What is your opinion of Weight Watchers?

Options
13

Replies

  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,647 Member
    Options
    My MIL has been losing and gaining the same 30 pounds in as many years with WW. And forking over money to them all the while.
  • Jimb376mfp
    Jimb376mfp Posts: 6,231 Member
    edited February 2018
    Options
    gearhead426hemi wrote: »
    I think a lot of people over think the whole diet and workout lifestyle. Keep it simple and stick with the basics. For starters nothing healthy comes from a box. Eat a balanced diet of fruit, vegetables, and lean meat. Getting out and walking, running, hiking, kayaking, biking anything that increases your heart rate for a extended period of time is all you need to be healthy. Start off slow with your workouts so you don't over do it right off. Always change up what you are doing to keep it interesting. Walk, run, hike or bike different trails. Kayak new lakes and rivers. The world is you gym and you can change the scenery any time you want. Best of luck!

    Great post, you make sense BUT if it was easy no one would need WW MFP ATKINS Nutrisystems etc etc.

    I had to learn losing weight is “Simple” (CICO) BUT it’s NOT “Easy”!

    BTW I took my first kayaking lesson last year at age 69!
  • Jimb376mfp
    Jimb376mfp Posts: 6,231 Member
    Options
    wendypoloway wrote: »
    I enjoy Weight Watchers, especially the meeting component. I have lost weight using MFP alone, and on WW....WW is better for me because the meetings make me more accountable. I found it too easy to fall off of an online only program like MFP. This is my opinion only. There is no denying that WW is expensive, for me it is worth it. WW teaches you a lifestyle plan that is easy to follow for the rest of your life...it isn't a diet, it shows you how to be mindful of what and how much you are eating. It is a great option for those who need a little peer pressure to stay on track.

    TOTALLY AGREE!

    Glad to see another Happy WW!



  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,986 Member
    Options
    hesn92 wrote: »
    I personally don’t Understand why you would consider it when you can use mfp which is free


    Because some people find the social aspect of the meetings enjoyable and motivating and find real life support works better for them than online does.

    It is not for me but I can understand why others use it.
  • eminater
    eminater Posts: 2,477 Member
    Options
    the WW points system is just calorie counting. 1 point = about 40 cals. I found that logging food options before eating them on MFP - to begin with, helped me see the calories and nutritional qualities of foods I was eating. That taught me which foods fit into my daily routine and which didn't - or became treats.

    For the first month on MFP I focused on the macros, trying to get a good balance of protein to fat to carbs.

    After a while it's really easy to make good choices, just log them and then you know what you've got left and you learn a lot more about nutrition than you can off WW - so it has a much longer lasting impact.

    Then you get to a point where you might start looking at your micronutrients - but anyway, I think MFP is way better than WW for training yourself to develop much better habits and how to make healthier choices for yourself. WW feels like a diet whereas MFP is helping you develop a healthier lifestyle.
  • chesves
    chesves Posts: 224 Member
    Options
    I'm on WW (online only) and just recently came back to MFP because I missed it (after being gone a year). I'm going to track both for a bit .... I do like WW - I like the online system. I like the points, I like the activity points. For me, it has helped guide me in the right direction of eating healthier. I am going to start to track both to get back in the habit of calorie tracking, and to eventually wean myself off of WW. It is working though .... A LOT of people have not had much luck with the freestlye, because they equate that with being able to eat an unlimited amount of food. Of course that isn't realistic - it's all about having a healthy relationship with food.
  • hannamarie0098
    hannamarie0098 Posts: 85 Member
    Options
    I had a lot of success with weight watchers a few years ago and lost around 90 lb. I found it increasingly difficult once I became a vegetarian and switched to MyFitnessPal. I have considered joining again but I don’t think the latest plan will suit me either, I’m much happier sticking to a calorie goal. I do miss the meetings and accountability they gave, and I miss my leader as she was incredibly supportive.
  • crystalgailpeterson
    crystalgailpeterson Posts: 9 Member
    Options
    I don't like WW because of its inconsistency. They have changed programs so many times! Calories are calories and MFP is consistent and constant. I personally didn't do well with WW because I'm insulin resistant and according to the program I was on a med banana was 2pts but was something like 27 carbs!! So needless to say everyone should find what program works best for them. I've known lots who have lost on WW but not very many of them kept it off.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    Options
    And to think that the first WW program I did, back in the late 80s was modeled on an eating plan for diabetics! (Foods were divided into exchanges. IIRC, they were broken down as 'milk', 'bread', 'protein', 'fruit', 'veg', and 'fat'. So a milk exchange might be 8 oz of skim milk or X of 2% or Y of soymilk. I remember a 'bread' was equal to 1 oz of bread or 1/2 cup of rice or 4 oz potato, etc. They also gave you, I think, 14 'floating' exchanges, (i.e. extra bread, meat, etc over your daily totals) and 700 optional calories to allow for things that didn't fit so neatly. I actually liked that one, despite my penchant for eating foods that weren't in the guidebook.
  • SaraAlvarez1
    SaraAlvarez1 Posts: 1 Member
    Options
    I am a current WW member but have switched to MFP because the new program doesn't make sense to me.

    I couldn't figure out why my weight loss was so inconsistent and why I was alternately satisfied and hangry so I tracked points and calories at the same time.

    While sticking to their program and enjoying varying amounts of 0 point foods I tracked days ranging from 900-2700 calories.

    If I didn't eat any 0 point proteins that day (chicken breast, eggs, beans, fish) I would wind up consuming less than 1000 calories for the day which is insane. On the other hand it was equally possible to track the exact same number of points while eating 2700 calories a day if I had eggs, tofu, lots of bean salads, chicken breast for dinner.

    The zero point foods make me crazy. Food has calories, calories matter. I liked the older programs because they made nutritional sense but this new program was a bad call.

    I'm still going to meetings though because I have another 5 months already paid for and I'm only 5 pounds away from my lifetime membership. I want that little gold key because then if WW changes to a program that makes sense to me I won't have to pay to use it.
  • jrochest
    jrochest Posts: 119 Member
    Options
    I ca
    SaraAlvarez1 wrote: »
    I am a current WW member but have switched to MFP because the new program doesn't make sense to me.

    I couldn't figure out why my weight loss was so inconsistent and why I was alternately satisfied and hangry so I tracked points and calories at the same time.

    While sticking to their program and enjoying varying amounts of 0 point foods I tracked days ranging from 900-2700 calories.

    If I didn't eat any 0 point proteins that day (chicken breast, eggs, beans, fish) I would wind up consuming less than 1000 calories for the day which is insane. On the other hand it was equally possible to track the exact same number of points while eating 2700 calories a day if I had eggs, tofu, lots of bean salads, chicken breast for dinner.

    Sara -- this is EXACTLY why I dumped them 3 weeks ago! I lost 50 pounds and got to lifetime in 2005 on the old Momentum/Flex points plan, which I loved; I followed the maintenance program, and kept the weight off for years. Then they changed the program, and I gained (Points Plus) and they changed it again (Smart Points), and I gained more. I kept going but just ignored their instructions and went for the meetings and the weigh-in: lost 43 pounds in 2014 and the same 45 pounds in 2016. But Freestyle -- I went back to the meetings at the beginning of February, took one look and the new program and figured that what you describe is exactly what would happen to me. You can't even tweak it. The only way to make it work is to count EVERYTHING, points or no points.

    And if I had to track with MFP anyway, what was I paying WW for? So I cancelled. I'm still bereft.
  • eclecticpixxie
    eclecticpixxie Posts: 56 Member
    Options
    Hi. I belong to a facebook group of weight watchers devotees. They're nice folk but when I went to their website I discovered that its not affordable for those of us on fixed incomes. WW withholds information to force you into purchasing their product and, while I'm all about a commercial economy, I think if they will be doing that they need to stop making it sound like they are all about helping people. They're not philanthropic.

    HOWEVER the members are more than happy to help someone who asks questions in online groups. And you can get a lot of info via Dr. Google as well as youtube videos.

  • ValeriePlz
    ValeriePlz Posts: 517 Member
    Options
    vivmom2014 wrote: »
    My MIL has been losing and gaining the same 30 pounds in as many years with WW. And forking over money to them all the while.

    Same with my MIL and FIL, except 70 lb.
  • sarahtaylor58
    sarahtaylor58 Posts: 2 Member
    Options
    I find the points to be really confusing, and I couldn't add or adjust the calorie counts of food in their system. With MFP I can track calories much more easily and it's not a constant struggle to figure out how much I'm eating.
  • bethypoobah
    bethypoobah Posts: 5 Member
    Options
    I lost on WW many years ago and gained it back. In late 2015 I joined and lost weight and felt great. Then they changed to smartpoints which I felt was very carb unfriendly. I tried my best to continue but it was difficult. Then came Freestyle which cut down my points but allowed me to eat "free" foods. I just couldn't do the Freestyle. I ended up quitting.
  • bethypoobah
    bethypoobah Posts: 5 Member
    Options
    RachellaJ wrote: »
    Since then I have realized that it is a money making business, and a bit of a scam. I feel like they change things to set people up for failure so they have to keep coming back. The way the program is now makes no sense to me. I recently read that fruit is calorie free? How does that make sense?
    I too feel like it is a money making scam. I wonder what they will come up with next. I can't believe in 2+ years it has changed three times.
  • jjgnader
    jjgnader Posts: 2 Member
    Options
    I lost 30 pounds with WW in 2012. It was the Points Plus program. I gained some weight back and tried it again and I lost interest in it. I spent too much time trying to figure out junk I could eat to use up points. I did everything online and never went to meetings. I have heard that the Free Style program is confusing and people are gaining weight. I agree with the others. MFP is free and easy to use. I think it is really important to understand macros. WW teaches you to eat what you have the points for. Stick with MFP!
  • yweight2020
    yweight2020 Posts: 591 Member
    Options
    Early 90's I loss weight with WW, I've been back in this last couple years plus a decade ago and they just keep changing so much that they make it harder to follow less flexibility in what you can eat and constantly learn a new system and last 2 times around I felt deprived even though that's not the goal. I'M SURE IT STILL WORKS FOR SOME JUST NOT ME. I've lost 23 lbs with MPF so far. Do what works best for you and what your most comfortable with. Good luck.
  • robinhager3998
    robinhager3998 Posts: 45 Member
    Options
    I totally agree with RaeBeeBaby on this one! WW is a scam, and I have fallen for it myself. I truly believe they want people to stay fat so they will keep on signing up. This really dawned on me when they started their stupid “freestyle “ program! You know there are people out there that are going to eat five bananas and three ears of corn along with their two large chicken breasts! And yet that is ZERO points?! Give me a break! The ONLY thing that works is counting calories. Period. If anyone says anything different, they are scamming you!

Categories