Perks of MFP over weights watchers?

kaitmeoww · May 2016

I am trying to decide between which of these two programs I want to use to lose weight and I wanted to get some feedback on them both.

randomtai · May 2016

One is free. I like free.

kaitmeoww · May 2016

That's a good perk lol

NatalieThomas90 · May 2016

ive always been a weight watchers microwave meal fan...
until I tried a store bought alternative and realised "weight watchers" were higher in fat, sat fat, salt and sugar!!

prettygirlstorm1 · May 2016

I love weight watchers I have lost 22 pounds so far on the program. It has always worked for me. I really pay just to get weighed. Something about the accountability to someone else's scale that motivates me to keep going. I use MFP to log my food and for the support and to help motivate other people. Weight watchers has been the only thing that works for me!!!

cb2bslim · May 2016

I lost 45 lbs on MFP. I changed my eating lifestyle on my own which is helping me maintain now without even logging foods. Also, I love that is free and easy to use. My friends are a great support team.

lilianstar2000 · May 2016

I have lost 1st 2lbs on MFP, its free and fairly easy to use. I use a scale at the gym to weigh myself on Sundays. Weight watchers I have joined as many versions as there are but the calculations drove me mad. also everytime you stop its easy to gain. MFP you can just do it on a smartphone. MFP yey!

syuskiw · May 2016

How can I get back to the automatic entry of calories when I add a food and serving size? The old version was so much easier. I'm just guessing at calories based on my memory. Help.

cb2bslim wrote: »

I lost 45 lbs on MFP. I changed my eating lifestyle on my own which is helping me maintain now without even logging foods. Also, I love that is free and easy to use. My friends are a great support team.

bjaneb · May 2016

About 8 years ago I used weight watchers and lost 65 pounds. A change in medications and lifestyle add those pounds back. This time I am strictly MFP and will probably count calories for life. WW is a good plan but the expense is prohibitive.

kaitmeoww · May 2016

Yeah, the expense is what's holding me back the most. Also, a 300 calorie breakfast sandwich shouldn't be a third of my daily points.

Therealobi1 · May 2016

i was going to join weight watchers. i know a few people who have had success, bUt then I found MFP and have never looked back. I notice that as soon as my friends stopped going to weight watchers they put the weight back on. That can happen on MFP too but its free.

stangma · May 2016

I've tried WW several times & when they went to Points, I just could not compute that! MFP is a great tool, but this year I joined TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly). It is $32/yr to join & the support in our group is amazing! Between MFP & TOPS I am tracking calories & food exchanges & have dropped 13# - - it is slow going but this is a lifestyle change, not a diet (ei WW). Best of luck with your journey - see you lighter!!

Vixenmd1 · May 2016

I did WW a ton of times to success. The highest was 07/08 lost 75 lbs and kept it off till 2011. Last year I lost 35 lbs from march to july on MFP. Last year I also dealt with major family death and issues the deaths caused so I put it all back on between Oct and April. Not MFP's fault since I stopped. Anyhow since the first time I did WW was 1999 and I have had a lot of success on MFP here is my take. I don't like the changes to the program at WW. They change the program a lot and part of that seems to be to make it harder to figure out points. Since I am a vegan many of the foods I eat don't get updated in the database. Also now that the forumla is not as simple as calories plus fiber it is harder to eat out. Often now you can get the calories on a menu directly or online. It isn't easy to get everything else. I am also a runner with a apple watch. I set my calories low and then eat what I earn. I find that easier on MFP.
I will always support WW for people who want to do it. It does work and it is a lifechanger for many people. They teach ttracking, having a food budget, burning calories, and accountability. I think they are also very helpful for people just starting out coming from a traditional america diet. At the same time they are flexible enough that people with special diets can do WW (was a god send when I figured that out since all the other big diets companies there was NO way for a vegan to do because of the special food).
MFP is more flexible doesn't change every year. It is based on the easiest measurement of food to find (calories) but you can use it for many other things that rely on other measurements like carbs. You can easily decide to eat your exercise calories. I tired spark people for a week years ago and yuo couldn't. That doesn't work for me.
free well that goes without saying. WW online is like $20 a month, meetings are like $40-60. MFP is free or $10 a month for the advanced version.

So that is my take as someone who has had success at both.

IronSmasher · May 2016

No weird conversions so you don't end up buying specific, branded items to make logging easier. Calories is compatible with a larger number of restaurants, fitness sites, exercise apps or machines, and universally understood.
After you have the hang of that, you might want to look at macro counting, dependant on your goal.

And MFP is a CALORIE CALCULATOR. If you're doing maths, you're using it wrong

Benefits of WW; In real life support group. Cost can mean commitment to some people. More easily recognised by other family members that you belong to a new lifestyle now by having to go groups. Pressure of weighing in, or a leader to monitor your success can be good or bad depending on individual.

kaitmeoww · May 2016

Thanks!

Nachise · May 2016

The problem I had with Weight Watchers was that I hated the lines, hated the cost, and hated the constant shift from one plan to another. Calculating recipes was impossible. I did reach goal, but there was little one-on-one support. I wanted to be able to avoid pre-packaged, processed foods as much as possible, and some meetings were like an informercial for Weight Watchers products. I gained every pound back, and doubled it.

I am using MFP to track my daily intake and exercise. I am eating real food, calculating recipes, and once I reach my goal weight and go on maintenance, I will probably continue working with a nutritionist, as I am doing at the moment. I don't want to have to stop one type of eating when I reach goal and transition to another. I want to work into a way of life that supports eating fresh, whole foods and getting as much nutritional bang for the buck as possible.

enterdanger · May 2016

In for free.

sjcrunner · May 2016

I've been on and off WW for several years. I'm a runner and love my carbs. Some years ago WW changed and made fruits and vegetables "free" and carbs very costly. I found myself hungry all the time and always cheating, and therefore did not loose weight. I find counting carbs much easier and am never hungry staying within my personal limits. Because I choose to eat more complex carbs, I find my energy level higher and therefore my exercise much easier.....and yes, I'm loosing weight again.

lexykassan · May 2016

TL;DR recap - stick with MFP

I had done WW in the past and lost some weight on it. That was in the Points or maybe PointsPlus days. It was a while ago. So I figured I would try going back to it this time. Unfortunately, the new plan really didn't work well for me. It theoretically emphasizes eating more lean protein and less saturated fat in the way that it calculates points. In practice, it penalizes eating anything with carbohydrates (including fiber) except for fruits and veggies. With fruits being "free," I wound up going through sugar spikes and crashes all da. I tried to compensate for simply not eating a balanced diet with having more fruit and maybe some veg. I was lightheaded, almost to the point of passing out, for 4 days of my week. I was petrified of using my daily points.

Meanwhile, I was curious to see how many calories I was taking in based on their points so I started to also track via MFP. The first day, I logged a total of 680 calories consumed. That's horrifically low. The only way for me to boost my caloric intake would be to pack in proteins. Some of those are OK but my trying to load up on meat and eggs and such would drive my naturally-high cholesterol through the roof.

The breaking point came when I looked at how many points were in foods I knew were better and worse for me. For instance, my morning cereal (just cereal, not including milk) was 7-8 points. A 90% lean hamburger with ketchup was also 7-8 points and wreaked havoc with my cholesterol. Then I figured I would look for something that is tremendously processed and would be a poor choice... 99% fat free hot dogs. They were 1 point each. 1 point. So they would have me loading up on nitrates and fillers rather than eating a whole grain. That was it. I was done.

I switched to MFP only and have now lost 14 pounds. I don't feel paranoid about eating. I log everything, even when I know I will be over my daily intake goal. I drink. I go to restaurants. I still lose weight. And I haven't been lightheaded since.

MissusMoon · May 2016

I had great success with WW year ago, but here I am again, so I didn't learn very much about maintaining. The new Smart Points are ridiculous as I've seen many post about them here.

MFP is free, has a lively support community, and let's YOU make the choices without any mysterious formulas.

becca1380461 · May 2016

Why not both. Use WW as a guideline for starting out but still log the calories and exercise using MFP to get used to the math and how it works. Then once you've lost, your have the skills you need to maintain and keep the weight off! WW is a temporary thing, unless you plan on buying packaged food for the rest of your life.

MFP is lot more about food education and encouraging smart diet choices long term.

MarziPanda95 · May 2016

For me, MFP is better because it teaches me real skills. Points... they don't really mean anything, to me. Once stopping weight watchers, you have to keep thinking of everything in terms of points in order to maintain your new weight. Working out points for the rest of your life is a lot more difficult than working out how many calories you're eating for the rest of your life - calories are on the packets.

kaitmeoww · May 2016

lexykassan wrote: »

TL;DR recap - stick with MFP

I had done WW in the past and lost some weight on it. That was in the Points or maybe PointsPlus days. It was a while ago. So I figured I would try going back to it this time. Unfortunately, the new plan really didn't work well for me. It theoretically emphasizes eating more lean protein and less saturated fat in the way that it calculates points. In practice, it penalizes eating anything with carbohydrates (including fiber) except for fruits and veggies. With fruits being "free," I wound up going through sugar spikes and crashes all da. I tried to compensate for simply not eating a balanced diet with having more fruit and maybe some veg. I was lightheaded, almost to the point of passing out, for 4 days of my week. I was petrified of using my daily points.

Meanwhile, I was curious to see how many calories I was taking in based on their points so I started to also track via MFP. The first day, I logged a total of 680 calories consumed. That's horrifically low. The only way for me to boost my caloric intake would be to pack in proteins. Some of those are OK but my trying to load up on meat and eggs and such would drive my naturally-high cholesterol through the roof.

The breaking point came when I looked at how many points were in foods I knew were better and worse for me. For instance, my morning cereal (just cereal, not including milk) was 7-8 points. A 90% lean hamburger with ketchup was also 7-8 points and wreaked havoc with my cholesterol. Then I figured I would look for something that is tremendously processed and would be a poor choice... 99% fat free hot dogs. They were 1 point each. 1 point. So they would have me loading up on nitrates and fillers rather than eating a whole grain. That was it. I was done.

I switched to MFP only and have now lost 14 pounds. I don't feel paranoid about eating. I log everything, even when I know I will be over my daily intake goal. I drink. I go to restaurants. I still lose weight. And I haven't been lightheaded since.

Thank you! This has been my exact experience on WW so far. Thanks for all the comments, I guess I'll be canceling my WW membership

akerra27 · May 2016

Down 62 pounds to date soley by using MFP.

Janiswanis · May 2016

Thank you all for this discussion. I have been pondering WW again but have food allergies and the meetings really do promote their foods. In the last year I have been emotionally spent with many challenges resulting with weight gain. I have never used the community aspect of any program but I am thinking this might be a good thing for me. Just reading your comments made me think that to try WW again would set me up for failure. To lose more $ than weight. I will begin now.

snowflake930 · May 2016

MFP is free and it is way easier than counting points.
Win/win.
Lost over 1/2 of my current body weight and have kept it off for 2-1/2 years.
Kind of a no brainer for me.

ms_cataclysm · May 2016

I have lost more weight with Weight Watchers than on MFP but it's all about having a good group leader and a group that you click with. Some leaders are good, others don't really get it. I would try your local slimming groups but if you don't click, don't be afraid to try something else or just use MFP.

Wickedfaery73 · May 2016

The first time I lost a lot of weight I decided that I was not going to do anything that sounded unhealthy, a gimmick, or was going to cost me money. I figured that there had to be something I could do to help me get this weight off. So I did some research and learned about portion control, calories, exercise and CICO and all that. I cannot remember the website I used back then to log food and count calories. It was similar to MFP without the forums. I used a Yahoo! weight loss forum for support. I learned a lot from the people there. People had told me before that I was just eating too much and I would always say " But I don't eat that much!" In reality, I just did not realize, like most people, how much I was really eating.

It seems to me that most weight loss programs/diets boil down to controlling how much you put in vs how much you put out. Don't they all seem to have the caveat "combined with a proper diet and /or exercise"? LOL

Regardless of what you choose to do to lose the weight, IMHO it's best to look at it as a lifestyle change and not a "diet" or something temporary. I kept my weight off until some really crappy stuff happened and I started eating my feelings again

LivingtheLeanDream · May 2016

MFP is free and IT WORKS! and I have been maintaining my goal weight for 3+ years

2wise4u · May 2016

MFP is free and the great people here are like having your own personal cheering section helping you along the way. Win, lose or draw, I've found some fantastic people on MFP and love the support. The ability to eat what I want and not be judged for it is also a plus. I have good and bad days but MFP is easy to use and something I can maintain without having to make time for meetings.

kaitmeoww · May 2016

Thanks everyone!!

Perks of MFP over weights watchers?

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