Macros or Weight Watchers

mwitt07
mwitt07 Posts: 77 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm assuming there are benefits to both of these programs but I'm looking for suggestions. I do go to the gym but usually once once a week but I walk a lot on the treadmill at home. My main goal is to drop the pounds. Should I start with WW first? I would like to lose at least 40 pounds.

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Why not just count calories?
  • mwitt07
    mwitt07 Posts: 77 Member
    Well I signed up for Weight Watchers because I have had success with it before. Now with the new smart points I felt like I was starving because all the foods have much higher points value than the previous plan so I didn't really give it much of a chance. I had my gym's nutritionist work up my macros but I'm not sure if I should give WW more of an effort or just try something different.
  • mwitt07
    mwitt07 Posts: 77 Member
    My husband is currently following LCHF but I can't realistically say I'm going to give up carbs completely.
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
    Calorie deficit.
  • sweetilemon
    sweetilemon Posts: 122 Member
    The thing with weight watchers is its basically counting calories with the emphasis on more nutrional food's. You can do the exact same with MFP. If you have no idea about how to eat a nutritional balanced diet and need someone to weigh you WW might be worth it for you. Personally, I find MFP more flexible to fit in my lifestyle, it gives me exercise cal's, I don't have to pay and I don't have to muster the effort to sit in a dusty cold hall once a week for someone to weigh me (personal experience previously! ). Why not build up your friends list to offer accountability and support and give this a go?
  • tryett
    tryett Posts: 530 Member
    I have done weight watchers a couple times before but not the new program. A couple years ago my Dr suggested a nutritionist instead, my insurance only covered3 visits so I stopped. I thought I needed the accountability of WW or a similar program. This time I decided to just watch my carbs and my calories. I have been doing this for free since the end of March. Well I did invest in a nice set of cookware and I did just have to get new clothes for winter. 30 pounds and two dress sizes. This time has actually lasted longer than all the previous ones.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    I did ok with Points Plus but Smart Points seem like they'd be super restrictive. Just count your calories here and give it a try. Bonus points for free.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    The good thing (well, there are many good things, but listen) about calorie counting, is that you can eat whatever way you like. As long as you have a calorie deficit, you'll lose weight. You can set that deficit to anything you like. If you want fast results, you need to be very strict and eat much less than you normally eat (the amount of food/calories that lets you maintain weight) - if you pick a less aggressive goal, you will lose more slowly, but as you won't be hungry, your chances of success is bigger.

    You don't have to exercise if you don't want to, you don't have to eat in a special way. You don't need particular macros to lose weight. You don't have to pay for anything else than the food you choose to eat and exercise equipment you choose to buy. You may need to eat in a certain way to make it EASIER to stick to your calorie deficit (eating less than you burn), but you will lose weight as long as you are consistently eating less than you burn.
  • jenmsu83
    jenmsu83 Posts: 185 Member
    I originally lost weight with Weight Watchers (2011-2012) with the Flex Points/PointsPlus program and I liked it at first but ended up getting burnt out and tried calorie counting with MFP to lose the rest (10 pounds) and maintain. Calorie counting is much more sustainable for me, and it just makes more sense than "points" do...to me anyway. I heard the Smart Points program is not very sustainable for a lot of people....sounds like items with carbs and sugars went wayyyyyy up in points.
  • raymax4
    raymax4 Posts: 6,070 Member
    mwitt07 wrote: »
    I'm assuming there are benefits to both of these programs but I'm looking for suggestions. I do go to the gym but usually once once a week but I walk a lot on the treadmill at home. My main goal is to drop the pounds. Should I start with WW first? I would like to lose at least 40 pounds.

    Weight watchers does not tell you how much protein you are getting. I have found that hitting my protein goal has helped me the most. Logging here doesn't take any longer than weight watchers. You don't have to pay or go anywhere to do this. There is a community here that you can access at your convenience.
    That is just my thoughts.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,330 Member
    Why not just set your goals here (ideally 1 pound per week for most people) and eat the calorie goal the Myfitnesspal gives you? Macros is just complicating the situation to start, and frankly, it is still counting calories just trying to proportion those calories between Carbs, Protein, and Fat. Unless you have a disease that requires that, the really important number is calories.
  • katie2400
    katie2400 Posts: 78 Member
    I'd say macros. It's sorta along the same principles... but it's free. and you can adjust your macros as you go along to suit your needs better. :)
  • ryount
    ryount Posts: 7 Member
    Macros (and LCHF) for health, low calorie for weight loss.
    I've been grain-free since 2014 (major improvement in health (T2 diabetes, gum recession, and joint pain/flexibility) and keto since 2015.
    But it is very easy to eat too many calories on keto,
    and so after an initial 50-lb loss, I've settled in at the mid 230s. My son got me to join WWs, and I lost 20 lbs in a month, and then stopped and slowly re-gained it,
    but the problem is that Weight Watchers and Keto are at opposite ends of the macro spectrum
    (on WW, fat burns many points and non-starchy carbs are "free").
    The only benefit I gained from WW was that the smart points drastically cut calories.
    Most frustrating is that prescribed high-cost fish oil was costing me 25% of my points every day.
    Throw in a Bullet Proof coffee and bacon and eggs and I was done for the day, As others have said, I was getting 1000-1200 calories -- and just enough carbs to make me hungry.
    I started posting on WW today to see if I could re-do my amazing weight loss in April, but reading many comments here causes me to see the tension between grain-free keto and the WW philosophy as unnecessary.

    So I'm with others who've said: count calories and create deficits. I'll spend my calories on high natural fats because that's where I have found health, well-being, and weight loss with calorie deficits.

    One last word. My daughter basically has my body with all its macro quirks. She also went to WW, and even got a personal coach to help her navigate a keto path in WW. After 6 weeks, her coach admitted that WW isn't for everyone. So she's back to keto alone.

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