Thinking of doing freestyle WW instead of counting calories

Hi I'm doing freestyle with my sister, we started in August, her at the beginning of the month and I at the end of the month. She is down 18lbs and I am down 12Ibs. I joined MFP back in 2006 and loved it and stayed with the plan a few years and made lots of good friends and learned good tools and lost 45 lbs💃.

I since have gained back all the weight and then some😒 and took advantage of seeing my sister have great results and talk of the ease of realizing certain foods are free and to only eat in moderation blah blah blah....it was a three month deal and I'll cancel at the end of November,, but at the time it was worth it because it worked and I needed something easy to get me back on track....and now I'm back kinda overlapping both plans until I stick with MFP.

Bottom line is, as others have said, do what will work for you, you are the one who will figure out what will work best for you. If that changes, then so be it...evolve baby!😎 As long as it motivates, works, and keeps you healthy and happy....who cares how you work your journey right!?

Hope my rambles help and if you need some feed back on freestyle just hit me up girl🙋...good luck all!

Ali🌸

I understand that counting calories is tedious but counting points sounds like it would be even more time-consuming, plus there's more room for error. You could be under your points but over your calories by eating more "Free" foods than you should. so I personally don't see a reason why someone would switch, but that is just my opinion.

TeresaW1020 wrote: »

VeryKatie wrote: »

Points are harder to count than calories. You have to take the fat, carbs, and protein (3 things) and then convert them with a calculator into points... why not just enter calories directly. It's one thing. And no calculations.

Nope! WW has moved into this century and has an awesome app that makes counting points just as easy as counting calories. It's actually easier because you don't really have to track 0 point foods unless you want to.

I've been on WW since January 2017 and love the plan and the idea behind the plan. However, for a person who has food issues not counting 0 point foods makes losing weight hard. I joined MFP in July and have been back to consistency losing because of I now double track. It's a pain, but I just do it like I have to just do a lot of things in my life.

Sometimes I will add something as a recipe and tweek it so it has points - like beans (pinto, navy, kidney...). Carbs like to stick around.

I double track too. A lot of the time I’ll track here and then WW track later.

I endorse all the posts here. Also one minus of ww that affected me in a most undesirable way (for all the reasons so ably mentioned by dhiammarath) is that they will change the points formula every few years, whereas mfp will ( I hope) ( or some calorie based database) will be available and consistent.

CSARdiver wrote: »

I guess what I don't get about WW or other point systems is the ambiguity and needless complexity.

It's as if I told you to start a financial budget, but instead of giving you $100 to spend on clothing. I told you to buy a shirt, which could range anywhere from $20-200.

I get using WW prior to smart phones, but after? Other than the social aspect I don't see the draw.

I like WW. It was the plan I used when I lost weight most successfully. I’ve been within 5 pounds of my maintenance goal weight since having lost the weight in 2009. Although I found the meetings a bit silly overall, I did go for many years both because it was a couple of half hours per month I could set aside to focus on/ponder my weight management needs and tactics and because every so often I would hear something from another participant that really resonated with me. Because even during maintenance there are times when it’s a struggle.


Having said that, I’d also say that the program has changed quite a bit over the years. While it’s true the program is nothing more than an ‘overlay’ to calorie counting, it has always incentivized the better choice. Which usually means the more filling, healthier choice. So, there were no real ‘penalties’ for naughty foods (although there were mild penalties for fatty and low-fiber choices) but the program did help me learn portion expectations and how to start making better food decisions. But they really were decisions. There were also components that really helped me think through.and understand how to ‘work’ weight management when conditions weren’t perfect (like eating out, etc.). I never liked Simply Filling although I tried it several times because it did feel very diet-y. So while you could stop counting your simply filling foods restrictions on the ‘naughty’ foods was way too inflexible for me. And, yes, you still had to track and weigh, so to me it was the worst of both worlds.

The plan has evolved over time to a system that I find way too diet-y. True, there are more foods on the 0 points list, but the penalty for non ‘free’ foods has become much more severe. So, it takes the portion learning out of the equation, never forces you to really make decisions about a better choice versus one that’s not (the penalties are so severe now for naughty foods, you’re pretty much forced to abandon most of them and if you don’t really understand the caloric implications of the 0 point foods you’re in real trouble).

So, if you have a really good understanding of what composes a portion and are ready to go ‘full bore’ on eating right, it could be a great solution for you. If you bridle at restrictive eating plans, you may find it not helpful.

sarahbums wrote: »

tbh i've never understood the appeal of weight watchers. From what I understand, you're given a goal # of points to aim for, and you do the math throughout the day to stick to that #. But Calorie counting is exactly the same, so why not just track calories? It's much more reliable, straightforward and (in my opinion) less confusing than having to figure out the 'smartpoint' value for every single thing.

plus, calorie counting won't cost you a dime!

This. Plus, at least when I had done older versions of WW, it makes you feel guilty for living a normal life because the treat items that you should be able to fit in are SO MANY points. It eats up a higher percentage of points than it would a percentage of calories. I felt way more restricted and you still have to count. YMMV. I know some people do great with it.

WillingtoLose1001984 wrote: »

Meetings and an in person weigh in really help me. I am not a fan of paying 45 a month but the benefits seem to outweigh the cost for me. People on Mfp are very against WW but you need to do you.

Not against WW per se. I've lost weight on their earlier programs. The thing is, I don't have the same income I had before and I can't afford WW. MFP is free. And I lost my weight on their earlier programs. From what I've seen, Freestyle isn't a good fit for me. Granted, I haven't actually tried it, just read the overviews/reviews. But MFP is working for me for free and I get support here and in the groups.

I quite WW after gaining/losing the same half pound for weeks on freestyle. You still have to watch calories and portion size, and if I am going to have to double track I am just gonna do calories.

I eat a lot of the “free” foods. And I would consume 500+ calories at breakfast, but it would only be like 4 points. Same with a salad, like 800+ calories on that.

emmamcgarity wrote: »

Weight Watchers is a good program if you are willing to be restricted by what you eat. But Freestyle still requires counting points instead of calories. If you are truly tired of counting calories their Simply Filling plan might be good for you. In the end it still boils down to calories. But Simply Filling restricts your menu more and allows less tracking.

I personally like the nutrition info provided on myfitnesspal and my budget does not allow a monthly fee for WW. I incorporate many recipes that look interesting to me from WW or low carb sites. I just count calories for them.

I totaly agree, I did weight watchers to many times to count and most of the time it worked for me except for the last couple of program changes they made.
My budget doesn't allow for me to pay for any program either and counting calories to me is better than counting points, because you still have to convert calories to points to count them to much work. And the program of not tracking or counting never worked for me because I need to be held accountable and not counting throws my weight loss and maintenance totally off. Do what works best for you, different things work for different people, based on your needs, lifestyle and eating personality.