Weight Watchers Drop Out
nancyjill2012
Posts: 7
I have been doing Weight Watchers forever but recently I have not done so well on the plan. So I am ready for a change. Would love to hear from any one that was once doing Weight Watchers and has switched to counting calories with My Fitness Pal. Let me know how the change went and how you are doing with the calorie counting. It would be great to give and receive support. I am nervous; I have been doing points for so long that it is hard to change the way you count food BUT change is good, right?
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Replies
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Well, I was not a long time WW user but I did try it for a bit before I found MFP. While I loved the recipes on the website (and still love the magazine) I didn't take well to the program. I found I felt hungry all the time and would use my extra points early in the week and then be starving and miserable the rest of the week and I'd keep falling off the program. I also found the points system tedious and I'd spend an hour comparing items at the grocery store and calculating each one's points to get the best bang for my points buck. I didn't loser very much and eventually gave up. Then I found MFP and it's been a perfect fit for me. I find counting calories so much easier (it only takes a second to compare calories on packages at the store), I love the FB style friend and status aspect of it (it's totally replaced facebook for me in a lot of ways), and the message boards are great. I've done so much better here and it's free.0
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I was on weight watchers for a couple of years and just went up and down. I found this website a few weeks ago and it is great. I like the daily support from friends vs. the weekly meetings. Another great thing is that you can scan foods that you eat and it logs it in for you, so it has been fairly easy for me to convert from points to calories. I think you'll really like this site.
Add me as a friend if you want.0 -
Another WW drop out here!
I did WW about 5 years ago and lost close to 30 pounds. I attended meetings and loved my leader. But when my job got the best of me I dropped out and gained back all the weight. :grumble:
I have been on WW online for about 6 months but quit when i came over here. (Actually I still have to cancel that darned membership!)
Although I think WW is a fantastic program, I needed to quit looking at things by their points value, and instead see the REAL food. I need to see the REAL numbers --- calories ---- to force myself to focus.
For example, too many times I'd look at a food and say, "it's only 3 points", which means nothing to me. I know that I need to have a shortfall of 3,500 calories to lose a pound, so those 3 points seem minuscule, but of course they are not.
If I ever found a meeting time and location that worked, with a leader that was motivating, I'd probably go back to WW. But for now, I really like this site. I've found a group of friends that motivate me, which is ultimately why I liked the meetings.0 -
It looks like you are doing great with counting calories, that is encouraging. I am looking forward to not being overwhelmed with calculating everything into a point and eating all that "free" fruit. Some days I could really eat lot of fruit.0
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I'm a WW drop out too! I always swore by the program but when it changed to Points Plus- I no longer saw results. I was really lost on what to do. So now I have a plan. Today I signed up for my fitness pal and honestly it reminds me so much of the former WW program- only better. It seems much simpler and user friendly, and the best part- ITS FREE! For my birthday, I am hoping to get an elliptical, since that is an activity I have always enjoyed. It's comforting to see that other users did not have success with WW, I don't feel like such a failure now.0
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I was not a fan of the program when it changed, I always did well with WW but it became a struggle when they changed things. I will miss my meetings; everyone was so supportive.0
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I loved the meetings too. But the message boards seem really active and i think that will fill that niche. Support is everything. Many of my friends have their own way of loosing, we work different schedules so sometimes it's tough to all be on the same page. But here, lots of people have the same goals.0
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I had success several years ago with flex plan but did not learn anything about nutrition. I enjoyed the core plan when it was around but after that I did not like the changes. At the end of the day, counting calories and being aware of the macros and how they affect me is working well for me.0
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I am definitely a WW refugee. I lost and gained the same weight at WW for years.
Things began to change when I was diagnosed with a kidney disorder and began seriously monitoring my sodium intake. Weight Watchers would tell me that I could eat at McDonald's and still lose weight. So I need a more health-focused approach. WW works for lots of people, but my circumstances changed to the point where I need to see the whole, real picture when it comes to what I'm eating.0 -
HI
weight watcher drop out sort of....I did get to goal I just wasn't able to maintain. I am not going back because I do know what to do....but I like myfitnesspal ever so much better because I feel like it is more true to life....I can't go around every day counting points...but I am very aware of calories...and yes I know there's a way to convert points to calories but I need it to be quick and simple. I love that you can add myfitnespal to your i-pad and then scan labels for calories and then quickly add that to your daily plan.0 -
Give yourselves a a break!
As a former Leader in WW back n the early 90's, before Jean sold out to the Heinz company you could really lose and keep your weight off. But the newer programs aren't very sucessful in my opinion.Let's face it when the small conpany began the goal was to help overweight people get healthy. Now owned by a major corporation the goal is simply make cash!
You can follow the older exchange or flex programs and build them right into Mfp or simply count your calories which is what I'm doing and having great results.
I like the fact that it's not as cookie cutter as the WW program is, and the folks are so much more knowledgable here.
Good luck n your journey:)0 -
Please stay motivated and keep trying. I'm the opposite. I just signed up for weight watchers in Jan and decided right away I didn't like the points system, I was too accustomed to counting calories. I think for you it's just a matter of changing your mindset, and that comes with time and patience. Good Luck.
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I am a Lifetimer with Weight Watchers and loved the program for years until they changed to Points Plus. I found that using 29 points a day, I started gaining. Someone told me about MyFitnessPal and it is great. If you figure all the calories for 29 points it will be between 1450 and 1600 calories per day. I can't loose that way. 1200 is great and figuring the calories is just as easy, maybe easier. There are great recipes and a lot of support on this sight. I've just started doing it again and I am already seeing results. My health is good and I exercise at the Y 5 days a week, plus workout at home on weekends. Calories, exercise,a good state of mind, motivation and support all makes it possible and MFP gives it.0
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I am also a WW drop out after 15 years. In fact I am still paying for the online WW program until I decide if MFP is for me. Today is the end of my first week doing MFP and I am also having trouble adjusting to counting calories instead of points and I really miss the fruits and veggies being "free". MFP does seem alot easier and I am very impressed that so far every brand/item of food I have added to my diary is in MFP list of foods and is accurate. That was almost never the case with WW. I have lost 3 lbs in my first week although I go to bed almost every night with my stomach growling. Twice this week I ran on my treadmill after dinner to earn extra calories just so I could have a snack before bed. My body will adjust soon enough. I am motivated to give MFP another week for sure. I can access it so easily anywhere with my Blackberry and it is free. I am feeling optimistic about MFP. Change is always a good thing. I figure if I have to keep running back to WW year after year than maybe it isn't for me. MFP makes me more aware of the big picture and the daily values I need to work on other than just calories.
Good Luck to you!:flowerforyou:0 -
Thanks for all the encouragement!
It sounds like everyone made the adjustment and are doing well, I am hoping for the same results.
I do love not having to transfer what I eat into points and that what calories I eat I can burn, (add and subtract) simple thought but realistic.
Thanks again and good luck to everyone!0 -
I am incorporating the old WW system into MFP, and It's working so far. The Plus system change was a mistake, in my opinion. I was a bulemic that found ways to mess with the 35 flex points and gain serious pounds and feel worse. My leader's meetings were always about what people had managed to eat that wasn't healthy. It was like being in a popular girls' slumber party. I lost my taste for it after that. The previous leader, at a different meeting, was inspirational, and I am taking her notes on this time around. I have never needed to lose this much before. In fact, I have never been this big before. But, I have found that combining approaches works well for mental strength, as well as over the long haul. No boredom here!
Goofy Medal 2013!
-BlackDiamondBarbie0 -
I've been doing Weight Watchers off and on since I was 16. Up until about 3 years ago I was ALWAYS successful. I fell off the wagon and when I got back on, I have not had any success at all. So, about 3 weeks ago I started counting calories with MFP, working out 4-5 days a week (4 of which are with a personal trainer). I LOVE IT! I've lost 5 pounds since working out and 2 since starting MFP.0
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I hate Points Plus too, I kept gaining on it. Even with the new 2012 changes. I tried to do the old plan, but there are few apps out there that support the old plan. I'm still a member of WW, but I just started MFP last week. To be honest I gained and lost the first few weeks of points plus, that I'm kinda embarrassed to go back to my meeting, when I get lose another few lbs I'm going to go back to my meeting and just do MFP (yes I know total waste of money, but I LOVE LOVE the meetings and the people there LOL).
Feel free to add me as a friend on here if you want.0 -
Well, I was not a long time WW user but I did try it for a bit before I found MFP. While I loved the recipes on the website (and still love the magazine) I didn't take well to the program. I found I felt hungry all the time and would use my extra points early in the week and then be starving and miserable the rest of the week and I'd keep falling off the program. I also found the points system tedious and I'd spend an hour comparing items at the grocery store and calculating each one's points to get the best bang for my points buck. I didn't loser very much and eventually gave up. Then I found MFP and it's been a perfect fit for me. I find counting calories so much easier (it only takes a second to compare calories on packages at the store), I love the FB style friend and status aspect of it (it's totally replaced facebook for me in a lot of ways), and the message boards are great. I've done so much better here and it's free.
^^^^THIS!!!!!!!!!! and Welcome to MFP!:flowerforyou:0 -
I was doing WW meetings for 2 years and only lost 25 pounds! I just cancelled my membership a few weeks ago and switched over here to this site! I was paying WW 39.95 a month and it wasn't working! I'm joining a fitness center on Monday for 21 a month so I'm saving money and I find this site has all the different foods on it so it's easy to get calorie count of anything you would eat! Add me as a friend! I would love to have some WW friends for encouragement! Thanks!0
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I was on and off Weight Watcher for years, and I loved it when I was able to stick to it. It did work for me. A friend told me about MFP, and it took a few months to get out of the 'points' state of mind. I have to remind myself to check calories for fruits and vegetables I tried counting calories in the past, but MFP really is an amazing tool. Give MFP a chance, I think you will love it as i do! Good luck!! 0
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ww dropout also. I find it easier to count calories vs points. I still check out the ww boards as there's a MFP thread I follow:)
I must say I love the database on MFP so much better:)
Add me as a friend if you like. I could use the support.
Cheers 0 -
I did WW many years ago lost 15 pounds then moved here to NC gained it plus more. I tried the new points plus it was to complicated for me. Then I found MFP so much easier to just enter my food and read labels for calories. I know myself if its not easy I am not doing it. I don't want to spend hours worrying about food and points.0
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thank you for this post, i thought i was the only one that hated WW! the points system just didnt work for me, too tedious.0
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I recently signed up online at WW as a first time member, for the points plus. I've had friends that went the meetings route and were successful but that wasn't for me. Another friend turned me onto MFP and I joined a month later. For the past month I've been logging food and exercise at both sites to compare. MFP won big time as the most supportive, user friendly, motivational and potentially likely to become a lifetime habit. Consequently, quit WW online yesterday.
One thing I learned there that applies here as well: "Count it all, cause it all counts"0 -
I was on weight watchers for a couple of years and just went up and down. I found this website a few weeks ago and it is great. I like the daily support from friends vs. the weekly meetings. Another great thing is that you can scan foods that you eat and it logs it in for you, so it has been fairly easy for me to convert from points to calories. I think you'll really like this site.
Add me as a friend if you want.0 -
I have been doing Weight Watchers forever but recently I have not done so well on the plan. So I am ready for a change. Would love to hear from any one that was once doing Weight Watchers and has switched to counting calories with My Fitness Pal. Let me know how the change went and how you are doing with the calorie counting. It would be great to give and receive support. I am nervous; I have been doing points for so long that it is hard to change the way you count food BUT change is good, right?
I lost a lot of weight on WW and loved it but I was doing it with my mom and that really motivated me. Unfortunately the way I lost weight was by NOT working out and by eating too few points. I ended up skinny fat - Don't get me wrong - I loved being 118 lbs but I was WEAK! It was too easy to NOT eat my points (spoken as a girl with anorexic tendencies). When I went to meetings they never spoke about that side of the program. It was all about how to curb your appetite and eat things with few points as possible. The anorexic girl inside loved all those tips and I earned many bravos.... I would never suggest WW to a person with an eating disorder.
However it DID change the things I ate - I reached for more veggies and high fiber things. That part was great.
Now I am doing it by going to the gym a lot, running 5k, 10k, 15k's, have a personal trainer and using MFP! It is a huge difference so far. That being said there is a chance I might sign back up for WW when I hit my lifetime weight again - we'll see. BUT I refuse to pay them so much $ a week when there is an amazing FREE resource right here. 0 -
I also dropped out of WW after 3 months. First few week I lost weight then I started gaining. This fitness pal is awesome, I was always hungry with WW, but I am not with this plan. Plus I am forced to exercise and use the cals burned towards my calorie count per day. Also, this program is free with a lot of support. Who can beat that!0
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Can you scan labels with a Droid app? Something new that I hadn't heard about before.0
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I can scan bar codes with my iPhone. So far everything I have scanned has shown up.
Sure makes it easy.0
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