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Weight Watchers vs MFP
Spoilascanb
Posts: 40 Member
in Debate Club
I have been looking into joining Weight Watchers. After researching, it seems to be what MPF provide. If there a difference? What are the advantages?
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Replies
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So for me I believe they could work in conjunction with each other if you’re new to the calorie counting process. Having a paid for version of mfp isn’t necessary to succeed in a weight loss/management/gain plan.
The reason I’m thinking they could work well collectively is that my understanding of WW gives you a certain amount of “points” to use as food values and while in the beginning on WW alone that could be beneficial. If you were to input the calories of each meal/drink/snack into mfp you’d see them more in their value towards calories you’re putting into your body and possibly gain a better understanding of how it links than it simply being a points system.3 -
Well .. there is this difference between WW and MFP ... MFP counts calories and Macros. WW uses a formula taking some Macros and calories into account to come up with a points value for food and it counts points.
Another difference ... While MFP does assign a calorie goal based on your profile settings and goals, WW assigns a points value.
In the end .. you still need to do the work of selecting the food and how much of it you will consume. You still need to log it faithfully and truthfully to see how many calories you consumed (with MFP) or how points you used up from your allotment (WW) ... So, in the end, it's all up to you.
Oh yes .. MFP has a free version, WW is a subscription service.6 -
I can see that for some people the social aspect of WW might be motivating and losing with other real people can be inspiring - so that is an advantage of WW meetings vs any online program.2
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I did Weight Watchers after I had my son when they first came out with points, way back in 1998. Attending meetings every week was fun, the "point" talk was almost like a special club (several of my friends were doing it), and I lost the weight. After I had my last child, I joined online and the magic wasn't there for me.
If you're comparing WW online to MFP, my vote is for MFP. You get such a granular view of calories in/calories out (the points don't really teach you that) and true autonomy over your food choices. Admittedly, that could be a con for some people, because you aren't forced to balance your nutrition. However, if you're at all inclined to enjoy analyzing the data, you can learn a lot more on MFP. I've been a repeat user for years, and not because it doesn't work, but because it DOES work and I can always come back to recalibrate, especially when I feel like my portion sizes might be creeping up a bit.5 -
My MIL has been a WW member for more than 30 years. She loses and gains the weight repeatedly, stresses over the weigh-ins, keeps a meticulous journal of her weight, writes Points values on all her cans and boxes of food...and just keeps going back and going back and going back to meetings. I guess that a customer who loses the weight and keeps it off is a paying customer lost.5
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my boldvivmom2014 wrote: »My MIL has been a WW member for more than 30 years. She loses and gains the weight repeatedly, stresses over the weigh-ins, keeps a meticulous journal of her weight, writes Points values on all her cans and boxes of food...and just keeps going back and going back and going back to meetings. I guess that a customer who loses the weight and keeps it off is a paying customer lost.
well, not really - no more than MFP or any other weight loss program.
and WW does have a maitenance program - so nothing wrong with remaining a member long term if that suits you.
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paperpudding wrote: »
my boldvivmom2014 wrote: »My MIL has been a WW member for more than 30 years. She loses and gains the weight repeatedly, stresses over the weigh-ins, keeps a meticulous journal of her weight, writes Points values on all her cans and boxes of food...and just keeps going back and going back and going back to meetings. I guess that a customer who loses the weight and keeps it off is a paying customer lost.
well, not really - no more than MFP or any other weight loss program.
and WW does have a maitenance program - so nothing wrong with remaining a member long term if that suits you.
I think they waive fees once someone reaches Goal and stays there? That's what I've read on here, no idea. "Lifetime member" or some such thing.
To the original question. I am NOT a group joiner type of person. I would seriously chaff against the weigh-ins in front of a group and I would have a problem with one person "running" a meeting. What could possibly go wrong? I know nothing about their online stuff, but I'm too frugal to pay for something that I can do for free right here.
MFP works perfectly for me. I've been logging food for most of the past 15 years, lost 80ish pounds using this site and have learned so much from all of you - and I can come and go as I please.
:flowerforyou:8 -
@cmriverside that is my point! After researching, I’m like wait……you want me to pay you to log my food? I understand the accountability, but it don’t make sense to me!3
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I loved WW when I was able to attend meetings. Made friends and shared support. MFP gives me a place to log my stuff and keep tally for free.2
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I’ve been following WW for the last two years after using MFP off and on before that. WW provides a good community experience but I’ve always missed the macro and calorie insights with MFP. I lost 40 lbs in Year 1 and zero in Year 2. I nearly always stayed within my points so is possible to follow WW and not lose just like any wellness program. I’m back here because I seem to have fallen in to a rut so feel I need a mindset refresh. Will do both for a bit but anticipating committing to MFP again. I’ve wondered the same question as posed here about Noom.3
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As is said above, the social aspect is wonderful. And the weekliness of the meetings helps bring a rhythm to your weightloss life that is helpful.
But it is very much a nanny state system now. It awards "healthy" foods way lower points than less healthy foods, even if the calories are the same. That gets frustrating.
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I think Weight Watchers offers a bit more structure. There are a lot of WW approved recipes/foods out there. And for some, the points might be easier to track than calories.
Personally I find the points system confusing while I can wrap my head around calories a bit easier.
I also don’t love the “free foods” aspect of it. I know myself and I would absolutely turn it into a game of gorging on those free foods.
I use the basic version of MFP - I can see how paying for something would be an extra level of accountability though.
And finally - the meetings sound like my own personal version of hell. But I have friends who have really benefited from the group setting.
At the end of the day, it’s what works for you.2 -
Right now I am doing both. Years ago I did ww and had success. then gained it all back. I've been logging food on and off on MFP for about 10 years and have lost and gained. Right now I need the accountability that I have to get on that scale for another person and HEAR "you lost or you're up! " So far I've heard" you're down!" I log both programs daily. Takes a bit of time, but it is interesting to me to compare the two. Mostly, If I stay in points range, I am under allowed calories on MFP but within good parameters on macros. It comes down to constantly tracking and not giving up, ie, consistency , for me. I am 30 years older than when I first went to WW and the weight is definitely harder to lose after 60. But I must keep at one, or the other, or maybe, both! Good luck.
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There is nothing wrong with WW if you don't mind parting with cash every week to be accountable to someone who is going to do your weigh in for you, and allow you to have face to face support. If you struggle to do the journey alone, then it's the perfect option. Other wise, the system is very similar to MFP, which is free. I bought premium once but the additions didn't match the cost, so I stuck with the free version.3
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I joined WW, but decided I do not want to switch from calorie counting to points. I found that one day of points is many more calories than I should be eating. Also, I don't like that I cannot monitor my carb/protein/fat, as well as sugar and fiber... I continue to log here. I signed up with a promotion for 6 months and will not get a refund, so I use it for recipes and tips. They do have lots of great EASY recipes that fit my eating plan and are helpful to me, as I hate cooking. when the promotion is up I will be done with WW.1
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Also, there is just way too many pics of food on WW. Not good for me.1
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Weight Watchers is a method for restricting calories, so similar to MFP in that sense. Like all of those paid-for diets, they obviously want you to pay for the programme and keep paying, hence things like points systems which you have to buy into (and keep buying into).
It's ages since I've done it. The advantages are group support (if you go to a group), some people might find the points easier than calorie counting, and it's worked out for you, and that they have a range of products which again are easy to fit in, it encourages eating fruit and veg, and that I think sometimes paying for a programme makes you more committed and possibly more successful.
The disadvantages is the cost of course, and that you're tied into that system, and that it's sometimes difficult to work out points. For me, personally, a big disadvantage was that I didn't lose any weight on it! Either I was allocated too many points, or there were errors in my accounting, but frustrating.0 -
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I've done WW many times over the years. I recently switched to MFP. My observations:
1. WW over-inflates point values for "bad foods". For example, I had a brownie bite at applebees (300 calories) but it was about 19 points for WW. I only got 35 points for an entire day. Some people (depending on age, weight, gender, etc) only get 18 points for the day... They say you can eat whatever you want in moderation, which is true, but they make it very difficult to enjoy treats without guilt. MFP allows you to budget in treats more easily.
2. WW makes you rely on it. You have to have the app or some sort of WW calculator available at all times to calculate the points. Calorie information is much easier to find/track.
3. I do enjoy the meetings. Doing just the online version of WW isn't worth it to me. You might as well just be doing MFP.
4. WW is EXPENSIVE! I'd rather spend that money on experiences than to go talk about my eating for the week. I can do that for free here on these forums. There are a lot of support groups available on here.
5. I didn't learn anything about nutrition from WW in all the years of doing it. I've learned so much more about healthy habits and lifelong lifestyle changes/moderation in a couple weeks of MFP.
In summary, I always thought counting a few points is easier than thousands of calories. However, now that I'm counting calories, I much prefer it over WW.9 -
I quit WW when they started making fruit free. With that method, you could eat 5 bananas a day and not have to count any points. In actuality, that would be many many calories and I found this unrealistic. Then they went to making other foods free such as chicken breast. What's the point of even counting points then? I much prefer MFP and counting calories for everything.5
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I tried WW in lockdown as they were doing zoom meetings, I didn’t enjoy them as I found it a bit cliquey I didn’t get on with the points system either as I’m used to calorie counting.
I do keep thinking of rejoining now they’re face to face as the weighing in each week and being accountable is quite motivating for me, and I would hope there would be some good nutritional advance, however, there is a lot of branded food so it might not be as informative as I expect.0 -
I've never been to WW but I went to a similar group a number of years ago. I much prefer the social aspect of weight loss, this website is nice but I mustn't be the only person who has noticed that the number of active participants on the forum is dropping, especially after the pandemic. I really wonder how many active (and successful) weight losers there are on the challenges forum. I want someone to look up to and admire because of their consistent weight loss.0
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I have a 6 month subscription to WW online app right now that I am not using. I've cancelled it but still need to pay the monthly fees until the end of the program period. A big waste of money for me, and I knew it could be but wanted to try it once again.
My thought is ... unless you want to retrain yourself as to what selection of foods you consume, stick with MFP and look stay within your calories to do what it is you are trying to do with your weight.1 -
Well, I've done all three now. Weight Watchers, MFP, and Noom.
]WW: I lost a bit of weight, the meetings were a nice way for my wife and I to bond. And that was it-when both of us did it, the environment at our house was "clean." When she or I did it alone, it was another story-stressful days, eating in front of the TV, 2nd helpings...I realized after reading Charles Duhig's and James Clear's books about habits, that environment (for me, at least) was key. So we both eventually stopped doing it.
Noom: I tried Noom (twice) and though it had some nice psychological tricks, the way they paced the program was idiotic. Like, 'today we'll uncover those dark reasons you overeat. Great! That's cured! Onto the next topic!' Uh, no.It's a macro based diet, with certain green (feel free) orange (moderation!) red (eat only a bit!) codes. It was too damn cutesy poo for me, really targeting the TikTok generation.
MFP: verdict is still out. At my healthiest, I'm usually exercising at least once a day. I'm trying to get back to that!5 -
I find weight watchers points system difficult to understand portions in any significant way until I learn/memorize the current system (and difficult to relate the WW points to my calorie needs for the day which is easy to calculate here). But can't say it makes sense on the macros for me.
MyPlate Exchanges: That said, I find the food exchanges/swappables of the myplate guidelines easier to learn and understand; for building meals and choosing how it fits when I am out and about. I double check with calorie counting for quantity and overall fit for the day. The swaps (once learned) are easy - like bread or rice or noodles... the benefit is free using the food exchange together with calorie counting. I have not really been able to translate WW points into something understandable in practical terms when I am out eating.
For support: The in-person meetings at weight watchers or TOPS can be fun/supportive (or excruciating) and, for me, not wild about online meetings - not much difference to me than watching an online conference discussion. i find it hard to stay engaged.
Accountability: I prefer a soft touch, when I want it - so if I am doing well, meetings are fine. When I am struggling, sometimes they can get me going again. Other times, I don't want to talk about it or weigh-in with others.
MFP: Appreciate there is so much to read here for information and motivation, and can come chat when desired - for free. The cool tools are awesome, but support is available here if we want to reach out for it or just lurk.2 -
WW was a good fit for me back in the 90s. My group met at my (large) workplace, so it was extremely convenient and there was a nice social component. I think work partially subsidized it as well.
Now a days, MFP (free version) is a much better fit for me.1 -
I've done WW many times over the years. I recently switched to MFP. My observations:
1. WW over-inflates point values for "bad foods". For example, I had a brownie bite at applebees (300 calories) but it was about 19 points for WW. I only got 35 points for an entire day. Some people (depending on age, weight, gender, etc) only get 18 points for the day... They say you can eat whatever you want in moderation, which is true, but they make it very difficult to enjoy treats without guilt. MFP allows you to budget in treats more easily.
2. WW makes you rely on it. You have to have the app or some sort of WW calculator available at all times to calculate the points. Calorie information is much easier to find/track.
3. I do enjoy the meetings. Doing just the online version of WW isn't worth it to me. You might as well just be doing MFP.
4. WW is EXPENSIVE! I'd rather spend that money on experiences than to go talk about my eating for the week. I can do that for free here on these forums. There are a lot of support groups available on here.
5. I didn't learn anything about nutrition from WW in all the years of doing it. I've learned so much more about healthy habits and lifelong lifestyle changes/moderation in a couple weeks of MFP.
In summary, I always thought counting a few points is easier than thousands of calories. However, now that I'm counting calories, I much prefer it over WW.
All of this. Well, except that I hate meetings. My problem with WW is that they want you to adopt their lifestyle. That's great! And when you've adopted that lifestyle, they change their marketing and come up with a new plan. And they stop supporting the lifestyle that they wanted you to adopt. So you have to adopt a new one. It's how they get new members.
I'll stay here, for free, and not have to worry that what's working for me now will be pulled out from under me. Nope.6 -
If you are looking for peer-to-peer support to supplement MFP, you might consider TOPS. A virtual TOPS club chapter is a way to get the peer support and accountability of WW without the cost or the bothersome “points” system. TOPS costs about $50 a year. The virtual chapters consist of 10 members from all over the US and Canada meeting weekly via zoom. Typical meeting: members report progress on compliance with their personal SMART goals. We report losses (or gains) and recognize group members’ weekly achievement. We have a short program and discussion on a weight / health topic We set a personal intention for the upcoming week. Many of our virtual chapters members use MFP to log meals, monitor calories and macros, etc. The TOPS zoom meeting is just an additional support tool.4
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I did WW many years ago before they introduced the new Points system. I found it ok but it got a bit expensive.1
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