calorie counting or Weight watchers.

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  • Sally4Change
    Sally4Change Posts: 21 Member
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    I am currently on WW and trying to decide on what program is right for me. I am having a hard time staying on track with WW and find myself not tracking once I've fallen off plan. I see positives in both programs and know it is I who is failing at WW.
  • terryt1992
    terryt1992 Posts: 94 Member
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    Check out itrackbites on your phone app store. Its basically weight watchers and the point values are the same or similar also you get to pick which point system you want to use so the new smart points thing if it does not work for you (which alot of people say it does not) then you can use the old one. You will spend like 12.00 but its a one time charge.
  • Running_and_Coffee
    Running_and_Coffee Posts: 811 Member
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    I do both. I prefer the way WW guides me to eat foods that keep me more satisfied and energized. However, I also track calories because I can stay within my 27-30 daily points and eat anywhere from 1100-1600 calories, and can't lose weight if I eat an average of 1600 calories a day, even with exercise. I don't mind paying for it because this is the system that works for ME, and doing the online for $15 a month is still cheaper than buying bigger pants.
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
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    I think you have lots of replies but thought I would join in, lol. I too was a big believer in WW in the past but hated their new points system. I have lost 76 pounds on MFP and it hasn't cost me a cent. It's up to you. If you like the comraderie of WW there is something to be said for that but if you are more introverted like me don't waste your money.
  • PrincessMel72
    PrincessMel72 Posts: 1,094 Member
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    WW and MFP are essentially calorie counting, just in different ways. WW seems too restrictive to me - labeling some foods as "bad". MFP teaches you how to consume things you love and as long as you count them and stay within your calorie goals you'll lose weight. To me, that is more sustainable in the long run. You don't have to give any particular food up or think of it as bad - you just eat within your goals!
  • Deena_Bean
    Deena_Bean Posts: 906 Member
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    I've done both. The initial whoosh of weight I lost (about 50 pounds) was on Weight Watchers. I lost about 20 more (at one point 30) by various methods. That 20-30 has gone back and forth since then. The initial 50 stayed off, though. I'm back at needing to lose the 20-30 again and just recently conducted my own research comparing the two. It seems to me that they are really quite similar in their basis. If you follow either, they will work. I'm really not up to learning the new points system, so my decision was to stick with Free MFP. I have been tracking here for years now, so I'm super familiar with it and I know my failures are do to my own effort - not the program. My two cents...
  • mfpanyko
    mfpanyko Posts: 21 Member
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    I love Weight Watchers and have maintained a 65 pound loss for 4 years. I'm not crazy about SmartPoints but I do like that it guides me toward healthier choices. And I still attend weekly meetings. I figure that I still have a weight problem, but am in remission. Meetings really help. And as a Lifetimer at (or below) goal, everything is free. I have enough vouchers for the online program for 2 years..
    That being said, it has to be something you want to do. Overeating calories or points, it's all the same mindset. You need to track the failures along with the successes, and while fruit is 0 SP, you will hear leaders repeat time and time again that it is not free - there is a limit. Eating bananas all day is not the goal.... Balanced eating with occasional indulgences is more the focus.

    And a real game changer for me was Judith Beck's The Beck Diet Solution. I highly recommend this book and doing the exercises in it.
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
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    I thought weight watchers was just calorie counting with points instead of calorie counting with calories?

    I've never done WW. The cost has always seemed prohibitive.
  • seantnash
    seantnash Posts: 77 Member
    edited May 2017
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    It was until they launched SmartPoints last year @enterdanger - now foods with sugar in are heavily penalised. And they don't differentiate between added and free sugars - hence a pint of Skimmed milk being more SmartPoints than a pint of lager. And that's despite foods rich in protein being "rewarded"!
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
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    Thanks for explaining @seantnash. hehe. I'd drink more beer on there then. But, that does seem counter intuitive.
  • mfpanyko
    mfpanyko Posts: 21 Member
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    I think that is because of the food labeling limitations. I am betting that in 2018 when added sugar is a label requirement, this penalty will drop. And many foods went down in points. I found that if I ate the same way I had been eating on Points Plus, it fit right into my Smart Points allowance.
    I am not crazy about the sugar penalty, but all current research is pointing to the detriment of added sugar
  • mfpanyko
    mfpanyko Posts: 21 Member
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    I hate to disappoint you both, but a pint of lager is 7 and a pint of fat free milk is 6... 12oz of lager (default serving size) is 5.
    Not to say it isn't worth it.,
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
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    Also on WW I believe fruit and vegetables are unlimited and zero points. This can create a problem if you eat alot of them.
  • seantnash
    seantnash Posts: 77 Member
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    mfpanyko wrote: »
    I hate to disappoint you both, but a pint of lager is 7 and a pint of fat free milk is 6... 12oz of lager (default serving size) is 5.
    Not to say it isn't worth it.,

    Think it depends what brand of lager you look up. Or maybe they've slightly modified it since it was first launched. But I know it definitely used to be less for lager. But even so, just 1 SmartPoint difference between the two is pretty crazy.

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
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    I did WW back in the 90s and think it provided a valuable service before free programs like MFP were available. I'd still recommend WW for people who would benefit from the camaraderie and accountability of weekly meetings, but wouldn't get sabotaged by the trap of unlimited bananas.

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