Any former Weight Watchers followers?

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124

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  • DelilahCat0212
    DelilahCat0212 Posts: 282 Member
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    I did their online program, the old program and the new program. When I was on the old program I lost the weight I wanted to loose quite quickly, slowly gaining it back over the years I went back to WW only to find that their points program changed. After being on the program for over a month I only lost 2 lbs. I found it difficult to stay within my points and not be hungry. A friend told me about MFP and after one week I lost 3 lbs. and wasn't hungry at all. A friend I met on MFP told me the following:

    There's a general suspicion that WW changed their program because people who lost what they needed to lose just stopped using the program, and ppl that paid for the mats and knew the formula stopped paying monthly. So they changed it so u lose slower or not at all and people on the onld one would gain a little and come back to meetings.

    Then it was clear to me...this had to be the case because there was no other explanation for why I wasn't loosing on WW. I guess it all boils down to $$$. I hope this helps :)

    Yes! This! I have been saying this all along and felt like a conspiracy theorist! Glad to know I wasn't the only one thinking this way!
  • Shirley61
    Shirley61 Posts: 7,758 Member
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    I did WW many years ago and was successful. I am a Lifetime member but after the third time going
    back I just couldn't do it anymore. My mind was not in it. When you are lifetime they seem to not care to
    help you anymore. I guess they think you know it all. So I came here and lost 24 pounds but have gained
    back some but I am still keeping accountable everyday with tracking my calories. I love the people on here
    so that keeps me coming back. This site does work and there are always challenges here to keep you
    interested.
  • thomassd1969
    thomassd1969 Posts: 564 Member
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    I have tried WW several times only to gain the weight back, I was basically paying someone to weigh me. The meeting advisor was a very nice lady but the subjects of the meetings were always the same. Never any new information that I hadnt heard. The meetings always had the women complaining about the same issues. I wanted to find a site that had a diverse group that had great support. My friend suggested this and I have loved it so far.
  • toxicmikki
    toxicmikki Posts: 60 Member
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    The worse part about it is because I wasn't losing the weight on the program even though I was doing everything correctly I felt like there was something wrong with me. I became really discouraged and depressed and was just about to give up all together! I'm so thankful that I found MFP!
    I did their online program, the old program and the new program. When I was on the old program I lost the weight I wanted to loose quite quickly, slowly gaining it back over the years I went back to WW only to find that their points program changed. After being on the program for over a month I only lost 2 lbs. I found it difficult to stay within my points and not be hungry. A friend told me about MFP and after one week I lost 3 lbs. and wasn't hungry at all. A friend I met on MFP told me the following:

    There's a general suspicion that WW changed their program because people who lost what they needed to lose just stopped using the program, and ppl that paid for the mats and knew the formula stopped paying monthly. So they changed it so u lose slower or not at all and people on the onld one would gain a little and come back to meetings.

    Then it was clear to me...this had to be the case because there was no other explanation for why I wasn't loosing on WW. I guess it all boils down to $$$. I hope this helps :)

    Yes! This! I have been saying this all along and felt like a conspiracy theorist! Glad to know I wasn't the only one thinking this way!
  • Horseyrider
    Horseyrider Posts: 22
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    I've always been one to eat healthy. I found that WW left me hungry much of the time, but I figured it was something I would have to endure in order to get to goal. But then they changed the points system yet again, and for me, having zero points for fruits and veggies created havoc with my counter. I'm a small person and every bit makes a difference. I actually gained while being OP.

    The thing that got to me was reading excited posts on the forums that went something like "I made a great dessert with FF Cool Whip, Snackwells, and FF pudding...." IMO, none of them are even food; so what was I doing there???

    I was sick of white-knuckling it, and wanted to be with people whose bottom line concern is good health. And I love the way the database at MFP has much of the home grown foods we use. Good clean honest food, like your grandmother would recognize. Thank goodness.
  • mgkramer
    mgkramer Posts: 18
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    I too am a Lifetime member of WW - and I agree etools should be free for Lifetime members. I started on WW back in 2000 and lost 25 pounds in four months (too much for me) by nearly starving myself and eating below my 18 points per day. over the following year I gained it all back. Rejoined, lost 22 more pounds, blah blah. I hated how everytime the system would work for me, they would change the program. Remember when they added in the 35 weekly points you could use up (like at hte end of the week) that totally threw me, I dont' know why, but it did. Then they changed it the PointsPlus and I just lost interest. A friend of mine showed me MFP and I love it. Yes, it's still counting, but I feel the support from friends is much more helpful on this tool. I LOVE the barcode scanner (not sure if WW has that yet). I only wish the entries were more MFP provided and less member provided as the discrepancies in the calories is huge. But I prefer MFP to WW!
  • soph501
    soph501 Posts: 47 Member
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    I did the Propoints plan last year and lost 4.5 stone (63lbs) in about 8 months. I've come to MFP to help me keep track and lose the last stone (14lbs). From all the people I've spoken to about propoints, it's either worked really well for them or hasn't had any effect at all.
  • leeshamonster
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    Yes, I did the old plan in 2009, lost 20 pounds and then stopped tracking. I tried the new plan off and on a few times, the most recent being in february. I lost 9 pounds in 3 months. I just keep going back and forth with those 9 pounds. I exercised, I ate tons of fruit and veggies, and I even tried drinking 100 ounces of water daily. It just didn't work the way I wanted it to anymore.
    The reason why I switched is because calculating the points was getting so annoying. I didn't want to make my own meals because I had to sit there and ADD UP EVERYTHING, measure out the whole pot of whatever I made, and then divide by servings for EACH of the fat, fiber, carbs, protein. Too much work. WAY too much for me.
    This is FREE and I like logging on my phone. Plus I can add friends, and that makes it sorta fun for me.
  • Dumbell_Diva
    Dumbell_Diva Posts: 175 Member
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    Ive been a weightwatchers member since 1995, I did weightwatchers everytime I gained weight (after every pregnancy). To be honest I hated the points system and preferred the old system of counting carbohydrates, protein and fat selections every day. I found it to be really healthy and balancing and always ensured I would get the correct amount of nutrients. I think they phased it out about 13 years ago (?) but to me, that was the most successful and realistic diet Ive ever followed.

    In September and October last year I gained 30lb suddenly and the new leader running the meeting was blunt with me, so I made a decision not to go back...and came here instead!!! Im so glad I did as Ive made some lovely "friends" on here! I get more support on here than I ever did at weightwatchers.
  • stephreed11
    stephreed11 Posts: 158 Member
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    I switched, and I like MFP way better. I think the website is way easier to use, and I like that it also has a tracker that I can use on my iphone. Weight Watchers didn't work too well for me because I eat tons of fruit, and I also eat too many carbs. I could eat 600 calories worth of carbs and max out my points for the day, or I could also eat 1200 calories worth of fruit without using a single point. That's just me though :)

    This!
  • Raynn1
    Raynn1 Posts: 1,164 Member
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    I had lost 100 pounds on WW prior to my wedding 5 years ago.. After two pregnancies, two kids and a ton of weight gain, I had to make a different change.. WW just wasnt giving me what I needed once I kicked up my activity levels. I was struggling to make myself eat my activity points, therefore I was starving myself all of hte time..
    I decided to quit my online subscription and started using MFP exclusively and while the numbers are slow to drop, my inches however are finally moving:)

    WW did help me the first time around, but after reading up more on eating more, I realized the reason it took my almost 5 years to lose that weight was because I was eating so little..
  • stephreed11
    stephreed11 Posts: 158 Member
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    I tried WW. Only lost 6 pounds in 2 months and I was starving myself. Always hungry, I also ended up with low-grade anemia that was back in 2002 or 2003. Since then I've gained about 40 pounds and lost about 25

    Now on MFP I've lost 5.4 pounds in just under a month and I never go hungry.

    I agree. I was eating too little on WW, even with the bonus weekly points!
  • Dumbell_Diva
    Dumbell_Diva Posts: 175 Member
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    PS: I have to say that weightwatchers for me was only successful because of the leader and her clerk, I live in Cornwall in the country and the group was small and mainly lots of older women, and the leader was like an old aunt...such a smashing lady, in her late 60s. Her talks were amazing...all about hardship in the wartime and how they spent their days in the 1940s using lots of energy, she would tell us stories about using a mangle, scrubbing the doorstep by hand, beating the carpets, washing the windows and so on, even down to telling us about baking and walking miles to go shopping every day, she would explain that back then people didnt have washing machines, dish washers, blenders, everything would be done by hand which would burn up the calories...everytime I came away from there it was like I was transported back in time to some magical world, she gave us all such a zest for life!!! That is why she had so much success with the diet class, not because of the diet packs we were given, but because of the pep talk she would give. Her clerk was a lovely lady too, all through the class you would hear the "clickety-clack" of her knitting needles! Such a kind lady, and every christmas we would have a christmas party and a secret santa, They made such a lovely team! :smile:
  • stephc0711
    stephc0711 Posts: 1,026 Member
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    I switched. I haven't noticed a huge difference, other than ease of use. My weight loss has been about the same all around. :(
  • Meganosborn1988
    Meganosborn1988 Posts: 24 Member
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    I lost 12 lbs with weight watchers, when they had the old system... it worked but i gained a lot back then had my daughter... I started MFP and honestly i think it is way better, because you can keep track of your calories a lot easier on your cell phone. I found that WW is a little too time consuming and also going to meetings can be a pain in the butt!!!!! And yes it cost a little too much when everything adds all up! I already lost 4 lbs on MFP and i feel great too, it encourages me to exercise so i can eat more :)

    My vote is MFP
  • DivaMaria225
    DivaMaria225 Posts: 70 Member
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    I lost 63# on WW back in 2001. I love their programs and think that they really do work... however I stopped going because I couldn't see paying $12 a week to weigh in in front of a complete stranger when I could weigh myself for free. I still use many of the tools that I learned from WW though. Back then I needed others to show me what to do... Now, I need MYSELF :flowerforyou:

    i lost 20 lbs from WW prior to starting MFP. I agree...they taught me lots of good points like power foods (eat protein based foods to keep you fuller) but I actually didnt have any support.They weigh you and then you sit at the meeting nodding away...Why waste your money just to tell you what you can do at home!
  • DivaMaria225
    DivaMaria225 Posts: 70 Member
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    I lost 12 lbs with weight watchers, when they had the old system... it worked but i gained a lot back then had my daughter... I started MFP and honestly i think it is way better, because you can keep track of your calories a lot easier on your cell phone. I found that WW is a little too time consuming and also going to meetings can be a pain in the butt!!!!! And yes it cost a little too much when everything adds all up! I already lost 4 lbs on MFP and i feel great too, it encourages me to exercise so i can eat more :)

    My vote is MFP

    Thats what I love about MFP...the exercise that lets ou eat back your cals!
  • Meganosborn1988
    Meganosborn1988 Posts: 24 Member
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    yes i agree! although i prefer MFP over WW.. i am still happy i tried WW.. i did learn a lot of helpful tips!!!
  • DivaMaria225
    DivaMaria225 Posts: 70 Member
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    PS: I have to say that weightwatchers for me was only successful because of the leader and her clerk, I live in Cornwall in the country and the group was small and mainly lots of older women, and the leader was like an old aunt...such a smashing lady, in her late 60s. Her talks were amazing...all about hardship in the wartime and how they spent their days in the 1940s using lots of energy, she would tell us stories about using a mangle, scrubbing the doorstep by hand, beating the carpets, washing the windows and so on, even down to telling us about baking and walking miles to go shopping every day, she would explain that back then people didnt have washing machines, dish washers, blenders, everything would be done by hand which would burn up the calories...everytime I came away from there it was like I was transported back in time to some magical world, she gave us all such a zest for life!!! That is why she had so much success with the diet class, not because of the diet packs we were given, but because of the pep talk she would give. Her clerk was a lovely lady too, all through the class you would hear the "clickety-clack" of her knitting needles! Such a kind lady, and every christmas we would have a christmas party and a secret santa, They made such a lovely team! :smile:

    sweet story!
  • Spunky50
    Spunky50 Posts: 23 Member
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    I am a former WW member and have lost weight following the program. I think it is a great program but once you've attended meetings for a year they start repeating the program. I figure if you haven't gotten the nutrition and exercise down in a year you probably won't get it!! WW is GREAT for people that don't know how to make the proper food choices and helps put them on the proper path to a healthy life style!! I finally decided focus on the health aspect and not worry about the weight loss so much, it's working for me!! It's taken me 1 1/2 years to loose 32 lbs but, I feel so very much better!! Good luck to all on your weight loss journey!!!