Why did it take me so long to figure it out (Weight Watchers)
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annacole94 wrote: »The mystery to me is the people that pay for WW, but do online only. I understand the value of the social components of the meetings, but not how a paid app is better than a free one (other than massive brand recognition and advertising, of course).
I considered doing it in person, but in the end, did the Diet Bet thing (which I know also mystifies many people here, as it wouldn't motivate them).
That was me the first time I joined the program. It was cheaper than going to the meetings and smartphones and tablets were still a very new concept. I had no idea Calorie counting apps were even a thing, they might have been, but it never occurred to me to check. I watched several family members yoyo diet throughout most of my childhood. I also watched a close friend struggle with anorexia, basically my early experience with weight loss was not healthy, and I was terrified of it. Another close friend towards the end of college joined WW and I was shocked to discover that weight loss without taking extreme measures was even possible, I had been taught that it required misery and starvation. I swore if I ever decided to lose weight I would go there first.
After I had my first baby I decided I didn't like the extra 30 lbs that came with the baby, the first place I went was WW. It was around $17 monthly to do online, and twice that to attend meetings. The closest meeting was also 45 minutes away. I'm not social, I just wanted to lose weight. My mother was preaching her latest diet fad (HCG I think), and I knew I didn't want anything to do with that mess. So I went to WW. I did eventually switch to attending meetings when one opened up closer to me, as a final attempt to make it work for me.
If I had known then what I know now I might have done it differently. I just knew restrictive diets scared me, and WW looked sustainable. I have no regrets. I don't regret joining, and I don't regret leaving.
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If it actually worked in the long term then they'd be out of business. They want and need people to come back again and again. It's a scam.4
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scarlett_k wrote: »If it actually worked in the long term then they'd be out of business. They want and need people to come back again and again. It's a scam.
Almost no weight loss, including MFP works in the long term for the majority of people. Almost everyone on every plan, including this one, will regain the weight. That doesn't mean it's a scam. It means keeping weight off long term is really, really difficult.29 -
scarlett_k wrote: »If it actually worked in the long term then they'd be out of business. They want and need people to come back again and again. It's a scam.
I disagree with this. It's no more a scam than any type of program that gives you the tools to manage your weight and support for maintenance. Most people will regain the weight they lost on any program because once they're into maintenance they stop using the tools and fall back into old patterns. I've lost weight using restrictive diet plans, counting calories on my own, using Weight Watchers and using MFP. The key is to continuing using the knowledge gained losing the weight to maintain.11 -
I did weight watchers in the 80s. What I remember is feeling "fat shamed" at meetings, because I only wanted to lose 10-15 pounds and I was not obese. The leader never called on me in meetings, and every time I walked in I got the eyeball from everyone else there. I also remember the trauma of being perfectly on track with my points and exercise, but showing no loss, or even a GAIN at weekly weigh-in, which was completely de-motivating. I now weigh several times a week, am more in tune with my body's natural fluctuations and have learned a TON more stuff from MFP.7
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What I liked about weight watchers was the accountability with the weekly meeting and weigh-in. If they focused more on calorie counting rather than excluding foods, it would be a winning combination.2
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annacole94 wrote: »The mystery to me is the people that pay for WW, but do online only. I understand the value of the social components of the meetings, but not how a paid app is better than a free one
For me it was just not knowing that free apps that are as good or better than WW online even exist. Like the pp, I can't go to meetings and weigh in due to work and young family of five. Online was the best option. I'm so thankful I found MFP.1 -
annacole94 wrote: »The mystery to me is the people that pay for WW, but do online only. I understand the value of the social components of the meetings, but not how a paid app is better than a free one
For me it was just not knowing that free apps that are as good or better than WW online even exist. Like the pp, I can't go to meetings and weigh in due to work and young family of five. Online was the best option. I'm so thankful I found MFP.
Word. When my doctor told me I needed to lose weight to manage a health issue, the first words out of my mouth were "I'm not currently working and I don't really want the expense of WW's weekly meetings."
When he told me, "You can lose weight without them," it was like a light going off in my head. (My previous doctor had told me, "You need to lose weight. If I write you a prescription for WW, they'll waive the registration fee.") Years ago, before I started WW, I'd bought one of those thick 'calorie counter' pocket books. I figured I could probably find something online. MFP was on the first page of my Google search and the rest is history...
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Weight Watchers was good for me early in my weight loss. I lost over 50 lbs on the old Points Plus program. It was flexible. The new program came and I struggled my way to goal, and through maintenance. All the while I hated feeling like I had to live off of tuna and lunch meat. I took a financial break and started MFP under my daughter's suggestion. This is the first time in my adult life that I've broken 140 lbs and am wearing single digit clothes, and I don't feel guilty over my food choices anymore.12
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I did weight watchers in the 80s. What I remember is feeling "fat shamed" at meetings, because I only wanted to lose 10-15 pounds and I was not obese. The leader never called on me in meetings, and every time I walked in I got the eyeball from everyone else there. I also remember the trauma of being perfectly on track with my points and exercise, but showing no loss, or even a GAIN at weekly weigh-in, which was completely de-motivating. I now weigh several times a week, am more in tune with my body's natural fluctuations and have learned a TON more stuff from MFP.
That's one reason I never did meetings - there was no way in h.e.l.l I was weighing in front of anyone.
But honestly, my sister did it for 6 months and never felt *shamed*. I know many people that did WW years ago, and had no such experience. I think yours was probably not the norm. 1 -
Tried30UserNames wrote: »scarlett_k wrote: »If it actually worked in the long term then they'd be out of business. They want and need people to come back again and again. It's a scam.
Almost no weight loss, including MFP works in the long term for the majority of people. Almost everyone on every plan, including this one, will regain the weight. That doesn't mean it's a scam. It means keeping weight off long term is really, really difficult.
It only works if you keep working at it. I disagree that almost everyone will regain the weight. I haven't. I lost 60, many years ago. I did gain back almost a third of that, (now have lost almost all of it) only because I stopped logging food and was not tracking - I know I have to do that in order to maintain. So yes, it IS difficult for most of us that have the problem of overeating, I agree. If you want it bad enough, however, it is certainly doable.4 -
I did WW back when Fat was Bad. I vastly prefer MFP. I've learned more here too, despite all the Mean People
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"everybody" and "almost everybody" are slightly different. Statistically, almost everybody regains. That doesn't mean no one has ever successfully kept off weight.3
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Lightbulb moment for me was when I sat there realising 1. I had more knowledge about nutrition than the leader of the class, 2. My class was descending into a constant repetitive fixation on alcohol with everyone being recommended by said leader on how to cut meals out of their day in order to drink on the weekend and 3. that the points allowance I was on was equivalent to about 950-1100 calories a day when I logged the same foods on here!11
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After reading some of the experiences here with WW it reminded me about a recipe for a crustless pumpkin pie. Our leader was telling us the points were so low you could eat the whole pie. Eating whole pies doesn't teach me portion control. I know her intentions were good but I needed to know how to eat real food in the real world.17
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I've also been on and off WW for years, but am off, I believe permanently, and really perfectly content with MFP, a Fitbit and a food scale. Have lost 50 lbs. and have figured out that it's up to me to figure out the best plan for me. So - more internal than external. One thing that really bugged me about WW is that my meeting was totally taken over by a few people who liked to talk a lot - about themselves. I get SO many better ideas and thoughts here in the discussion boards than I ever did at WW, plus the encouragement of lots of friends. I think it's a huge improvement over WW and I'm certainly saving a ton of money. I can't imagine myself ever going back.9
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I was a huge WW fan back in the Flex Points days, I lost the baby weight both times and it really worked for me... I went back a few years ago and the plan now does not work for me. It is too complicated, demonizes foods, and the "free" fruit/veg we all know are not really free. I felt lost. The meetings were all about how to manipulate desserts to lower the points, which is ok occasionally but every meeting? Ugh
I then found MFP, that combined with my Fitbit are the winning combination. This is sustainable for me.10 -
I have been going back and forth between WW and calorie counting since the beginning of the year, unable to decide which is the better program for me. Well, last night I finally figured it out. There is NO way that Weight Watchers would work for me long term.
Calorie counting is so much simpler, and it's sustainable. I had been thinking in the short-term, not the long-term. I need to learn portion control, and yes, Weight Watchers teaches you this, but they are just too restrictive when it comes to treats. Do I really want to go to a birthday party and not be able to eat a slice of cake because it's almost my entire day's worth of points? No, I want to be able to work that cake into my day and with calorie counting, it is so much easier to do so!
I have NO idea why it took me this long to "see the light"! I cancelled my WW account tonight.
Omgosh you sound just like me. As we speak I am going back & forth trying to decide which is better. Calorie Counting does make so much more since. Plus I am online only, so why pay for that?!4 -
Do they still advertise as not being a diet?0
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I did weight watchers online only – – which reminds me a lot of this app – – back around 2007 or so, and I loved it! I very slowly and steadily lost all the weight I wanted to, and kept it off. Then they changed the damned program!
I tried both of the last two pre-Oprah variations of weight watchers and they did not work at all. I can't see that the Oprah version would work either.
Right now, using this app, I am once again very slowly and steadily losing some weight.7
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