MFP vs. Weight Watchers

I lost over a stone with weight watchers but I think it forces you in to using their products out of convenience and frustration at working out the points and that annoys me. Ultimately if you follow it properly it's a way of controlling calories and would work but because it gives you the impression that you can have their crisps/biscuits/prepackaged junk often and still lose weight I think people start to slip back on their efforts and eat the real thing over the tiny portion of bland rubbish in an over priced bag! WW works best if you stick to the points and each fresh natural foods because it's limiting calories and making healthier choices. If you assume that all points are made the same and eat the ww packaged foods I would pretty much guarantee you will still be hungry and want more as they just aren't nourishing foods. If you then add in a get out clause of eating as much fruit and veg as you like then no wonder people blow it because you overcompensate on sugary fruit and eat too much.

*end of my rant*

WW can work well but it needs some common sense too, stay in your points and eat real food and I would bet most people would lose significantly over time. Most people don't do that though so MFP which shows you more about what you are eating is better for me as the numbers (macros and nutrients) encourage me to make better choices and as anything can be eaten I don't feel restricted or controlled.

I used WW for about a year before recently discovering MFP. I was only doing the on line program because I don't need the support of meetings. I was paying $18/month! I had been moving between the same five pounds for the last several months on WW after losing about 25 pounds pretty quickly. I even manually reduced my daily points target to try to start losing consistently again and it did not work. After logging a few of my WW days in MFP, I found that although I was staying under my points goal I was heavy on carbs and sugar. It was a revelation that I needed to try to pinpoint why I couldn't get past those five pounds. After a week of using MFP I have found it to be more valuable, easier to use, and I love the mobile app version. I lost 1 pound in my first week and hope to get past that mark I have been unable to get past using WW.

I did WW Online a few years ago and lost about 25lbs with it. Ultimately, I got sick of the whole Points business and stopped doing it. I went on to lose another 15lbs or so without any sort of diet plan. I kept that off for a couple of years, but gradually regained a large portion of what I had lost.

Like anything, MFP is what you make of it. I was introduced to the site through an employer-sponsored wellness plan. My eating plan was developed in conjunction with a dietician, and I initially used MFP only as a tool to keep track of my food and activity. I did eventually find that, while the forums can be maddening at times, there is some useful info here. I've learned a few things and been inspired to try new fitness routines. Plus I've got some great people on my friends list

I just cancelled my WW membership..today. While I was successful with it I find MFP much more enjoyable to use. I too like the fact that I can easily monitor how much fat, carbs and protein I'm consuming on a given day.

My leader at WW used to say your same identical phrase " I don't know anyone who got fat by eating too many bananas "... I guess WW uses the same sentences all over the country LOL But anyway, the truth is somewhere in between: if the fruits a person eats makes him/her go above their daily needed calories, yes, that person will by all means gain weight by eating bananas. The only time I ever lost weight in my entire life (41 yrs. old) has been by counting calories.

Just saying...

I am of the opinion that any weight loss organization that makes you pay for their services is setting you up to fail. You know how many former clients of those companies are REPEAT customers? A LOT! That's where they make their money. You do lose, but you don't keep it off so you try again because you lost weight on it before. The old fashioned way is the best.

I have done both. I prefer MFP by far. It's more scientific and reliable. I liked WW when they used the exchange method, because you still kept track of calories in a way. I still use that method to make my own recipes, especially for soups and stews. Using the exchange method for making recipes is pretty accurate when you start adding up the calories and for nutrition tracking.

I've done WW and lost 40 pounds on it and then gained it back when I hit life time. I didn't think the maintance stage was helpful at all. I also tried the PointsPlus system that they rolled out and didn't lose or gain.
I like MFP much better, it's free for one, I don't have to take time out of my schedule to try and squeeze in a meeting, there's support in the public forums, and I like that I understand how I'm losing weight, instead of just plugging in point to an equation that I don't get.

Neither work unless you are personally focused and committed to success and if you are prepared to be patient. When I started this I thought 6 months to goal - 10 months on I have lost 39lbs but still have 16lbs to go. But that is fine because I have learnt patience and because I am doing it slowly I feel much more confident that I will maintain. I did WW years back but it wasn't for me. MFP is 24-7 - if I need support it is there. I like the fact that on here you can be pro-active or passive - it doesn't matter. My sister in law is on here but only uses it for the databases. I have made quite a few friends and I have cousins in Canada who are here - I like the social aspect and the support people give. MFP is very flexible. WW starts well but personally I found it too much in terms of lack of flexibility - I cannot in my job turn round to people and say I can't do something because I have to go to WW! I guess it depends on your own personality, lifestyle etc. But hey - as long as it works right?

I successfully lost 15 lbs with WW about 5 years ago, and gained it all back. I tried again a few times and never made it past a few months.

I'm loving MFP SO much more than WW. Why?

1. WW taught me nothing about nutrition. I used the magical formula card/app to calculate points and that was it. No understanding of macros or how the body processes food.

2. WW products were constantly being pushed on members and I felt in general that the community was very open to chemical-laden diet products. I now understand that artificial sweeteners truly trigger my desire for more sugar-y things.

3. The forums on WW (which were important to me as I was a digital subscriber) are full of people who a)congratulate themselves way too much for eating poorly "it's ok, try harder tomorrow" and b) basically ate a lot of processed crap--which I guess relates to my point above. I love how my MFP friends are truly inspiring--they work hard, eat right and try to spread accurate, helpful information.

4. Finding foods (especially obscure, Israeli foods) is SO much easier with MFP!

I do miss meetings though. Nothing like a public weigh-in to keep motivation going.