MFP vs. Weight Watchers
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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.
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I lost weight on WW, and could not keep it off. MY old habits came back and so did the weight. MFP is the same concept, FREE, and it is easier to just log what you eat instead of looking up point values. This is so much easier, and you get the breakdown of fat, protein, etc. Much better!0
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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.0
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I joined WW in May 2010, very religiously counted my points, exercised & by Nov 2010, I had lost 50 lbs. I did WW all online, all by myself. I have never been to a meeting.
I continued with WW until June 2011, when they changed the points system. I have been using MFP since. And have managed to maintain.
WW helped me understand "Lifestyle Change vs. Diet" - It was all about portion control.0 -
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.0 -
I'm a lifetime member of WW - lost 45 pounds back in 1998 on the flex plan. I never gained it all back, but would creep back up 15-20 pounds. I'd go back and get within 5-7 pounds. The Points plan was good and I had success there as well.
But PointsPlus was the end for me. They nickel and dime you to death. Now you can't figure out points on your own - you have to BUY a calulator, or book or online membership. Just this week there's a big hubbub that they've changed a bunch of points values on foods that make no sense.
I also don't think they encourage exercise enough. I went from an extra-large ball of mush to a medium ball of mush. I started MFP in January and I'm in the best shape of my life - down 12-14 pounds - lower than I was in 1998. That said, I'm far more motivated and goal-oriented now. The phone app is key for me. And it's free.
I agree with other posters that WW is a great place to start for support and outside accountability. Once you experience the mindset-change, MFP is a better value.0 -
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?0
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I did Weight Watchers for six months or so. I lost about fifteen pounds and no more. I didn't gain, but I wasn't losing either.
I've been on MFP for over a year. I've lost 50 lbs in about 8 months and now I'm on maintenance.
You can see the difference MFP made for me. MFP changed my life. Weight Watchers didn't. The hardest part with Weight Watchers for me was eating dinner out. I just couldn't learn to balance "real life" with Weight Watchers. With MFP, I have. In fact, MFP just kinda is life. It's something I do almost naturally now.
But WW does work for a lot of people. I have a good friend who swears by it. She lost 40 lbs with it years ago and has been a "WW lifetime member" (i.e., maintained) ever since.
It just didn't work for me.0 -
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.0 -
I lost 60lbs on WW in a year., then gained it and more back when I got pregnant with my youngest child. I found MFP 2yrs ago and have lost WAY more. I'd rather just look at a package & know what I can eat by the calories than sit there and have to convert it to points.0
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I lost 53.5lbs with Weight Watchers, one lb from my goal weight in 2005. I have gained back slowly about 35lbs. I went back on WW in when I got engaged using the Points Plus. It took me a year to lose 15lbs when I lost almost 54 in about 8 months before. I just started MFP and like how black and white it is. The points with WW are just sort of arbitrary and abstract. I like being able to see how much of almost all of the nutritional breakdown. I am still seeking support and motivation because that's where MFP lags. However, this is something you have to get for yourself by finding and making friends and joining groups.0
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I do both....
I lost over 115 pounds on WW and got to Lifetime, but struggled a bit with the new program so someone suggested couting calories and points to see why I was gaining -- and I've been here ever since.
I still attend meetings once a week, follow all the Good Health Guidelines that WW recommends, and follow the basic principles of WW. I just count calories instead of points. I think of it as the best of both worlds. :flowerforyou:0 -
I'm a lifetime member of WW - lost 45 pounds back in 1998 on the flex plan. I never gained it all back, but would creep back up 15-20 pounds. I'd go back and get within 5-7 pounds. The Points plan was good and I had success there as well.
But PointsPlus was the end for me. They nickel and dime you to death. Now you can't figure out points on your own - you have to BUY a calulator, or book or online membership. Just this week there's a big hubbub that they've changed a bunch of points values on foods that make no sense.
I also don't think they encourage exercise enough. I went from an extra-large ball of mush to a medium ball of mush. I started MFP in January and I'm in the best shape of my life - down 12-14 pounds - lower than I was in 1998. That said, I'm far more motivated and goal-oriented now. The phone app is key for me. And it's free.
I agree with other posters that WW is a great place to start for support and outside accountability. Once you experience the mindset-change, MFP is a better value.
I'm also a lifetime member. I have to admit I researched until I found a close enough facsimile to the new PointsPlus calc, and did all my tracking from home in a simple spreadsheet. I was prepared to buy the new calculator but they wanted like $15 for it. I knew from reading online that the non-franchise WWs were selling it for $5 the first few months. Grr. They never really pushed me to buy anything but on the new plan you can't use a points slide so the calculator or etools is needed. My spreadsheet does do it fine, though.0 -
I'm struggling to figure out which one is better for me, so for now I'm doing both. I get a pretty great discount through my work for WW so both of these are pretty much free. I like the points plus because the BMR/TDEE math business makes my head spin. I lost 55lbs on WW before, so I'm hoping that I can do both for a while, and have MFP figured out before WW subscription runs out.0
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I did WW two years ago and lost 60+ pounds. It was wonderful. But then they kept lowering my points until I was starving everyday and couldn't sustain that level. So I left, maintained for a year and then started school + working full time and gained it all back. I've tried to go back but the points plus is annoying and my time is so limited that I couldn't find a convenient meeting and quite honestly didn't want to sit in one every week when there were 1000 other things I could be doing.
I think it does teach you how to make good choices and it works for many people. It's a *real* plan unlike Jenny Craig or others where you can only eat their food.
In the end, if you put time and effort into either MFP or WW you're going to do well.0 -
I joined WW on more than one occasion and never reached my goal with their program. Their very latest PointsPlus 2012 gives free (0 points) fruits and vegetables, in addition to 26 daily points. On top of all of that, they have 49 weekly allowance points. On those weeks when I ate all of my 26 daily, all of my 49 allowance AND the free fruits/veggies, I actually gained weight... which is no brainer, when you look at it. Fruits and veggies do have calories, and it does add up quickly! IMHO, the science behind WW needs some serious editing. I recently quit them (for good!) and am now here on MFP. I am counting calories and eating a healthy 1200/daily. I have lost 2 lbs. in a week and am confident that this is the BEST program out there.
Ditto for me. IMO MFP is so much better then WW.0 -
I've had success with WW in the past. I think it beats MFP in many ways including
* it does have an education component (where MFP's forum are more like dis-education, with all the bad and erroneous info)
* it has in-person accountability and support
* it addresses the emotional and behavioral aspects of eating and dieting
* you watch people around you literally changing before your eyes week after week
*it does have a maintenance plan but it's basically the same as any maintenance plan-- figure out what eating level you maintain at and learn to eat at that level.
* it simplifies things to what really matters. To lose weight, no one needs to know their BMR and TDEE, for example, or hit macros or a bunch of other things that come up here all the time.
But MFP is free and if you know how to eat right already, can ignore the forum 'info', and don't need the in-person support and accountability, it works, too.
I agree with this. I lost 100 pounds(not to goal but a heck of a lot of weight!) on ww and and am up 40 pounds (I still need to lose 60) about 14 years later. Even though I did not stay on the program for longer that a year and a half..what I learned was in my head and I went back to my materials when I felt like I needed a boost. HOWEVER I really like knowing the full nutrition information..to me that is more of promoting LIFElong changes that everyone understands. I LOVE that this is free and the community seems way more active than ww and I need to talk about losing weight and all the details associated with it - lol! I wish I was losing faster with mfp I know it will come...amd I'm not going anywhere because it feels like life on here - not a program with a start and end date...0 -
I've been a member of Weight Watchers since March of last year and just joined MFP today. So far I must say that what I enjoy most about weight watchers is the variety of recipes in its database and that the weekly weigh-in have been keeping me kind of accountable and the meetings are a nice way to get ideas for different exercise ideas or recipes. Since I started adding to my food diary here, I must say it's kind of an eye opener to see how much sugar, sodium, carbs, etc. that I've been eating so far this week.
As I make my way more in the message boards, blogs, groups, I may like it here at MFP than weight watchers. So far it seems to be easier to keep track of the food I've been eating and the amount of exercise I've been doing.0 -
I lost 65 on WW and gained it back... Now, I'm almost 25 lbs down...and I'm combining my WW knowledge with MFP. The points honestly scared me away from ever eating certain foods ever again--that was good for me.
WW annoyed me with all of its rules and fees--too expensive IMO.0 -
I started on WW before I discovered MFP back in January. My biggest thing is I want to see in front of me the break down of my calories. I want to keep track of my sugar, sodium, protein, fiber, fat, etc. I couldn't do that on WW.
I am definitely not knocking WW, it just seems that MFP has been better for me personally.
This is the only thing about WW I'm not a fan of either. I do like to track sodium and what not.....0 -
I've done both, but honestly, calories work better for me. Especially during the summer, the majority of my calories come from fruit and veggies. I can easily track down information having to do with calories, but often can't get the nutritional breakdown on meals out with WW.
Just my two cents...0 -
I'd say WW is great for those people who want to buy a magic answer and MFP is for those who want to take control and really know what's going on with their body. I like knowing almost exactly how much weight loss to expect when I step on the scale, based on my caloric intake vs. expenditure. WW points make stepping on the scale a crap shoot.0
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I am just switching over to MFP from WW. I was doing WW for 5 months and had lost 30lbs. Not too shabby, but I found I was burning out and spent the last 3 weeks on it playing with 5lbs. The whole looking at nutritional information and converting it to points and then entering that got to me. The last two weeks I double tracked here and on WW and found my calories were basically the same, so I switched to MFP and canceled my WW online membership. WW was great for those first few months, it taught me to eat more healthy foods, it taught me about healthy portion sizes, it taught me about learning to listen to my body and eat until satisfied but not overly full.
WW definitely was a huge help, but I am happy learning to live with watching what I eat by just looking at my basic caloric intake and working towards keeping my diet high in fiber, fruits and veggies, lean meats and healthy oils.0 -
Weight Watchers is great! I lost about 20 lbs last summer using it, but being a college student who is constantly on the go and at school from 9 am to often times 8 pm or later, I was making terrible choices and gained back everything I lost. I never hit goal so I don't know what the maintenance process is like. It does cost money and that is why I am no longer using it. I felt that the support groups were a lot more supportive and there was a lot less "drama" and Diet Critics out there than there are here. I'm shocked by how many diet critics there are on here! I think that WW provides you with a lot more information and tools than MFP.
As for MFP, it's free and I find that tracking calories is a lot quicker and accessible than tracking points. I hate that I have to track my fruit on here. It actually is somewhat discouraging! Those who gained from eating fruit and Veggies were probably those who were abusing the fruit and veggie 0 Points Plus advantage. There is such a thing as too much fruit/veggies on WW.
I personally think it's all about what program works best for each person. I lost weight a lot slower with WW but it is also a lot healthier to lose weight slower.0 -
I have to say that for me WW just doesn't work in the long term. I know ppl that it helped but for me weight watchers just gave me too much wiggle room. I never really lost any weight because i could find things to eat. Also points were hard for me to follow and track, I like the layout of calories and i have actually learned a LOT about my personal health, like i don't eat as much fat or carbs as i thught i did. I also don't have to lug around a butt load of stuff to keep track of my points, If i have my phone, the computer, or my kindle i can track anywhere! Also the accountability thing, I got a bunch of my friends on here and made my log public so i have accountability.0
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To me, the only thing that gives WW an advantage is the accountability of the weigh-in. Otherwise, you can learn good nutrition and maintenance anywhere for free. I also think ProPoints (UK) or PointsPlus (US) gears the program to people who never or rarely exercise. I refuse to eat cans of Progresso Light soup and call that dinner. So I exercise so I can enjoy a piece of steak and some potatoes and still lose weight.0
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I have been using both. That way I know how many calories I am eating with the fruits and veggies and can keep track of what I am eating. I keep the WW points logged in the notes at the bottom of my MFP page.0
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I'm glad if WW works for you. I tried 4 different times 5 or more yrs apart and I always gained the weight back. The last time after losing 30 lbs, I was tired of having to go every week and after vacation I didn't go back. I gained back almost twice as much within the next 10 yrs. My sisters are doing MFP with me so that has sped up my success. One lost over 20lbs and the other lost over 30lbs in the last 4 months. However we do it I am glad so many of us are trying to get healthier.0
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I love WW - I started to lose a little before my wedding and ended up with a highest loss of 74.4. However, I COULDNT get to 75lbs down. COULD. Not. I'm STILL trying - I'm also slowly gaining back and it is very, very frustrating. I decided to try this for a few weeks to see what happens.
I'm a vegetarian, and I find that within my daily points, I'm hungry. I happen to get a lot of my calories from complex carbs - beans, tofu, enriched pasta and grains....and your "punished" because of that.
So....I love WW - it's all in the leader. My leaders - I've had two - have always been fantastic. My previous leader who retired had a cult following. I've never felt pressured to buy anything.
I am going to try this for a few weeks in conjunction with my WW meetings. Tomorrow is saturday, my weigh in day, and I'm skipping this week - between work stress, my "monthly visitor" and general frustrations with progress, I'm going to "start fresh" tomorrow. I have been tracking on here so I know the process.0 -
MFP is free. That's why I switched.0
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