WW is just glorified calorie counting. You can get the same results by just knowing your own BMR + activity level and weighing/measuring your foods to count your calories, and you can get the support WW offers for free from places like this
WW is just glorified calorie counting. You can get the same results by just knowing your own BMR + activity level and weighing/measuring your foods to count your calories, and you can get the support WW offers for free from places like this
WW is just glorified calorie counting. You can get the same results by just knowing your own BMR + activity level and weighing/measuring your foods to count your calories, and you can get the support WW offers for free from places like this
Exactly. There's a wealth of free information available on the Internet, and the support portion is right here (again, for free).
Your points will change as you lose and you need to know more than just the points you are allowed. Go to one meeting and you'll have all the materials you need plus you need to buy a calculator to compute your points.
WW is a lot more than glorified calorie counting. It teaches you to eat the right foods and exercise and gives you ways to deal with emotional eating, etc.
Last edited by QuilterInVA; 11-03-2011 at 01:37 PM.
Your points will change as you lose and you need to know more than just the points you are allowed. Go to one meeting and you'll have all the materials you need plus you need to buy a calculator to compute your points.
WW is a lot more than glorified calorie counting. It teaches you to eat the right foods and exercise and gives you ways to deal with emotional eating, etc.
This is why I picked calorie counting. I couldn't afford to sign up again, even for one meeting, nor could I afford the extras. There are online calculators that are free to help you compute the points in foods. But Quilter is right, your allowed points will have to be recalculated as you lose weight.
Again, my suggestion is to calorie count first, for free, and keep coming to 3FC to find the moral support you need. You won't be out any money for trying.
If you find that it's not working for you and want to try WW go for it !
Last edited by PreciousMissy; 11-03-2011 at 02:10 PM.
For me, the most beneficial part of WW wasn't the food plan at all, it was the group support and the accountability of a weekly weigh-in.
The handful of times I succeeded at losing more than a few pounds, it was because I had some type of external support.
Currently I'm in TOPS (taking off pounds sensibly). It's a great program, and is a not-for-profit organization, and you can follow any plan you wish. Many of the members are following WW. With TOPS, you can be a member of otehr weight loss groups concurrently. We have a member or two who are members of both. It's pretty common for TOPS members to loan, give, or sell their WW materials to other members.
The great thing about TOPS is that the cost is low. I spent more money on my first month of WW, than I did for an entire year at TOPS - and in TOPS there are ways to win small amounts of cash and prizes for weight loss and other challenge competitions.
My goal every year is to break even making my TOPS membership free. I didn't do it last year, but I came pretty close. The national dues are $26 per year (and includes a monthly magazine). The chapter dues are $5 per month, but our group waives the monthly dues if you lost weight the month prior. Every week everyone contributes a dime to the biggest loser contenst (the person with the most weight loss, gets the dimes). And we pay a dime for every pound if we have a gain.
I'm a Weight Watcher. Have been for years. There's a Weight Watchers section under Diet Central if you're interested in learning more about it from members and people working the plan.
I completely disagree that it's just "calorie counting". The Points are quite similar to counting calories, yes, but the program offers a lot more than just that. And for a lot of people (myself, included) it's the "more" that they offer that is so wonderful and has helped me.
I enjoy that the plan involves more than just calories. It tries to urge people to choose healthier foods with their daily intake. It encourages people to get in regular activity. To get the vitamins that they need.
Where WW excels is Support. They have meetings all over the place, and for those who need in-person support it can be absolutely marvelous. There are great leaders out there. And members who have positive experiences and lessons to share about their own journeys. Meetings are a great weekly treat for a lot of people.
They do even have a website, and the online version that is less expensive than would be going in person. All the tools that you need are available through their site, as well.
Regardless of what plans you choose to follow, 3FC is a very supportive environment. So stick around!
EBAY!!! Girls best friend! I did WW briefly (was hungry ALOT) but I actually got 2 weeks free. (online) During that time I learned as much as I could because I fully planned to cancel.
I still get emails with tips and recipes.
Add me to the calorie-counting group! I lost 100 pounds by calorie counting and exercising. I gained a lot of it back, but to be honest, I gave up the calorie counting too. Now I am back at it, trying to lose the weight I regained.
I recommend TOPS as well. It is pretty inexpensive, and besides support, there are often good contests and other incentives.
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I'd like to echo everything that's been said so far -- calorie counting is free, there's plenty of resources + support available online, etc. And a lot of people are more than happy with that.
For me personally, WW is not just a place where I go to get weighed in every week. It's not just "glorified calorie counting." Sure, I could just as easily weigh myself at home every week -- but the thing is, no one else has to see that number. So it would be all too easy for me to ignore the number. It's hard to explain, but I need the weekly meetings to keep me on track. Knowing someone else is going to see that number gives me motivation. It's not like they'd ever SAY anything if I gained -- but just knowing that I'm not the only one who's going to see the number keeps me going.
And please don't do what someone else suggested and try to sneak into a meeting unnoticed. That's....not cool. At all. And it's not fair to those members who pay their weekly dues. Many meeting locations will let you check out a meeting for 100% free, so check into that in your area. But don't try to cheat the system, because that's not the way to go about things.
Calorie counting is good but it's a different mental game than WW. Calorie counters tend to be on their own. For me, it works, and for many others. Some need, or just want, the support of a WW community. It really comes down to whether or not you feel you need a community to help you through this journey - some do, some don't. It's about how we need to approach our issues with food. If it was just about food intake, we'd all do the same plan and get good results. But we all know there is more to it than that, or none of us would be here, have plateaus, have pitfalls, etc.
Good luck with your choice. If you feel you need the support of the WW community then consider the long-term cost vs the cost of not staying on plan. If you feel you truly cannot afford it then calorie counting is free and 3FC is a great community to support you. Good luck!
Calorie counting is good but it's a different mental game than WW. Calorie counters tend to be on their own. For me, it works, and for many others. Some need, or just want, the support of a WW community. It really comes down to whether or not you feel you need a community to help you through this journey - some do, some don't. It's about how we need to approach our issues with food. If it was just about food intake, we'd all do the same plan and get good results. But we all know there is more to it than that, or none of us would be here, have plateaus, have pitfalls, etc.
Good luck with your choice. If you feel you need the support of the WW community then consider the long-term cost vs the cost of not staying on plan. If you feel you truly cannot afford it then calorie counting is free and 3FC is a great community to support you. Good luck!
Not necessarily true. I have cc buddies here and on myfitnesspal. Maybe compared to in-person meetings but not compared to WW at home/online.
Also, you can join something like TOPS which is supporting people on different programs and as far as I know way cheaper (or even free?).
It comes down to a personal preference I think. But don't be afraid to try something else. Especially when you are struggling with the costs of a more expensive program. You can lose weight with zero expense (apart from food).
In the end I think we are all on our own anyways. Every body is so different, even with support community you fight on your own. Don't rely on others, don't expect it works all the same. You need to find motivation and drive within yourself.
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