Help--Weight Watchers vs MFP

jadorade91
jadorade91 Posts: 119 Member
edited November 13 in Health and Weight Loss
For the past couple months I've been logging my food into Weight Watchers. Unfortunately I have issues staying consistent with it as the Smart Points system is pretty strict--if I want to have a drink or two in the evening, it costs around 7-8 points which is almost a third of my daily points! Meaning I'm starving if I want to stay within limit, and I end up feeling like I "failed" for the day.

Since I just started using MFP, I've noticed I'm able to eat more and feel a lot better...It feels much more manageable...However, today for example, even though MFP says I've eaten within my calorie limit and will lose about 6 pounds in 5 weeks if I stay consistent (yay), my Weight Watchers app shows I've gone way over on points. It's disconcerting.

Am I still going to lose weight as long as I am within my macros and calorie limit? I've gotten into such a rigid mindset with the "bad" and "good" mentality of Weight Watchers points, I feel unsure. Should I just stick with MFP if that's what I feel best with?

Replies

  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
    It sounds like that Smart Points system doesn't work well for you...so I would say go with MFP and call it a day.

    ~Lyssa
  • akilia112010
    akilia112010 Posts: 46 Member
    You should always go with what you feel best. I've always experienced that "failing" feeling leading to binge eating or whatever just to turn around and feel even more disappointed than before. Honestly MFP helps me a lot more in sense that I'm not restricted to using a point system. You should still lose weight regardless if you're still in your calorie limit though.
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,563 Member
    Wow, 7-8 points?? That's insane! I used to do points plus and a 5 oz glass of wine was 3 points (which was a higher points assignment than other food with the same calories). I think with the smart points system they're trying to combine CICO with balanced macros, but in my opinion I would rather be in charge of my own macros and be able to compare foods based on my own preferences. MFP works better for me.
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
    I did the same thing you did, double logged on both apps. What did it for me was seeing how few calories I was eating while meeting my points goal. It didn't help that the points number seemed so small that it was stressing me out by lunchtime.

    One word of advice: if you do make the switch, give your body a few weeks to adjust. I didn't lose for almost 3 weeks but once my body adjusted to more food the scale started moving again.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    The new WW program doesn't work at all for me. WAYYYYY too strict. Give MFP a chance - it really works when done as intended.
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,563 Member
    River_Goddess wrote: »
    I did WW for two years and had great success on it, but that was back in the early 2000s. Like a previous poster said - I could have a drink for 3 points or something like that. <b> It's sounds almost like they are penalizing you for making certain food & drink choices. </b> Not cool... just give me the facts (the actual cals and macros) and I will do the judging myself, thanks! :wink:
    I just re-joined MFP today but when I did it last time, found it way less stressful and way more manageable than the "new" WW programs.

    Exactly!
  • blhomgren
    blhomgren Posts: 1 Member
    That's why I've hoarded my points slider and books from the flex points days...so much better than the newer programs!
  • ammie805
    ammie805 Posts: 5 Member
    Lost 45 lbs back in 2011 using WW PP and exercising, then they tweaked program, said fruits were free (I was eating lbs of grapes at a time
  • hablondi
    hablondi Posts: 127 Member
    I tried the new program last year and found it to be horrible. Seriously, there is something wrong with the numbers. At the time, it was less points to eat Chick-Fil-A fries than to eat their Superfood Salad. I felt horrible all the time and was eating clean, unprocessed foods. Just not enough of them. I was sitting at my sewing machine one day and realized I couldn't even remember how to thread it. I am a seamstress and design school graduate!

    The next day I start to count points and calories in MFP. In order to stay in my points range, my calories were 980 for the day!!! I immediately canceled my membership.

    And an aside, my mom hit lifetime with WW a few years ago. She goes back to meetings every once and a while. The leaders were actually telling people to use their old calculating tools if they had them. One leader who had been with them for over 15 years actually quit because of the new system.
  • Kelsey87Mae
    Kelsey87Mae Posts: 8 Member
    I felt the same when I tried weight watchers. I feel myfitnesspal gives you more room to make choices. It would seem that generally, if you make better choices food wise, it shouldn't cause problems with weight loss.

    On the flip side, if you just eat all junk based foods for your calories, it may not help.
  • siraphine
    siraphine Posts: 185 Member
    Weight Watchers was very cut and dry. No options or flexibility. I believe I read somewhere that "Diets are what 50s housewives did to lose 5 pounds after the holidays." We ain't 50s housewives and most of us have a lot more than 5 pounds, and it's long term weight. Diets are for weight you've had short term. Lifestyle changes are for weight you've had for longer. MFP is sustainable and gives you much more flexibility.
  • cambridgestylist
    cambridgestylist Posts: 37 Member
    I did WW in the past with success, just when I was thinking about going back I found MFP and I have to say I like it a lot better. I feel like WW is too focused on low-fat. With MFP I have been eating a little over the recommended daily allowance for fat and I am losing weight steadily without feeling like I'm starving all the time.

    I agree that zero points for fruit is ridiculous. With MFP I find myself rarely eating fruit because I'm watching my sugar for medical reasons. I take a medication that can cause diabetes, I'm not low-carbing but just watching sugar overall. When you are calorie counting you really see how fast the sugar calories in fruit can add up!
  • CasperNaegle
    CasperNaegle Posts: 936 Member
    Yes stay in calories and you will lose weight, that's all the point system is trying to do.
  • successgal1
    successgal1 Posts: 996 Member
    The MFP projection is COMPLETELY WRONG. Ignore it. I'm way past 5 week projections that would have me at 155 at least by now and I'm still at 165. Scale hasn't budged.
  • cebreisch
    cebreisch Posts: 1,340 Member
    WW changed the way they calculate their points. They used to take more into account from the nutrition label....now they only look at saturated fat, protein, sugar and calories. Because of that, it severely skews what used to be considered a reasonable amount of points into an unbelievably large amount of points.

    This last week - if I went by WW - I should have gained a LOAD because I went through the "extra points" in two days. I then quit logging the WW points, and kept logging with MFP - I ended up losing 1/2 pound. I know why though. My intake was too close to my calories burned. I widen that gap and I'll lose more this week.

    I would only use WW for weighing in accountability and any assistance you might get from attending the meetings. MFP lets you see where you're getting your nutrition from and you can better see where you need to tweak your intake. If you're just logging points, It isn't as clear.
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,563 Member
    CasperNaegle wrote: »
    Yes stay in calories and you will lose weight, that's all the point system is trying to do.

    Actually, this rendition of the program is trying to do a lot more. WW points have always been based on a proprietary formula involving fat/carb/protein ratios, with added weight to alcohol. Part of their process for managing weight loss involves nudging the user toward more nutrient-dense food choices by making the high-fat/high-sugar foods pointier than other choices. This version of the program is taking it to a whole new level by adding a substantial points penalty for making the "wrong" choices, so that say (using alcohol for an example because it's fairly extreme), a glass of wine after dinner could use up almost twice the number of points for the same number of calories as a program-approved food.

    In my opinion the two biggest flaws in the system are
    1. Unless you're logging calories as well as points (and not having to log calories is one of the big draws for the program), you don't really have a good idea about how many calories you're eating. Free fruit and veg can really add up, even going with the "moderate amounts" guidelines, depending on the type of fruit/veg you eat, and you can be consistently over on calories but within points. Conversely, if you are choosing more high-fat/high-sugar foods you can be consistently under on calories. Which leads to
    2. The program doesn't separate eating for weight-loss from eating for health. Fail at one, fail at both. For me this created a lot of anxiety around food choices, because the program was pushing me toward changing both the amount of food and the type at the same time, so that even when I was losing weight I was stressing about my bad food choices. And every time ww rolls out a new points system, those who were already losing or maintaining on the previous system have to adjust their diet to some extent to comply with the new rules.

    Anyway, while I did lose weight on the program I didn't find it sustainable at all in that I was always going to be dependent on the program to tell me how many points are in whatever I put into my mouth, and their interpretation of "good" food vs "bad". I failed in counting calories in the past because of having to track everything on paper and depending on those little calorie books which never listed enough of the foods I eat, but I'm finding that having a database of foods available along with being able to use calorie counts on packaged foods, along with the ease of tracking is far more sustainable since it puts me in control. YMMV. :)
  • songbird13291
    songbird13291 Posts: 120 Member
    I lost weight on Weight Watchers' Points Plus program. When I double tracked, points and calories, I could see a correlation between the two. I was eating healthy, a well balanced diet. Then Smart Points showed up. I lasted 3 weeks on Smart Points. No correlation between points and calories, if you don't pick the "right" foods, you'll go way over your points and still not meet calorie goals. It's a recipe for misery for a lot of us. Right now i'm doing Points Plus on my own, and double tracking points and calories. And I feel good.
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,563 Member
    songbird13291 wrote: »
    I lost weight on Weight Watchers' Points Plus program. When I double tracked, points and calories, I could see a correlation between the two. I was eating healthy, a well balanced diet. Then Smart Points showed up. I lasted 3 weeks on Smart Points. No correlation between points and calories, if you don't pick the "right" foods, you'll go way over your points and still not meet calorie goals. It's a recipe for misery for a lot of us. Right now i'm doing Points Plus on my own, and double tracking points and calories. And I feel good.

    Exactly! The program takes the decision for what you eat out of your hands!
  • dejavuohlala
    dejavuohlala Posts: 1,761 Member
    MFP is much better
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