Not counting smart points (Weight Watchers) anymore

honeybee739
honeybee739 Posts: 66 Member
edited February 2017 in Getting Started
I have been paying about $20 per month to do Weight Watchers online.

I've lost count how many times I've joined this program.

Every time I join, I quit and tell myself I will never join again.

Points frustrate me. The program changes every few years and that frustrates me. Now the new "smart points" is pretty much a low/moderate carb "clean" eating diet, which I do agree is a healthy way to eat, but sometimes it's not easy to do on a daily basis, and I find it restrictive.

Back on "point." So, this past week I said, Screw it. I am going to track on MFP and exercise every day. And it was Leslie Sansone walking DVDs mind you, so nothing crazy.

I lost 2 pounds.

Lesson- I can do MFP for free. Calories never change. I lost 2 pounds because I ate at a deficit and exercised. I don't need to pay for a program to lose weight. And the biggest bonus was, I ate food I LIKED. I didn't feel like I was ON a diet. Just eating a bit less of the foods I enjoy and eating more fruits and veggies vs chips...but I still had chips one day!

Any other similar revelations out there?
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Replies

  • honeybee739
    honeybee739 Posts: 66 Member
    Yeah, I would rather count calories or just cut carbs and not count anything than count points. So depressing. haha
  • melissa570
    melissa570 Posts: 3 Member
    I agree and have felt the same. Struggling so much with smart points. Lost the weight on points plus, gained about 10 back and rejoined. 6 weeks have gone by and I have gained/lost the same 3 pounds while working the program. It does feel more restrictive and found myself then just not tracking. I have come over to MFP. Set my goal to moderately lose 1/2 a week, tracking everything and synced my garmin. And bam, lost 1/2 pound this week AND I feel satisfied and I am not hungry. I feel like I can work in treats and stay on program. Plan to stay here for the long term. Plus got tired of paying the $20 a month!
  • rayeofsun2017
    rayeofsun2017 Posts: 18 Member
    I did weight watchers a ways back when it was points plus - i lost 30 pounds on it. Smart points - for whatever reason, i cannot lose weight with. I loved the sense of community i found at weight watchers but I have found that here where it is free and thousands of people and not the same 20 people each meeting
  • AngelinaB_
    AngelinaB_ Posts: 563 Member
    edited February 2017
    One thing I have learned, is THERE IS NO FINISH LINE.

    Wise words. I have never been able to lose weight large amounts of weight on WW. Only one time I signed up with husband, he lost 40, I did 20. To me, it's a money grabbing scheme. But it works to some people, so whatever works for you, you should do.

    I prefer MFP, I did buy the premium, but it's $49 a year vs $20 monthly with WW ($240/ year). I cannot afford 20$ monthly right now so...

    Something I like here much better is the database. We found the WW one very limited, and to me, logging everything works. So only for that reason I like much better MFP. It works better for me.

    I do like WW have a sense of "program", in that regard, it is easier to jump on the bandwagon than figuring things out by your own.

    It ultimately boils down to what we eat tho. And deep down we all know what to do.

  • jonnymopar
    jonnymopar Posts: 12 Member
    edited March 2017
    Hi all,

    I just joined here a few days ago and I already really like what I see. I have experience with WW, but a friend recommended that I check out MFP.

    I lost 25lbs in 2013 with WW, then hit a rough patch (read: becoming a father - a happy one, but an overweight one), and things got out of hand.

    I resubscribed to WW a year ago and I'm down to my college weight, which I never thought possible. I'm over 40lbs lighter than I was on my wedding day less than 5 years ago. But, I can't help but think that $19/mo is steep for just the online tools. I don't go to the meetings. I've had excellent luck on my own. Plus, compared to a few years ago, the new interface is extremely lacking. A few years ago, you could track your water intake, fruits and vegetables, dairy, and a dietary supplement separately from your points, as well as leaving yourself daily notes. All of that is gone, and all you have left is your list of food, exercise, and pictures of Oprah everywhere. Great, thanks. Yeah sure, some Hollywood billionaire with her own personal you-name-it is going to inspire me to lose weight. Riiiight.

    The one reason that I continue to pay is to use their database. It was good in 2013, but it's truly great now. I was skeptical of MFP for this reason. How good could a free service's database actually be? After the last few days, I'm a believer! Plus, I was told that MFP was a calorie-counting system. While it does do that, it lists all of the other parameters as well which I love. I'm an engineer - give me numbers, give me reports, let me tweak things on the fly. MFP does all of that.

    I did have good results with WW on more than one stint, so I won't sit here and completely trash it. It works for tons of people out there and definitely worked for me. But it's starting to feel like a set of training wheels. Sure, when I first started, if I put a buck in a jar for every time I asked myself "but, how many points is that", I could probably take my family on vacation with it. I'd never done this before! But, it's not like that anymore, and it hasn't been for a while. All I need now is a simple way to keep myself accountable. It may be too early to call, but for my personal needs, MFP so far has made a compelling case for dumping WW.
  • SuzMar17
    SuzMar17 Posts: 30 Member
    Just left WW (for the million plus times); for me I'm always thinking about food or starving....points just annoys me lol I feel like I have more control with MFP plus i like to see all the nutrients, like my carb, protein etc. I know so many that get frustrated with the plan and feel like a failure and just a vicious cycle.....
  • size102b
    size102b Posts: 1,370 Member
    edited March 2017
    WW prior to late 1990s was calorie counting done in points I always lost on that 40lbs in 3 months 2lbs a week
    Then they got all carb sugar obsessed and I lose little stating a jacket potatoe is high points as the kind of carbs are bad isn't to me good it makes your life miserable
    I lose weight on mfp having what I like I choose healthy as possible so I'm not hungry. WW is a business that's why they change it every year after Christmas to get new members.
  • klr4589
    klr4589 Posts: 3 Member
    edited March 2017
    I love this thread because I just canceled my WW account last week for the 100th time. The reason I go back is 1) the Connect feature on the app and 2) weekly points. I do love that weeklies keep me in check so I don't go too crazy on weekends. On MFP if you exceed your calories, there's really no accountability as it starts all over the next day. BUT I always, always, always felt restricted on WW. I know I can eat certain guilty pleasure foods in moderation and still lose weight, but WW made me feel that anytime I did that, I ruined everything. Then I'd stop tracking for a while, defeating the whole purpose. It's totally a mindset change between the two apps. Already from being on MFP for a week, I feel MUCH less restricted, which ultimately will help me be more successful. I paid $50 for the annual premium membership. So worth it and better than spending $20/month for WW!
  • sadiepie8705
    sadiepie8705 Posts: 20 Member
    edited March 2017
    I'm on WW right now my daily points only come out to 1050-1400 calories. Add in weeklies and you could get up to 1650. I've been starving since I've been on it the last two weeks. I gained a pound my first week and lost 0.6 my second. I don't know, I'm thinking about coming back here. At least I won't be so hangry. Also one thing I've noticed is that my workouts started getting really hard for me to get through. One night I had a mini binge from being so hungry all day, I got up the next morning and had the best workout!