Weight Watchers and MFP
Anabug81
Posts: 161 Member
Was thinking about doing Weight Watchers and MFP together? Anyone else doing and done this?
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Replies
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MFP is free! No need for Weight Watchers.
Just enter the correct information and follow the guidelines.
Log your food and use a food scale.
Good luck!12 -
Honestly, the new WW program is too restrictive in my opinion. I tried it twice and gave up both times because I couldn't stick with it and then felt guilty and overate. If you follow their program and then log the calories here, you'll probably be shocked to realize how few calories the weight watchers points translate to.10
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That is what I have been learning through my research. I guess I will stick with MFP.
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Yep, I did. I consistently lost weight every week within the parameters of the old WW (8 years ago) and calorie counting simultaneously. It was free for me because I was an interpreter, but I wouldn't pay for it.1
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I did Weight Watchers for 10 months 10 years ago, (September - June), I went from 185 lbs to 132 lbs in that amount of time. It really helped me realize what proper portions were, and also helped me take control of my snacking. Around March of that year I did both CC and WW (from March until June), but through a different calorie counting website. I was able to transition over to counting calories instead of points once I got everything under control, and eventually stopped WW (YA, cause I didn't want to pay for it any more LOL). I've been calorie counting ever since (yes this is a life time thing, not a "once I get there I'll go back to my old eating habits" thing). I came over to my fitness pal when I got an activity tracker that synced to it. I've maintained the 132 lbs (give or take 5 lbs up/down) for the past 10 years. So there you go, go ahead and do both...but counting calories is free
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The new Smart Points is too restrictive. I double logged when the program was introduced and was only eating about 1000 calories per day. No wonder I was hungry all the time!7
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For those looking into WW, not only is the new plan restrictive and sort of woo, but apparently the website and app are a disaster, and they've outsourced their billing and customer service. Just spend a few minutes looking at this: https://www.consumeraffairs.com/nutrition/weight_watchers.html Good luck getting a refund or simply being able to cancel your account.
MFP is free and gives you the tools to make a real lifestyle change. No way I'd ever go back to WW given how much they've fallen.8 -
azgolfgirl wrote: »The new Smart Points is too restrictive. I double logged when the program was introduced and was only eating about 1000 calories per day. No wonder I was hungry all the time!
Yup! My breakfast consumed all of my daily "points"....was all nutrient dense food and is less than 600 calories. Sorry, I lift heavy and am NOT willing to starve myself or alter my diet to consume their nasty marketed junk instead of my wholesome, delicious food just to see the scale move.8 -
My calories following the new WW points system are very inconsistent. They range from 1000 to close to 2100 depending on food choices. Since fruits and veggies are 0 points, those calories can up your calorie count. Too high for me to lose, or I gain some weeks, or so low I'm hungry. So far I'm maintaining my weight on it +/- 2lbs. I want to lose more, so I'm back to counting calories.3
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I'm sad WW changed so drastically. I was super successful on points plus 3-4 years ago losing 45 pounds. I was wanting to rejoin because of how successful I was but was really scared off by smart points.3
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I left WW when they changed their program. Way too restrictive! All the "free" fruits and vegetables were hard on my calorie count also. I was always starving!0
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I feel like there's some unnecessary steps converting foods to points when you can just put your cals in MFP. IMO.4
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MissusMoon wrote: »For those looking into WW, not only is the new plan restrictive and sort of woo, but apparently the website and app are a disaster, and they've outsourced their billing and customer service. Just spend a few minutes looking at this: https://www.consumeraffairs.com/nutrition/weight_watchers.html Good luck getting a refund or simply being able to cancel your account.
MFP is free and gives you the tools to make a real lifestyle change. No way I'd ever go back to WW given how much they've fallen.
The app is complete crap and gets worse and worse with every update they do.
The only thing I like about it is the toggle feature when logging foods. It makes it extremely easy to log something by grams or ounces.
The social media portion of the app (Connect) is filled with nothing but drivel and misinformation.
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I just switched to MFP from WW. I did WW points plus a couple of years ago and loved it. But like others have said, the new system is way too restrictive. On the days I was staying within my points, I was only eating 600-800 calories, and was starving all the time! The app was also terrible and I was unable to track at all for about a week. I've been doing MFP for about a week now and I am so much happier and feel so much better. I do not recommend adding the new WW program.4
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I like free.2
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I've never tried WW, but wasn't the basic idea to simplify calorie counting and make it easier to do by making it "points" instead? So if you're willing to calorie count, I really don't see why the more simplified, less accurate, and pricier way of doing it would be necessary at all. That's also extra work more restrictions for you.2
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I've never tried WW, but wasn't the basic idea to simplify calorie counting and make it easier to do by making it "points" instead? So if you're willing to calorie count, I really don't see why the more simplified, less accurate, and pricier way of doing it would be necessary at all. That's also extra work more restrictions for you.
I think points are just a marketing ploy to make it seem like WW has an edge over calorie counting. I'm not sure that WW is simpler?2 -
I've never tried WW, but wasn't the basic idea to simplify calorie counting and make it easier to do by making it "points" instead? So if you're willing to calorie count, I really don't see why the more simplified, less accurate, and pricier way of doing it would be necessary at all. That's also extra work more restrictions for you.
That was supposedly the idea, but you could only "simplify" by using their Points Finder tools. The forumla for converting nutritional info to points is somewhat complicated. And of course every few years they have to switch up their points program and use a different algorithm to keep people guessing and depending on going to meetings. Weight Watchers is currently, first and foremost, about making money off the consumer. Nothing wrong with that, but that's what it is.
Counting calories is SO much easier - and it's FREE! It's FREE! It's FREE! You don't even need MFP to do it though it makes it so much easier. A simple journal and old fashioned pen, and perhaps a calculator if you suck at math, is all you need to do it.5 -
Another former Weight Watchers member here.
Weight Watchers uses the point system to encourage healthier food choices. That's why two foods with the same calorie counts may have different point values -- the food with the better nutritional value will have fewer points.
Personal experience. I loved Points Plus, it was easy to follow, I felt satisfied with the foods I was eating, I lost weight. When they transitioned to Smart Points, I was miserable. So were a lot of other people.
I did a little experiment.
There are apps -- Ultimate Food Value Diary and Protracker, for example -- that use the old Point Plus format. I downloaded UFVD.
I ate what I normally eat and tracked the foods on My Fitness Pal, UFVD and the Weight Watchers app. There's a real correlation between calories and Points Plus, but no relationship between calories and Smart Points. If I ate my MFP calories a day, I was well within my points budget on the old Points Plus plan, but because of the foods I chose, I was well above my points allotment on Smart Points.
I've lost a lot of weight since I dropped Weight Watchers and started to use MFP exclusively.11 -
I used the Flex Points system. And that one figured out the points based on 3 things: calories, fat, and fiber. I kept focusing on lower points food (food that was 3pts or less per serving) so I could "eat more" never realizing that the higher points foods like meats and higher fat foods would help with satiety not to mention just all around good health. To be fair the leader did emphasize eating a variety of foods including higher points options plus 2tsp of healthy oil a day, but many of us still focused on eating the lowest points foods with the lowest fat we could find. I was often hungry and miserable and didn't really "get" why.
Plus all those "high fiber" foods that have been on shelves in the past 15 years or so - that's mostly due to cellulose fiber being added to food. Uh, basically sawdust. Which is why I dislike most store-bought bread - tastes awful...lol1 -
You don't want to log twice, so choose one to log. Honestly, if you want to invest in WW, go ahead and use their tools. I never ate their chemical - laden food, but their ideas and tools are great. Meetings are fun and motivating. I stopped because I was starting to feel frustrated about all the WW food being pushed at us and advertised in meetings while the topic of conversation was about eating more whole fresh foods. I can motivate myself and use MFP.1
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I never did WW, but I recently heard a story about a lady on WW who was gaining weight because raw fruits/veggies were free and she was eating about ten servings a day to help control her hunger! So say an apple is 100 calories, it doesn't take a genius to figure out 100x10=1000 extra calories a day...I wonder why she gained weight?? I'll keep to CICO and weighing my food any day and it's free!4
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Fruit isn't free it's 0 sp you have to eat in moderation it you gain weight as anyone sensible knows you can't eat unlimited amounts of food without gaining weightjajomo0118 wrote: »I never did WW, but I recently heard a story about a lady on WW who was gaining weight because raw fruits/veggies were free and she was eating about ten servings a day to help control her hunger! So say an apple is 100 calories, it doesn't take a genius to figure out 100x10=1000 extra calories a day...I wonder why she gained weight?? I'll keep to CICO and weighing my food any day and it's free!
An apple is 60 calories
WW is better than calorie counting it's different now as its less carb more exercise based
Don't knock what you've not done you can't give a report on anything unless you've tried it
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You don't want to log twice, so choose one to log. Honestly, if you want to invest in WW, go ahead and use their tools. I never ate their chemical - laden food, but their ideas and tools are great. Meetings are fun and motivating. I stopped because I was starting to feel frustrated about all the WW food being pushed at us and advertised in meetings while the topic of conversation was about eating more whole fresh foods. I can motivate myself and use MFP.
You don't HAVE to eat and if they're products I don't
They're app is fantastic
I've lost more on WW than mfp admittedly I hadnt in pro points but smart points is much better
Chemical laden foods lol so you never eat processed foods drink alcohol or eat junk0 -
I disagree that WW is "better" than calorie counting - that's a very subjective opinion.
It keeps you dependent on their tools ($$$)
I like some of their pre-packaged foods (the ice cream treats are really yum) but most of their other stuff tastes like sawdust.
I really think the best WW program they had was the FlexPoints. Fruits were 1 or 2 points each (bananas were 2 points). Most vegetables were 0 or 1 point except I think peas and corn because of the larger amount of sugar in those veggies. Most of the 0 points veggies were less than 25 calories per serving...hard to "overeat" on them because a serving is pretty darn big. You could eat liberally of fruits and vegetables without going crazy. Assigning 0 points to fruits was foolish IMHO and just asking for people to overindulge!! Fruits are much sweeter than veggies and thus, higher in calories.
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Fruit isn't free it's 0 sp you have to eat in moderation it you gain weight as anyone sensible knows you can't eat unlimited amounts of food without gaining weightjajomo0118 wrote: »I never did WW, but I recently heard a story about a lady on WW who was gaining weight because raw fruits/veggies were free and she was eating about ten servings a day to help control her hunger! So say an apple is 100 calories, it doesn't take a genius to figure out 100x10=1000 extra calories a day...I wonder why she gained weight?? I'll keep to CICO and weighing my food any day and it's free!
An apple is 60 calories
WW is better than calorie counting it's different now as its less carb more exercise based
Don't knock what you've not done you can't give a report on anything unless you've tried it
An apple is not 60 calories...unless you eat a 60 calorie apple. Had a huge Granny Smith the other day that worked out to be 120 calories.
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Was thinking about doing Weight Watchers and MFP together? Anyone else doing and done this?
OP --five years ago I lost 55 lbs using WW. Was great...until I tried to maintain my weight. Couldn't afford the monthly expense of WW, so I just tried to keep eating my daily "points." I was unsuccessful at maintaining bc I learned how to see food as "points." I didn't learn about portions, macros, or calories. Now I'm here...trying to lose 50 lbs again. This time though, it is free and I'm learning lifelong tools for success. Just my experience...not saying WW doesn't work...just wasn't a long term solution for me.
Note: My daily WW "points" turned out to be 1200 calories per day. I was hungry often. Using MFP, my daily limit is 1460, and I eat 50% of my exercise calories back--consistently losing 1 lb per week--not hungry--feel great. Again, just my experience. You can lose weight FOR FREE--no WW membership required. Whatever your choice--wishing you great health and healthy losses!
ETA: Aside from not learning any useful skills through WW, I regained nearly all of the weight because I felt so deprived, for so long, on the 1200 calories a day, that I started eating and couldn't stop. I gained weight because I was at a calorie surplus, and I'm losing now because I'm at a calorie deficit.5 -
I actually started using WW in January 2013 right after college graduation as my first attempt at serious weight loss, and had pretty good success with it. I never went to meetings and just used the online tools/phone app.
In 4 months I dropped about 25 lbs and didn't feel deprived. Then in May I finally landed a "real" job in my degree, and got busy and stressed and had to move and fell off the wagon and gained it all back, which is my fault because I stopped logging my points.
Back late last year in about September, I saw the numbers on the scale and my eyes bulged a little bit, and I decided to get BACK on the wagon, because I had gained it all back and then some. I rejoined the online WW, had some success... then the new points system rolled out.
I hated it. The old system I could eat what I wanted and just portion control/make smart choices, and walk a lot to earn spare "points" to help the days with less-than-smart choices.
The new system discourages "eating' your activity points, and the points are no longer a 1:1 ratio for the points you eat, so you have to opt into a system that converts them to points that the website actively discourages you from activating (I got little "WW highly recommends you do NOT eat back these points, are you sure?" type messages).
Things high in fat skyrocked in points, even small treats I didn't eat frequently. Eating what I usually ate either led to me having to portion control to the point of being really hungry every day, or stuffing myself with "free" stuff fruit and veggies, which I know isn't "really" free and I was generally miserable and my weight loss slowed way down because of my increase in fruit/veggie consumption to try and not get so hungry that I'd feel the need to overeat something bad for me.
I mean, a little 80 calorie cheese stick I'd eat as a snack at work jumped from 2 weight watch points to 5. I love me some cheese so when EVERY bit of cheese I ate jumped up and doubled or more in points, it really put a damper on things for me.
I got fed up and cancelled in February and just kind of fumbled around for a few months until April, then I was recommended MFP by my doctor after I complained about WW not being a good option for me to track my food anymore.
Been on here since mid-April and have lost almost 20 lbs, and have been consistently at the 2 lb a week mark (after the initial, cut out sodas/whatever big drop the first week or two) and I feel like I did on old-WW, where I'm not deprived of food I like, or overly hungry all day, and have the OPTION to eat back my exercise calories if I choose to do so (even though I usually only eat back half or less of them, it's nice that I can feel like I'm "banking" them if I go a little over on going out to eat with family/friends/coworkers, etc.) but it's FREE instead of 19-ish dollars a month.
TL;DR- I liked old WW, hated new WW, and love MFP because it feels like "old WW" but it's free. AND I CAN EAT CHEESE WITHOUT BEING PENALIZED =P5 -
Fruit isn't free it's 0 sp you have to eat in moderation it you gain weight as anyone sensible knows you can't eat unlimited amounts of food without gaining weightjajomo0118 wrote: »I never did WW, but I recently heard a story about a lady on WW who was gaining weight because raw fruits/veggies were free and she was eating about ten servings a day to help control her hunger! So say an apple is 100 calories, it doesn't take a genius to figure out 100x10=1000 extra calories a day...I wonder why she gained weight?? I'll keep to CICO and weighing my food any day and it's free!
An apple is 60 calories
WW is better than calorie counting it's different now as its less carb more exercise based
Don't knock what you've not done you can't give a report on anything unless you've tried it
Uhhh... no it isn't.3
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