Hi everyone,

I'm new here and only just starting what I think will be a long journey. I have made some progress towards my goal just by trying to watch myself and by being really active this summer, but now I have started to fall back and I want to try some kind of aid: I downloaded Lose It! And My Fitness Pal and have been using them, but I wanted to ask…


Has anyone here done Weight Watchers groups here, can you maybe tell me whether or not it's worth spending the money for something more formal? Or can I get what I need by counting calories and maybe by reaching out to communities like 3FC? Has anyone tried WW online/do they know anything about the new Simple Start Program? I saw it but I'm confused about why to pay for it because it seems like it's just cooking meals. I'm happy to sign up for WW and even to commit to meetings, but is it worth it?


Thanks so much!

Anna

Depends on the person. I have been a WW member for 9 years and to me it is worth every penny. There is a WW forum on this site. The Simple start is not new to WW it is just encouraging people to take a second look at Simply Filling Plan which has been around for awhile,it was once called core.It focuses on power foods.

it really depends. I like the weekly weigh in because it kind of keeps me accoubntable..lol..but I really like the points vs calories only because I can get very very over board with calories...I have a history of ED, starve and binge, and when I'm in weight loss mode I will figure down to the calorie..its very stressful...points takes away some of that obsession...
I actually dont like the new system with fruit being free. I cant seem to eat something an not count it. So I end up not eating fruit...idk...with the new system of points I wouldnt recommend it...I have a feeling I will be stopping soon only because of that..the old systemm was great though. I've done LoseIt..and if I wasn't so insane about calories, I would have stuck with that.

I think it is a very personal decision. I have used WW and as a matter of fact I love the points plan so much I still use it to count my food. I lost over 130 pounds on WW a few years ago but like most gained it all back plus more. I am doing my own thing now but I do use WW materials. I rejoined awhile ago and quit after a month or two. I like the accountability of a group too but for me I could not find a group I connected to. I tried several meetings. I just found too much of a focus on faux foods. Even though they say they stress power foods they sell all kinds of faux chips and faux foods (bars) near the scale and so many people eat tons of sugar free jello etc. I am not saying this is bad for everyone at all but it is not what I want. And there was too much stress on numbers and not enough on other aspects of health. So for me I prefer tracking food on my own and finding my support here. But you could always join and try a few months. Worst case scenario you don't like it and quit but have all the materials to use on your own if you want. Good luck.

i agree with the above
I've been on WW for 1 1/2 yrs and love my weekly meetings and I've lost 60 lbs...I've also recently started MFP when I came to a plateau...now I do both-its a lot of work to track EVERYTHING but it works for me

I have a WW membership just to get access to the recipes which I love. But I started doing MFP when I started doing IF. It was just easier to stay in my 5:2 range. But I love some of the simple start recipes and am incorporating some of them this week!

I used to LOVE meetings, especially with the right leader. But I work nights and it's hard. So I just do the online at the moment

I can't speak to WW because I never used it. I lost all of my weight using MFP and the 3FC forum for support. It worked for me and I saved a lot of money.

Thanks so much, everyone, for the advice and the kind words. I hope to post more and it's so nice to know that 3FC is here as I go down the road.

I got this sense too. I felt like they were really pushing the WW food, which is expensive and specific. Like the oatmeal...the leader gave us a recipe for a muffin using WW oatmeal. After the meeting everyone ined up to buy a bunch of WW oatmeal cups. At the next meeting, she asked how everyone liked the muffins...I raised my hand and said I made the same muffin using regular oatmeal packet (store brand AND using plain oatmeal that you can buy in bulk) I said how much I measured out. It wasnt rocket science but some people acted amazed that this was doable with store oatmeal and not the WW cups...the leader cut me off a little and moved on, while other members were asking me to repeat how I did it using regular oatmeal..because WW oatmeal is like $5 for 4 cups...omg, I have a family of 5, I cannot afford to pay money for their special foods...

Also I agree, I dont want diet versions and prepackaged WW foods, I want to eat health whole foods...and I did feel that the WW foods were plugged at the meeting...I will say that I've done WW before and I dont remember them plugging their foods as much so maybe it depends on the leader??

Hi Anna.

I have been doing WW all year since Jan 1st. However I do this on my own. I don't go to meetings or do any of it online but I found all my tools online. You can find the "how many WW points can I have" sites and the calculator. I do the old-fashioned points not "points plus." I have the calculator app in my phone so I can calculate when I am at the grocery store. I myself do a lot of the WW meals and pre-packaged foods. In my area Target, Walmart, Winco, Safeway you name it will have the WW meals or the Lean Cuisines or Eating Right on sale every week. They just rotate. I also found I can incorporate any packaged food into my plan. Because I am down to only 19 pts a day I don't do many desserts. I like to have my 3 meals and already dividing up roughly 6 pts a meal is a bit more difficult. I usually eat the same combo's all the time. I am not a fruit or vegetable eater and never have been. My accountability is to myself and I am my worst critic. Good Luck and personally speaking I think WW is the best. I have contemplated back and forth with other diets but stick to this one.

I'm new here, can I ask what MFP stands for?

MFP is My Fitness Pal, which is what I use now instead of WW. I use dto do WW on-line, but after having baby no. 2 I decided to try out MFP because it is free. I like it very much, actually. It is really no harder than WW points, because you just search the database for a food you ate and plug in the quantity. There is no mandatory weigh-in, but I really want to lose weight before a vacation this May so I have motivation beyond fear of public humiliation.

I really think it is more important that you track your food and your activity more so than the specific method you choose to use to do the tracking. When I didn't track, whether it was WW or MFP, I got lazy and gained weight.

I can't speak for WW because I've never used it. I will say that those who I've known who have stuck to it have had great results.
I've used the Lose It app since 2009 which was the beginning of my weight loss. Its served me well. I'm on it again to lose the pounds I've gained over the holiday season and I've lost 3 lbs already
Also, I agree with Betty. The important thing is to log- in whatever shape or form.
Oh and be honest when you're recording. We like to convince ourselves that if we didn't put it down, it didn't happen... if only!

I am a WW!

It's what works for me. However, I have a great leader and group.

Any plan will work, if you are willing to work the plan.

What you really need to decide, is what you need, to live and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

For myself, I love the meetings. WW works hard to educate, our leader is not big on selling us WW stuff. So, it depends on the leader. Our group is in a small community, so we all know each other, and that's great! We have fun at meetings. Plus it puts me in touch with people of like minds.

Really, you just need to explore, and figure out what suits your personality. Might be WW, might be MFP, might be Spark People, or TOPS. Whatever works!

I love both My Fitness Pal and Weight Watchers. Weight Watchers for me is all about the meeting and the weigh in. The meeting keeps my head focused on weight loss and doing the things I need to do to stay on track. The weigh in keeps me accountable. I know each week I have to weigh on Friday so I structure my week so I can do well on it. If my weigh in date is something I can just change on my own, it is too easy for me to say I'll weigh in tomorrow! Also, while it is cheesy I guess, I like get the stars and rewards from WW. I still my big Key to the Future that I got years ago when I got to goal.

I also like how with WW there is not just one daily goal for what you eat. That is, you get a minimum number of points you eat and then you get weekly points that you can spend as you choose during the week. I like that since I eat varying amounts on different days.

On the other hand, I love MFP too. The one thing I don't really love about WW is the points. I like the greater information I get from recording my actual calories. I like to know my nutritional macros and to be able to drill down and get more information. Also, MFP talks to my Fitbit and tells it how many calories I've eaten and so Fitbit tells me what my calorie deficit is for the day and that is the most important information for me.