Weight watchers

boxer490 · November 2018

Anyone doing weight watchers and using MFP along with the WW ap? I entered all my food today in WW and it was 27 points (4 over my daily allowance) and then entered all the food into MFP and it was only 1002 calories! I came up shy in all my macros (I have it set at 30-40-30) No wonder I over eat my points and still feel hungry.

seska422 · November 2018

MFP uses the non-proprietary food properties of calories and macros. That information used to be harder to determine before modern food labeling rules.

Weight Watchers started as an easy way to estimate calories and macro balance. Over time, they've moved to steering people toward certain foods by having fewer points (or no points) for the foods that WW want you to eat. There's a disproportionate point penalty for eating other foods. That's why, using WW, you can be over points/under calories or under points/over calories.

It sounds like your way of eating doesn't align very well with the types of foods that WW wants you to eat. If you like the WW in-person support, there's nothing wrong with using both WW and MFP. You might either work to shift your way of eating towards those WW preferred foods to shave off your points and get you to a better calorie/points ratio or craft a workable eating plan in MFP and just use WW for meetings.

Its_Haleeyyy · November 2018

I had WW for a little but and it didn't work for me. It would give you a crazy amount of points for snacks/meals that weren't even that high in calories because it's not considered "healthy." If you can eat really clean WW works wonders but if you like snacks and such MFP is easier

boxer490 · November 2018

I eat very clean and a lot of the zero point foods. I eat 3 square meals a day and includes veggies. I also eat healthy fats which cost points. I try to eat a bit of carbs at lunch time but eat veggies and protein with healthy fats for dinner. Not sure how that doesn’t align with WW?

I do know that some days I eat less carbs and some days I eat a bit more. Today when I entered all my food into the WW app it was 27 points and in MFP it was 1002 calories.

I was just curious to see what others have noticed when they checked their points into MFP to see the calories.

seska422 · November 2018

boxer490 wrote: »

Not sure how that doesn’t align with WW?

Aligning with WW would be if your point allowance put you at a reasonable calorie deficit. If you are low on calories but high on points, you'd want to eat fewer high-point foods and more low/no point foods. You'd need to experiment to find a workable combo between calories, points, and satiation.

My understanding is that WW dings you on fats, whether they are considered healthy or not.

"Clean" eating has various definitions. WW doesn't necessarily aim for "clean" foods. In addition to that, their proprietary goals are subject to change every year or two.

canuck_OHS · November 2018

I have been a ww member for two years. First year was on Beyond the Scale. I lost weight consistently all year. Then came Freestyle. I have struggled all year plateaued, and now actually gaining. I have tried to stick to their “plan”. Gagging down foods I can’t stand. I find myself often reaching into the cupboard to free hand eat crackers etc. I truly think freestyle is too restrictive. Anyways. I am tired of the scale going up. I need to re-evaluate if going to ww meetings is actually worth $60 a month as it seems I may never reach goal. I truly love the interaction and the group and I am terrified if I leave I’ll gain everything back (not just the 8 I already have). So my decision is to track on here . I need to see the actual breakdown of what I am eating. And feel free to eat whatever I want not just their stupid “free” foods that lets face it aren’t really free and not everyone enjoys!!!

cindimk · November 2018

Each Weight Watchers point is worth 50 calories. I do not log "zero point foods" on MFP. When I was doing WW I took the average number of points I was allowed daily and translated that (x 50) into the number of calories I can eat per day on MFP. As I lose more or if I start gaining weight I will lower the calorie allowance on here. It seems to be working so far and I don't have to log every little thing so I feel a little freedom.

rsj7799 · November 2018

seska422 wrote: »

boxer490 wrote: »

Not sure how that doesn’t align with WW?

Aligning with WW would be if your point allowance put you at a reasonable calorie deficit. If you are low on calories but high on points, you'd want to eat fewer high-point foods and more low/no point foods. You'd need to experiment to find a workable combo between calories, points, and satiation.

My understanding is that WW dings you on fats, whether they are considered healthy or not.

"Clean" eating has various definitions. WW doesn't necessarily aim for "clean" foods. In addition to that, their proprietary goals are subject to change every year or two.

The current system only increases point values for sugar and saturated fat, not fat in general (although a previous version of the plan did). The point cost decreases for protein.

banana47 · November 2018

Anyone on the new CSIRO Plan?

Mugs203 · November 2018

I made lifetime on Smart Points and then gained half of my weight back - can't get a grip on Freestyle. I did the same thing as you - I am severely under-eating on Freestyle

katrinamiller7357 · December 2018

I love WW Freestyle. Made goal so get to keep the app now for FREE as long as I’m not more than 2 pounds over goal. I find it reasonable. Will start MFP now to see calorie count. I eat a ton of zero point foods! I love plants, fruit, fish, chicken, eggs, plain yogurt... I could eat just zero foods! So I have to be careful as even zero point foods have calories. I’m at goal (and finally in a healthy weight range) but to be honest I would love to lose 15 more pounds for vanity reasons! I’ve plateaued at goal but probably from complacency!

KG_1988 · December 2018

Calorie reduction diets are a joke and don’t work.

glassyo · December 2018

KG_1988 wrote: »

Calorie reduction diets are a joke and don’t work.

In essence, calorie reduction is the ONLY thing that works. It's how you get there that's the difference.

KG_1988 · December 2018

glassyo wrote: »

KG_1988 wrote: »

Calorie reduction diets are a joke and don’t work.

In essence, calorie reduction is the ONLY thing that works. It's how you get there that's the difference.

Yeah, and you aren’t getting there with weight watchers, or any other diet that focuses solely on calories in calories out, that’s for sure.

glassyo · December 2018

KG_1988 wrote: »

glassyo wrote: »

KG_1988 wrote: »

Calorie reduction diets are a joke and don’t work.

In essence, calorie reduction is the ONLY thing that works. It's how you get there that's the difference.

Yeah, and you aren’t getting there with weight watchers, or any other diet that focuses solely on calories in calories out, that’s for sure.

Actually, I lost 90 lbs on weight watchers (counting points) and the last 30 by logging my calories.

KG_1988 · December 2018

Great
Have fun maintaining

xcc670 · December 2018

I tried my very, very best on WW for one year. I lost a few, but when my life got extra busy and I couldn't focus 100 percent on my food or I had to eat restaurant meals, I gained it all back. I've been eating clean for decades. I think MFP and a keto type of meal plan will work better for me.

estherdragonbat · December 2018

KG_1988 wrote: »

glassyo wrote: »

KG_1988 wrote: »

Calorie reduction diets are a joke and don’t work.

In essence, calorie reduction is the ONLY thing that works. It's how you get there that's the difference.

Yeah, and you aren’t getting there with weight watchers, or any other diet that focuses solely on calories in calories out, that’s for sure.

I beg to differ:

Aug 31 2016:

Mid-Aug 2017:

Sept 1 2018:

Just by reducing calories and moving around more.

(With apologies to the late Margaret Mead:

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens calorie reduction diet can change the world achieve weight loss; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.)

glassyo · December 2018

KG_1988 wrote: »

Great
Have fun maintaining

I am. I've lost all the weight I needed to lose.

whatalazyidiot · December 2018

I did the same thing. I tried weight watchers for a couple weeks but I was starving the entire time. I logged all my food here and it was an average of like 950 calories a day.

kimny72 · December 2018

boxer490 wrote: »

Anyone doing weight watchers and using MFP along with the WW ap? I entered all my food today in WW and it was 27 points (4 over my daily allowance) and then entered all the food into MFP and it was only 1002 calories! I came up shy in all my macros (I have it set at 30-40-30) No wonder I over eat my points and still feel hungry.

I know several people who found they were undereating on WW because some of their staple foods were for some reason higher in points than the calories would seem to suggest. I know others who found they were overeating and not losing weight because they were eating more 0 points foods than I guess WW expects you to. It seems to me the point system with Freestyle is problematic for a lot of people. Older systems seemed to work better for more folks!

Weight watchers

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