Weight Watchers transplant

melodyjmm · January 2016

I'm moving over from WW too! Points Plus worked for me last year and I lost 30lbs but I still have 30 to go and I don't think Smart Points is going to do it. That and I can't afford it anymore. I'm nervous about MFP, for some reason I fear it's not as accurate? But I think I get a little too hung up on the little details and afraid I've made a mistake or something but I think it's going to work, at least I know I"m going to give it a good try! I've been tracking both this week (my WW membership runs out in a few days) and I have noticed that my WW points run out a lot sooner than my 1500 calories do.

trina1049 · January 2016

Hi, I just wanted to add my thoughts to the discussion. I've posted this from another Weight Watcher transplant thread that I replied to as there have been several since the new WW plan roll out.

Lifetime WWs member here but I much prefer MFP. I made goal once on WW, hence the Lifetime membership, but it was a slippery slope back to gaining weight for me. Would lose and gain, lose and gain so I cycled through a couple of point plans.

For me, the problem was not counting most fruit and veggies. I was eating the wrong macros for me and couldn't sustain that long term. Once I found MFP and began counting calories in / calories out for everything and adjusted my macros to more protein and healthy fats, lowering carbs slightly I found success.

It's been almost 2 years and I've dropped 52 lbs. I've been in a healthy BMI weight range since February, 2015. MFP and a Fitbit Charge HR have kept me successful for almost 2 years now. I would not go back to Weight Watchers, but WW has worked in the past for many people.

I'd like to add that now that Oprah Winfrey has 10% ownership in the company, thus a vested financial interest, and well documented weight issues, I imagine her influence will be felt as far as the type of program WWs offers. Another aspect is her huge fan base which she will bring along with her to grow the WWs brand. I think this is just the first salvo in a re-invented WWs.

pitcherday · January 2016

I am glad you have been so successful as a transplant/former LT member, @trina1049 ! I am seeing good results as well, adjusting the macros is a great feature. Paying for one year of MFP is the same as one month of WW, so I love that aspect as well. I just got an Apple Watch and am very happy with the integration. I think the Oprahfication of Weight Watchers is this idea of being able to set your own goal weight, or goal (like fitting in some clothes), and you can make goal and get the charm and celebrate. However... you cannot make Lifetime unless you are in the BMI range, so it's just lip service, just like these new FitPoints. You can rack up tens of them for doing hardly anything, so it's just a feel-good tool since they don't want you to eat them. The weight record is now called "My Success Story," with little emoticons to circle before you weigh, indicating how you feel about the week before you see the number. I agree that your weight loss journey is more than just a number on the scale, but they're trying to push the idea that it's the thing that matters the least. Well, it's the first thing you do when you walk in the door... having "me" time is a great thing, but you have to deal with your environment and social factors as well.

trina1049 · January 2016

I agree with you @pitcherday. OW is all about that feeley good stuff, so they'll probably integrate more and more of that kind of process into the program. I tired of the meetings pretty quickly (not a group person) and also that the leaders pushed WWs products constantly. I prefer to weigh myself without others around. I initially lost a bit over 30 lbs the last time on WWs (I was a three-peater) but I guess I was just ready to go it alone after regaining for the 3rd time. There's also the expense as well.

Instead of following some company plan and paying for it, I decided it was time to take control, educate myself about nutrition, and MFP helped with that. I read all the stickies about calories in / calories out, TDEE, BMI, etc. What I didn't understand I researched further. It was my Ah,ha! moment. Everything fell into place. Haven't looked back since.

amysant · January 2016

I am also a former lifetime WW member. I gained 10 pounds, had quit going to meetings, and went back in October. I didn't love the new program rolled out in December, I don't like the pushing of artificial sweetners and "punishment" for eating healthy fats like coconut oil and organic ghee or grass-fed butter. I liked that exercise was on it's own (not a means to eat more food by adding points back in.) I was extremely disappointed in the roll out. My ap didn't work most of the time, so I was unable to log in during the day. I was not getting use of my $49/month at all. I quit with a still 2 weeks paid for, and came back to MFP.
The weekly weigh-in at WW was motivating, so I am holding myself more accountable at MFP. I would LOVE to increase my friends here for support so please add me add me!

pitcherday · January 2016

Last week was the first week I had a gain using MFP. (MFP showed a loss, not sure why, now I just have more ground to make up). I went over my calorie target every day, and didn't make wise choices in what I did eat, so I knew a gain was coming.

When I stepped on the scale, something different happened. Not that I didn't gain weight, but in how I felt mentally about the gain. I was just like "all right, moving on…" and considered how to retool my diet for the upcoming week. When I had a gain at the scale at WW, I felt like a failure. I felt defeated already about the upcoming week. I discovered that being accountable to someone else was not a positive for me anymore, it was a detriment.

I noticed people in my news feed had public diaries. I thought "whoa, I don't want people seeing what I eat," but then I read a few. It's not only the people who eat super healthy and don't go over their calorie goal with public diaries, it's people who go over and eat fast food and pastries sometimes as well. When I was at WW, the meetings helped me feel like I was in the same boat as a lot of people, sharing their challenges (and sharing mine out loud) and it fostered a sense of support and belonging. I wasn't feeling that way anymore. I wasn't getting much out of the meetings. They were actually making me feel bad and hopeless. I stayed because it was always beat in my head that the only livable and sustainable way to lose weight is with WW. US News & World Report's best diet for all those years. I read that, and yes, it beat out the other diets, but not by very much, and it outlined negatives that were present in the plan as well. People who go to meetings lose 10 times as much and keep it off longer was a mantra, etc.

There are a lot of people on MFP who are successful at losing and maintaining. I will be one of them. I am making my diary public (to friends), because I think THAT is the accountability I need. My online friends here are the kind of support I need now. I have moved past what WW was providing and I am glad they came up with a plan I didn't like, because it made me see I needed a new start… elsewhere.

Bchlvr64 · January 2016

@pitcherday " They were actually making me feel bad and hopeless. I stayed because it was always beat in my head that the only livable and sustainable way to lose weight is with WW. US News & World Report's best diet for all those years. I read that, and yes, it beat out the other diets, but not by very much, and it outlined negatives that were present in the plan as well. People who go to meetings lose 10 times as much and keep it off longer was a mantra, etc."

OH MY GOODNESS! This is me to a tee! I am so glad to see someone articulate what I've felt with WW for so long. I love MFP, I'm no longer a meeting person and I feel like I could run those meetings. I'm not a rah-rah type of person either. I lost 120 lbs however, I've put on 35 - 40 lbs in the last year. I want to stop before it's more. I re-joined WW and I'm hating it. I know I need to totally commit either here or there but it's so been beat in my brain that I can't succeed unless I'm doing WW. It's mental agony daily. I sent you a friend request. I'm loving all the reponses here if anyone else wants to be friends I'd love it.

triple3dawn · June 2016

Hi, I'm a few months late on this thread but i just changed over to MFP from WW and was glad to find others. I stuck with the smartpoints and it worked when I stuck to it, i just didnt stick to it.

I gained 30lbs when I injured my foot, which still isnt right... Lost the first 6lbs on my own with MFP and got stuck so I joined WW for about a year. I lost 10lbs on WW. Not much for a whole year, but I kept it off and I learned some valuable lessons about not fearing the number on the scale and not quitting just because I blew it at a party one night.

I mostly got bored and frustrated with WW, which wasnt working great for me and cost way too much money. The program change took away a lot of my favorite foods and pushed Oprah on me. I've done a way better job than she ever has of losing weight and keeping it off and I dont have a personal trainer or a personal chef like she does. I found her "inspiration" insulting.

Also the meeting topics changed to feely stuff about me time and less practical ideas about how to not binge eat and how to set yourself up for success in the food department. When I joined they were doing a series of topics for a few weeks with in-depth information about vegetables and which ones do what for your body. When I quit they were telling me to take a few moments out of my day to breathe deeply.

I'm not mad at WW. I think i would have done better on the program if Id been able to exercise. so that's 10lbs lost without much exercise at all and fairly regular screw ups. And I did learn a lot about myself and now not to sabotage myself. I got better at it, even though I fell off the wagon and couldnt get back on towards the end there.

Thats when I realized i was just plain bored w/WW which was costing me a fortune. I wasnt getting back to it because I didnt want to do it anymore. So it was time to try something else. So here I am at MFP again. It feels fresh and I'm back to eating some of the things WW took away from me which makes me happy.

Thanks for reading all that if you made it that far.

I liked my WW people, so I hope some of you will add me as a new MFP friend.

tryett · June 2016

Also did ww several times. Did not hear good things about the new program and I always quit if I missed meetings. Can't give up butter and am not fond of artificial sweeteners (except in my Diet Coke which I am scaling back on big time). Since I have pcos low carb works best for me. Feel free to add me, I have a lot to lose and can always use more support.

jackie_van_d · June 2016

I'm a current member but go for the meetings and w/in. I do t follow the program.
I find mfp easier to track with and this site is FREE!!

Please feel free to add me to your friends list

Nachise · June 2016

I made Lifetime on WW over 20 years ago, and I gained everything plus more back. The plans kept changing, the costs kept creeping up, and the meetings were so crowded. I also had an illness that kept me from exercising without injury. I hit bottom about four years ago, and found a WW type program through Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. It included consultations with registered dieticians and an exercise physiologist. We use MFP to track. I have since lost nearly 60 pounds and have about 30 to go. I had surgery to correct my illness, and now feel better than I have in decades. I am not just merely fit; I am an athlete.

bonnie824 · June 2016

I have mixed feelings. I join WW for awhile every time they change plans and it always does work initially- I lose weight. But I can't seem to stick with it. Especially now. I am not a big meat eater. Or fruit. I found by eating what I actually liked I had to go too low calorie to sustain. And if I ate what is low point I felt deprived. One sugar or saturated fat or carb, not even high calorie thing would put me over for the day.

Weight Watchers transplant

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