Counting Calories Vs Counting WW Points
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DonnasJourney0805
Posts: 75 Member
Which do you find most easiest... for sure I believe counting calories Is the most accountable.. Switching once and for all..
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Replies
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I did weight watchers years ago and lost 65 pounds. I didn’t regain any weight until I got pregnant. I decided to try mfp since it’s free and i honestly find it much easier than calculating and tracking points7
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Nbaker0909 wrote: »I did weight watchers years ago and lost 65 pounds. I didn’t regain any weight until I got pregnant. I decided to try mfp since it’s free and i honestly find it much easier than calculating and tracking points
I think I do too.. I still eat WW style... But I feel more accountable to calories. Counting everything..and no free food..5 -
I lost about 30 pounds on WW several years ago. Back then, it was the points plus program where 99% of the time, 1 point=40 calories. It took me awhile to figure that out. Before WW, I'd tried MFP several times and never stuck with it for more than a month or two. It took me forever to figure out that the difference with WW was that when I was heavier/starting out, they gave me a lot more points. On MFP I was always choosing "lose 2 pounds a week" and getting stuck with 1200 calories. WW allowed me to eat a lot more, and thus it was much easier to stick to. As I got thinner, I started really struggling on WW too. That's because at that point I was given the minimum number of points and was back to eating really low calories every day. Now that I understand all of this, I've found success with MFP setting my goal to lose only 1 pound per week, so I get a lot more calories and I don't feel like I'm white knuckling it.
I don't think the current WW system would work for me AT ALL. I understand that they're trying to push you to eat healthier foods, but I need to eat a mix of healthier things and treats every day to stay on track. The idea of "punishing" you for eating something like a small candy bar that easily fits into your calorie day makes no sense to me. That sets people up to fail and get into a cycle where they just say "I've already ruined it, might as well eat whatever I want today and get back on track tomorrow." That cycle was one of the biggest reasons I gained weight in the first place and it took me a really long time to break out of the black and white thinking. Although I do much better now, those thoughts still creep in sometimes.
It also just seems very imprecise with so many foods being "free" now (back on points plus, only fruits and veggies were "free"). I'd rather just know exactly how many calories I'm eating than try to guess at what is a good balance of "free" and "point" foods and hope for the best. I've also heard they no longer allow you to earn points for exercise/eat back any exercise calories- not totally sure if that's true because I haven't looked into it myself, but if so that's really setting a lot of people up for under eating and then falling off the wagon because they feel so deprived.21 -
Weight watchers is designed for repeat custom so it's not comparable to me. Counting calories and learning how to eat in a sustainable way is the only way for me to both lose the weight AND keep it off.13
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swimmchick87 wrote: »I lost about 30 pounds on WW several years ago. Back then, it was the points plus program where 99% of the time, 1 point=40 calories. It took me awhile to figure that out. Before WW, I'd tried MFP several times and never stuck with it for more than a month or two. It took me forever to figure out that the difference with WW was that when I was heavier/starting out, they gave me a lot more points. On MFP I was always choosing "lose 2 pounds a week" and getting stuck with 1200 calories. WW allowed me to eat a lot more, and thus it was much easier to stick to. As I got thinner, I started really struggling on WW too. That's because at that point I was given the minimum number of points and was back to eating really low calories every day. Now that I understand all of this, I've found success with MFP setting my goal to lose only 1 pound per week, so I get a lot more calories and I don't feel like I'm white knuckling it.
I don't think the current WW system would work for me AT ALL. I understand that they're trying to push you to eat healthier foods, but I need to eat a mix of healthier things and treats every day to stay on track. The idea of "punishing" you for eating something like a small candy bar that easily fits into your calorie day makes no sense to me. That sets people up to fail and get into a cycle where they just say "I've already ruined it, might as well eat whatever I want today and get back on track tomorrow." That cycle was one of the biggest reasons I gained weight in the first place and it took me a really long time to break out of the black and white thinking. Although I do much better now, those thoughts still creep in sometimes.
It also just seems very imprecise with so many foods being "free" now (back on points plus, only fruits and veggies were "free"). I'd rather just know exactly how many calories I'm eating than try to guess at what is a good balance of "free" and "point" foods and hope for the best. I've also heard they no longer allow you to earn points for exercise/eat back any exercise calories- not totally sure if that's true because I haven't looked into it myself, but if so that's really setting a lot of people up for under eating and then falling off the wagon because they feel so deprived.
That is exactly why I'm not doing it anymore. I was blowing through my points and only having like 1000 calories. They make you feel like your doing something wrong by eating half a avacado and making it 5 points... So you choose not to eat them. Then feel irritation..lol9 -
scarlett_k wrote: »Weight watchers is designed for repeat custom so it's not comparable to me. Counting calories and learning how to eat in a sustainable way is the only way for me to both lose the weight AND keep it off.
I'm finding that to be so true for me too..❣️2 -
I think it depends on the person. I like MFP and it works for me. My best friend lost 82 pounds on WW and has been successfully in maintenance for a year. Just do what works for you.4
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debrakgoogins wrote: »I think it depends on the person. I like MFP and it works for me. My best friend lost 82 pounds on WW and has been successfully in maintenance for a year. Just do what works for you.
That's exactly right.. I do love it.. But at this point of the last 15 lbs to go.. It's become difficult for me.. It has definitely helped a lot of people from better eating habits though.. That's great for your friend..0 -
I've had a quick look, and on all three colours, you can have unlimited grapefruit, grapes and strawberries. I love those.
A punnet of grapes is 330 calories. A punnet of strawberries is 120 calories. A fresh grapefruit is 126 calories, but a tin of grapefruit is 174 calories. Let's use the fresh calories for argument's sake. That's 576 calories.
With the blue and purple plans, you can also have unlimited eggs. I'll quite happily eat scrambled eggs without adding anything to the pan - just pure, scrambled eggs. No butter, no oil, no milk... just eggs. A large egg is about 90 calories. A three-egg scramble is 270 calories.
Add up my egg and fruit binge and you get to 846 calories.
If the lowest WW plan came to 1,200 calories - and that's a guess - add on 846 calories of free foods and you get to over 2,000 calories. I don't always burn over 2,000 calories a day. I would actually gain weight.
The trouble with any plan with unlimited free foods is that anyone who has put on signifiant amounts of weight probably really likes food, and will exploit any loophole to get more food if they think they can get away with it. Eating free foods doesn't teach you to be accountable to yourself, or to learn portion control.
It wouldn't work for me, that's for sure. I do know some people who have been very successful on WW (and kept the weight off) but this just wouldn't work for me. I love my food too much.11 -
thelastnightingale wrote: »I've had a quick look, and on all three colours, you can have unlimited grapefruit, grapes and strawberries. I love those.
A punnet of grapes is 330 calories. A punnet of strawberries is 120 calories. A fresh grapefruit is 126 calories, but a tin of grapefruit is 174 calories. Let's use the fresh calories for argument's sake. That's 576 calories.
With the blue and purple plans, you can also have unlimited eggs. I'll quite happily eat scrambled eggs without adding anything to the pan - just pure, scrambled eggs. No butter, no oil, no milk... just eggs. A large egg is about 90 calories. A three-egg scramble is 270 calories.
Add up my egg and fruit binge and you get to 846 calories.
If the lowest WW plan came to 1,200 calories - and that's a guess - add on 846 calories of free foods and you get to over 2,000 calories. I don't always burn over 2,000 calories a day. I would actually gain weight.
The trouble with any plan with unlimited free foods is that anyone who has put on signifiant amounts of weight probably really likes food, and will exploit any loophole to get more food if they think they can get away with it. Eating free foods doesn't teach you to be accountable to yourself, or to learn portion control.
It wouldn't work for me, that's for sure. I do know some people who have been very successful on WW (and kept the weight off) but this just wouldn't work for me. I love my food too much.
You are exactly right... That messes up aloof people in the long run. I always thought they should make one Serving free and then you have to count it if you eat more...5 -
There's a reason WW officially discourages the use of the term "free" foods.
But honestly, the problem isn't just with 0 point foods.
If I can have an extra 23 grams of something without spending an extra point, I will.
If I can have two servings of something and the points go from 2 points for one to 3 points for 2, I'm going to have the second serving.
Those calories add up fast and that's where my biggest problem is with WW.7 -
lissakristinej wrote: »There's a reason WW officially discourages the use of the term "free" foods.
But honestly, the problem isn't just with 0 point foods.
If I can have an extra 23 grams of something without spending an extra point, I will.
If I can have two servings of something and the points go from 2 points for one to 3 points for 2, I'm going to have the second serving.
Those calories add up fast and that's where my biggest problem is with WW.
I get that totally... I need the accountability of counting calories.. In this part of my journey..0 -
Without calorie deficit (eating fewer calories than one uses) there will be no weight loss. Counting points, avoiding certain foods, etc. may work, but it's the calorie deficit that causes the weight loss. Being simple-minded I have to keep processes basic, and counting calories is about as basic as it can get.Eat Less
Eat Better
Move More6 -
I only very very briefly looked into doing WW years ago and to me it just felt like more complicated calorie counting. The whole point system just seemed more complicated than counting calories so I passed on WW. If it works for someone that’s great though.7
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thelastnightingale wrote: »I've had a quick look, and on all three colours, you can have unlimited grapefruit, grapes and strawberries. I love those.
A punnet of grapes is 330 calories. A punnet of strawberries is 120 calories. A fresh grapefruit is 126 calories, but a tin of grapefruit is 174 calories. Let's use the fresh calories for argument's sake. That's 576 calories.
With the blue and purple plans, you can also have unlimited eggs. I'll quite happily eat scrambled eggs without adding anything to the pan - just pure, scrambled eggs. No butter, no oil, no milk... just eggs. A large egg is about 90 calories. A three-egg scramble is 270 calories.
Add up my egg and fruit binge and you get to 846 calories.
If the lowest WW plan came to 1,200 calories - and that's a guess - add on 846 calories of free foods and you get to over 2,000 calories. I don't always burn over 2,000 calories a day. I would actually gain weight.
The trouble with any plan with unlimited free foods is that anyone who has put on signifiant amounts of weight probably really likes food, and will exploit any loophole to get more food if they think they can get away with it. Eating free foods doesn't teach you to be accountable to yourself, or to learn portion control.
It wouldn't work for me, that's for sure. I do know some people who have been very successful on WW (and kept the weight off) but this just wouldn't work for me. I love my food too much.
QFT!2 -
mullanphylane wrote: »Without calorie deficit (eating fewer calories than one uses) there will be no weight loss. Counting points, avoiding certain foods, etc. may work, but it's the calorie deficit that causes the weight loss. Being simple-minded I have to keep processes basic, and counting calories is about as basic as it can get.Eat Less
Eat Better
Move More
Totally agree.. ❣️0 -
I guess my experience with WW was different. I was on WW reached goal and maintained for 7 years. It wasn't just the plan. A big part of it was the community. It started out as a group of friends getting together and sharing. I loved it and knew I could also get by on those days that I just wanted to eat by eating the zero point foods. Ate lots of fruits and vegetables but had my treats too. I was really sad when the plan was changed so that I was losing weight. I seem to need carbs so the number of points I needed to eat was very high to get the calories that I needed. It just didn't make sense anymore. Fortunately I found MFP. I've been here a couple of years now - maintaining!3
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I guess my experience with WW was different. I was on WW reached goal and maintained for 7 years. It wasn't just the plan. A big part of it was the community. It started out as a group of friends getting together and sharing. I loved it and knew I could also get by on those days that I just wanted to eat by eating the zero point foods. Ate lots of fruits and vegetables but had my treats too. I was really sad when the plan was changed so that I was losing weight. I seem to need carbs so the number of points I needed to eat was very high to get the calories that I needed. It just didn't make sense anymore. Fortunately I found MFP. I've been here a couple of years now - maintaining!
I totally get the community part.. It has a large support system which I loved too.. I know there are some different apps now that offer the old points plus plan again. And it does definitely work for a lot of people..1 -
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Shortgirlrunning wrote: »I only very very briefly looked into doing WW years ago and to me it just felt like more complicated calorie counting. The whole point system just seemed more complicated than counting calories so I passed on WW. If it works for someone that’s great though.
Slimming world is similar, a friend of mine is going through that and was hyping it up. I asked how the points system worked (I think it’s syns with SW) and it seemed like a massively overly convoluted system which once boiled down was low calories low syns and vice versa. I just thought calories are so much simpler, weigh your food, tally the calories and you’re done, plus it means you can eat whatever you like, so long as it fits in with your goals, without being made to feel overly guilty.
One thing I will say which is good about WW and SW is the community spirit. Regular face to face meetings (less so now with covid) and weighings help keep you accountable and in contact with people in the same boat.
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