On WW New to MFP and may dump WW

Whoniverse_Lover
Whoniverse_Lover Posts: 34 Member
in Getting Started
Hello everyone. I've been on WW since June 2016. I've basically been hungry since June. I've lost 20 lbs. I have over 100 more lbs to go. It was the second time I tried WW. Last time I did the Points Plus system and I remember being even hungrier on that program. Since MFP is free and it looks like it's more flexible, allowing more calories for a .5 lb weight loss per week [I'm in no hurry], MFP just looks more doable to me. I signed up and made a MFP account this morning.

I could do WW in conjunction with MFP, but I'm not sure I see a point to it anymore. On the days I was the hungriest on WW I had only eaten 1700 calories on . MFP is going to allow me 2250 calories. That seems like the perfect buffer for me because a person can only eat so much salad leaves and zero point veggie soup to stay out of the crazy I'm gonna binge zone. It takes 3575 calories to maintain my current weight.

I just find it difficult to create a proper nutritional balance while staying within the WW points allotted to me. I've already had an easier time of it recording my breakfast coffee and creamer into the MFP database. The WW website is very lack luster in so many ways. I'm currently cut-off from the community because I don't have a smart phone. Their community app is that limited, it only works for a smart phone and only one kind of smart phone at that.

I look forward to meeting fellow MFP trackers and making friends.

Female/ Age 42/ Married/ Adult son/SW 295 lbs/CW 275 lbs/GW 150 lbs

Replies

  • littlebitbookish
    littlebitbookish Posts: 1 Member
    I'm doing both and I've lost weight on WW before but that was on the original system :). Fruit and veg are no zero here but still low calorie. I still don't like the push for low-no fat and sugar substitutes on WW. Let me know what you think :)
  • sparklyglitterbomb
    sparklyglitterbomb Posts: 458 Member
    You've got this.. I've enjoyed MFP so far and while it has its shortcomings, it's also a wonderful tool for helping you reach your goals. There are also a lot of great, supportive people in the community here that can encourage and answer questions.

    Best of success to you!

  • suzy0317
    suzy0317 Posts: 67 Member
    I've done both as well...I do enjoy WW meetings, but the expense is out of control. I use my WW guidelines (ie. fruits and veggies are free within reason) and log the rest on MFP. I also did a comparison of both-points vs. calories and they are almost exactly the same. I find the community on MFP more welcoming and supportive as well. Either way, tracking seems to be the way (at least for me) I love to see those extra exercise calories added in! Good Luck!
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Are you extremely active and/or very tall? Or is 3575 a simple typing error? I get 3000 calories, for someone your age, at moderate activity, and 5'9" tall.

    You can't eat more or less calories for the same weight loss rate, that is fixed - you can, under optimal circumstances, expect to lose up to 1% of your total body weight per week, on average. 125 kilos/274 pounds means that your weekly loss can be 1.2 kilos or 2.6 pounds at this stage, but it will drop steadily; likewise, your optimal calorie intake would be 1750-1800, also dropping as you lose weight.

    What you CAN do, if you are hungry eating an appropriate amount of calories, is to look at what you eat. You can't just "fill up" on soup and vegetables. Use the macro tracking to make sure you get in a good mix of nutritious food containing sufficient protein, carbs and fat. This will do a lot for the hunger, but does not mean that you won't feel hungry before meals - this is normal, and good. If you have cravings, either incorporate some of what you crave intot your diet, or stop buying them.
  • PBAUSA17
    PBAUSA17 Posts: 20 Member
    I don't blame you. WW was WAY too complicated for me. I am a very busy person and it took too much mental energy to think about daily points versus weekly points, free/not free. This system is simple and the phone app is brilliant.
  • Nikion901
    Nikion901 Posts: 2,467 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Are you extremely active and/or very tall? Or is 3575 a simple typing error? I get 3000 calories, for someone your age, at moderate activity, and 5'9" tall.

    You can't eat more or less calories for the same weight loss rate, that is fixed - you can, under optimal circumstances, expect to lose up to 1% of your total body weight per week, on average. 125 kilos/274 pounds means that your weekly loss can be 1.2 kilos or 2.6 pounds at this stage, but it will drop steadily; likewise, your optimal calorie intake would be 1750-1800, also dropping as you lose weight.

    What you CAN do, if you are hungry eating an appropriate amount of calories, is to look at what you eat. You can't just "fill up" on soup and vegetables. Use the macro tracking to make sure you get in a good mix of nutritious food containing sufficient protein, carbs and fat. This will do a lot for the hunger, but does not mean that you won't feel hungry before meals - this is normal, and good. If you have cravings, either incorporate some of what you crave intot your diet, or stop buying them.

    This ^
  • Julie010269
    Julie010269 Posts: 12 Member
    Welcome, you're going to love MFP :) xx
  • Whoniverse_Lover
    Whoniverse_Lover Posts: 34 Member
    edited September 2016
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Are you extremely active and/or very tall? Or is 3575 a simple typing error? I get 3000 calories, for someone your age, at moderate activity, and 5'9" tall.

    You can't eat more or less calories for the same weight loss rate, that is fixed - you can, under optimal circumstances, expect to lose up to 1% of your total body weight per week, on average. 125 kilos/274 pounds means that your weekly loss can be 1.2 kilos or 2.6 pounds at this stage, but it will drop steadily; likewise, your optimal calorie intake would be 1750-1800, also dropping as you lose weight.

    What you CAN do, if you are hungry eating an appropriate amount of calories, is to look at what you eat. You can't just "fill up" on soup and vegetables. Use the macro tracking to make sure you get in a good mix of nutritious food containing sufficient protein, carbs and fat. This will do a lot for the hunger, but does not mean that you won't feel hungry before meals - this is normal, and good. If you have cravings, either incorporate some of what you crave intot your diet, or stop buying them.

    Not a typing error. I'm obese and those are the calories it takes to maintain my obesity. So reducing to 2150 will help me lose .5 lbs a week if I do zero exercise, but of course I'll be exercising. I'm 5'10".
  • lesley964
    lesley964 Posts: 18 Member
    Hi there, I am a recent rejoinder to mfp and have done we in the past as well as a good few others!
    I found mfp by far the best, we was very complicated, but here I can eat and log maintain Macros and other nutrients I want to track.
    I also feel that as its not just a community of people trying to lose you get the best kinds of advice, this was where I learned that I was not eating enough protein, when I increased that, the weight fell off!!! I'm hoping for something similar this time round too!!!
    Last time I lost 63lbs but lost my way when I had issues with my internet connection and lost my 500 and some days!
    I believed I had moved to a change of lifestyle but something as silly as my day counter threw me and I could not get back and over the last year it all crept back.
    28days ago I just started to log again...don't know why I did but I've stuck with it for 4weeks so taking it easy and trying not to obsess!!!
  • NEOHgirl
    NEOHgirl Posts: 237 Member
    I did WW and MFP simultaneously for about a month before I decided to cancel WW. Part of it was the expense, and part of it was an insulin resistance diagnosis. That means I have to watch my carb & sugar gram intake every day. I couldn't do that with WW, and on the day I hit my WW pts dead on (eating OP foods too, whole grains, F/V, protein), but only tracked 930 calories, I said enough was enough. No wonder I was so hungry all of the time. On the plus side, what I'd learned over the years from WW was good. I started seeing a dietitian in December 2015, she is the one that started me on MFP so she could track my intake (since WW doesn't publish their pts formula), and she "graduated" me after 3 months because I was already eating a very healthy diet. She tweaked my macros just a little bit. I've been losing weight much more consistently with MFP, although some of that is my I/R medication, and I don't get hangry anymore. My anxiety towards meal planning & trying to fit into the new WW daily points targets disappeared, and I feel much more relaxed and free now.

    Whatever option you decide to go with, Good luck!
  • 2snakeswoman
    2snakeswoman Posts: 655 Member
    Go slow adding calories.
  • homeschoolmomlk
    homeschoolmomlk Posts: 2 Member
    edited September 2016
    I have done WW a few times in the past. I started over again (after not watching what I ate for over a year) and this time decided to try watching my calorie intake and started using MFP. I will never, ever go back. This has given me the keys to success...and it's free.

    I needed to lose 104 lbs. when I started, and I have lost 34 lbs. since late May. I have literally been walking my butt off! :D I try to walk 10,000 steps daily, but aim for more.

    I wish I could say I'm not in a hurry, but I am. My dad recently went on dialysis and that really woke me up! But calorie counting can work for anyone! YOU set the amount you want to lose in the amount of time you want to lose it in.

    Good luck! Friend me and we can encourage each other!
  • scooten
    scooten Posts: 7 Member
    I'm an old WW repeater. I have to say that is is an easy well thought out program and it does work. The problem is once you have done it a couple of times it gets hard to achieve the original results. A dietician told me this was because it was no longer "new" therefore it gets to be old news even though they change it around a bit. I just started this up again, only on day 3 i believe it comes from within this a great free place to be accountable good luck!
  • lovemytwosweetkids
    lovemytwosweetkids Posts: 9 Member
    Forgot to add...no more figuring out points for everything...straightforward calories! It's sooo much easier!
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    Whoniverse_Lover wrote: »
    Not a typing error. I'm obese and those are the calories it takes to maintain my obesity. So reducing to 2150 will help me lose .5 lbs a week if I do zero exercise, but of course I'll be exercising. I'm 5'10".

    If your maintenance calories are 3575 then you would need 3325 to lose 0.5lbs a week (250 calorie deficit), 3075 to lose 1lb a week (500 calorie deficit). At 2150cals you are aiming for nearly 3lbs a week.
  • arlshar
    arlshar Posts: 42 Member
    I had joined WW last week, was good for 3 days, now not on. Not going back, have what I need to figure out points, or will do calories, but with fruit and vegetables free.
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
    I did WW a few years ago (when it was points plus) and did well losing weight. However, I was very dependent on points, and if I couldn't find the food in the database (which I found fairly limited) I would get frustrated and anxious because the points system is proprietary and you can't just look up the value on your own. The big plus for me was it was the first program I was on where I didn't have to track my food manually. Like many people I gradually stopped tracking and gained most of the weight back. When I got serious this time I decided I wanted to go into it with the ability to control my calories without a filter determining the number of points I got based partly on the nutrition content. I think I would hate the new smart points system - I think it would blur the difference between how much you eat for weight control and what you eat for health.
  • AmyWhitty
    AmyWhitty Posts: 20 Member
    I'm on day 3 of weight watchers after doing amazingly well with MFP but falling of the wagon, not tracing and gaining 10lb
  • TGTiger
    TGTiger Posts: 265 Member
    After "working" the WW plan twice, I moved on. It does work to some extent but the extra points were always calling to me. Counting calories always seemed like a chore but with the MFP app's scanning too and the HUGE database of food it's way easier not. It's hard not to fall into the trap of eating over your calories after exercising and getting more in your "bank" but once you play with the foods you can eat and moderate portions I found it's a better overall experience than WW. Hope you feel the same way (especially since it doesn't have to cost you a dime...CHA CHING!!!)
  • wendypollok150
    wendypollok150 Posts: 20 Member
    I dumped WW-- I think they didn't want me to hit goal... then I wouldn't have to pay anymore.
  • mysteps2beauty
    mysteps2beauty Posts: 493 Member
    I did WW about 10 years ago, at age 45 lost 40lbs. Went to every meeting, not always online. My maintenance path became a path of eating whatever, and I gained the 40 lbs plus 50+ ....so looking to lose 100 lbs. I liked WW. I had never dieted before except to gain weight cause I was always this little skinny pole of a kid and young adult. I'm 5'10 and was wearing a size 0 then a 2, then a 4/5 until I got pregnant at 38. I took a birth control product, depro Provera and that was a mistake. Totally messed up my hormones. I breastfed for 2 years. I thought I could eat whatever I wanted cause I always had and breastfeed is supposed to take the pounds off too. My body didn't get that copy of the memo. Soooo....I did WW and as I needed the constant attention via weekly meetings to keep me honest, and congrats I got from the other participants. I did not go back cause the cost is outside my budget right now. So MFP it is. I do enjoy tweaking my food intake cause I'm low sodium and low sugar right now, for health reasons, or rather to prevent bad health reasons...lol. And I LOVE reading the success stories with pictures. So inspiring.

    The thing about WW it's a little harder to quit cause you are paying monthly fee and you have to go through all the red tape. It does make you think twice about quitting. So, you have to be a little more firm in what you want to do here. The first days are gonna sting a little cause your cravings are gonna be screaming around day 3 or 4, at least for me it did. Once past that, it's been easier and easier.

    So, welcome to MFP!
  • lauractemple85
    lauractemple85 Posts: 109 Member
    Hi! I'm currently doing a WW + MFP hybrid. I use MFP to log in calories & excersize, but I go to the weekly meetings to hold me accountable. It's working so far! I personally don't find the point system to be helpful. It seems like a "middle man" for calories...just cut out the middle man and count the calories :wink:
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    I think the advent of MFP has rung the death knell of WW. Calorie counting is so easy now using this tool that there is no point to paying for a process that needlessly complicates matters with a point system.

    Good for you and welcome aboard!
  • jozette1395
    jozette1395 Posts: 3 Member
    I'm a 46-year-old woman seeking help to lose weight my starting weight was 322 years ago and it now at 290 I've been off here for about maybe six months to year I'm getting back on track and trying to do me try to do better for myself for my life but need motivation don't have much help here at the home and looking for somebody just to talk to email him change information the hell were doing I never done weight watchers I know some of you have a but I do like this app I do like how it works and how I'm able to track everything it does help and I'm here to lose pounds I want to get down to wait at maybe 170 and I'll be happy

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