"Old" Weight Watchers or Fitbit food log for weight loss? (vegetables, system)
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So the new year is almost upon us, and once the holiday leftovers are gone, I want to start a weight loss program. I did Weight Watchers 10 years ago, and I still have all the stuff I used. I know they have changed the points system since then, so in order to do it for "free" (not going to meetings or signing up online), I would have to use the tools to calculate the "old" points.
I also have a Fitbit that I got last year. I have never used the food log, but I am considering using it. Does anyone have any experiences with it they'd like to share, or even compare it to the Weight Watchers model? I'd appreciate all insight.
I use MyFitnessPal (MFP) along with FitBit, and I lost 45 pounds. I tried using just the FitBit to log my food, but I found that it wasn't very user friendly. The great thing about MFP is that it connects with FitBit, so you can log your food on MFP and track your steps/exercise with FitBit, and they both just kinda sync with each other. I hope that makes sense.
I've never used Weight Watchers, but I know many folks who love the program. It really depends on what works for you. I prefer just to count my calories and macros rather than focus on points. It seems like the same thing, so why pay for something you can get for free? Or in your case, why go through all that trouble to calculate points?
So the new year is almost upon us, and once the holiday leftovers are gone, I want to start a weight loss program. I did Weight Watchers 10 years ago, and I still have all the stuff I used. I know they have changed the points system since then, so in order to do it for "free" (not going to meetings or signing up online), I would have to use the tools to calculate the "old" points.
I also have a Fitbit that I got last year. I have never used the food log, but I am considering using it. Does anyone have any experiences with it they'd like to share, or even compare it to the Weight Watchers model? I'd appreciate all insight.
Thanks, and Happy New Year!
I was very successful on WW. I lost 40 pounds 6 years ago and I have maintained except for 5 lbs that sometimes comes back to taunt me. I liked WW because I like variety and most of all I was motivated by having to be weighed in every week. If you do not go to the meeting and get weighed do not bother. Spark people or fitness pal will do all that ww does and is free.
I got a fitbit for Christmas and it is going back. I was hoping it would do more than it does. The only thing I can really see it being good for is motivation to get up and move around.
So the new year is almost upon us, and once the holiday leftovers are gone, I want to start a weight loss program. I did Weight Watchers 10 years ago, and I still have all the stuff I used. I know they have changed the points system since then, so in order to do it for "free" (not going to meetings or signing up online), I would have to use the tools to calculate the "old" points.
I also have a Fitbit that I got last year. I have never used the food log, but I am considering using it. Does anyone have any experiences with it they'd like to share, or even compare it to the Weight Watchers model? I'd appreciate all insight.
Thanks, and Happy New Year!
What worked best for me was tracking/weighing in with WW but using the dietary guidelines for diabetics...meal tracking was super simple. I still logged what I ate and did a rough guide of points, but the guidelines were generally within the points range anyway.
I use Spark People, which is like My Fitness Pal, I just ended up using Spark instead because I was always using their recipe calculator to figure out the carbs for my dad's meals, so when I decided to start tracking, I went with the site I was used to.
Spark People has teams you can join. It can take a little looking to find active teams, but when you find the right one, it helps you stay motivated. There are teams for cities, and for people with similar health conditions or similar goals or starting weights. You can join a bunch of different ones if you like. The one I'm most active on has challenges that run for a couple of months at a time, with a weekly weigh-in. Those really help me stay focused.
WW has changed their formula for points in the last couple years, and honestly, I think it's behind the times on the most current research when it comes to fats and carbohydrates. Most people I know (myself included) who want to move to a "real food" diet run into conflicts with WW. It's designed to encourage you to use low- and non-fat food substitutes. Eat an ounce of real cheese, a couple tablespoons of olive oil and half an avocado and you've blown your days worth of points, practically. I also don't really agree with the notion that fruits and vegetables are "free" and can be eaten all day while still losing weight. I just didn't find that true for myself at all.
That said, it's an extremely popular program. Don't know any medical experts that warn against it. I've simply always had more success just doing my own thing, which would support using an app that just counts calories.
WW always seemed like a more complicated way of counting calories. Food labels show calories, then you have to convert that to points, plus there is the incentive for them to keep changing the program so you can keep buying more WW junk...blah.
I know different methods of weight loss work for different people, but calorie counting made the most sense for me. I used the My Fitness Pal website and app 3 years ago, lost 30 pounds, and have kept it off. It was free and worked well for me. Basically, it helped me to understand what a portion size should look like. I was already eating healthfully, I was just eating too much.
WW always seemed like a more complicated way of counting calories. Food labels show calories, then you have to convert that to points, plus there is the incentive for them to keep changing the program so you can keep buying more WW junk...blah.
I know different methods of weight loss work for different people, but calorie counting made the most sense for me. I used the My Fitness Pal website and app 3 years ago, lost 30 pounds, and have kept it off. It was free and worked well for me. Basically, it helped me to understand what a portion size should look like. I was already eating healthfully, I was just eating too much.
Actually WW points is very easy to use. And it makes a lot of sense. I have never bought any WW food and yet I was successful and have kept the weight off. So don't knock it out of hand.
However the biggest reason why I was successful was the weekly weigh in and the meetings. I never used the online version. Much easier to use a pen and paper to write stuff down.
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