I decided to join WW online because the closest meeting to me was over 35 minutes away. I have not been 100% happy with the online. I find it very hard to navigate around the site. I can never find what I am looking for on the site.
I actually come to this site to get information so basically I am paying WW online to use the calculator.
Yep! The smaller membership on their forums doesn't seem as active as 3FC and here I get to learn all kinds of things diet and otherwise not just WW stuff. If I need to find something, I do a search.
Its certainly an individual choice.
I've been on WW for 13 months and I have never been able to stick with a plan that long ever before. And it is successful for me! My 18.95 a mo is worth it to me to have success.
I also signed up for the free smart phone app so I could track when I am away from my computer and that helps, too.
I'm not sure I would have a healthy relationship with food without the WWP+ plan. It is sensible and I don't start obsessing about being perfect or 'all or nothing' mindset and I don't feel deprived. I have tried so many different diets - SouthBeach, Adkins, Calcounting, Fat Belly, blah, blah, blah! and I always felt restricted and unhappy with the plans.
I love etools. I don't find the site hard to navigate at all although I do find the forums to be fiddly (just where you have to click through to community, then to a specific board, etc). I don't use the forums, though. I love the tracking features and if something isn't in there I'll enter it from the nutritional info so it'll be there the next time I need it.
I bookmark the page that has Plan Manager on it as I use that to record my points. I don't use a paper tracker.
Most of the foods that I eat a lot I save as a favorite or I calculate the points and create it as a food so it makes it easier to record the next time I eat them.
I go to the activity tab to record activity points.
You can use the Find and Explore tab to find specific foods (I don't actually use this hardly at all since I usually just look up the nutritional info on the food and calculate it) but this can help if you are going to one of the restaurants they list. However, today I went to Chili's for lunch and they don't have many Chili's items so I looked it up at Chili's web site then plugged it into the calculator to find the points.
You can also record your weight using the Weight tracker tab.
Truthfully, I don't much use anything else on the site. I did go and read all the Science articles one day and they were interesting. (Go to the main site and click on the Science Center).
I've browsed the forums occasionally -- mostly when the new program came out -- but truthfully don't much care for their forums.
I did do online only a few years ago and the biggest problem -- for me -- was that I needed the accountability of meetings to stay on track. But for that I would probably do it online only.
I use the etools every day and read the blogs and forums, along with coming here a lot. I don't say much but read the posts and find it all helpful. One thing I like about coming here, its okay to ask about pts whereas at WW you can't say anything about that.
I would use the groups and forums more if I could figure out how to frickin navigate them! LOL!
I've been using message forums for 15 years, and I've never encounter one as clumsy as the WW site.
I too find their site frustrating! Plus i don't care for their forum, i find it very critical (jmo). I only use the Etools for tracking which i find SO easy to maneuver. Much much better than the paper tracker.
I am a WW online user only and I agree that the site is clunky and hard to navigate. I mainly use the site for my etools (tracking points, figuring out P+ values for recipes, etc) and the articles and recipes. I come here for the community! I could attend WW meetings in my area, but I lead an already busy life that trying to fit another obligation into it would be difficult. Plus, it's cheaper to use the online plan...
OP---I feel the same way about the online site for WW---I reallly don't think it is very user-friendly. I am still paying for WW so I can go to the weekly meetings (For now), but I have been using www.loseit.com for two weeks now, and I've seen more drop in the scale than I had seen with WW for 4 weeks! Plus, it is such a better website, in my opinion. There are lots of online tracking websites for weight loss. If you are a big fan of the PP plan, then these might not work for you, but I honestly don't think PP is the way to go vs. calorie counting---unless you want to stay on PP for the rest of your life. Most food just isn't in PP format, so you constantly have to calculate something, where calories are always going to be on food packages, on restaurant websites, etc. Just my two cents I should probably just quit WW, since I'm really not advocating for them anymore---but I do like the consistent weigh-in and the weekly meetings/support, which you don't get with just online sites.
It sounds like a lot of people here both count points and calories. I agree that calorie counting may be easier/more sustainable but I really like the accountability of the weekly WI and WW meetings. I'm not sure if I could continue without it.
Is there an option to calorie cycle with your lose it account? Or do you meet the same calorie goal each day?
I would use the groups and forums more if I could figure out how to frickin navigate them! LOL!
I've been using message forums for 15 years, and I've never encounter one as clumsy as the WW site.
That's how I feel about Facebook!!!
I tried the WW online thingy a couple of years ago but it totally didn't work for me. I do it on my own now. I have an iPhone app that can work with custom formulas and that's all I need. It calculates, tracks food & weight. All I need. Oh and of course you guys! Without 3FC it would be really, really hard to stick to it.
Anyone else having issues
I should probably just quit WW, since I'm really not advocating for them anymore---but I do like the consistent weigh-in and the weekly meetings/support, which you don't get with just online sites.
