Why I left Weight Watchers new "Freestyle" Program

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  • butterfli7o
    butterfli7o Posts: 1,319 Member
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    A good friend of mine had terrific success with WW when they used Smart Points, but got rid of the app when they started Freestyle, as it did not work for her. She suggest the app called iTrackBites which uses points based on the Smart Points system. It has a scanner, calculator and you can look up food. It's much cheaper than being a WW member.
  • zandrathesweetheart
    zandrathesweetheart Posts: 109 Member
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    hilaryhill wrote: »
    I loved WW Flex Points system that they had 10 years ago. It was so easy and I lost so much weight so easily. I tried the program a year ago and was so turned off by how much it had changed. My beloved coffee creamer was only 120 calories but WW had it as 7 points! Didnt make any sense to me and was so discouraging I cancelled right then and went back to MFP.

    Same here. I wasn’t even trying to eat junk all the time. I just want the option to be able to have a donut or some steak or even a caramel macchiato without having to only eat 0 point foods the rest of the day. I actually gave them another chance even after I cancelled because of freestyle before because I saw that I was the problem. I was eating wayy above my weeklies and even fitpoints. However. When I came back ready to commit again i was reminded why I left and I left feedback to WW about all of this. I said 0 points does not mean zero calories and you trusted your members too much to be able to lean to 0 point foods all the time. If you love beans then you are going to eat more of that which is higher in calories. I love the reasoning behind it but the technicalities to apply it are flawed.
  • jbheller14
    jbheller14 Posts: 13 Member
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    zandrathesweetheart wrote: »
    hilaryhill wrote: »
    I loved WW Flex Points system that they had 10 years ago. It was so easy and I lost so much weight so easily. I tried the program a year ago and was so turned off by how much it had changed. My beloved coffee creamer was only 120 calories but WW had it as 7 points! Didnt make any sense to me and was so discouraging I cancelled right then and went back to MFP.

    Same here. I wasn’t even trying to eat junk all the time. I just want the option to be able to have a donut or some steak or even a caramel macchiato without having to only eat 0 point foods the rest of the day. I actually gave them another chance even after I cancelled because of freestyle before because I saw that I was the problem. I was eating wayy above my weeklies and even fitpoints. However. When I came back ready to commit again i was reminded why I left and I left feedback to WW about all of this. I said 0 points does not mean zero calories and you trusted your members too much to be able to lean to 0 point foods all the time. If you love beans then you are going to eat more of that which is higher in calories. I love the reasoning behind it but the technicalities to apply it are flawed.

    Totally agree... that was EXACTLY my argument. If I wanted to have a treat I'd be forced to eat zero point foods the rest of the day.. ridiculous... how is that FREESTYLE?
  • Wiedzma_Agata
    Wiedzma_Agata Posts: 31 Member
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    Joining ex-WW group! I have lost quite a few kgs with them, but the idea in general seemed less and less healthy. A lot of these people are filling themselves up with chickpea and aspartame cakes only. And eggs. And banana and egg pancakes.
  • keengkong
    keengkong Posts: 83 Member
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    There are apps that allows people to follow Weight Watchers without paying for Weight Watchers. These apps include Ultimate Food Diary or itrackbites. I wouldn’t encourage anyone who is doing well on MFP to change, but if old WW worked, you can get it back.

    I currently am doing well on my third week on WW Freestyle. I wasn’t on WW before, so I can’t compare it to anything. But I will tell you that if I had lost weight successfully using one system, I would probably be reluctant to change.
  • barbill05
    barbill05 Posts: 1 Member
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    I left ww for the same reason. Found mfp and when I actually stick to my KJ limit I lose weight. Without restricting myself to chicken breast!
  • JaxxieKat
    JaxxieKat Posts: 427 Member
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    I've gone back and forth with WW, but at the end of the day I find with as little as I have to lose to make goal, I can't eat enough to feel satiated and stay within my points. I like tracking calories.
  • tmc23cap
    tmc23cap Posts: 1 Member
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    I loved WW but its not restrictive enough for me as crazy as that sounds lol I also tried the keto diet which was too restrictive so a few weeks ago when I was at my Dr appointment I saw that they have a weight loss program and I decided to try it! Part of the plan is that you track everything that you eat and that’s what brought me here, it seems to be perfect for me and I’m doing very well by using this app
  • crooked_left_hook
    crooked_left_hook Posts: 364 Member
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    Ugh. I’m over WW. I can’t stay within my Freestyle points even when I cut out the majority of the foods I ate when I lost 25 lbs on Smartpoints. I’m trying intermittent fasting and tracking calories to see if I have more success this way. Today was the first day of IF and it wasn’t really hard but I’m starting with 14:10 and working up to 16:8. I recently had hip surgery so I need to drop the 10lbs I gained from sitting on my *kitten* for 2 months while healing 🙁
  • Xx_Christie_xX
    Xx_Christie_xX Posts: 21 Member
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    I found the new plan too faffy - MFP is much more flexible - the only bit I do like is the free fruit and veg on WW as it makes measuring easier!
  • lbryans929
    lbryans929 Posts: 42 Member
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    I'm just glad I found MFP.
  • lbryans929
    lbryans929 Posts: 42 Member
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    glassyo wrote: »
    Do they ask for feedback when you leave. I've always been curious.

    I cannot remember if there is room to leave a comment, but I was able to click a box saying "I wasn't meeting my goals."
  • sumoftheparts
    sumoftheparts Posts: 3 Member
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    I also am giving up on WW. The first time I did it was in 2016 and I lost weight so seamlessly based on the Smart Points system. Then they switched to Freestyle, and I feel like I eat two meals a day and go over the points. I can't eat with my partner. I can't go to eat with friends. I can't have a beer. And I can't handle feeling hungry and guilty every day.

    Also, it's not healthy to eat eggs every day- that's why people at risk for heart disease are told to limit their consumption to every few days.

    Back to counting calories, which worked for me for 10 years. Today is the first day that I was motivated to go out and have a walk, and I am to the end of my day, proud that I haven't gone over my calories, and don't feel too hungry.

    Thanks for the fellowship of this convo thread. Feel free to add me and DM.

  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
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    I don't get WW, my DIL has been going for about a month. How can fruit and veg be free foods? A person could literally eat fruit or veg all day long with WW and be under their points...


  • WillingtoLose1001984
    WillingtoLose1001984 Posts: 240 Member
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    I track here and use weight watchers for weigh ins. I lost about twice as much weight using that method last month for the month. It keeps me accountable. Also, the good thing about wls is that it helps you stop and if you mostly eat healthy foods those take up more space in your stomach. You do still have to make lifestyle changes though, eating healthier and lower calorie, exercising and getting your mind off of food.
  • WillingtoLose1001984
    WillingtoLose1001984 Posts: 240 Member
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    LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »
    I don't get WW, my DIL has been going for about a month. How can fruit and veg be free foods? A person could literally eat fruit or veg all day long with WW and be under their points...


    Well most people do not eat a ton of vegetables, the nonstarchy ones. Those were always free on ww. Fruit on the other hand is easy to overeat!
  • WillingtoLose1001984
    WillingtoLose1001984 Posts: 240 Member
    edited October 2018
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    cebreisch wrote: »
    I do understand where you’re coming from. I was a WW member “way back when” 40 years ago when they had you track your food like MFP does now almost. You knew how much protein, fruit, carbs, fat, etc. you were having. Then they started changing to fat/fiber and to points. Seemed like they were getting real “gimmicky” - like the grapefruit diet or something. They made so many of the foods now 0 calories (or free) because they’re trying to encourage people to have more protein. The reason they made fruit free was because a banana would cost more points than an Oreo or two. SO, they made fruit free to encourage people to have fruit. They felt like it worked so they followed suit with the protein....trying to encourage people to eat protein instead of other stuff less healthy that’ll cost points.

    I’m not a big fan of all that, but that’s not the reason I go to WW anyway. And I never got on the Connect site either. When I first joined, it didn’t seem like that many people used it, so I just never bothered with it.

    I go to the WW meetings for accountability - some 3rd party person who can weigh me and not be all judgey like some in my family. I usually don’t stay for the meetings, but did last week, and someone got started on weight loss surgery and how it was an “easy way out” and that you don’t “learn how to eat right”. One of my pet peeves - people who talk out of their “back side”. Anybody who thinks WLS is a “magic bullet” is seriously misled.
    I come here to log food and visit the community boards.

    Did you have wls? I track here and go to the meetings too for accountability and see my real results every week. I get discouraged at the slow progress on my own.

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