As much as I want to join and shed all this fat, I just can't afford it at the moment, being a college student.

Are there any cheaper alternatives that actually works? Or any way around this program? I want to lose about 40 pounds, but I need some information on what kind of food and the quantity I should be consuming each day to actually lose weight.

Thanks in advance for any advices!

A good option might be to count calories. I use myfitnesspal.com and it has been really useful and motivating to me. I have tried many different ways to be accountable and this is the one that is working for me.

Good luck!

Try myfitnesspal.com it's free!!

If you want to try WW, you can get their materials for cheap on ebay or craigslist.

Second best option is counting calories via myfitnesspal.com- it's easier than it appears, and it's free.

If you can do it on your own, there are a lot of alternatives.

I've (finally) learned that I cannot do it alone. Even online support isn't enough. To succeed in the long term, I really need the weekly meeting and group weigh-in - so the only options (in my area and in most areas I've lived) are either Weight Watchers or TOPS (of course there's a third option of creating my own group, but why reinvent the wheel?)

I've done well in TOPS and in WW (a recent study done by the Medical School of Wisconsin found that TOPS, Weight Watchers, and similar weekly-meeting programs all had very similar success rates - for members who attended meetings for at least a year).

TOPS is much cheaper than Weight Watchers, and you can follow any food plan including Weight Watchers. At TOPS, there's also an optional book you can buy (called The Choice is Mine, $5 I believe) that includes information on calorie counting and exchange plans.

To find local meetings (you can attend the first meeting in any group free - if you want you can even try out all the meetings in your area free before deciding) check the tops.org website.

There is a $28 yearly fee for national dues (which includes a nearly monthly magazine), and then monthly dues vary from group to group. In my current group dues are $5 per month (which is the highest I've seen) but you earn free dues if you lost weight the prior month (so if you lose weight every month, you don't pay any monthly dues). My group also charges a dime per pound for weight gain at the weekly weigh-ins.

The neat thing about TOPS too is that (if you want to and your money situation changes) you can be a member of both groups. There are a couple women in my group who are members of both. I've been considering it, because I could really use a second weekly weigh-in.

I have dieter's ADD. I find it hard to stay focused for more than three or four days unless I know a weigh-in (that someone besides me will see) is imminent. I tend to overeat Tuesday nights (after my weigh-in) and all day Wednesday. I'm thinking that I might stay on plan better for the whole week if I had a public weigh-in every three or four days.

Another idea is to keep an eye out on the Weight Watchers website for any "join for free" promotions, which would have you just paying the weekly fee when you join. That way, you can go to a meeting, have the new member info session/pep talk at the end and have the whole program explained to you, complete with the daily points you should be using. Then, if you think you can go it alone, you'll have the booklets with the basic points values, and the option of buying the more detailed food and restaurant guides. As another poster mentioned, a lot of materials can be found on ebay.

You may also try the WW Online plan, which costs a lot less per week.

i see its been said but i have to say it again .... MYFITNESSPAL.com it lets you create a food journal to track daily calories (its got just about evrey food you can think of in the database) lets you enter your information create a weight loss goal ... and has an app for droid phones for free ... the app is very easy to use and has a ton of features it even has a feature that lets me imput the nutrition information of the food i eat ...

if i eat raisin bran for breakfast i simply scan it and it has all the information logged for me ... all i need to do is note how many servings of it i ate ....

it suggests a calorie goal for you based on your current weight /height/ activity level .... and ive had no problem loosing weight while on thier suggested calories !


give it a try !

Thanks everyone! I downloaded the myfitnesspal app on my phone, so I have it with me everywhere I go now

does the bar scanning work in canada? so far, nothing i scan can be found. =(

Good luck!!!!!

I enjoyed sparkpeople as well.

I used to use loseit.com before joining weight watchers. Its also free and I loved it! Its easy to use and you can track food, weight, activity, etc. Definitely a great tool that's easy on the college budget!