MFP or Weight Watchers?

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Replies

  • kwest_4_fitness
    kwest_4_fitness Posts: 820 Member
    I'm actually doing the old flex points system and using MFP to help me track everything I eat and my exercise. It has helped immensely to use both in tandem. I've lost 50 of my 67 lbs since doing so. I'm not sure about the new points plus; I wasn't interested in learning a whole new system and didn't like the new structure.
  • mixedfeelings
    mixedfeelings Posts: 904 Member
    My problem with weight watchers is that it's a technique, like a cheat way to remember things, fruit and veg count as calories anyway, using weight watchers doesn't mean that fruit and veg don't count it's just their system.

    This site is free, I think it's easier to follow and more social. You would have to eat an awful lot of fruit and veg to go over on calories.
  • crudd123
    crudd123 Posts: 244 Member
    Try 100 calorie microwave popcorn! You can eat the whole bag for 100 calories! I did Weight Watchers for 2 years! My weight loss stalled and I kept paying 39.95 for the monthly pass and still did not lose weight! About a month ago, I quit ww and joined a gym which was cheaper than ww and now I go exercise instead of go sit in a meeting and listen to hear about all the foods I can eat for so many points, etc. This site is free and does the same thing ww does! Join a gym for what you would pay ww! WW is a waste of money! Good luck to you!
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    For me and my circumstance, WW is not a plan that works well with the things I have to track and monitor. MFP allows me to track the necessary components, and get true nutritional information breakdown of what I am preparing. I love the ability to print reports because I can take them to my physicians' visits and go over anything that is necessary.

    MFP is free and Im more likely to use this (Im 180 days consecutive) because of this being user-friendly.
    WW requires a fee based on your personal preferences. But, WW does not take into consideration of folks who have various restrictions they are required to maintain.


    To stay 'satisfied', you have to be extra diligent in meal preparation. Experience different foods though as to avoid being bored with the same-old same-old. Try a new food and perhaps research a recipe that focuses on all healthy foods and uses that particular food as the star item.

    The fresher the food, the more natural fiber is present thus the feeling full-signals are triggered...
  • coreymo
    coreymo Posts: 25 Member
    Try adding more fiber into your diet. I switched my breakfasts to cereal with 10g fiber and have not been hungry all day since. If I do get hungry, I grab a nutrition bar that's high in fiber, such as an atkins bar (20g protein, 10g fiber). Keeps me full. AND, drink water drink water drink water!! Water keeps you full bewteen meals and snacks. :-) Good luck.
  • Punkie1965
    Punkie1965 Posts: 1
    Any program works if you follow it, and out of all of the commercial programs, WW is probably one of the better ones. They have great advice in their booklets but it is ultimately up to you. You pay whether or not you lose weight. No one checks your food diary to see if you're eating a well-balanced diet - you could be eating junk and still be in your allotted points range. Some people love the meetings but I found them boring and simply a push for WW low point value products and recipes for "fake" food. I need to learn how to manage my love of sweets, not just replace the sugar in the recipe with Splenda!

    After starting the year counting points (without paying WW) and losing 6 pounds, I tried MFP this week (still lost a pound) and like it so much better. It is a real eye opener to see the actual calories, fat, sugar, sodium, etc. contained in the food I eat. I believe that will encourage me to make wiser choices in the future.

    As for the hunger issue, keep in mind that your body is learning to live on less food. It is an adjustment, and one that needs to be made in order to lose weight. A little hunger means that you are being successful! Don't get discouraged. If you are truly hungry then have a little something to take the edge off. Key word is little! The hardest part about losing weight and keeping it off is to change our eating habits. We have become accustomed to eating whenever the mood strikes and look where it's gotten us! I'm in my mid 50's and we did not eat like that when I was growing up - need to get back to that mind-set.
  • SUPERhecticMOM
    SUPERhecticMOM Posts: 61 Member
    my two biggest issues with WW were 1. loopholes...if there was one I would find it...1/2 muffin =2pts whole muffin =5pts....you know I ate 1/2 that muffin and went back to it an hour later and accounted for only pts....That's all me I get it ...I can be a bit piteful even with myself lol
    2. I cook meals every night of the week...tallying up points for home cooked meals was a huge pain...It made it seem a lot easier to eat something that was already in their book :s
    My favourite thing about MFP (besides the awesome people) is that I can punch in my recipes with my ingredients/measurements and get an accurate tally for me and it stores it for me for later :)
  • MelissaGraham7
    MelissaGraham7 Posts: 406 Member
    I essentially follow Weight Watchers but log it here. I was on WW for several years so I have it down pat what I can eat. Now I don't pay for WW but just follow the basic diet here and log my calories. I spent 2 years comparing calories to points - it came out to roughly 39-40 calories per WW points. Anyway, either way, you are being accountable for what you eat and tracking/logging. That's the important part. Fruits and veggies are extremely low calorie and even on WW they say not to go over your 5-7 servings. So, it is all the same whichever way is comfortable for you. Just be accountable for what you eat. ;)
  • coquette87
    coquette87 Posts: 114
    I joined WW in January to get on track, but I also counted calories on MFP. I'd done MFP on its own before, and couldn't manage it. 100 calorie banana or 100 calorie candy bar? Well, the candy bar tasted better, and they were the same, so I'd eat the candy bar. But then I'd still be hungry, and I had no calories left. WW "free" fruits and veggies made the banana the no-brainer. I dropped 7 lbs in 7 weeks (only wanted to lose 15-20 overall) and got rid of most of the belly fat that was making me look 3 months pregnant. I also developed some very good habits - things I knew about nutrition, but never had the will power to put into practice. Now they're second nature to me.

    I won't be continuing with WW when my 3 month membership runs out though at the beginning of April. I've switched my focus more to heavy lifting and losing size rather than weight, so the tracking doesn't really suit me anymore. Last week I inputted my weight and the program told me "You gained this week". Well yeah, but I lost another 0.5 inch off my waist and my jeans fit better through the thigh. So it gave me a solid start toward fitness and nutrition, but it's goals have deviated from mine.
  • jesska812
    jesska812 Posts: 102 Member
    I've been to weight watchers on and off over the last year and I found myself eating a lot more sweets (biscuits, cakes, lollies) than I would prefer. I did lose weight but once I found MFP I realised that I needed to be healthy not just thin and chips and sweets everyday weren't what I wanted as part of my plan.

    Now what I do rather than snacking on the free fruits and veggies I plan my snacks much more carefully making sure that I have protein included with every snack and meal. Since I've been paying more attention to the breakdown of my meals I've been able to give up my constant fruit snacking and stick to more carrot and celery stick munching.

    Good luck with whatever you decide when it comes down to it it's what works best for you.
  • Raddichio
    Raddichio Posts: 162 Member
    I'm another one who came to MFP when trying to find NI for figuring WW points. I started following the WW Flex Plan four years ago, without ever joining WW. I bought the materials and started following the program on my own. I have a multiply handicapped child who needs care/supervision 24/7, so meetings aren't an option. Four years ago, I had 40 pounds to lose. I lost 16 pounds and then suffered the loss of a child. The grief overwhelmed me, and I basically went into survival mode for the next four years. My weight wobbled back and forth, but when I finally decided to continue losing weight I was the same weight (down 16 pounds) as when I stopped following WW.

    When I decided to start again, I investigated the new program and hated it---it was too complicated. The math for the Flex Plan is simple, and I can quickly do the math to figure points in my head. So I stayed with the old WW Flex Plan. I ended up here after the first couple weeks in order to find food values and was so impressed with the resources here and the active message boards that I've stayed.

    One thing that this has really assisted me with is determining the best use of my points/calories for nutritional purposes. It has helped me to take things I've enjoyed cooking for myself and others and figure out how to continue eating them---either by adjusting the recipe slightly or eating a smaller portion (usually both). This site also opened my eyes to how few calories 19 points equal. I often was eating only 800-850 calories a day. I didn't see how that could be good over time and decided I would be willing to accept slower weight loss in exchange for establishing good habits that I can live with over time. I had been in the habit of using no more than 19 points per day, saving all 35 of my flex points for the weekend. When the weekend came, I only ate a portion of those extra 35 points, meaning I really wasn't eating enough through the week. Seeing what I eat in my food diary here makes me comfortable in eating a bit more each day, while still leaving enough flexibility to eat more on the weekend when I go to a restaurant with family/friends for one meal.

    So I guess I'm using a hybrid of WW and MFP, with more emphasis on MFP than on WW. The MFP has definitely helped me to plan ahead and also be more relaxed in changing my eating habits for the better. I would agree that, if not sure, just continue with WW and track here for a while. You may find the answer as to what works best for you. Even if you decide to go back to WW, I would be surprised if you didn't decide to continue to participate here, as well, as there this site has so much to offer.
  • doubglass
    doubglass Posts: 314 Member
    Can't you do both? Do the weight watcher plan if it is appealing but always count the calories. The nice thing about MFP is it makes it easier to make the right decisions about food because the database is so extensive and as close as your phone.
  • colobon
    colobon Posts: 49 Member
    It depends on you. Do you need a third party to weigh you in every week for accountability? Do you enjoy hanging out with people who share your goals and come away motivated? If so, then weekly meetings are for you. I was very successful on ww in the past, combined with etools. This time I stalled out going that route and switched to MFP. So far it's really re-motivated me. I do miss free fruits and veggies and probably eat less of them as a result.
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