Weight watchers

Yes! I particularly enjoyed being treated like an adult who can make her own food choices (and occasionally eat a slice of cake without having to eat nothing but rabbit food for the rest of the day to make it fit).

Freedom = a good thing. I like knowing exactly what I'm eating in terms of calories and macros, my food choices are my own.

Don't be afraid. I've done older WW programs that worked well for me. When I was in my teens, about 30 years ago, they had "exchanges". 1 oz meat=3/4 oz cheese=3 oz tofu=1 protein exchange and you needed X number of protein exchanges per day, same for bread, fruits, veggies, milk, and fat. It was good, but basic and hard to convert recipes to exchanges.

I did one of their earlier points programs and eventually lost my enthusiasm. I also had this thing where the closer I got to goal the more nervous I was about maintaining and I started missing meetings. So, not blaming WW for that, it was all me and my mental game.

From what I've heard veterans of the most recent program say, this time out, WW's points are more divorced from caloric values. On the points program I did, higher-fat foods had fewer calories to the point (1 tsp oil=40 calories=1 pt) and high fiber foods might have been up to 70 calories to the point, but ballpark? If all you had were the calories, you could assume 50 calories/pt and be close. Now, 200 calories of lean protein versus 200 calories of starchy carbs could have wildly different values. We're not talking 3 points for the protein and 5 for the carbs; more like 3 and 7. At least, that's what I'm inferring; like I said, I haven't tried the newest version.

Unlimited fruits and veggies have been a major plank of the platform. Problem is, when it comes to weight loss, a calorie deficit is king. And although it's hard to get into a calorie surplus on non-starchy carbs and fruits that aren't avocado, since they are zero points, it's easy to mentally picture them as calorie-free. They aren't. To lose 1lb/week you need to eat 500 calories/day below maintenance. If you're eating 200-300 calories/day of fruits and veggies, your loss is going to be slower and you might find yourself plateauing more quickly. I just had 8 cherries with my lunch and they were 50 calories. The cup of grapes (151 grams on the scale) I had with breakfast were 100. If I weren't counting them, it would have an impact.

The freedom you have with MFP is the freedom to know what you're really eating and find out for yourself which foods satiate you, give you energy, and keep you going. You're going to find low-carbers, high-carbers, keto, paleo, vegetarians, vegans, you name it. Because it's all about finding a sustainable way of eating in a moderate deficit, whichever way works for you. You eat what you like within your calories, and most of us figure out pretty quickly that we feel better when we eat mostly foods with a lot of nutrients. That doesn't mean no desserts or indulgences. It does mean feeling less guilt over indulging. Right now, I'm on 1380 calories before exercise. If I choose to use 75 calories on a homemade chocolate truffle, I know that it derails nothing. It's a treat. It's not a cheat.

I'm sure there are plenty of people doing well with the current WW program. Most of them probably aren't here, because they've found what works for them. But with MFP, I feel like I'm finally getting a healthier relationship toward food. It works and it's free. And freeing.

I posted this is another thread - my recent realizations and frustrations with the current WW system:

1.) WW does not take your normal daily activity level into consideration when allotting daily points.
2.) The WW community does not encourage eating the Fit Points (which would be the equivalent of eating back exercise calories here).
3.) There is a weekly pool of points, but with the "blue dots" there is a large percentage of the people who won't touch those either.
4.) WW penalizes certain foods to gear you towards making certain food choices (which made me feel like a child). Two slices of whole grain bread (140 cal - 4 points) vs. 1/4 c dried cherries (140 cal - 8 points). If someone actually splurged on one or two of these penalized foods they might end up under calories for the day. Also, banana (90 cal - 0 points) vs. corn on the cob (80-90 cal - 3 points). What?? So you'll really try to tell me that a banana is a significantly healthier choice than corn?
5.) Because of the sugar penalty, people are more apt to choose fake foods laden with artificial sweeteners and sodium rather than a small portion of real food. Velveeta slices vs. real cheese? So high in sodium and gross tasting. A Dove mini bar vs. Enlightened bars? No contest.
6.) They do not offer consolidated nutritional breakdowns of the food you tracked, so short of taking a calculator and adding it all manually, it was so hard to make sure I was staying under sodium levels or getting enough fiber.

I've been having a much better experience with MFP. I'm losing weight and the days of extreme fatigue are gone!