WW and MFP

blackkitty73
blackkitty73 Posts: 29 Member
edited October 2019 in Getting Started
I’m currently doing WW but after 5 months and only losing 11kg I’m feeling a little jaded. I’ve started putting in my food into MFP instead of counting points. Discovered I was eating 1800 calories approx with WW free food a major culprit. So I’ve decided to ensure I’m only eating about 1200 calories a day and I’m feeling like there are results already. Is anyone else doing both WW and MFP or dropped WW in favour. I haven’t cancelled WW yet as I’m trialling MFP for a month first as a comparison.

Replies

  • MySlimGoals
    MySlimGoals Posts: 750 Member
    I did WW back in the mid-2000's and had a lot of success with it. They did not have free foods when I started. I left shortly after they introduced it as in the months following free foods all the people who had been doing well started plateauing or gaining. There were lots of complaints except from the new members who knew no different.

    I think MFP is definitely superior these days. Back then it didn't exist.
  • misclaire81
    misclaire81 Posts: 33 Member
    11kg is amazing! Be proud amd own it! That's a healthy and sustainable 0.5kg a week on average. I never liked WW, I prefer managing my self and being accountable to me. The idea of having to explin myself just annoyed me.
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
    If you lost 11 kilos in 5 months then dropping an additional 600 calories a day will have you undereating and losing at least 1 kg a week which is too much for healthy, sustainable weight loss. It will result in extra lean muscle mass loss, brittle nails, hair falling out, and less chance of long term success because it increases the risk of a binge/restrict cycle.

    I'd ditch WW personally because I am of the motto of why pay for something when you can get the equivalent or better for free. In saying that, some people around here do both because they like the weekly meetings and accountability that WW offers. With setting goals here aim for 1/2 kg or 1 pound a week loss as this is a much healthier and sustainable rate of loss.
  • blackkitty73
    blackkitty73 Posts: 29 Member
    I need to lose and additional 35-40kg (78-88 pounds) to be in my healthy weight range for my height. So a long way off. I’m currently 95.3kg (210 pounds). I had a lap band in 2010 where I was only eating 600-800 calories a day due to restriction and lost max 40kg (88 pounds) but five years later and due to lap band failure I gained most of it back (I took multivitamins every day). I started tracking all my foods including free foods from WW and found I was eating 1500-1800 calories and higher amounts of sugars. Most of the 8kg loss occurred in first couple of months but it’s taken 3 months to lose 3kg ups and downs and stalled. Hence why I’m a little jaded. I like going to the meetings and accountability though but think MFP May be a cheaper option even if I paid the yearly fee. WW is releasing new options programs Monday because their current Freestyle program with lots of free foods has been unpopular so I’m kind of keeping track using both at the moment and using MFP has tightened up my eating habits. I’ve cut down on their free foods and that seems to be helping.

    The doctor put me on Optifast before I joined WW and I hated every minute of it.

    I do eat slightly more than 1200 calories it wavers between 1200 and 1400. I’ve also decided to do 12 hour fast. Another words my last meal of the day is between 6-7pm and I eat breakfast after 7am in the morning. Which I often do naturally anyway but it’s to ensure I don’t sleep on a large meal.

    I eat pretty healthy as I cook and prepare food and rarely eat a lot of processed food.

    Thanks everyone for your feedback.
  • bethjl96
    bethjl96 Posts: 18 Member
    I am also considering ditching WW....it has worked for me in the past but lately the scale just has not moved. I’m only on my second day and have already lost 1 pound....I was so happy to see the scale move!
    The other thing that bothers me about ww is that I think their “healthy range” is unrealistic. The last time I was within range it was very hard to maintain.
  • blackkitty73
    blackkitty73 Posts: 29 Member
    I’ve now changed my calories to 1350/ day on MFP. I don’t lose weight with anything over 1500. As I have Hashimotos thyroid disorder it’s quite difficult, even with the medication, to lose weight.

    In Australia we have now all the new WW plans. My weight loss stalled and kept hovering at the same point. I’ve changed to green plan which has less ‘free’ foods (I still don’t think bananas should be a free food). This seems a much better accountability option and portion control.

    Interestingly since I track on both WW smart points green plan and MFP they both come up as around 1200 calories. Less if I didn’t eat the ‘free’ foods on WW. But I can overdo the sugars if I stuck to WW on its own, as I’ve found too many fruits and carbs can increase it.
  • procolorer
    procolorer Posts: 326 Member
    I did WW earlier this year. And I did lose like 50lbs in 4 months but I found it unsustainable in the long run. It promotes some healthy options but also promotes lots of fat free stuff that I didn’t enjoy.

    So I’m back to MFP too!
  • frksfrau
    frksfrau Posts: 108 Member
    I’ve done WW over the years with differing success. The last time, I lost 58lbs. But then I was up and down and couldn’t get to goal. So I stopped. I gained some back but now I started with MFP and hope to lose 20 by June.

    The logging of food is what I need. I do miss the feeling of community but I don’t missing paying.

    Please feel free to add me as a friend.
  • jrochest
    jrochest Posts: 119 Member
    I'm a former WWer starting MFP again -- lost 55 pounds (from 206-150) in 2018, but stopped keeping track and have gained 20 back. So gearing up and getting back on the horse.

    I'll never do WW again, though. It's expensive, and Freestyle manages to be simultaneously too restrictive and not informative enough; it's just too easy to eat 2000 calories of 'free' food, and the points values of sugars/carbs are completely unplugged from their calorie count. I reached Lifetime back in the early 2000s, but the programs stopped working for me as soon as they increased their 'free foods' list.
  • sharon9028
    sharon9028 Posts: 1 Member
    edited November 2019
    Hi. I am a returner also, this time doing it with hubby because he needs to lose about 3 stone for his health. I am ex WW, lost 85 lbs with them in 2010, gained a bit as I found maintenance on that plan difficult in real life. Agree with the WW comments on here, that free food is a killer on the scales! I am wanting to lose a stone or so to keep in trim, so here goes for us both!
  • nurees
    nurees Posts: 23 Member
    I cancelled my WW yesterday. Frankly I can’t afford it right now. I actually found I was eating too few calories trying not to gorge on the free foods trying to stay under points.