your experiences. Support is important!