a skeptic newbie here...

kcmg0730
kcmg0730 Posts: 96
edited October 2 in Introduce Yourself
Hi everyone!
I've just cancelled my WW online because I didn't feel like it was working for me anymore (have been a WW fan for a long time). I was a bit tired of feeling 'tied' to my points. I thought I would give this a try to see what the difference is, but am trying not to get too excited just yet!

This feels a bit more like normal eating to me, and that appeals... I can eat things that I like within reason. Also, it's nice to see what exercise does from a calorie standpoint...it's pretty cool to see how many calories are left over!

I am hoping it works...any advice or encouragement is definitely appreciated!

Thanks!

Replies

  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Hi everyone!
    I've just cancelled my WW online because I didn't feel like it was working for me anymore (have been a WW fan for a long time). I was a bit tired of feeling 'tied' to my points. I thought I would give this a try to see what the difference is, but am trying not to get too excited just yet!

    This feels a bit more like normal eating to me, and that appeals... I can eat things that I like within reason. Also, it's nice to see what exercise does from a calorie standpoint...it's pretty cool to see how many calories are left over!

    I am hoping it works...any advice or encouragement is definitely appreciated!

    Thanks!

    Are you sure you were doing Weight Watchers? I've been doing WW for years and I eat what I like within reason every day.

    Counting calories and WW are basically exactly the same thing in different packages. This is just cheaper.
  • lilyinlove
    lilyinlove Posts: 441 Member
    Welcome to MFP.
  • pixlamarque
    pixlamarque Posts: 312 Member
    This is the only thing that has ever worked for me (WW, ediets, adkins=zero lost). It truly has been easy so far, but I think most of that has been because I made up my mind to just get it done. It isn't for everyone (my mother-in-law has trouble with getting used to logging everything online), but if you are frequently online it is easy and the message boards are helpful, entertaining, and just make it easy to keep what you are doing in the front of your mind. Simple really does work.
  • Chairless
    Chairless Posts: 583 Member
    You get out what you put in
  • megrrt
    megrrt Posts: 115 Member
    Welcome to MFP...I LOVE it here. The tracking food helps me ...so I can see what I eat. AND how much!
    You will love this site! And its free!!!!

    Good luck on your journey!
    :flowerforyou:
  • edejesus2011
    edejesus2011 Posts: 19
    HI and welcome!

    I have been doing this for about 3 weeks now, and through excercise and motivation, I have been able to lose weight!
    With weight loss, ive realized that it doesn't matter which program you use as long as you are motivated enough to get it done. :)

    I wish you the best of luck.. and feel free to add me if you would like!

    Your fitness pal,
    :wink:
  • Corbo32
    Corbo32 Posts: 4 Member
    Hi!
  • JamieSK
    JamieSK Posts: 266 Member
    Welcome! I think you find this more flexible. I've done WW too with success but this seems so much easier tracking & planning what you eat. It's amazing to see all the items in the ginormous database...and what the calories, fat are in them. Makes you think twice about having certain things.

    Feel free to add me as a friend and good luck with your weight loss goals.
  • kcmg0730
    kcmg0730 Posts: 96
    I've been on and off WW since 2001, so yes, I'm sure. Thing is, my points totals today probably would have been high, and I eat extremely healthily. Since they changed to PP, it's stopped working for me. I lost 6lbs when PP started, and that's all I've managed to lose, even with exercise and eating very little.

    So, this might be pretty much the same thing, but my menu for today would have taken me over my 29 points for sure, and so far, I'm pretty well under my calorie limit for today. I don't know why it worked out that way, but it did!
  • mmildice
    mmildice Posts: 63
    Welcome to MFP!!! This website is awesome. I have been on here for a little of a year now. I have lost 57 pounds and have been able to maintain using this site. I really don't think that i would have been as successful if i had just done it on my own. Good luck on your journey! :)
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    I'll tell you what convinced me to come here (and I am glad I did) was this woman's blog:

    http://finallyfitatforty.blogspot.com/

    She has lost an incredible amount of weight. I was dying to know her secret! What was the magic trick? She used this site. And that was the kick in the butt I needed to come here, buckle down and start doing the work. I love it here and it's free!
  • kcmg0730
    kcmg0730 Posts: 96
    Thanks for all the lovely replies!! I am encouraged that you've all found this so helpful...and hope to be celebrating some pounds lost with you all soon!

    Thanks! xx
  • blue4myeyes
    blue4myeyes Posts: 93 Member
    Welcome! I, myself, was doing Jenny Craig when I started MFP -- so trust me I understand the appeal of eating things you like, rather than being tied to a program.

    My piece of advice is that this website, like anything in life, will give you back what you put into it. I have logged in EVERY day since I started about two months ago and it really HAS become "a pal." I now look forward to logging in, logging my calories/activity, seeing my progress, and watching my weight go down. I also look forward to reading other people's tips and successes, conversing with them regarding new ideas, and feeling a sense that other people *get* it. So try and get involved and log in as often as possible. Log everything you eat and all the activity you enjoy. I bet you will also be addicted in no time! :)

    Best of luck on your journey and in meeting your goals!
  • infamousmk
    infamousmk Posts: 6,033 Member
    I definitely like MFP more than when I did WW in the past. You still have to keep track of what you're eating, and you're still restricted within your calorie allowance, but I think the concept seems so much more reasonable. Calories are calories, we understand how they happen, we know how many to eat ... with WW it was always a mathematical equation to figure out your points. If you had a food with nutrition facts, you'd have to calculate the WW points. Calories are printed right. there.

    Anyway, good luck to you!
  • glenner
    glenner Posts: 160 Member
    I like the flexibility- I can do Atkins or WW or whatever I want- I decide- but also the accountability.If I know I am plugging in my stuff, I am much more accountable. Am I perfect? No- but it took me a long time to get overweight so it won't happen over night. But I am better then I was this time a month ago so that's what counts. Good luck- there is lots of support here!!
  • Lizzy_Sunflower
    Lizzy_Sunflower Posts: 1,510 Member
    Welcome!

    I am sure you will find the support and tools to be a success... you can find a wealth of information here:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23912-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again

    I particularly like the one titled your bodies thoughts on calories

    Good luck on your journey and happy reading!

    :drinker:
  • jlc1243
    jlc1243 Posts: 272 Member
    Long time WW here. I had success on WW, but didn't kept it off.

    I just found myself not being engaged in it any longer. I was bored with the meetings, and the online version didn't keep me motivated--and I was tired of paying for something I was not using. So I'm giving this a go. 8lbs in one month is a good start!

    It's free so that doesn't suck.

    And its not too far off from WW...It just seems much eaiser to grasp calories at a glance...esp. at the store, etc. One tip....Just be cautious and do not forget to log those 0 point foods WW has---they still have calories!!

    And what some others have said--you get out what you put in, so you have to remain postive and work it! Good luck to you!
  • brimir
    brimir Posts: 72
    Best piece of advice, be honest with yourself when you log!
  • lmelangley
    lmelangley Posts: 1,039 Member
    Hi. Feel free to add me as a friend, if you'd like.

    Personally, I've had issues with the concept of a "diet" all my life. First, I'm too lazy to worry about points or to actually look up calories in a book and manually count them. Second, I don't like the thought of restricting myself from something I really want to eat. I found this site last January/February and joined and have found it perfect for me. I eat what I want, when I want. The food lookup is easy - not a chore at all. Being able to set up my foods and recipes has been a huge bonus. I love the fact that the system tells me what a standard portion is, and lets me know if I'm under or over on carbs or protein or calcium, etc.... It's all about accountability - if I want a piece of pie for lunch, I just need to be mindful that I won't have as many calories to eat at dinner unless I exercise more.

    I'm hoping you like the site, and find it as effective as I have.
  • stefraab
    stefraab Posts: 402 Member
    I have been chubby for EVER. I've always thought it was just how I am. I would watch what I eat but gain the weight back. I would work crazy jobs and lose weight but never get into a normal weight range...

    This is literally the only thing that has ever worked for me. the combination of calorie counting and regular exercise. I'm a single-digit pant-size for the first time in my adult life.

    If you stick to it it can def work for you
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    I've been on and off WW since 2001, so yes, I'm sure. Thing is, my points totals today probably would have been high, and I eat extremely healthily. Since they changed to PP, it's stopped working for me. I lost 6lbs when PP started, and that's all I've managed to lose, even with exercise and eating very little.

    So, this might be pretty much the same thing, but my menu for today would have taken me over my 29 points for sure, and so far, I'm pretty well under my calorie limit for today. I don't know why it worked out that way, but it did!

    I get you on the PP thing. It was a bad change. However, if you were losing on the old system, you could have just eaten the same as you were before, right?

    It sounds like it's a mental thing for you.

    What I found when I stopped WW (Momentum) for a while and tried just counting calories was that I couldn't eat what this site assigned me and still lose. I went back to points (Momentum is what I still follow) and it worked fine. I get too many calories on here, especially if I try to eat back most of my exercise calories.

    Just like with WW, you're going to have to tweak your numbers to figure out what works.
  • LJCannon
    LJCannon Posts: 3,636 Member
    :flowerforyou: Hello and Welcome to MFP!!!
  • Kambriasgranny
    Kambriasgranny Posts: 35
    I am also a former WW girl.......After 6 months in WW I had lost 12 pounds and gained 2 back when I wasn't carefully counting my points. I decided to try this and in the past 4 weeks have lost 4 pounds. MFP is such an immediate snapshot of my calories and exercise that I feel much more connected with what my body is actually doing. I also like the way I can track the nutrients that are important to me by customizing my report. I understand that WW is highly successful for many people, but for me, this is really a much more effective way to track everything your body is taking in. Good Luck!
  • becca3211
    becca3211 Posts: 98 Member
    I have learned so much about the food i've been eating and how bad i've been doing on my food selections. i really like this and really use it a lot! Welcome! :happy:
  • kcmg0730
    kcmg0730 Posts: 96
    All of your responses here are so appreciated, and I am impressed with your weight losses to date!

    I think part of what bothered me about WW is that though I did lose weight on the program, I was never really 'taught' to deal with WHY my portions were so big, or why I'd go off the rails and eat everything in sight the day of my weigh ins. I actually quit all dieting and spent a year getting to grips with a lot of my food issues, and now that I feel really good about my food choices, ww just seemed to be too much of a diet, and I'm trying to get away from that, since statistically, real 'diets' just don't work.

    So, even though there is an element of counting here, my diet is really healthy now, and I rarely binge eat. This just seems like a way to monitor my intake, and just cut down a bit on my calories (in that year that I was working through my binge eating habits, I stayed pretty much the same weight, but it's about 20 lbs heavier than I'd like to be), plus get my behind in gear to do some exercise; I am not routine about exercise at all, and I am hoping this might give me a shove in the right direction.

    My main weakness at the moment is wine...I love red wine! I am not working at the moment (I'm going back to university in October), so my red wine consumption is higher than when I am working, and that's going to be the biggest struggle in this next month, I think.

    The other great thing I've already noticed about MFP is the support...I felt ignored on the WW message boards, but everyone here is so welcoming and chatty!! Thanks again for all your responses, and I look forward to getting to know you better!
  • wtbf
    wtbf Posts: 57
    Hi and welcome to MFP. I too did weight watchers both the meetings and online and I was successful on it as long as I tracked my food! So, I figured I could just as easily track my food here and it's free!! So, i've been here since June and those weeks that I am honest with myself and track my food, I do very well, so for me the key is tracking and like a lot of other people have said you get out of MFP what you put in so it's all up to you! Good luck and you will find great support here and a lot of great ideas and motivations for exercising.
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