weight watchers/MFP

you shouldn't choose a plan based on which one you lose faster on. both work because they put you in a calorie deficit. from what I've heard, the latest WW plan "punishes" certain foods unnecessarily and restricts your calories a lot more. MFP is free and doesn't get you caught up in points.

There are benefits to each. If you go with WW, expect to be forced into eating mostly unprocessed, no added sugar foods high in fiber or lean protein, because anything else is so high in points that you'll struggke to squeeze it in to the plan (including bread... Oprah is nuts!)

On the other hand, restricting calories can be just as challenging. You have the option to eat whatever fits in your daily calorie allowance, but you may still find it hard to squeeze in treats and you may enjoy eating more fruits and veggies and minimally processed foods anyway.

The best thing about WW is the weekly weigh in, support, and accountability.

I just came off WW and back to MFP. I wasn't losing very much on WW (about 15 pounds in a year). The problems I had with WW:
1. Restrictions of certain foods. They say you can eat anything, but really they put higher points on things like carbs, which I desperately need to remain sane. So I'd use all my weeklies binge eating carbs. NOT healthy.
2. "Free" fruits and veggies. Which means I was loading up on food. Ever heard the phrase "no one got fat by eating fruit"? Yeah, but you can sure stay fat by eating fruit.
3. The arbitrary weigh-in days. I'm not kidding when I say that every Friday I was at least two pounds higher than on Saturdays. Since Fridays were my weigh-in days, you can see why that would be a problem. I think it was the stress of the weigh-in itself, but I like having the freedom to check myself whenever I wanted.
4. You CAN, but are discouraged from eating back your "fit points." So working out gave you no extra food, and since I was working out 5 to 7 days a week, I was starving all the time.

Bottom line: I calculated the calories once and my calories on WW was 1560 for a day in the ideal point range. On MFP I get 1800 being sedentary, due to my size. I was drastically undereating on WW and wasn't losing much as a result. Some people lose just fine on there. My co-worker says it's the only things she loses on. It just wasn't a good option for me. There are free apps out there that will let you calculate points for WW if you want to do it on a trial basis and see if it works for you.

I will say the community on WW rocks. They have a Facebook-style community feed so you can support each other. That's the only thing I miss. These message boards are not as easy to use.

I liked their earlier programs. From what I've heard of the new one, even if I could afford to pay the fee, I wouldn't. (I'm unemployed, so I'm cutting back on unnecessary expenditures, particularly those of the "Pay X months up-front but only via direct debit or credit card and save a lot" variety. True, I could go week-by-week, but it's much more expensive.)

Single best piece of advice my Dr. gave me when he told me I needed to lose and I told him I couldn't afford WW right now? "You can lose weight without them." I mean, yeah, I knew it. But my last doctor's solution to my weight issues was to give me a 'prescription' for WW (they waive the registration fee with a doctor's note). In my mind, my weightloss options were "unhealthy crash diet," "super-restrictive, non-vegetarian-friendly diet (e.g. Atkins*)" or WW.

So, back before I went on WW for the first time, it was the 80s, I was in my teens, and I'd bought a calorie-counter guide. A thick little pocketbook. But we're in the internet age and I knew I'd come across some sort of online version before. (It was probably Sparkpeople, but I'd forgotten.) I tried googling 'online calorie counter' and found MFP on the first page of hits. 57 pounds later... I'm voting MFP (with the caveat that I have not personally tried the current WW program)



*No offense intended to anyone who is successfully and comfortably losing weight on Atkins or other low-carb diets. They aren't for me, but I'm not knocking them for anyone else!

They seem to keep fixing what isn't broken. There are free apps (iBites is one) that operate on the original tried and true WW formula before they started changing things every few years. I think anything is sustainable if you make it a habit and aren't starving yourself. I lost weight on WW and after setting the habit of always tracking It was just second nature. Yes, carby empty calorie foods are higher in points, so you can't eat them as often. Is that really that bad? I mean, all that did for me was train my brain to truly understand that while a dinner roll isn't inherently bad I could get by and feel satiated without it. Feeling satiated after a meal is all the same, regardless of how you get there. "needing" simple carbs or bread is not a physical requirement, but a mental one, and is a mindset that some people need rewired if they are to make the most sustainable progress. WW can do this for you without the user even realizing what's happening.
Just do what you want, and live and let live!