Weight Watchers and MFP - caloric value of fruit

Weight watchers actually used to count fruit but stopped recently. Fruit is often very high in sugar and has a caloric content. MFP is simply a calorie counting site so it factors that in. WW, by contrast is a points system and they have elected to have fruit as zero points as they have done with vegetables for years to encourage their members to eat them.

MFP just lists calories as they actually are. WW used to give fruit points, but what they found was that people were less likely to choose a banana (2+ points) over a chocolate treat etc. Its essentially a ploy to encourage people to eat more fruit. The same with the 0 point veggies. They do say to watch how much of those foods you eat because of course they have calories...and if you eat a day's worth of 0 point fruit plus your regular points for the day, then you will gain.

I personally have been doing WW since the beginning of January and moved the scale 10 lbs. I didn't go overboard on fruit, but kept to their points plus. I have done WW in the past and moved the scale better on the old plan than this. I was hungry A LOT on WW, and frustrated because the scale didn't move. I started tracking my calories and using MFP and since May 31st, I have lost 13 lbs! I have lost more in 4 wks of weigh ins than I did in the 5 - 6 months (20 - 24 weeks) of weigh ins on WW. I agree w/ @SimplyDeLish - weight loss is going to happen when you spend more calories than you take in. So that is why you don't want to eat what you earn when you exercise - that will just help you maintain. I would go with whatever works for you. I find I get great support on here and people are more personable than they were in the WW mtgs. I could never find a mtg that I walked away more inspired from than I do in 5 minutes reading on here and celebrating in others successes.

Out of curiosity, I did go back and calculate my points for the day compared to what WW wanted me to do, and I was eating 10 - 15 points less a day than I was told to. I do have my calories set at 1500 even though MFP recommended 1730 - so I figure if I go over 1500, but no more than 1730 then I'll be doing alright still. There are some days that I just need a little more food - it just boils down to making healthier choices and eating smaller portions. Food last longer too when you weigh & measure!

Good luck - I'll be curious to hear what you decide! - Cyndi

Yeah, it is a psychological game. Fruit is zero points, so someone on the plan will eat it and have the feeling of having gotten "something for nothing." Fruit, though, can be filling...and then more often than not the individual on plan will not eat something else which may have been eaten had the fruit not been consumed. Add in the benefits of the fruit containing more vitamins and possibly fiber than a packaged snack, and you have a win-win. I suppose someone could delude him/herself into eating a truckload of fruit each day and expecting to lose...but watching my wife on the program over the past month I'd say that it is working as intended.

But to echo other's sentiments, it's fruits and nuts - two totally different plans. I count my fruit since I'm on MFP. She likes to tease me about her "free fruit," but so far she doesn't seem to be abusing it.

@sfoust66 You are the first to confirm that others are finding it difficult to lose weight on WW. I lost easily on the old system, and this one I don't. We have more points to eat than the other and I am supposedly supposed to lose 1 - 2 lbs a week if I eat the points. I have had greater success on MFP than WW this year. (-10lbs in 6 mos on WW vs -13lbs in 4 weeks on MFP!) Everything I have read online people talk about how much more satisfied they are, how much weight they are losing, blah blah - I thought I was the odd man out! MFP is free - the people on here are great and encouraging and I am happy with it compared to WW.

Apples and oranges. (No pun intended!)

Calories are calories and fruit has plenty of them mostly from sugar, even though some will argue it's "natural sugar", ie. fructose. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contains 55 percent fructose and 42 percent glucose. Cane sugar is glucose. The liver tends to turn fructose into fats, while the muscles burn glucose for fuel. So fructose is bad and HFCS is better than that? My point is, that when it comes to sugars, the waters don't always run clear.

MFP simply treats all calories the same, although you can customize your goals in regards to where your calories come from, if you choose.

I haven't done my homework on the new WW but I have a hard time believing I can eat an unlimited amount of fruits and vegetables, along with the calories in the foods I can eat with the points I'm given, and still lose weight. It sounds like people can easily fool themselves into thinking they are "dieting" and they might not be losing weight. In fact, I've seen quite a few people on these boards state that while they were losing weight on the original WW, they either couldn't lose, or gained, using the new WW.

I'm not being mean to Weight Watchers but my Mothers best friend used the old one and lost 40lb but GAINED 10lb using the new one.

The new one doesn't work - and I've heard that from numerous sources, even group leaders saying they prefer the old one.


But yeah. If I had a day and fruit puts me over my calorie limit - I don't sweat it. I honestly don't think eating fruit makes you gain weight - it's good calories (like veggies) and i think the more good calories, the better.

It was my understanding that there were no "points" as long as you have one serving (ie - one banana), but if you had more than 1 serving you had to count the "points".

I was on WW many years ago after the birth of my daughter, I lost 60 lbs using WW. It was helpful but I do prefer MFP. Just my own personal preference...

I argued this with my mother the other night about how not ALL the fruit can be free ( I eat a lot of fruit...so it takes up about 200 calories a day. I know I shouldn't because of the sugar, but...I'm working on that.) She swore that ALL FRUIT was free.

It just makes no sense to me.

I agree with you, all fruit cannot be free! I did see another poster that said that their program leader told them not to exceed 5 pieces of fruit in a day.

One of the girls I work with joined (and subsequently quit) WW earlier in the year (yes, I did tell her about MFP), now she's looking at going to Lindora. :ohwell: