WEIGHT WATCHERS???? WOULD YOU??

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  • silvabelle89
    silvabelle89 Posts: 76
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    I've done it. I lost about 13 lbs in 3 months. I wasnt a huge fan. It got me into bad habits. Like since fruit and veggies were 0 points and I was always STARVING I would some days eat like 4 bananas ( that's a lot of sugar and calories). Also got me drinking diet soda bc it was 0 points and the bubbles liked me up. By not understanding their poit calculation it was hard for me to apply to real life without WW... I gained 4 lbs the month I went off it.
  • MsRoxyPepper
    MsRoxyPepper Posts: 109 Member
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    I was sucessful with weight watchers a few years back. the meetings kept me accountable.

    I have been able to find the same sucess here with MFP (FREE) and joining challenge groups for accountability.
  • merriment
    merriment Posts: 3 Member
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    I just left WW and joined MFP. I had great success on WW, but it was expensive, and I would start freaking out the day before my weigh-in. I would eat very little the day before, and make sure I wore the same clothes each week, and weigh myself at home like 20 times before I went. Basically I was getting obsessive about it, and I really want to STOP obsessing about food and weight :)
  • melvac
    melvac Posts: 333 Member
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    weight watchers is excellent as long as you stay with it
  • Leahnh
    Leahnh Posts: 30
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    I did great on WW too. I just didn't want to keep paying for it and converting food to points was a little much after you learned the health eating and portion sizes. I would recommend it to someone just starting out on their weight loss journey. :smile:
  • sarahs440
    sarahs440 Posts: 405
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    My cousin just started it. She was saying yesterday that she was STARVING!! I know she has done it in the past and it worked, but she gained it all back. No, I wouldn't do it myself though.
  • karen0080
    karen0080 Posts: 64
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    WW is a great program. I attend a local meeting called TOPS( take off pounds sensibly). You can do any diet you weigh in weekly and have about a 30 minute meeting. Great support group. Its a lot cheaper then WW meetings. You pay $28.00 a year which includes 6 Tops mags a year. Then each chapter has monthly dues our chapter is $5.00 and we pay a .25 to weigh in... the biggest loser when the weigh in pot. We then have monthly contest and monthly prizes for the biggest losers. You can check them out online. I love MFP but I also need to be held accountable each week to weigh in.
  • delilah47
    delilah47 Posts: 1,658
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    Way back when, I lost about 35 pounds in 3 months. I love weight watchers (the real meetings), but can no longer attend. The online version is another thing. It wasn't what I had expected and is no match for MFP. I cancelled the online version after the first month. Go for it! (the meetings)
  • cannikita
    cannikita Posts: 24 Member
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    I was a WW member before joining MFP. I like the program a lot and did lose weight. However, as others have mentioned, coverting into points is sort of a pain. I like MFP a little bit better... especially since it is free.
  • pukekolive
    pukekolive Posts: 237 Member
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    I found it expensive and also did not like the 'name and shame' for weight gain contrast to the support for weight lost. Quite often I would post a slight rise in weight after really going hard and working well then get to Weightwatchers for a 'witchhunt' around 'bad eating choices' etc etc.

    It really got me down. Both my husband and I were eating per the Weightwatchers plan but we are both quite short - we ended up at the Doctors who said that the meat component/ macronutrient balance of the WW plan was set too high for us and was causing the start of gout (which can begin as a stomach issue). Admittedly this was over 10 years ago so the plan may have evolved since then.

    At the time I was a lot lighter than my current 270lbs and would have only needed to lose about 30lbs
  • mkam1980
    mkam1980 Posts: 142 Member
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    I did it before I got married. I lost 56 lbs with it. I eventually gained it all back plus some after I had my baby girl. I've been thinking about joining again. I seemed to do the best when I had to face that scale every week! Just debating if its economically feasible for me right now!

    You sound like me twin- ditto that ^^^
  • basschick
    basschick Posts: 3,502 Member
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    Many family members and close friends of mine have had much success with WW. I don't think it would be for me though. Trying to figure out points seems too complicated. MFP is free and much simpler to track what you've eaten. My WW friends that are on maintenance (aka "lifetime members) talk about worrying they'll have to pay if they gain any weight back. This just seems silly to me. I mean, c'mon...you can't EVER gain one pound back?? That's just not realistic. Weight fluctuates. Even the most dedicated people indulge for the holidays, go on cruises, have major life crises, retain water when it's that time of the month, etc. and gain a few pounds. Then they take the pounds off and get back to normal. MFP doesn't punish you if you slip up a little.

    The only advantage I can see to joining WW is if you like the social aspect of going to meetings and meeting other people in your area that are also trying to lose weight. A friend of mine also enjoys the speakers and discussions on nutrition and fitness, but it's all information that you can get on the internet. To each their own.
  • annieheavrin
    annieheavrin Posts: 47
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    I LOVE LOVE LOVE Weight Watchers. I honesty think it's one of the easiest & best programs out there! I lost 70 pounds from Jan - August 2010 from WW! It's GREAT!
  • dbfuru
    dbfuru Posts: 6 Member
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    Just eat whole foods and count calories. Unless you like the whole support thing.
  • MommyTKD
    MommyTKD Posts: 61 Member
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    Before MFP... I absolutely recommended WW. I've done it, and I know it works. BUT... I never really loved the Points System.When you compare the nebulous and mysterious "points" program to straight up calorie counting, there's really no comparison. What you're eating is what you're eating. We don't eat "Points". We eat calories.

    Now that there are programs available like MFP that provide 24/7 support, why would you pay to only get support once a week at a meeting? That's my 2 cents.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    I've done WW and while I did lose some weight, I was sooo hungry all the time. I hated that a tuna sandwich would use up so many of my points.

    I've been far more successful with calorie counting than I was with WW. Not only have I lost nearly 60lbs, but I've kept it off for 18+ months. I feel like this is just a far easier and realistic way of losing and keeping weight off. I'm now at a point where I no longer count calories or log exercise and I am still maintaining.

    I'm not sure that I could have ever stopped "counting points" and maintained had I stayed with WW.
  • ShrinkinMel
    ShrinkinMel Posts: 982 Member
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    My honest answer is its a great program but I don't think you need to pay for something you can get free HERE. ;) It works out the same the point values are getting you in a range very similar to here and you earn more points for activity. It is essentially the same.

    The one nice thing about meetings however is that you #1 weigh in in front of a REAL person who will encourage you and hold you accountable. And #2 there is a group of people you can get to know for some local one on one support(support is great here but in person is a step above). If you have the money you may try the accountability out it work fabulously for me I had lost 40 lbs in 20 weeks. I believe the key(here or there) is to still learn proper healthy eating from whole real foods with some moderation in portion and treats(so you don't blow it all).

    One downside to WW plan is nutrition. You can stick to the goals and be way off on certain nutrients. It works with fiber and fat and they go over things like getting calcium and such but the tracking and planning doesn't really show a log of how you are working on those goals so that is why I think a place like this is better.
  • failnomore
    failnomore Posts: 39
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    I've done it in the past and it does work, but now that I have found MFP I would never join again, why should I pay for it when this works just aswell for me if not better.

    Also WW has free foods that you can eat all you want, well we all know that every food has a calorie content, so I just don't think WW was helping me form a healthy relationship with food.
  • HealthyHappyVegan
    HealthyHappyVegan Posts: 58
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    I did WW myself, including the 2012 plan. I ended up switching to MFP for good however for several reasons:

    1. If you get results with WW, you'll get them with MFP so save your money, haha.
    2. I was prone to abusing the "zero point" fruits and veggies thing. It's amazing how 0 points can really "add up"
    3. I couldn't imagine counting points for the rest of my life. Calories? Sure, they're easily available on a label... but carbs, fat, protein, fiber.... it gets a little too tedious when you're out grocery shopping.
    4. Finally, I think the MFP community is a lot more supportive, communicative, and the website in general is much easier to navigate...

    Hope I helped! :)
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
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    I did it before and lost about 35-40 pounds in 6 months. The meetings just weren't helpful to me. I don't think I learned anything from them. As soon as I stopped I put it all back on and more. Being really strict and counting every bite on MFP I have lost almost 60 in less than 4 months and this is free. :-)

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