Hey Weight Watchers members....

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MAG2010
MAG2010 Posts: 30
in Health and Weight Loss
So I figured I'd give weight watchers a try for something different.

So if I remember correctly.....from doing weight watchers like 10 years ago, a point is roughly 60 calories correct?? Unless it's changed? Well my daily targe is 31!! Almost 1900 calories a day!!?!? And that doesn't include the almost 50 weekly points to use.

MFP has me at 1200 cal to lose....why such a discrepancy????

Replies

  • dipsl19
    dipsl19 Posts: 317 Member
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    i thought it was more like 50 calories... either way, weight watchers is just sketchy.. its based on made-up numbers that dont work for everyone.. i just prefer knowng exactly what im doing
  • amywatkin
    amywatkin Posts: 25
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    I've just cancelled my ww online subscription and decided to come back on here! I think on the new plan in the UK (not sure where you are from?) 1 point = approx 40 cals. Good luck and hope it works for you.
  • jules518
    jules518 Posts: 6
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    And on their new program you can eat all the fruit that you won't. I tried the new program, but it just didn't work for me. I'm one of those people that can gain alot of weight if you give me the freedom of all the fruit whenever I want.
  • montana_girl
    montana_girl Posts: 1,403 Member
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    That calculation doesn't apply anymore because of the new Points Plus program... now it calculates Carbs/Protein/Fat/Fiber. So a calories to points ratio doesn't work.

    I lost over 100 pounds on the old WW points program, but have really struggled with the new one, which is why I'm here. :smile: I still love WW but I do think the new program is a bit flawed because they don't take calories into consideration.

    On the old program I had to eat all my daily points, activity points, and weekly points, but just a week on this site has shown me that with this new program I should only be eating 26-28 of my daily points and only eating my activity points on days I do a high cardio burn (like run or long distance hike).

    Just something to keep in mind! :smile:
  • HeatherMN
    HeatherMN Posts: 3,821 Member
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    I have no idea what the points to calories conversion is, but the Points Plus program uses fat, fiber, carbs and protein to determine the value of a point.

    Personally, I don't use the MFP calorie recommendation because it's too low according to my doctor. I would recommend asking your doctor where you should be as far as calorie intake.

    If you're doing WW, I recommend getting the materials for the new Points Plus program that came out in November because of the additional of counting protein.

    Best of luck!
  • shannonsnail
    shannonsnail Posts: 99 Member
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    I am not doing WW anymore but with the Points + program it's a little different - if you go to the WW website I think the calculator may still be free (they had issues keeping it in stock) - or just google around and you'll find a rough formula
  • skibrina
    skibrina Posts: 36
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    i tried it twice. both times i lost 5 pounds and that was it. i the new program i also tried same 5 pounds. happy for those it works for, but didn't work for me.
  • rainunrefined
    rainunrefined Posts: 850 Member
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    1 point can be as low as 30 cals and as high as 70 cals... so your daily target would be more like 950 to 2,220. I wouldn't try to compare the two you'll find yourself getting very frustrated. I was on WW for years and had great success, it does work... but MFP works too. What I can say from my experience is that when using MFP I get a better overall picture of exactly what my calories are (macronutrients). On WW, a point is a point is a point. On MFP a calorie could be a carb, a fat, a protein -- anyway my point is, pick one and stick with it, otherwise you'll get frustrated.
  • smahaney1
    smahaney1 Posts: 27 Member
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    It's a lot different now. The points are calculated by factoring the carbs, protein, fiber and fat. Calories are not factored in. Almost all fruits and veggies are zero points. The least amount of points someone can have is 29 points a week plus 49 extra weekly points. I joined 03/27/11 and have lost 31 lbs. so far. (I don't use the extra points or any points I earned by exercising.) Hope this helps.
  • MAG2010
    MAG2010 Posts: 30
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    Thanks - so I put my weight watchers journal into MFP to see what the calorie total for today is - these are the foods that use up exactly the number of daily target points ww recommends each day and it's 1800 calories for the day. I just can't imagine I'd lose eating that much in a day regardless of what it's made up of. And that's just the food....that's not even assuming I ate any exercise points. I'm thinking MFP is better suited for me......
  • crazycranberry
    crazycranberry Posts: 117 Member
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    Hi,

    I did WW about 8yrs ago on the old points system. With great success - YAY!

    But I recently joined again to lose this pesky half a stone and am using the Pro Points system. I am allowed 29points per day and 49per week as I wish. It took me a while to get used to this new system, but from what I can see over the last month by looking at my tracked food, it is based around a higher protein and lower carb intake.

    Therefore I don't think you can use the 60kcal per WW point rule on the new points plan. I have to be honest and I am finding this new points system quite hard and it has become clear that I love the carbs! On the old points system I was eating whatever I liked within the points values for that day/week and to be honest I never felt really that hungry. However on this new Pro Points system I am struggling with the high point value for higher carb foods. I'm slightly concerned that once I stop losing weight and go back to a maintenance plan that I will put the weight back on as my diet it seems leans more towards the carbs. Eeek!

    We'll see - only time will tell.

    Have you actually started your new pro points yet? How are you finding it?
  • jpburcham
    jpburcham Posts: 98 Member
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    Like many of the replies, I'm not too pleased with the new "Points Plus" program. And I'm a lifetime WW member. I lost on every WW program until they went to the Points Plus one. I could do the math in my head, but this one is way more complicated for my simple math skills - I think that . . . . No . . . I'm positive that I'm "Calculator Dependent"
    Hope this works for you.
  • Kathy_Noring
    Kathy_Noring Posts: 143 Member
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    Just to clarify, on the new WW Points Plus system, calories are a factor, you just don't have to enter them into the calculation. You enter enough information when you enter the four elements of the calculation that the Points Plus calculator can determine the calories based on that information. There is no need to also enter the calories separately.
  • Cokamo
    Cokamo Posts: 51
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    Weight Watchers worked great for me in the past. I always roughly figured a point was 50 calories, but it can be less or more depending on the make up of the food in terms of fiber and fat. On weight watchers, your points are based on your weight but it's not variable by how many pounds you want to loose a week whereas, MFP can be set according to your goals for more or less weight loss...I'd bet that's where your difference is. You may have your MFP goal set to loose more weight per week than weight watchers is set for which would give you your lower calorie target. My understanding of the weight watchers philosophy was that too large of a reduction in calories too quickly could have the opposite effect and cause your body to go into starvation mode thereby holding onto fat/calories.
  • Riebop
    Riebop Posts: 275
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    That calculation doesn't apply anymore because of the new Points Plus program... now it calculates Carbs/Protein/Fat/Fiber. So a calories to points ratio doesn't work.

    Yup about the calories to point ratio. I have a WW friend that tracked here and on WW for a little while. She had eaten 1500 calories and still had 4 daily points left. Fruit being 0 points really messes people up because they think they can eat all the fruit they want and not worry about it. I pretty much stalled out on the new Points Plus program and cancelled my subscription in March.
  • MAG2010
    MAG2010 Posts: 30
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    The site seems pretty easy to use. I purchased the 3 months and got the signup waived but kinda having buyer's remorse having seen how the program is structured. It's not at ALL what it was 10 years ago when I did it for my wedding. I wish there was a way to try it for a week or 30 days. Oh well. I should have known better and stuck with what's worked but thought a change would get me excited and my head back into the game.
  • MAG2010
    MAG2010 Posts: 30
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    Surprisingly I called weight watchers and they gave me a full refund since I'm canceling right away. I'm sticking to MFP!! Thanks for all the feedback.
  • crazycranberry
    crazycranberry Posts: 117 Member
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    The site seems pretty easy to use. I purchased the 3 months and got the signup waived but kinda having buyer's remorse having seen how the program is structured. It's not at ALL what it was 10 years ago when I did it for my wedding. I wish there was a way to try it for a week or 30 days. Oh well. I should have known better and stuck with what's worked but thought a change would get me excited and my head back into the game.

    If its any consolation, I too signed up online for the 3months deal thinking I would be as successful as 8yrs ago. I have to be honest the weight loss to date is rubbish. My friend is now quitting and moving over to slimming world. I am not sure yet what I will do. Seems crazy not to keep going a bit longer as I have paid for the privaledge but on the other hand I am not seeing the results I wanted. I am not into fad diets and I considered WW to be more about eating healthy foods with the occasional treat (which is real life for most of us). Tried counting calories too for over 1month (which is how I discovered MFP) but I had no results with that and that is why I went back to WW.

    Not sure what to do now. Only have about 7lbs to lose and its doing my head in that I cannot lose it like before! Grrrr!
  • crazycranberry
    crazycranberry Posts: 117 Member
    Options
    The site seems pretty easy to use. I purchased the 3 months and got the signup waived but kinda having buyer's remorse having seen how the program is structured. It's not at ALL what it was 10 years ago when I did it for my wedding. I wish there was a way to try it for a week or 30 days. Oh well. I should have known better and stuck with what's worked but thought a change would get me excited and my head back into the game.

    If its any consolation, I too signed up online for the 3months deal thinking I would be as successful as 8yrs ago. I have to be honest the weight loss to date is rubbish. My friend is now quitting and moving over to slimming world. I am not sure yet what I will do. Seems crazy not to keep going a bit longer as I have paid for the privaledge but on the other hand I am not seeing the results I wanted. I am not into fad diets and I considered WW to be more about eating healthy foods with the occasional treat (which is real life for most of us). Tried counting calories too for over 1month (which is how I discovered MFP) but I had no results with that and that is why I went back to WW.

    Not sure what to do now. Only have about 7lbs to lose and its doing my head in that I cannot lose it like before! Grrrr!

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