Decided to join WW
Ann262
Posts: 265 Member
I decided to join WW because just counting calories in and out wasn't doing it. I know I was going over in calories some days but I was just darn hungry. Will power just doesn't work for me. If I think about it, hunger is supposed to be very uncomfortable and we are hard wired to correct that sensation. If that weren't so, humans would not have survived.
WW gives me a way to lean into foods that nourish me and that I can eat in unlimited quantities. It is just that they are the types of foods that are generally low in fat and calories and are foods that I won't binge on. Poultry, eggs, seafood, fruits and veggies. It leaves me with enough room to have an occasional treat.
The big thing is, I am not walking around hungry trying to talk myself out of eating something. I am not feeling like a failure because I didn't have the strength to tough out hunger pangs.
I lost 4.6 pounds the first week. Without trying to willpower my way through a day.
I am not trying to sell WW. I hate to sell anything. While my calories in have been less than calories out this week, what I choose to eat DOES MATTER. I have to make the right choices so that I don't find myself in a place where I am hungry and trying to tough out hunger pangs. I will lose that battle every time and it just doesn't work for me.
I will continue to log on MFP, at least for awhile. For now, it is interesting to me to see what 16 points per day translates to in terms calories and macros.
WW gives me a way to lean into foods that nourish me and that I can eat in unlimited quantities. It is just that they are the types of foods that are generally low in fat and calories and are foods that I won't binge on. Poultry, eggs, seafood, fruits and veggies. It leaves me with enough room to have an occasional treat.
The big thing is, I am not walking around hungry trying to talk myself out of eating something. I am not feeling like a failure because I didn't have the strength to tough out hunger pangs.
I lost 4.6 pounds the first week. Without trying to willpower my way through a day.
I am not trying to sell WW. I hate to sell anything. While my calories in have been less than calories out this week, what I choose to eat DOES MATTER. I have to make the right choices so that I don't find myself in a place where I am hungry and trying to tough out hunger pangs. I will lose that battle every time and it just doesn't work for me.
I will continue to log on MFP, at least for awhile. For now, it is interesting to me to see what 16 points per day translates to in terms calories and macros.
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Replies
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I decided to join WW because just counting calories in and out wasn't doing it. I know I was going over in calories some days but I was just darn hungry. Will power just doesn't work for me. If I think about it, hunger is supposed to be very uncomfortable and we are hard wired to correct that sensation. If that weren't so, humans would not have survived.
WW gives me a way to lean into foods that nourish me and that I can eat in unlimited quantities. It is just that they are the types of foods that are generally low in fat and calories and are foods that I won't binge on. Poultry, eggs, seafood, fruits and veggies. It leaves me with enough room to have an occasional treat.
The big thing is, I am not walking around hungry trying to talk myself out of eating something. I am not feeling like a failure because I didn't have the strength to tough out hunger pangs.
I lost 4.6 pounds the first week. Without trying to willpower my way through a day.
I am not trying to sell WW. I hate to sell anything. While my calories in have been less than calories out this week, what I choose to eat DOES MATTER. I have to make the right choices so that I don't find myself in a place where I am hungry and trying to tough out hunger pangs. I will lose that battle every time and it just doesn't work for me.
I will continue to log on MFP, at least for awhile. For now, it is interesting to me to see what 16 points per day translates to in terms calories and macros.
Yeah I get you. I don’t enjoy counting every single calorie either. I’ve stopped taking the food scale out for every thing. The food that I eat matters as well. If I eat a croissant for breakfast and it’s only 200-300 calories then I will crash later on because my blood sugars will be all over the place and I’ll get so tired. On the other hand I can eat a 600 calorie breakfast with eggs, vegetables and a slice of sourdough bread and I’ll feel much better! Too much sugar makes me tired and depressed. I’m trying to find a middle ground of knowing roughly how many calories I’m eating and focusing more on the type of food as well. Also whole foods get absorbed LESS than processed foods like candy. There’s even a scientific study about this. It’s a small difference but I believe that it adds up over time. Another study showed that the type of gut bacteria can determine how many calories you absorb! Some people absorb up to 150-200 calories more just by having a poor gut micro biome.4 -
Meh---I think you should do what works. Not everyone finds that calorie counting works. In the end it's more or less the same, just a different mind game. Good luck.16
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Food choice absolutely matters for satiation and nutrition - for being able to happily and healthfully stick to a sensible calorie level to lose weight, reach goal, stay there.
If WW helps you do that, that's great!14 -
Why not? Go for it.
For me it would not work as I mostly eat from the 'free food' list and would then spend the points on crisps etc on top of it.
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WW core plan (sounds like what you're talking about with free foods and then you had points for the week) is the only "diet" I ever tried. Unfortunately it triggered disordered eating in me due to what I can only assume was eating too little and then that just turned into a perpetual binge and restrict cycle, so I stopped after 3 months. The guilt from doing it "wrong" was consuming me. Definitely not something I'd ever recommend for anyone who wants to make a life long change in their eating habits but of course everyone's different. Looking back on it, I couldn't imagine myself eating that way forever anyway even if it hadn't caused me problems.8
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Good luck, hope you find something that works.1
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I decided to join WW because just counting calories in and out wasn't doing it. I know I was going over in calories some days but I was just darn hungry. Will power just doesn't work for me. If I think about it, hunger is supposed to be very uncomfortable and we are hard wired to correct that sensation. If that weren't so, humans would not have survived.
WW gives me a way to lean into foods that nourish me and that I can eat in unlimited quantities. It is just that they are the types of foods that are generally low in fat and calories and are foods that I won't binge on. Poultry, eggs, seafood, fruits and veggies. It leaves me with enough room to have an occasional treat.
The big thing is, I am not walking around hungry trying to talk myself out of eating something. I am not feeling like a failure because I didn't have the strength to tough out hunger pangs.
I lost 4.6 pounds the first week. Without trying to willpower my way through a day.
I am not trying to sell WW. I hate to sell anything. While my calories in have been less than calories out this week, what I choose to eat DOES MATTER. I have to make the right choices so that I don't find myself in a place where I am hungry and trying to tough out hunger pangs. I will lose that battle every time and it just doesn't work for me.
I will continue to log on MFP, at least for awhile. For now, it is interesting to me to see what 16 points per day translates to in terms calories and macros.
I think it’s fantastic you’ve found something that is working for you!
Curious though, if you’ve been under your calories this week on WW, what is different than what you were doing before WW that had you so hungry and eating over? If it’s just a matter of choosing different foods, couldn’t you have done that without WW?16 -
I have to admit, group things are not my thing and having "free foods" seems counterintuitive to everything I know about weight and food management. I also see no reason to pay for something I'm capable of doing on my own.
I hope it continues to work for you.11 -
If it works for you that's great. I found WW to be all about restricting carbs and fats which made it hard to have a source of energy. I was on the green plan though where you have to point everything. If you're on one of the others it seems possible to have more calories, but if you don't track it calorie wise and you're short or old or have not much to lose I imagine it would be frustration to be sort of shooting in the dark with weight loss so to speak.
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I've tried WW. It's like the opposite of MFP. On WW you focus on points. On MFP you focus more on nutrients. WW taught me how important those 0 point foods are: boneless chicken breast, all fruits, all veggies, etc. But I wasn't losing weight. I would stay in my "points" but the nutrients were all over the place. On MFP I can now see the value in the foods I put in my body. I care way more about the nutrients vs. Abstract points. Both programs do work...depending on who you are and where you are on the journey. WW could be a good 1st step.
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Why not? Go for it.
For me it would not work as I mostly eat from the 'free food' list and would then spend the points on crisps etc on top of it.
LOL! THATs the trick! I finished my first week with enough points on the table I could have polished off a bottle of wine and still been "on program". The problem with that is, today I would be off the rails wanting lots of greasy hangover food.2 -
OP, I'm glad you found something to be excited about
However, just realize that you're still in the 'honeymoon' phase of the plan. I lasted two months on WW, before I hit a wall hard and ended up quitting it (and lost money in the process because I had to pay the early termination fee). But that first month was amazing, I felt great and was losing weight. It was going good. Until it wasn't anymore.
It may end up being a good fit for you over the long term, but its way to early to tell yet. Best of luck to you, as you work towards your health and fitness goals!
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I decided to join WW because just counting calories in and out wasn't doing it. I know I was going over in calories some days but I was just darn hungry. Will power just doesn't work for me. If I think about it, hunger is supposed to be very uncomfortable and we are hard wired to correct that sensation. If that weren't so, humans would not have survived.
WW gives me a way to lean into foods that nourish me and that I can eat in unlimited quantities. It is just that they are the types of foods that are generally low in fat and calories and are foods that I won't binge on. Poultry, eggs, seafood, fruits and veggies. It leaves me with enough room to have an occasional treat.
The big thing is, I am not walking around hungry trying to talk myself out of eating something. I am not feeling like a failure because I didn't have the strength to tough out hunger pangs.
I lost 4.6 pounds the first week. Without trying to willpower my way through a day.
I am not trying to sell WW. I hate to sell anything. While my calories in have been less than calories out this week, what I choose to eat DOES MATTER. I have to make the right choices so that I don't find myself in a place where I am hungry and trying to tough out hunger pangs. I will lose that battle every time and it just doesn't work for me.
I will continue to log on MFP, at least for awhile. For now, it is interesting to me to see what 16 points per day translates to in terms calories and macros.
I think it’s fantastic you’ve found something that is working for you!
Curious though, if you’ve been under your calories this week on WW, what is different than what you were doing before WW that had you so hungry and eating over? If it’s just a matter of choosing different foods, couldn’t you have done that without WW?
It IS a bit of a game, right. I could have done exactly what I did this week on MFP and not paid for WW. Instead of starting my day with a bagel and cream cheese, I might start it with 3 eggs and apple slices. Both about the same in terms of calories but far different in terms of nutrients and satiety.1 -
At the end of the day, you have to do what works for you but no matter what you try, you have to work it. For that to happen, a switch just has to flip inside you that makes you really ready to work it.5
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Sometimes I don't think it necessarily matters what we do, and that a change is what's needed.
I came from WW to MFP and (currently) have no plans to go back to WW, however I'm taking everything I learned from them and applying it here, instead, so even if I didn't get the results I wanted long term, it wasn't a waste.6 -
I've read a few posts in the past of posters having WW memberships as well as counting calories. If I had the time to track both points/calories (and attend meetings) I might check out their info. Are meetings available online?1
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I decided to join WW because just counting calories in and out wasn't doing it. I know I was going over in calories some days but I was just darn hungry. Will power just doesn't work for me. If I think about it, hunger is supposed to be very uncomfortable and we are hard wired to correct that sensation. If that weren't so, humans would not have survived.
WW gives me a way to lean into foods that nourish me and that I can eat in unlimited quantities. It is just that they are the types of foods that are generally low in fat and calories and are foods that I won't binge on. Poultry, eggs, seafood, fruits and veggies. It leaves me with enough room to have an occasional treat.
The big thing is, I am not walking around hungry trying to talk myself out of eating something. I am not feeling like a failure because I didn't have the strength to tough out hunger pangs.
I lost 4.6 pounds the first week. Without trying to willpower my way through a day.
I am not trying to sell WW. I hate to sell anything. While my calories in have been less than calories out this week, what I choose to eat DOES MATTER. I have to make the right choices so that I don't find myself in a place where I am hungry and trying to tough out hunger pangs. I will lose that battle every time and it just doesn't work for me.
I will continue to log on MFP, at least for awhile. For now, it is interesting to me to see what 16 points per day translates to in terms calories and macros.
Not sure why you got 9 disagrees - if it works for you that's great. I used it years ago and lost 37 lbs so it worked for me too. That was back when you had to track points for everything, I only tracked for like 3 weeks and it basically showed me how much I could eat in a day, then I didn't have to track anymore and kept losing until my goal.
(Gained it back many years later over menopause fwiw)5 -
I have been on WW before and hit my goal weight, and kept it off a few years, but then gained it back. So here I am on MFP. I thought about doing WW again. My sister is. But the idea of "free foods", unless they are things like lettuce, seems gimmicky to me. I'd worry I'd eat too much of the free foods.
Also, another problem I had with WW is their constantly pushing their product foods and recipes, as if losing weight is all about food, food and more food. The pictures of food on their website and promotional materials had a negative influence on me. As if, join WW, and you can have all this fabulous food. Well, you can't really, and it made me obsess about food. And I think their frozen meals, like all processed foods are skimpy on portions and too high in salt. If you need to control salt, its better to stay away from processed foods.
Back when I did WW, they had lists, like 2 breads, 1 starchy veg, 2-3 proteins, and it wasn't so much eating their processed meals and more about real food. Though I think for those that like the diet dinners and lunches, and can do that, its great. Like I said, I thought about it, and went on their website, and all the pictures of food brought back to me that sense of deprivation while being tantalized. I was very happy when I came across MFP. Bought the premium membership at 1/3 to 1/2 the price of a WW membership. For "encouragement" I also bought a fitbit.
For me, doing MFP lets me track sodium really well, and I just find it clearer, to me, tracking calories rather than points. OTOH if I hit a plateau for too long, and think I need more help, I might join a weight loss program like WW.5 -
patriciafoley1 wrote: »I have been on WW before and hit my goal weight, and kept it off a few years, but then gained it back. So here I am on MFP. I thought about doing WW again. My sister is. But the idea of "free foods", unless they are things like lettuce, seems gimmicky to me. I'd worry I'd eat too much of the free foods.
Also, another problem I had with WW is their constantly pushing their product foods and recipes, as if losing weight is all about food, food and more food. The pictures of food on their website and promotional materials had a negative influence on me. As if, join WW, and you can have all this fabulous food. Well, you can't really, and it made me obsess about food. And I think their frozen meals, like all processed foods are skimpy on portions and too high in salt. If you need to control salt, its better to stay away from processed foods.
For me, doing MFP lets me track sodium really well, and I just find it clearer, to me, tracking calories rather than points. OTOH if I hit a plateau for too long, and think I need more help, I might join a weight loss program like WW.
I just joined the online plan that does not include meetings (they now call workshops) In the past, did. It depended on leader but there was one leader who was constantly pushing the products and I found that extremely annoying. One thing about their "snack" products is that they aren't magically low in points, they are just portioned that way. Their little desert bars are packaged to look like full size candy bars but with low points but, really, you could eat a snicker's mini for the same point/calorie value. Not worth it to me!
Yes, if the pics on the site are a trigger for you, then yes, avoid it. :-)
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Not sure why you got 9 disagrees - if it works for you that's great. I used it years ago and lost 37 lbs so it worked for me too. That was back when you had to track points for everything, I only tracked for like 3 weeks and it basically showed me how much I could eat in a day, then I didn't have to track anymore and kept losing until my goal.
(Gained it back many years later over menopause fwiw)[/quote]
I don't know why I got 9 (now 10) disagrees either. This is working for me. Maybe they link I am lying? Who knows! It is their opinion and they have a right to have on and to politely express it.
Really, I know there are people here who believe it is purely about CICO and having the willpower to maintain enough of a calorie deficit each day. Plain and simple and that if you aren't losing weight, you are eating too much and that's that. While I agree that you need a calorie deficit to lose weight, I argue that doing that isn't as simple as that. I have learned that what I choose to eat matters big time. It isn't just about quantity of food. That's part of it but is also satiety and nutrients. We have all seen those pictures of what 100 calories of cheese looks like compared to 100 calories of grapes. Our choices effect how our body reacts.
For example, this morning, I had 3 scrambled eggs with some veggies sautee'd in. I am very comfortable right now. For the same amount of fat and number of calories, I could have had a bagel spread with cream cheese. Trust me, if I had had that bagel with cream cheese, I would already be counting the hours until lunch and negotiating with myself what snack to have before lunch. See, the eggs and veggies provide much needed protein and other nutrients. The bagel and cream cheese are largely empty calories but for a small amount calcium in the cheese.
I also think some feel they have to defend MFP over anything and everything else. I don't see why MFP and WW have to be mutually exclusive. I am enjoying using both and finding the data interesting.
I don't like MFP when my newsfeed is nothing but adverts!
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