Mind Blown! Serious diet confusion

kschwab0203 · May 2018

My daily allotment on MFP is 1450. If I were to follow the weight watchers program my daily allotment of points would be 25. I just did a comparison to see how many WW points I am consuming (was thinking of doing WW) and my 975 calories (which yes is low and I haven't even finished logging for the day) is 37 POINTS!!!! I'm stunned! I mean isn't that like a mortal WW sin?!?! This confuses the crap out of me. It makes me question everything!

janejellyroll · May 2018

I'm not sure exactly what you're questioning. They're two separate concepts. WW points are kept very low with the intention of creating a calorie deficit. To your points, you get to add 0 point foods. With MFP, you're skipping the points and just directly creating the deficit through whatever it is you prefer eating.

If you explain exactly what is confusing you, maybe we can help.

jjpptt2 · May 2018

Pick 1 method. Follow it.

MFP and WW are not the same. Comparing/mixing the two will likely only cause headaches.

Poisonedpawn78 · May 2018

WW tries to force you into the diet they want you to eat through points. Punishing foods they dont like and making foods they do near or at zero.

WW breaks when you dont eat like they want you to. Their way isnt the only way and also doesnt take into account the reality of each food.

Yes you CAN haz cheeseburger(insert cute kitten pic) and no it doesnt cost 494857 points lol

skrakalaka · May 2018

I almost starved to death on WW. I also ate way too many bananas because they were zero points back then. I was miserable.

kschwab0203 · May 2018

Poisonedpawn78 wrote: »

WW tries to force you into the diet they want you to eat through points. Punishing foods they dont like and making foods they do near or at zero.

WW breaks when you dont eat like they want you to. Their way isnt the only way and also doesnt take into account the reality of each food.

Yes you CAN haz cheeseburger(insert cute kitten pic) and no it doesnt cost 494857 points lol

I guess this what I was getting at. I mean it just really surprises me that 975 calories would be that many points. I get that there are 0 point foods and all but it seems a bit ridiculous and something that is not easy to maintain. A 90 calorie Fiber One bar is 5 points!

RoxieDawn · May 2018

kschwab0203 wrote: »

Poisonedpawn78 wrote: »

WW tries to force you into the diet they want you to eat through points. Punishing foods they dont like and making foods they do near or at zero.

WW breaks when you dont eat like they want you to. Their way isnt the only way and also doesnt take into account the reality of each food.

Yes you CAN haz cheeseburger(insert cute kitten pic) and no it doesnt cost 494857 points lol

I guess this what I was getting at. I mean it just really surprises me that 975 calories would be that many points. I get that there are 0 point foods and all but it seems a bit ridiculous and something that is not easy to maintain. A 90 calorie Fiber One bar is 5 points!

They want you 'eat this and not that' and their substitutes/recommendations are bland and boring.

God forbid if I want to eat store bought popcorn that costs 5 points and they want me to air pop my own for a savings of 3. I wouldn't fare very well doing this.

I agree, just piick one or other, and save yourself comparison headaches.

nicolehorn0114 · May 2018

I think counting calories is the much better method. With WW, the risk of under or overeating is just too high. With counting calories, you know that you are where you should be.

Also, I’d hate to be punished for choosing 200 calories of chocolate over fruit. I usually pick the fruit, but sometimes I need the chocolate!

mph323 · May 2018

skrakalaka wrote: »

I almost starved to death on WW. I also ate way too many bananas because they were zero points back then. I was miserable.

Ah yes, the bananas and the mystery of the points

Back on points plus when WW still had their boards, bananas were a 0 point fruit, unless you put them in a recipe where they suddenly acquired a point value. Every day there were new "WTF my 5-banana smoothie has 20 points! What's wrong with the recipe builder??" threads.

There was actually an explanation if you searched for it, but mostly people wanted to logic through it on their own. Some of those threads were as good as our ACV ones!

Edit: To be fair, WW doesn't just post the 0 points list and leave you to use it any way you want. They have detailed instructions for how to use the program, and can be a useful tool for people who are satiated eating lower fat, and need incentive to stay away from high calorie trigger foods.

Maxxitt · May 2018

I did WW for about 6 months and then started double-tracking using MFP when I began wanting to track nutrients. I found I was getting about 1100 calories a day on WW, and not nearly enough protein or calcium and very little fat. WW was useful to get on a weight loss path, but MFP helped me be more sensible for long-haul life style changes.

Angierae75 · May 2018

I know people have had great success with WW but I'm always skeptical of weight loss programs that continue to make money as long as you're still trying to lose weight...

skrakalaka · May 2018

mph323 wrote: »

skrakalaka wrote: »

I almost starved to death on WW. I also ate way too many bananas because they were zero points back then. I was miserable.

Ah yes, the bananas and the mystery of the points Back on points plus when WW still had their boards, bananas were a 0 point fruit, unless you put them in a recipe where they suddenly acquired a point value. Every day there were new "WTF my 5-banana smoothie has 20 points! What's wrong with the recipe builder??" threads.

There was actually an explanation if you searched for it, but mostly people wanted to logic through it on their own. Some of those threads were as good as our ACV ones!

Edit: To be fair, WW doesn't just post the 0 points list and leave you to use it any way you want. They have detailed instructions for how to use the program, and can be a useful tool for people who are satiated eating lower fat, and need incentive to stay away from high calorie trigger foods.

I think I missed the instruction part

FlyingMolly · May 2018

Done a certain way, WW points will almost exactly line up with MFP’s calorie recommendations.

If you’re someone who does not thrive on that specific way of eating, you may as well skip the middle-man and just go with MFP.

Psychgrrl · May 2018

kschwab0203 wrote: »

Poisonedpawn78 wrote: »

WW tries to force you into the diet they want you to eat through points. Punishing foods they dont like and making foods they do near or at zero.

WW breaks when you dont eat like they want you to. Their way isnt the only way and also doesnt take into account the reality of each food.

Yes you CAN haz cheeseburger(insert cute kitten pic) and no it doesnt cost 494857 points lol

I guess this what I was getting at. I mean it just really surprises me that 975 calories would be that many points. I get that there are 0 point foods and all but it seems a bit ridiculous and something that is not easy to maintain. A 90 calorie Fiber One bar is 5 points!

My officemate does WW, and I find it really weird that she can eat 300 calories of grilled chicken breast for no points, but a Skyr yogurt with 120 calories and 15 grams of protein is 4 points.

elisa123gal · May 2018

I tried WW years ago and thought i'd shoot myself i was so miserable. and they're always changing they're plan for marketing. i vote you do this.

jrochest · June 2018

For me it was when I realized that an ounce of skim milk and an ounce of lager had the same points...that was in the last iteration of the program, not this one, but it was my first clue that something very wrong had happened to the points system.

Lounmoun · June 2018

This is why calorie counting is much more straightfoward than a point system. With their point system you might overeat or undereat pretty easily.
If you are already counting calories then I'd drop the weight watchers method.

New_Heavens_Earth · June 2018

Well... as per WW I only have 3 points left out of 23, but only ate 658 calories out of 1370 (protein shake and peach for breakfast, chips, coleslaw, mashed potato and gravy for lunch). Crazy huh?

Fuzzipeg · June 2018

I know there is at least one ex-WW group on here. I suggest you look them up.

CowboySar · June 2018

I did WW many years ago and found it way to restrictive and lasted a week. I had breakfast and there went my points for the day, really? I have tried other diets as well and found I could not eat like that forever and always always put back any weight I lost and then some.

I think there is some confusion with the word diet. Diet to me has an end, you follow the diet until you reach your goal, if you can reach your goal. Then you end the diet and revert back to where you were. You were really never taught to eat properly. Now my diet is truly not a diet in a the above sense of the word. I eat what I want and track the calories and macros to meet my goals. My original goal was to lose weight (320lbs to 185lbs), so I ate towards that goal using MFP to track and was consuming 1300-1600 cals per day. I allowed my self some indulgences and never worried about just made them fit. My new goal is bulking and putting on LBM so I have more than doubled my calories at this point and am consuming about 3300 per day now. Again tracking and monitoring the results. Believe it or not the first 2 weeks eating 3300 plus cals a day I still dropped 2 lbs.

Diatonic12 · June 2018

I come from a long line of committed WW lifers. I tried it, too. Siggi's full fat yogurt is one of my favorite foods. I'm not about to go to the penalty box for that. I gave up every diet on the face of the earth. I created my own protocol and MFP is part of the plan. Simply because it works. As long as I'm staying within my own river banks, I'm not hurting a flea or me....I can have whatever the frickity frick frick I want. MFP works for me.

I don't need to travel with the herd or stand on a scale in front of the class like I'm being weighed at the feedlot. I resented that and it actually worked in reverse for me. MFP is going to let you know when you're going sideways.

But it's all fun. Really. My protocol will work for me for the rest of my life as long as I work it.

witchaywoman81 · June 2018

Yep, this thread explains well why I’m not on WW anymore. Back in the 90s/early 00s the points were a little closer to calorie counting, but now with so many “free” foods, it just wasn’t manageable to me. Calorie counting ftw!

hipari · June 2018

CowboySar wrote: »

I think there is some confusion with the word diet. Diet to me has an end, you follow the diet until you reach your goal, if you can reach your goal. Then you end the diet and revert back to where you were. You were really never taught to eat properly. Now my diet is truly not a diet in a the above sense of the word. I eat what I want and track the calories and macros to meet my goals. My original goal was to lose weight (320lbs to 185lbs), so I ate towards that goal using MFP to track and was consuming 1300-1600 cals per day. I allowed my self some indulgences and never worried about just made them fit. My new goal is bulking and putting on LBM so I have more than doubled my calories at this point and am consuming about 3300 per day now. Again tracking and monitoring the results. Believe it or not the first 2 weeks eating 3300 plus cals a day I still dropped 2 lbs.

You know, I just had this shower thought today... English isn’t my first language, and I realized something that might be the reason for a lot of confusion for native English-speakers. In my native Finnish, and I suppose in several other languages as well, there are two completely different words for 1) diet, as in I’m on a gluten-free diet for the rest of my life due to having the celiac disease and this is simply how I eat and 2) diet, as in I’m on this 6-week-long zero-sugar/high-fat/paleo/Atkins/cabbage soup diet, which will end after I’m done with the diet period. When I read Finnish health articles, or really anything weight-loss related, the choice of words itself will reveal if we are talking about things like permanently adding more vegetables to your overall diet, or some sort of temporary thing. English language doesn’t do that so directly.

I’m not on a diet either, I do have some permanent dietary requirements that I live with, and on top of that I’m working on slowly changing my diet to include more vegetables and less meat & starches. This is the type of ”diet” that will have the same end date that my tombstone, not the kind I’d have marked on my calendar.

kschwab0203 · June 2018

witchaywoman81 wrote: »

Yep, this thread explains well why I’m not on WW anymore. Back in the 90s/early 00s the points were a little closer to calorie counting, but now with so many “free” foods, it just wasn’t manageable to me. Calorie counting ftw!

I lost 60 lbs after having my daughter back in 2003 on weight watchers and it was no where near as restrictive as it is now. It is a completely different set of rules. Not sustainable if you ask me.

Mind Blown! Serious diet confusion

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