Weight Watchers OR good old fashioned calorie counting?

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I am currently following the Weight Watcher Pro Points system, have done WW before and had good results (lost 21lbs) but never get below 136! Is it worth continuing with WW (and paying £10.95 a month) or instead just continue to use the calorie/nutritional system on here?! Any relevant advice is very welcome :) Jen x p.s I am also working out doing cardio & strength most days x

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  • mbeis
    mbeis Posts: 19 Member
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    I think it all depends on what works for you. If you enjoy weight watchers, stick with it! I always have and will be a fan of plain old calorie counting though.
  • Jenjaz1910
    Jenjaz1910 Posts: 447 Member
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    This time round I've been doing it since October and have really fluctuated and am stuck at 150! X
  • shakybabe
    shakybabe Posts: 1,578 Member
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    WW didn't work well for me.. calorie counting neither.. though I learned calorie values and portions.. just eating everything but under a certain amount wasn't having much effect, maybe cos I was still eating lots of wheat and seem to have a wheat intolerance, once I dropped it the pounds dropped off and I eat loads more now then I did when I was calorie counting and still losing despite TOTM playing up severely the last few months due to peri-menopause I think.
  • k8lyn_235
    k8lyn_235 Posts: 507 Member
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    weight watchers was alright, but i realized i became too obsessed with points, and some days when i went over a point or three i didn't feel that bad.

    with calorie counting (and paying attention to macros - protein, carbs, etc.) i feel like i'm actually eating HEALTHY whereas with ww i didn't really eat healthy. also, if i go over my calories, i feel worse than going over points because i actually am seeing the real number (100 calories, 200 calories).

    that's just me though. do what works for you!
  • montana_girl
    montana_girl Posts: 1,403 Member
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    I do both... I use WW for the group support (I attend the meetings) and the accountability of the weigh ins, but I do calorie counting because that seems to work better for me then the new Points Plus system. I lost over 100 pounds on the old system, but for some reason I became stalled (and gained weight) on the new system.

    So, you need to go with what works for you! (Not much help, I know... LOL)
  • cmayfield3
    cmayfield3 Posts: 176 Member
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    Calculating points just complicates things IMO. It's an extra step that's totally unnecessary when MFP makes direct calorie counting so easy.
  • livisuzanne
    livisuzanne Posts: 22 Member
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    it's nice to hear from someone else with a gluten intolerance. This has been my biggest weight loss issue. I just can't digest it properly so the weight sticks around, and generally in my tummy. I'm completely gluten free now, but it's still hard to deal with. How has it been going for you?
  • coopersmom2006
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    I've had success with counting calories and have friends who've had major success with WW. Depends on what is easiest for you I think and what will help you stick with it. Free is better IMHO.
  • shakybabe
    shakybabe Posts: 1,578 Member
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    it's nice to hear from someone else with a gluten intolerance. This has been my biggest weight loss issue. I just can't digest it properly so the weight sticks around, and generally in my tummy. I'm completely gluten free now, but it's still hard to deal with. How has it been going for you?

    Mine seems to be with mainly wheat and I didn't know so was still eating wheat based cereal that I thought were healthy ie special K and still eating bread and often pasta as well. My tummy was 48" around last June and I dropped 13 " off it when I dropped wheat.

    At first I dropped all additional carbs (not counting ones found in fruit and veg) dropped 7lb in first week and 18lb the first month. I lived on fruit & yoghurt for breakfast, bowl of salad (or soup) for lunch and salad or vegatables with lean white meat or fish for dinner. After a while it slowed down anyway (weightloss) so I tried re-introducing other grains slowly and started with oats and had no problem there, added gluten free bread back in and rice and was still losing and tummy wasn't swelling up or storing loads of extra water.

    Just to be sure I dropped the others for a week or two then brought back wheat after only 2 days my weight went back up 10lbs, I dropped it again and took some water tablets to get rid of the excess again quickly, then decided to stay wheat free and bring back other carbs like potato, rice and gluten free bread for toast... so I will stick to this and hopefully keep the weight off during my menopause.
  • HonkyTonks
    HonkyTonks Posts: 1,193 Member
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    WW to me seems like something people do when they don't have time to think completely about the food they're consuming. The point system just simplifies the process. I prefer to have complete control and awareness of what I am eating. I like the big numbers.
  • Jenjaz1910
    Jenjaz1910 Posts: 447 Member
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    Well I'm cancelling my WW membership more money to put towards my holiday! X