Weight Watchers worked, MFP has not

jennynoel
jennynoel Posts: 11 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone! I have been on MFP for a few weeks now. I was previously on weight watchers and lost 26 pounds in 3 months. Since I switched to MFP I have been yo-yoing between the same 3-4 pounds without any real loss. Anyone have any advice?

Replies

  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    What exactly has changed between MFP and weight watchers in your diet and exercise? I know WW doesn't count fruit and veggies- have you cut back on fruit and veggies since you started logging them? That kind of thing.
  • Madelinew22
    Madelinew22 Posts: 289
    Maybe it's just a platue not the sites fault for that
  • Hemera
    Hemera Posts: 6
    I'm not an expert, but you've lost over 20 pounds and been trying to lose weight for about 3 months, right? So it might just be a natural plateau that has nothing to do with where you track your intake. You could just keep doing what you're doing and wait for the break through, or you could try any of the things that people normally do to try and break through plateaus (radical change in your exercise routine, adding exercise, cycling, etc.).
  • HaleyxErin
    HaleyxErin Posts: 94 Member
    if you still have the WW stuff you could just use that and record it on MFP same plan just free I did weight watchers for about three weeks and after that I used the point system and still had my spied-y point calculater thing (you might be able to find a free point calculater online if you need it) and just did it that way but since I always ended up eat whatever I wanted and stayed under my points with out losing I stopped and switched to medifast (kinda pricy and no I'm not recruting) and it's worked for me pretty well (when I stick to it)
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
    I can't see your diary, but do you eat back exercise calories? Could you be overestimating your burn?
  • jennynoel
    jennynoel Posts: 11 Member
    I did WW online so I don't have a book or anything. I considered using a free calculator but that gets pretty complicated having to put in all the nutrition info for everything. But, I may end up doing that if I can't get through this plateau.
  • jennynoel
    jennynoel Posts: 11 Member
    I'm pretty busy and rarely make time to excercise. I usually don't put any exercise in and I have my calories set to 1400 daily. That should give me a weight loss of 1.3 lbs/week. I usually stay right at my target number of calories every day.
  • jjdhtpj
    jjdhtpj Posts: 1
    I follow WW as well. I logged in WW and kept track of my calories for a couple of weeks to determine about how many calories I was eating with my points. Once I figured that out I was able to lose weight with either method.
    Also, I eat way more fruits and veggies with WW.
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
    Try a calorie zig zag. Eat 1400, 1600, 1200, 1400, 1600, 1200. Some people say it doesn't do a thing, and other people swear by it when they are stuck.

    The O2 cleanse helps with shedding water weight and is food based, not starvation. Dropping to two days of 50 g of carbs or less always does wonders for me as well.
  • trimcow
    trimcow Posts: 1
    My advice is to remember that it really doesn't have anything to do with Weight Watchers or MFP, it is something that is under YOUR control! I also successfully did Weight Watchers several years ago, and have found that the best approach is slow and to always log my food - so be patient, you can do it if you stick to principles you can live with. I'm struggling now too, but I have also come to learn, for me, that sugar, although the same caloric value per gram as protein, really causes me to overeat...so watch your sugars (and carbs) - that might help - and read about glycemic load...makes a huge difference for me. Maybe try not to focus on calories so much as eating more healthfully and foods with lesser glycemic load. Maybe follow the Weight Watcher principles you learned and then simply use MFP as your food log. It's also key to stock your pantry with appropriate foods. I know it's hard, but I believe we are all capable of losing weight if we take the time to understand the biology and psychology behind it! Hang in there, and I hope this helps...
  • jennynoel
    jennynoel Posts: 11 Member
    Thanks everyone. I am definitely not blaming MFP for the fact that I haven't really lost any weight while using it. I just wondered if maybe there was something I wasn't doing right that I didn't know about. I do think that I maybe eat a little carb heavy when just tracking calories, because WW puts higher point values on foods that are high in carbs, so I will try to keep my carbs in check and hopefully that will help.
  • skbarton
    skbarton Posts: 141 Member
    Jenny - how many pointsplus were you set at for your daily points?
  • gatecityradio
    gatecityradio Posts: 401
    Maybe you don't have it set up right?
  • jennynoel
    jennynoel Posts: 11 Member
    I was at 28 points when I stopped WW.
  • skbarton
    skbarton Posts: 141 Member
    I was at 28 points when I stopped WW.

    That is approximately 1120 calories. PointsPlus are approximately 40 calories each. I was double tracking for a while here and on the WW website. My calories here were pretty close to WW's points, depending on WW's rounding and not counting most fruits and veggies (for instance 60 calories here would likely by 2 PP there at a ratio of 40 cals per PP).

    On the previous WW points system my daily points were somewhat equivalent to 900 calories plus the weeklies. When they changed the plan I was at the new 29 points which is close to 1160 calories. I put on weight and then played with the same few pounds.

    There is a good chance under the WW system you were eating under your BMR and now your body is being fueled at a higher level. 1400 calories would be like an average of 35 PP a day (utilizing some of your weekly points or activity points). If you weren't using those extra points before, I would give it some more time to see how your body adjusts to the additional intake.
  • Elf_Princess1210
    Elf_Princess1210 Posts: 895 Member
    I'm pretty busy and rarely make time to excercise. I usually don't put any exercise in and I have my calories set to 1400 daily. That should give me a weight loss of 1.3 lbs/week. I usually stay right at my target number of calories every day.

    Start exercising more and you'll lose weight
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    I was at 28 points when I stopped WW.

    That is approximately 1120 calories. PointsPlus are approximately 40 calories each. I was double tracking for a while here and on the WW website. My calories here were pretty close to WW's points, depending on WW's rounding and not counting most fruits and veggies (for instance 60 calories here would likely by 2 PP there at a ratio of 40 cals per PP).

    On the previous WW points system my daily points were somewhat equivalent to 900 calories plus the weeklies. When they changed the plan I was at the new 29 points which is close to 1160 calories. I put on weight and then played with the same few pounds.

    There is a good chance under the WW system you were eating under your BMR and now your body is being fueled at a higher level. 1400 calories would be like an average of 35 PP a day (utilizing some of your weekly points or activity points). If you weren't using those extra points before, I would give it some more time to see how your body adjusts to the additional intake.

    I was going to add something like the above but bear in mind with WW unless you were eating NO fruit/veg and NO weekly points, you were probably eating way more than that 1120 calories. The weekly points would add about 280 calories a day, and most of us when given unlimited fruit/veg eat at least 300 calories of it, so you're up to 1700ish/day. Most WW/PP people eat over 1800 calories a day, according to one article.

    I think if it worked for you, you could easily shoot for 1120+280=1400 daily calories plus all the produce you want 'free' (unlogged) and it'd be about the same plan overall. Or if you didn't eat your weekly points, just 1120/day + free produce.
  • jennynoel
    jennynoel Posts: 11 Member
    I did eat a lot of free fruits and vegetables and used maybe a quarter of my weekly points for one meal on one day per week as a cheat day. Also from everything I've read on the WW site each point plus is about 50 calories, not 40?
  • jennynoel
    jennynoel Posts: 11 Member
    I'm pretty busy and rarely make time to excercise. I usually don't put any exercise in and I have my calories set to 1400 daily. That should give me a weight loss of 1.3 lbs/week. I usually stay right at my target number of calories every day.

    Start exercising more and you'll lose weight

    I am aware of that and I do exercise when I can make time, but between school, studying, work, a 2 year old, and housework I have like zero free time and when I do I am too exhausted to do anything.
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    I did eat a lot of free fruits and vegetables and used maybe a quarter of my weekly points for one meal on one day per week as a cheat day. Also from everything I've read on the WW site each point plus is about 50 calories, not 40?

    No, the old Points were about 50 calories each. The new Points Plus are around 40. I actually have the formula in a spreadsheet. If you want to count points without their e-tools you can use it. It's the same as their site. You enter the stats of the food and it tells you the points value.
  • lyttlewon
    lyttlewon Posts: 1,118 Member
    I'm pretty busy and rarely make time to excercise. I usually don't put any exercise in and I have my calories set to 1400 daily. That should give me a weight loss of 1.3 lbs/week. I usually stay right at my target number of calories every day.

    Start exercising more and you'll lose weight

    I am aware of that and I do exercise when I can make time, but between school, studying, work, a 2 year old, and housework I have like zero free time and when I do I am too exhausted to do anything.

    I work full time, have children and go to school. I still work out at least 20 minutes a day. You don't have to work out for an hour to see benefits.
  • jennynoel
    jennynoel Posts: 11 Member
    I did eat a lot of free fruits and vegetables and used maybe a quarter of my weekly points for one meal on one day per week as a cheat day. Also from everything I've read on the WW site each point plus is about 50 calories, not 40?

    No, the old Points were about 50 calories each. The new Points Plus are around 40. I actually have the formula in a spreadsheet. If you want to count points without their e-tools you can use it. It's the same as their site. You enter the stats of the food and it tells you the points value.

    Oh ok. Thanks.
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    I think it's more important to focus on overall activity levels than 'exercise minutes'. If you do all that, you're probably getting plenty of activity. You actually burn more by being lightly active all day than you do by sitting all day but having an hour workout.
  • lyttlewon
    lyttlewon Posts: 1,118 Member
    I think it's more important to focus on overall activity levels than 'exercise minutes'. If you do all that, you're probably getting plenty of activity. You actually burn more by being lightly active all day than you do by sitting all day but having an hour workout.

    This is a good point. I lost 30 lbs with Weight Watchers and couldn't move past the plateau until I started moving more. I used to tell myself I was too busy to work out, now I just force myself.
  • LexyDB
    LexyDB Posts: 261
    A few weeks and you're complaining? Most of us have lost over a stone in weight in 14 days. A few months then it would be cause for concern but weeks? At least give it a try.
  • jillica
    jillica Posts: 554 Member
    I would say eat like you did on WW using the 28 points but then log the same into MFP. I'm betting your 28 WW points were less calories than the 1400 you have as your goal on MFP.
  • beduffbrickie
    beduffbrickie Posts: 642 Member
    weight watchers biggest con going! How can MFP not work???
  • j1wright
    j1wright Posts: 286 Member
    I did WW and I lost weight. So I won't knock it but I don't want to pay for it and I never hit my goal weight. I am about to here and actually did until I changed it when I hit it and decided I wanted t lose more with WW they would make you pay 6 weeks after hitting goal weight and then make you maintain to not pay unless that has changed.

    Anyway. From what I can tell some people have problems in differen areas. I tend to have problems with sodium. I really have to watch my sodium so I track and watch my sodium and drink more water than recommended. You just need to find what your body "clings" to. You mentioned carbs. If you feel carbs is bad then definately cut down on the carbs for two weeks and see if that makes any difference but still get in your 1400 calories.

    Good luck!
  • skbarton
    skbarton Posts: 141 Member
    "I am aware of that and I do exercise when I can make time, but between school, studying, work, a 2 year old, and housework I have like zero free time and when I do I am too exhausted to do anything."


    When I started eating more calories then the WW plan, I found I wasn't feeling as tired and actually looked forward to doing some Leslie Sansone Walk at Home or taking a walk outside. You do have quite a load but you might see if you can squeeze in 20-30 minutes and eat back the exercise calories you earn. Tuck the kiddie in a stroller and walk around the neighborhood?

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