Just wondering if anyone has had experience with both, and how they feel about it.
I ordered the 2010 Weight Watchers books a couple weeks ago and had been planning on trying this on my own at home. But, I've started today counting calories. I'm just pretty much stuck on what I want to do.
I have tried both WW and calorie counting, and for me, WW has been so much better! I got bored with counting calories and didn't seem to end up with much at the end of the day. Sounds crazy, but I just didn't like it. WW goes beyond calories and includes fiber and fat, which are both essential for losing weight and staying satisfied. This sounds silly, but I think counting Points is a lot more fun! WW is a complete weight loss program, it teaches you about portion control, healthy eating, how to live your life and still lose weight, and has a lot of great information available. Counting calories works, there are tons of successful people that lose weight this way too! I think it's just personal preference. Read over the materials when they arrive and see what you think. It's worth trying each for a couple of weeks and see what you are more comfortable with!
I started out doing WW went all the way from 271 to 200 then i hit a plateau. I then gained back about 15 pounds and now here I am. I love weight watchers but I am currently during a dual program.
I am doing WW points and calorie counting. That way if I'm out and about and don't know the point value, then I can always fall back on the calories. It seems to be working. (lost some of the pounds I gained back) I'm having fun doing both, let's me see how the point values measure up to the calorie value.
I did WW for years. I had some success but always ended up not sticking with it when I didn't get the results I wanted.
I have been calorie counting since January 1st and LOVE IT! I do that along with using a Go Wear Fit, which tracks calories. I just find it a lot more accurate than WW for me. I am down 33# so far and still motivated.
I've tried both & in the important ways counting points and CC are the same thing....I tend to obsess more over every little thing while CC. Points doesn't do that for me so WW it is!
I don't quite understand the difference between CC and WW points. I joined WW online and keep track daily of my points. I'm allowed 20pts daily. Don't I just look up amount of pts for whatever I'm eating and put that on my points tracker? 100 calories is 2 pts right? Kind of confusing!
the cocolate above is a good example. I WOULD eat 100 calories of chocolate but true I would not use 4 pts. of my 18 allowed for chocolate. Also I found with WW I ate far too many sugar free/ff items and less real food.
But for me my biggest problem with WW (and I would never tell anyone not to do it) is I hate that the program changes all the time and foods that use to be one point value are now a different point value. again a calorie is a calorie (ok really basic) and some foods are higher in calories, beef vs fish. Every item in the market has calories on it and there is no convertion.
WW does work, but it is too much of a game for me. I know I have to burn more than I take in. period. WL for me is calories in vs calories out, and WW is too much mental work for me Exercise translates 1 for 1 verses how hard did i work and how many points is that. if I eat 1500 calories and I burn 2000 calories a day, I can assure a 1lb WL per week.
I have been much more sucessful with calorie counting vs WW and I have been able to keep the weight off.
I think I may try WW for a little bit and see how it works. And, I may alternate between them to give myself some variety. I'm not sure yet. xD
Right now, counting calories is working pretty good, I think. I lost almost 3 pounds last week~! But, this was with partying for two days. And, when I drank, I didn't really care about counting. >.>
This drinking thing might have to go. haha
Last edited by oliconnelly; 06-07-2010 at 02:56 PM.
I'm kind of in the same situation. i've been doing calorie counting for about 3 weeks and haven't lost anything.
I lost 80 lbs with WW about 10 years ago, took me about 9 months. I did it on my own, at home...
One reason I'm considering returning to WW is like someone said, 4 points resonates more with me than 200 calories. It helps me to make better choices. I also think that with points I'll pay attention more. With calories, I don't watch as closely.
As far as eating sugar free, ff stuff, it is all up to the person. I know some on WW who ate nothing but 'real deal' whole foods. Contrary to what a lot of people think, you don't need to eat 'thier food'.
I don't calorie count, but my husband does while I do WW. It's been interesting. He tracks his own calories, of course, but if I'm cooking dinner and figuring points anyway, I'll write down the amount of calories in a serving of whatever it is for him. Some of the dishes were not bad as far as number of calories, but it was worth a ton of WW points. If I had been CC, I would have eaten more. Since I was doing WW, I ate my portion and stopped. Same thing with the chocolate example above...I agree completely.
Now, CC is good for some people. Personally, I lack that control to stop eating when I'm full. I was taught to clean my plate growing up, not to stop when you're full. It is REALLY hard for me to stop eating when I am full. I guess it's a game to me. I determine how many points I am going to eat for dinner, measure that out, and that's it. I don't know why I don't think I could do the same for CC. And I guess CC bothers me because it doesn't account for fat grams...which I realize that the higher the fat, the higher the calorie count will be, but I like WW because you actually input fat.
So...I think it's all a personal preference. Oh, I do agree with the calorie counter that posted on this thread that WW is annoying because they are changing their formula up all the time. I first did WW in 2007 and was successful so I am sticking with it and doing that same program now.
One last thing, I have no idea why, but on WW I make better choices than I would if I CC. I guess it comes down to, "It's only 200 calories," versus, "Wow, that's 3 points!"
WeightWatchers vs Calorie Counting?
