So all of My Fitness Pal friends.. err, I mean my ONE MFP friend
I tried Weight Watchers.
Because I didn't like it.
Now hear me out.. WW and MFP are VERY similar. Look at these 2 Screen Captures of WW mobile and MFP mobile..
That is one of the reasons I have decided to stick with MFP and drop WW. The whole point system is really kind of annoying to me. And because I find it annoying, I know it's a system I wouldn't stick with. I also despised knowing that my free trial was about to end and I was going to have to start paying to use it. I'm sorry, but there are so many other free options out there, and I'm a poor 23 year old, so I'm always choosing free. Period.
MFP is free. I can use it on my phone or on my laptop. I can scan the barcode on things I'm eating and the calories automatically get added in. No calculating points. I can adjust the serving size or type in my own calorie count if I need to. I also like that I can select the exercise I did and it will calculate approximately how many calories I've burned. I say approximately because everyone is different so you may be burning more or less than they say you should be, doing that specific activity for the specific amount of time. Either way, I like that.
Weight Watchers works for some people, I know this I get this. But it didn't work for me. My Fitness Pal and I seem to have quite the monogamous relationship now. So for my one MFP friend.. I'll be back today!
If you'd like to add me as a My Fitness Pal friend: kaystoll129
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this battle royale. Who uses Weight Watchers? Who uses My Fitness Pal? Who's tried both (like me)? Does anyone use something completely different that works?
Very interesting. I've been using WW and my bf has been doing MFP. meanwhile, we eat the same things pretty much. I was thinking about doing alittle side by side comprison to see if they two meet up. Like if I have 35 points, does that equal the same amount of calores MFP alots me per day? Hmmm....might need to get all mathematical on this one!
ReplyDeleteI would totally be interested in seeing if WW actually equals up to MFP! Because I honestly have no idea! I see a future blog post from you coming! hah
DeleteI tried WW awhile ago and hated it. The points calculating is ridiculous and unnecessary, since it is just another step after considering calories. I'm definitely an MFP girl. That said, I know WW works for a lot of people and that is what it is all about -- finding what works for you and keeps you accountable!
ReplyDeleteExactly!!! I know it works for some, it just wasn't my thing. I was so annoyed every time I thought about doing that extra step of calculating points!
DeleteJust sent you an MFP friend request (klf24)
DeleteI wish MFP would've been around before I signed up for WW... there's no going back for me now with how much money I have spent on it... I do like it though- I've seen good results... I'd just like it to be free too! haha
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, I have heard that for some people, because they have to pay for WW then they are more likely to stick with it because there is money involved. I know that if I ended up paying for it, I'd use it every darn day to get my moneys worth!!
DeleteYAY!!! So glad that I am your very first friend on MFP!!! I love it!! I have been a little frustrated lately with not much weight loss, but I think that I need to eat more calories because I am burning a lot of calories lately with my 1/2 marathon training!! I'll be watching for your logs on MFP and if you need encouragement I'm your gal!!! Keep up the hard work...it isn't easy of anyone!!! :)
ReplyDeleteHey guys THIS GIRL is my one MFP friend! And she does a lot better job than me! So go friend her too!!!
DeleteHey! I have tried both and here's what I got to say about it:
ReplyDeleteI like them both for different reasons.
First, I was on WW (on and off) for about 3 years. I didn't pay that whole time because, if you join the meetings, you get the paper version of stuff and can therefore continue without paying after a while. In fact, I have paid for about a total of 6 months worth of WW? I lost 30 pounds on WW.
WW taught me:
To eat smarter. The points are not calculated using calories. They take into consideration total nutritional value of eat food product.
So, a donut that is 200 calories was worth 9 points. I could eat 18 points in one day. On MFP, that is only 1/10 of my daily calories. So, on WW I would not eat that "expensive" donut, but on MFP, I am a little more inclined to eat it. This discrepancy in "healthy points" vs. "calorie to calorie comparison" is the reason I like WW.
However, I love MFP because it's free and it has a larger community dedicated to overall fitness as opposed to weight loss only. The contingency of people on MFP is different than on WW.
So, in conclusion, I believe WW has better principles and guidance for those who need to learn how to eat healthily and make smarter choices, while MFP is better for those who want to up their level of fitness but already understand the guidelines of what it takes to lose weight. Basically, using info from both programs is very beneficial. Also, if you are trying to lose weight for the first time, WW meetings offers coaching that is invaluable to the experience, or at least it was for me.
Hi All - in the past I used the WW Points system and lost over 70lbs and kept it off for about 10 years. The past few years my weight has slowly crept up on me and I have put on about 30lbs (How did that happen?!?! - well, I know how it happened but it happened so slow it was sneaky!) I did not like the new Points Plus system because I couldn't understand how something that cost me points before could now be zero points and I was still expected to lose weight - plus my daily points allowance increased! Didn't make since to me. So I started using MFP and had some success but fell off the wagon. I briefly tried the WW app in hopes to get back on track but it annoyed me that an app that I was paying for had less features than a free app, MFP. I love the scanning option on MFP. I decided that I would track using both to see how they compare - At the end of the day when I had used all my WW pts (but no Flex pts), I still had 350 calories left on MFP.
ReplyDeleteI will choose MFP because it's free and I love the barcode scanner. Really what tracking either way makes me do is think about portion sizes but I strongly suggest you do not go strictly on Calories - you have to choose low fat high fibre options to get you to your goal.
Good luck to you all!
Hi. I'm a little late but here are my reasons for switching from WW after several years to MFP two weeks ago. First let me say that WW will work. I lost 40 lbs using it over the past two years. I lost most of it the first year and then seemed to stall out. But the real reason I switched was because of the ability to more closely monitor the sugar and sodium contents of food. With WW most fruits and veggies are very low point values if any at all. However, fruit is loaded with natural sugar. A lot of veggies are also. And sodium is also present in veggies. With MFP you are given your daily calorie goal based on your input when you set it up the first time. It also tells you your daily limits of fats, carbs, sugars, sodium, proteins, etc. this is very important! I shudder to think how much sugar and sodium I was ingesting daily while on WW. I'm not diabetic but I believe the amounts of daily sugar and sodium intake is critical to keep an eye on.
ReplyDeleteHaving said all that, I have lost 8 lbs in two weeks and I believe it's because with MFP, I am more closely watching my intake on not only calories but all the other items that have daily suggested limits.
The poster that mentioned the 200 calorie donut would be horrified by the amount of sugar in that donut!
It's not just about points and calories. It's about the complete breakdown of fats, sugars, sodium, etc.
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