Making the switch from WW to MFP

Jbarbo01
Jbarbo01 Posts: 240 Member
edited November 30 in Health and Weight Loss
I hate the new SmartPoints plan and I definitely do not want to pay for something that I don't like. Has anyone switched from WW to MFP because of their dislike of the SmartPoints plan? I like the flexibility of calorie counting but it's a lot more tracking and counting required than WW points. Does anyone have any tips in general or from having switched from WW to MFP that made the switch easier for you? Is there a way to make calorie counting less tedious?

Replies

  • vanessa40
    vanessa40 Posts: 328 Member
    Good Morning,
    I too use to be a WW member but got tired of the points counting and how certain foods were zero points like bananas..I wish i could be more help but for me since i eat about the same thing daily my diary here is easy to keep.
    I like how you can just scan everything..i know WW had a scanner too but mine was buggy and sometimes the points did not come out right..with counting real calories you don't have to worry about that..
    Good Luck..
  • stang02
    stang02 Posts: 75 Member
    I did just that.
    Kickstarted the change in my eating habits in mid-Dec (due to health and age). Joined Weight Watchers (free through work) at the end of Dec. Did well, but felt like I still didn't have a full grasp of nutrition. Logged back into this old MFP account. Started parallel tracking on WW and MFP. Moved away from logging on WW anymore, because I feel like my meals are more balanced and satisfying through MFP by just reading through all I can on the forums. I feel WW was not helping. I was shying away from healthy fats, buying sugar-free stuff, etc instead of just eating properly (with less chemicals, and in moderation.) Plus the meetings felt a hair "cultish" (I can only speak for my own.)

    I am still losing steadily and gradually. So far 17lbs in 12 weeks. I'm very happy with this.

    I invested in a food scale, I bought a lot of the same sized "tupperware" containers and meal prep on Sundays for my work week. I now have a much better understanding of my food intake without relying on converting to "points", I can just glance at a nutrition label.
  • imamyurdumb
    imamyurdumb Posts: 17 Member
    I really dont like the new site, very confusing and less tools then ever, I literally just cancelled my WW this morning and coming back to MFP. I love this site!
  • stang02
    stang02 Posts: 75 Member
    I feel like MFP is LESS tracking than WW. You have to still weigh everything the exact same as MFP in order to be accurate, but then have to convert all those to SP. The only time it's "easier" is the veggies and fruits. But why should you NOT count those? Do you know, for example, that a banana can have 20g of sugar? It's silly not to consider things like that.
  • avonarlene86
    avonarlene86 Posts: 23 Member
    I absolutely hated the new smart points system, it took away so much freedom in terms of sweet stuff coming out at double the points they were before!! I like that I can still have a sweet treat as long as I'm counting it. I had a food scale anyway so that was easy, what I found....not difficult but strange, was having to count fruit and veg. I don't pay a huge amount of attention to macros but I'm still losing steadily xx
  • junodog1
    junodog1 Posts: 4,792 Member
    Eons ago, when WW started their first points program, I joined an at work group for a few cycles. We all did lose weight, but I found the information and calculations too much of a pain in the as$ or too costly to get my hands on. WW wants to charge for everything and I’m, um, shall we say, “frugal.” Additionally the points system while simple in concept still required the little calculator, or the sliding cardboard thingy be lugged around, or the books be consulted. I really felt that WW has a great model for people who like to follow someone else’s plan, who need companionship and support from other people and for corporate success. (And there aint nothing wrong with corporate success.)

    Being a numbers person calories in calories out is perfect for me. Calorie information is everywhere. It is easy, my barcode scanner works great and I am, for now, mostly looking at one number – my net calories. And it works. I lost over 30 pounds before I got sidelined – which I will blame on 80+ hour work weeks (but was still ultimately within my control.) Now I have left that job and am back in control of my life and my food.

    What can make it easier for you? I highly recommend
    • Use the USDA Food Database for calorie info https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list
    • Until you become familiar with foods calories don’t blindly trust the calories and nutrition in the MFP databases.
    • Measure, measure, measure. Wear our both your spoon and cup measures plus have a decent electronic kitchen scale. I bought mine at Target.
  • junodog1
    junodog1 Posts: 4,792 Member
    stang02 wrote: »
    ... because I feel like my meals are more balanced and satisfying through MFP by just reading through all I can on the forums. .... I was shying away from healthy fats, buying sugar-free stuff, etc instead of just eating properly (with less chemicals, and in moderation.) Plus the meetings felt a hair "cultish" (I can only speak for my own.)

    ^^^^ Also this
  • murp4069
    murp4069 Posts: 494 Member
    I've never done WW, but one of the assistants in my office does. She's been doing it since December with not much weight loss, but at the same time, seemingly on a very restrictive diet. I've been doing MFP since early December 2015 as well, and I've lost almost 23 lbs with no restrictions on food whatsoever (except for managing portions of course). I'm trying to convince her to switch over to MFP - she's not yet convinced that weight loss is as easy as calories in, calories out.

    I'm not sure if the new SmartPoints system is very good, I've heard nothing but bad things on these forums TBH. People seemed to prefer the old system. You are definitely not alone in your switch to MFP. Good luck!!
  • elsinora
    elsinora Posts: 398 Member
    I've done WW in the past and had success but it didn't teach me about nutrition, it made me focus more on the numbers on the scale and to record a loss every single week and I felt (which it is at the end of the day) just a way to push their products and expensive system that can just do by doing calories in vs calories out.

    The day I quit was when I went for a weekly shame in - I mean - weigh in and I stayed the same. Surrounded by people being weighed in virtual negligees trying to keep as little weight off that scale just so that one day "counted." That week I ran two marathons and a half marathon and did the best week for some of compound exercise weights. The person who weighed me said I should've tried harder and maybe not eat or drink anything the day of the weigh in. Or lay off the exercises.

    (Yes yes not all WW leaders are like that but the four places I had been to, they all said or promoted same things)

    MFP isn't a diet, it is just a really efficient way in our day and age to calculate calories in versus calories out and without an agenda. The most you get here are just some unaffiliated ads that roll up on your screen for a free app.

    I eat better, train better and have all the tools to understand and accept accountability.
  • watcher1600
    watcher1600 Posts: 11 Member
    Today i made the switch from WW I lost weight following Smartpoints but i found the meetings were focused on low point food that were not healthy for you like their snackfoods. Also they weighed me wrong my weight was actually up 1.5 lbs they said i lost i asked them to weigh me again they refused because it would affect their numbers. I have tracked Mfp with WW and I really like MFP better and it is free.
  • stang02
    stang02 Posts: 75 Member
    elsinora wrote: »
    The day I quit was when I went for a weekly shame in - I mean - weigh in and I stayed the same. Surrounded by people being weighed in virtual negligees trying to keep as little weight off that scale just so that one day "counted." That week I ran two marathons and a half marathon and did the best week for some of compound exercise weights. The person who weighed me said I should've tried harder and maybe not eat or drink anything the day of the weigh in. Or lay off the exercises.
    You should have done another full marathon instead of that half! Shame on you for not trying harder!
    (ludicrous) LOL

  • Phoenix4me18
    Phoenix4me18 Posts: 133 Member
    I am in the process of switching over. I started on PP on WW, lost just over 30 pounds when the switch to SP happened. I had been pretty satisfied up till that point. With the switch over to SP I found I was so limited I couldn't even enjoy a half slice of son's birthday cake without it blowing my points up. While my focus is definitely weight loss I do still want to LIVE my LIFE and have the freedom to enjoy an occasional slice of cake without being so severely penalized. The mental process I started going through just became unhealthy and my weight loss has been stalled since the change to SP. So, a couple weeks ago I started tracking on MFP again and figure I will give it a month and see how it goes. I can tell you, it is a lot more freeing. The scanner works fabulously for foods, the easily accessible community posts have been wonderful, the website WORKING has been a nice change here, most of the foods I want to enter are already in the database here and if I have room and want a half cup of ice cream I feel like I can do that and still stay in my calorie range. My husband started getting healthier the same time I did and our conversations are more helpful now as we both speak in "calories" versus trying to figure out SP too. Unless something drastically changes I am leaning more towards cancelling my WW membership. I really got off to a great start there, was open to the change to SP, but, it is just not something I think I can manage for the rest of my life.
  • nfpswife
    nfpswife Posts: 63 Member
    It was a TOTAL mental shift for me. I fought it the first time I tried to switch, but now I can't imagine going back to the points calculations. I also no longer feel like "Oh, I can eat 17 apples for dinner because they're free, and I still have points for cake! CAKE!!"...I feel like there are very few ways to cheat when it's cals in vs. cals out. Plus there's no crazy standing in the grocery aisle calculating points on a package of pita chips...
  • tlskim
    tlskim Posts: 16 Member
    I have been charged for another month of WW. I have NOT learned a thing about nutrition. All I wanted was help and accountability which I'm still waiting for. The app is driving me absolutely INSANE! Bar code scanner doesn't work half the time or doesn't RECOGNIZE food item. WE should be concentrating on how much sugar, fiber, protein, etc that is in our food. NOT points. What I've learned so far is that their PROCESSED products are low in points but if you READ what the label says, it's not that healthy. Fruits are a sugar even though natural sugar at that, should ALWAYS be counted. Sugar affects our systems giving us a temporary high then the dreaded afternoon crash. I'm sorry for sounding crabby, but this is my very heard earned $45 per month that hasn't helped me in any way.
    I dread the meetings.
  • tlskim
    tlskim Posts: 16 Member
    Today i made the switch from WW I lost weight following Smartpoints but i found the meetings were focused on low point food that were not healthy for you like their snackfoods. Also they weighed me wrong my weight was actually up 1.5 lbs they said i lost i asked them to weigh me again they refused because it would affect their numbers. I have tracked Mfp with WW and I really like MFP better and it is free.


    Yeah same here. Their food is still processed and I don't care what O says. I personally cannot lose weight by eating bread every single day. lol
  • hallycat
    hallycat Posts: 16 Member
    I am seriously considering dumping WW. Been paying them for far too long.Since the switch which I at first thought was great, because it emphasizes healthier eating, well it turns out it's not a good one size fits all system. I was eating far too much with the 30 SP's they gave me and not losing.Their 24/7 chat told me that they expect you to eat some junk calories and I don't. For example. A cookie might be 3 points. To get 3 points worth of turkey breast I'd have to eat 9 0Z. She had me add my calories including my "free" stuff and it averaged 1600-1800 calories. Too much for me to lose with. Hey if I have to count calories I may as well use this site for free.

    There is another thread about this here http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10350569/came-from-weight-watchers#latest
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