Weight watches vs counting calories

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  • wyld4eva
    wyld4eva Posts: 58 Member
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    On the new WW plan they calulate protien, fiber, fat, and carbs this is what acutally gives you your points value. MFP gives you the option to monitor these things and gives you recommended amounts. Try following the specific guide lines set for you including calorie intake and see what happens. I found I stayed with WW for a bit but after having to bring points calculaters to grocery store and out to eat and basically everywhere it became a pain and I gave up and started estimating and that = not good!
  • wyld4eva
    wyld4eva Posts: 58 Member
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    PS... I aM DOWN with the free veggies but the fruit with the sugar content could potentially cause a problem for me
  • crudd12
    crudd12 Posts: 63
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    I've been doing ww for 1 1/2 years and lost about 25 pounds! The last year I've been on their new plan PP and have lost and gained the same 5 pounds for a year now! This morning as I sat in the meeting and heard all the new changes to the plan I realized I had tried them all this last year! I am a lifetime member of ww since the 80's and ww always worked for me but this new plan doesn't work! A banana is not free-it's 200 calories and 51 carbs! I've been using this website and am having better luck than ww! Don't waste your money on ww!
  • drea0703
    drea0703 Posts: 83 Member
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    i lost weight easily on the old WW plan. When the plan changed, i began gaining weight immediately. When I went to the forums for help from other members I got nothing but criticism and accusations that i was not doing the program correctly. I was logging everything and staying under my points but gaining weight. I canceled after that and joined MFP. i was able to stop the mad gaining and have now began to lose. MFP does encourage you to exercise more and i feel like i am doing something i can do forever.

    Same here! I didn´t lose on WW, I had constant cravings and was faced with their accusations that I simply don´t do it right, because EVERYBODY loses with WW! How dare I not to???
    And carrots in every freaking recipe...very creative!
  • raw_sugar
    raw_sugar Posts: 87
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    For an off color and funny take on Weight Watchers, read this: http://www.cracked.com/article_18965_5-weight-loss-tips-cynical-*kitten*.html
    Sometimes Cracked is so bang-on it's scary.
  • LaLaMicha
    LaLaMicha Posts: 37 Member
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    I had been a lifetime WW member and after the new system went into effect and the fruit/veggies were free, I ended up gaining 5 pounds and still havent been able to take it off. When I figured out the points and compared to calories i found that calories were much lower for me with WW then MFP, so I guess it just matters what you eat in a day to hit the goal be it points or calories!!

    I am also a lifetime member who tried, but just couldn't adapt to the new Points Plus, so here I am.
  • lmlmrn
    lmlmrn Posts: 787 Member
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    I have not tried the pp+ plan and followed the old 'flex' plan and lost 25lbs...unfortunatly I gain it all back and then some. But it was not the plan that failed it was me going back to old habits and stopped exercising. So now I am here mfp monitoring my calorie intake along with carbs, fiber & sodium but still keeping the 'points' in my head. So far total I am down 15lbs since sept. No matter what plan you do it all comes down to burn more calories than you eat.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    that's excatually my point! how can you loose weight eating so many items with calories?

    Maybe you're not eating ENOUGH if you're not seeing the results you want. There's such a thing as eating too little. With only 5# to your goal, your body doesn't have enough excess fat to support a large calorie deficit. You shouldn't be trying to lose any more than a half pound a week.

    Check this link: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/395881-people-who-lost-weight-eating-more

    When set to lose a half pound a week, I got about 1500 calories. After exercising, I'd have about 1800-2000 calories. Now that I"m maintaining, I start at 1700 calories and typically eat about 2000-2200.

    You don't need to starve yourself and eat very little to lose weight.
  • youarewhatyoueat86
    youarewhatyoueat86 Posts: 27 Member
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    I tried weight watchers for two weeks and absolutely hated it. The second week was me telling myself not to quit which is the only reason i had a second week! I feel that I have much more control when i do it independently on my own.

    Ive learned through this journey not to compare myself to others because what may work for them, may not work for me.. or what i THINK is not always what IS. You may think they're eating more but they are only with you at work, so you dont see what they do for the rest of the day (:

    In these last 5 months I have successfully dropped 60+ pounds completely ON MY OWN by counting calories. I have 60 more to go until I reach my goal and have never felt better. In my opinion, you need to find what works for you and stick with it.. dont compare yourself to others. Be proud of what you're doing and have accomplished thus far. Like someone stated earlier WW has a better chance of failure in the long run than counting calories during your maintenance stage--I agree with that. Counting calories you form new habits and learn so much. I guess WW is a little to vague for me.
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 3,019 Member
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    I've been doing ww for 1 1/2 years and lost about 25 pounds! The last year I've been on their new plan PP and have lost and gained the same 5 pounds for a year now! This morning as I sat in the meeting and heard all the new changes to the plan I realized I had tried them all this last year! I am a lifetime member of ww since the 80's and ww always worked for me but this new plan doesn't work! A banana is not free-it's 200 calories and 51 carbs! I've been using this website and am having better luck than ww! Don't waste your money on ww!

    that is what i was wondering... how can you eat all that fruit and veggies and not gain weight, they still have calories!
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 3,019 Member
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    that's excatually my point! how can you loose weight eating so many items with calories?

    Maybe you're not eating ENOUGH if you're not seeing the results you want. There's such a thing as eating too little. With only 5# to your goal, your body doesn't have enough excess fat to support a large calorie deficit. You shouldn't be trying to lose any more than a half pound a week.

    Check this link: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/395881-people-who-lost-weight-eating-more

    When set to lose a half pound a week, I got about 1500 calories. After exercising, I'd have about 1800-2000 calories. Now that I"m maintaining, I start at 1700 calories and typically eat about 2000-2200.

    You don't need to starve yourself and eat very little to lose weight.

    i'm not starving myself at all, i eat every 3 hrs and feel good. I am nowhere as hungry as i used to be and ALOT of my cravings have gone away... so some days i do tend to struggle to get my calories met but most days I'm good at what i have, if i had more i don't know if i could keep up..... I have well more then 5lbs to loose( not sure where the 5lbs to my goal came from?) to start i set my goal on a higher side of 10 lbs but really need to loose 15-20. If i can do the 10 lbs, i'll be happy and then hopefully motivated to loose the rest. I'm at the max for my bmi and weight for my height and age, even my dr suggested me to loose.
  • Theresa0577
    Theresa0577 Posts: 24
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    I have done weight watchers and have done calorie counting...I can honestly say counting calories is way easier for Me. i found I was eating LESS doing ww then I am with calorie counting and that led to me not only being startving but also being SO CRANKY!!!! It's overall a great program, but my deciding factor is thinking "I burn and eat calories not points" so I can really be more accountable to calorie counting. I do know a lot of people who lose weight on WW, but they give up easily or do amazingly well...either way at the end of the day - it's what will work for you -- everyone is different. I must say MFP works for me, I am understanding calorie counting MUCH better being on this forum, and for that I'm grateful :)
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    I did WW a long time ago. I did lose a little weight, but I was ALWAYS starving. I remember eating a tuna sandwich and being so dismayed when I realized it had something like 16 points in it. For a tuna (with light mayo) sandwich? WTH?

    I couldn't do it. I was just too dang hungry all the time. For me, calorie counting is way easier and I'm not starving.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    ( not sure where the 5lbs to my goal came from?)

    From your profile. :smile: Your ticker says you want to lose 7#, and that you'd lost 2#.

    I personally believe most people do better on more than 1200 calories, which is probably why the your friends on WW are doing well even when they don't count the calories from fruits & vegetables. I know myself, while I wasn't necessarily hungry on 1200, I did feel limited, even with exercise calories. But on just a little bit more, I had more energy, more options, and better results. All around, win-win-win!
  • glo_79
    glo_79 Posts: 37
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    I started ww pp in April and lost 25lbs between April and Nov when I quit and started here. The plan does work its just expensive. It does teach to watch portion and eat in moderation.....and at the same time not having to deprive yourself of everything you love.
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 3,019 Member
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    ( not sure where the 5lbs to my goal came from?)

    From your profile. :smile: Your ticker says you want to lose 7#, and that you'd lost 2#.

    I personally believe most people do better on more than 1200 calories, which is probably why the your friends on WW are doing well even when they don't count the calories from fruits & vegetables. I know myself, while I wasn't necessarily hungry on 1200, I did feel limited, even with exercise calories. But on just a little bit more, I had more energy, more options, and better results. All around, win-win-win!

    yes true but i did mention earlier that i am doing small losses at a time.... so i lost 2 lbs in a month and a half! that's it ;( I had 7 more to hit goal number one and then it's onto goal number 2 another 5.... and so on. I changed my setting to only lose 1 lb a week instead of 2 and it stayed the same, no changes... still 1200 cals a day.

    I am just kinda stuck on knowing what to do b/c before i joined this site i was still doing cardio 45 min 5 days a week plus i cut out pop, etc I was eating healthier in general and every 3 hrs. I wasn't loosing anything at all, after 1 month i found this site and joined. When i logged in one days worth i realized how much calories i was eating even thought it was healthy food ... ie) FRUIT! wow i was surprised, so that is why i am now confused b/c on ww you can eat unlimited fruit and veggies right now and for me it put me way over the top in calories a day.......
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 3,019 Member
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    that's excatually my point! how can you loose weight eating so many items with calories?

    Maybe you're not eating ENOUGH if you're not seeing the results you want. There's such a thing as eating too little. With only 5# to your goal, your body doesn't have enough excess fat to support a large calorie deficit. You shouldn't be trying to lose any more than a half pound a week.

    Check this link: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/395881-people-who-lost-weight-eating-more

    When set to lose a half pound a week, I got about 1500 calories. After exercising, I'd have about 1800-2000 calories. Now that I"m maintaining, I start at 1700 calories and typically eat about 2000-2200.

    You don't need to starve yourself and eat very little to lose weight.

    oh i have another Q... when i logged on just to see how many calories i should eat a day it was just over 1700-1800max. so if i want to lose weight and i not suppose to subtract 500 a day? so that would still bring me down to around 1200, correct.... sorry if i sound like a idiot, i am so new to losing weight and i am getting so confused.... am i correct in thinking this?
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    You mean it's 1700-1800 to maintain your weight? If so, then, yes, to lose 1# a week, you'd eat 500 calories less than that. For a half pound a week, 250 less calories. And to lose 2# a week, you'd need to eat 1000 less calories a day, but that would only leave you with 700-800 calories, and that's not enough for your body to function properly. When you plug in how much you want to lose per week, MFP automatically deducts the appropriate amount of calories from that, but won't go below 1200. When you exercise and burn extra calories, MFP adds those to your daily goal, so you maintain the same deficit as you would if you didn't exercise.

    Keep in mind that your body is constantly burning calories, when your sitting down, sleeping, all the time. The number of calories your body needs when completely at rest is your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator ). That's just keeping your organs functioning, lungs breathing, heart beating, etc. As soon as you get out of bed in the morning, your burning more calories than that.

    I don't understand the science of it all, but I know there are many who believe that you should never eat less than your BMR, or it could jeopardize your metabolism. I don't know if that's true or not, but it's a pretty good rule of thumb to go by.
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 3,019 Member
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    thx. now which bmr do i go by? as i mentioned before there was 3 that i got from different sites,lol....my bmr says 1290 on this site, then another says 1387, and another says 1485? once again, i am confused.. why so many different number ? my height, age and weight all stays the same....lol
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
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    An important aspect of this question is whether or not YOU are eating enough calories. There's an important balance in healthy weightloss between "too much" food and "not enough". Weight Watchers is, in essence, just like counting calories only with different value assignments- like shopping for clothes/shoes in the UK. Possibly by following WW your friends are getting the nutrition their bodies need to safely and steadily lose where as you, seeing the full calorie count and such inadvertantly err too low?

    Other aspects that could contribute to this- are they significantly more over weight than you? Are you all relatively the same age? Are your daily activity levels all similar? These are all key factors to weight loss.

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