Why did it take me so long to figure it out (Weight Watchers)

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  • kavahni
    kavahni Posts: 313 Member
    Bumping up to other WW thread
  • mikedaigler8955
    mikedaigler8955 Posts: 1 Member
    I did well on the Momentum Plan and lost 53 pounds. Then I gained 10-15 due to depression. I didn't lose a lot with PointsPlus and got up to 35 lbs. I learned to use MFP correctly and it makes me more accountable.

    As much as WW helped me, I couldn't really relate to anyone due to being the only young person at my meetings. Plus, the database here is much better and the app is free.
  • donnamae9981
    donnamae9981 Posts: 2 Member
    I was wondering if MFP could be synced to record 'smart points' but I guess that would be a big no no with WW. I'm having trouble and may just go back to the MFP and do calories!! But I do like the app that lets you scan things for points!!
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    donnamae9981 wrote: »
    I was wondering if MFP could be synced to record 'smart points' but I guess that would be a big no no with WW. I'm having trouble and may just go back to the MFP and do calories!! But I do like the app that lets you scan things for points!!

    I don't see how this would work. Points used to equate to calories. But with Smart Points certain food types are penalized. Yes, you can eat bread.....but the point value is punitive now.
  • annacole94
    annacole94 Posts: 997 Member
    MFP lets you scan things for calories. :)
  • Teresa_3266
    Teresa_3266 Posts: 298 Member
    I started WW in January and the first three months did pretty well and now I'm stalled and can't really figure out why. There are all kinds of manipulations that can be done with points. They want me to eat my daily points and then I can either eat or not eat my weekly points. The whole process is making my head hurt!

    I do believe that I am eating better than I ever have before. Not because of WW since they encourage eating processed foods, but because I chose to eat real food that I can stick with rest of my life. I do personally love the accountability I get from weekly weigh-ins and I love my meetings. My leader is awesome!

    I came back to MFP yesterday to compare the points with calorie counting. I plan to track calories and points for the next month to see where I land. I'm 51, pre-menopausal, have a stupid reoccurring leg injury that keeps me from serious exercise, and work a very sedentary job. I just want to get this freaking weight off and struggle to live a life in maintenance!!
  • meplunk
    meplunk Posts: 10 Member
    Left ww today. Fingers crossed I have the same success with MFP that you all have. Any tips??????
  • puzzledstill
    puzzledstill Posts: 67 Member
    Just left WW and makes sense for me to say why.
    WW has a lot of pluses. I have seen people lose more than I weigh. The support and plan work to educate people who eat unhealthily and have a lot of weight to lose.
    Where it fails - and it failed me is that it doesn't support maintenance. Why would it ? There's no money there. But more subtlety if you then gain weight whilst eating healthily (that's me) it really doesn't help to re-lose that gain.
    So I'm trying MFP. I do think cico does have some flaws - in the original calorie calculation and who your body uses food. But it's not a perfect world.
    I've been surprised how ww over points cake - at times rather than encourage you eat it healthily it steers you to stupid decisions with 'free foods'.
    Fingers crossed for MFP.
  • sksk1026
    sksk1026 Posts: 213 Member
    edited October 2017
    I joined ww multiple times over the years but never managed to stick to it. MFP calorie counting seems so much simpler and much more flexible. And there is a free version!
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    meplunk wrote: »
    Left ww today. Fingers crossed I have the same success with MFP that you all have. Any tips??????

    Read the stickies. They help explain things a lot.
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    newmeadow wrote: »
    I quit Weight Watchers when they tacked on extra points for 1 tablespoon of bacon grease versus 1 tablespoon of olive oil, which had fewer points. Same calorie count for both. It felt horribly intrusive and wrong. Nope. Don't screw with my lard. Bye WW.

    That's similar to why I quit. It was when I realized that 1.5 cups of milk (I must have been building a recipe -- I don't drink milk) and a glass of wine (6.3 oz) had *about* the same amount of calories, with milk actually being a smidge higher, but they added extra points to the wine. Nope, buh-buy. I make enough food judgments on my own, and I'm not going to *pay* to have someone make me feel bad about myself.

  • thelibrarylady33
    thelibrarylady33 Posts: 7 Member
    I have used WW in the past and always ended up frustrated because it was difficult at times to quickly determine point values. I was constantly using the app, scanning, etc. I love counting calories because all I have to do is look at the nutritional info on the package and see exactly what information I need. I do miss “free vegetables”, and it definitely has the healthy aspect, practically pushing anything with sugar into its highest point range. But this is much easier for me in the long run.
  • rocknlotsofrolls
    rocknlotsofrolls Posts: 418 Member
    I may get some slack for this, but that's why they pay people like Oprah to push their plan. Oh wow, Oprahs doing it, it must be good. All you need to know is good old CICO, but wait, nobody's getting rich off of that!!
  • vegasnine
    vegasnine Posts: 11 Member
    I just cancelled my ww membership last night and have switched. After 18 months, losing 50 in the first 12 and then plateauing for 2 followed by 4 months of maintaining because I just can't keep dealing with the points...here I am.
  • lbryans929
    lbryans929 Posts: 42 Member
    cheryldumais wrote: »
    Me too, paid for WW online for years but never lost any weight after the points thing. When they changed it again in 2016 I cancelled my subscription and came to MFP and I've lost over 80 pounds!

    Wow, congratulations! I believe this mfp will work for me. I really do and I like the fact that calorie counts don't change (unlike ww points).
  • lbryans929
    lbryans929 Posts: 42 Member
    "easier for people to follow than counting calories (which is always sold as being difficult)" I believed that for so many years. Glad I found mfp.

  • sam_juggins
    sam_juggins Posts: 45 Member
    I did slimming world and got to target. My leaders changed and the new on did not motivate me. She had no time for the people at maintenance and I'd never been at maintenance before so had no clue what I was doing. Me and some friends I met there were just going so we could meet up and have a coffee so we left. We now meet in the pub instead.

    I have come to realise that "syns" is such a bad term for food. Don't make me feel evil because I use all my "syns" on a pie! I can fit pie in to my life without feeling like the devil about it thank you very much! LOL

    MFP all the way, and yes I do fall off the wagon occasionally but I always come back and get my head in check. The community here is so more supportive than the 30 seconds stood on that scale every Monday night.

    And that's another thing (on a roll now), it is all about that 30 seconds, you can have a great week and you honestly know you have but of it shows a gain of even 1/2lb you must have done something wrong well no actually I didn't! I just may not have pooped or pee'd as much this week........OK, soap box away.
  • ceiswyn
    ceiswyn Posts: 2,253 Member
    'Syns' just makes me laugh.

    I was doing WW when they brought that in. And they spelt it 'sins'.

    That spelling change has to be the most half-hearted attempt at rebranding ever; as well as communicating a lot about WW's attitudes and assumptions.
  • mmnv79
    mmnv79 Posts: 538 Member
    One co-worker joined SW and initially she lost lots of weight. But have in mind that before she joined, she was eating a lot of fast food and (full sugar) sodas on a daily basis and during the SW programme she ate plain chicken with veggies, fruit, etc. I asked her about the meals, etc. and when she explained to me that she could eat as much fruit, beans, etc. as she wanted, I realised it wasn't for me. It worked for her, as she was a fast food lover and never ate any fruit or veggies before, but I could live off fruit and pulses, bananas, berries,... and I needed to learn about portion control. In the end she returned to her old habits. I may be wrong, but I think most of those programmes are good to shred a few pounds but don't work long term.
  • VUA21
    VUA21 Posts: 2,072 Member
    KM0692 wrote: »
    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.

    Welcome to the club! I yo-yo dieted for 15 years before I finally figured out how simple it really is.

    Congratulations on figureing out how simple it really is, and cheap too!!! One of the few "diets" that save you money because all you do is eat less (buy fewer groceries).

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