Weight Watchers VS SparkPeople

[DisneyDmbNut]

I log my exercise in too..and if I exercise and go over my points that day..the site swaps the exercise rather than taking it out of my flex points

I also don't use my flexpoints very often..I have 35 and usually have about 30 left everyweek..I try to save them for going out to dinner..but I make sure I have a really good workout too to help balance it out

 

[Jennifer S]

Ok I just joined the team on SP. Thanks for the info.

 

[Christine]

I've done WW and there's some truth to the above. There were people who'd eat a 1-point hotdog with a 1-point bun and low-fat chips for lunch...technically they were sticking to the program, but there was no nutrition in what they were eating. The Core plan (do they still have that?) was much healthier, IMO. Alot depends on how the individual person chooses to follow the program--it can be done healthfully or unhealthfully.

Yes, this is what I was talking about. I know not EVERYONE does this and I certainly don't want to start a bashfest on WW at all. My experience was that people were eating tons of sugar free jello, and other fake type foods versus eating better. These are just people I know and I know it doesn't represent everyone. My mom did WW years ago (back in the 70s) and she was extremely successful but that was way before points and substitute food.

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

see..I eat suger free jello..but as a treat after eating my salad and lunch

I have really tried to eat healthy.. i love salad so that a staple. If I make meatballs for dinner, I use low fat sirloin and Dreamfields pasta..i also no longer load my plate up. I give myself a cup of pasta and one meatball. I load up on salad.
The best thing for me has been portion control. The points help me "see" that, sure..I can eat 2 meatballs..but is it really worth it to go over my points when I can have one meatball, a salad and NOT go over my daily points..

this has been the ONLY diet that has worked for me

 

[MelanieC]

Hi everyone-

First off - the DISboards has a great board for those who are wanting to be/get healthy, lose weight, exercise etc. Any of or combination of those.

Please join us on the WISH boards here at the DIS! Its a great group of people with one thing in common - Getting healthy (WISH stands for - We're Inspired to Stay Healthy).


I use both. I need my WW meetings to stay accountable. I don't know why, but I have a hard time losing weight unless I go to meetings, even though I know how.

I like WW for keeping track simply of my points. I know the points of most foods I eat and can gage how I'm doing based on this and when I don't have pen and paper use it to quickly count in my head. I don't do the WW online, so I can't comment on the system there, although I do use the bulletin boards sometimes.

I like Sparkpeople because I like to know how many calories I eat (I can eat 22 points one day and its close to 1500 and the next day that same 22 is closer to 1200), so it does matter what you eat. I also like to see the stats on my fat/carb/protein intake as well as how many of certain other nutrients I get.

In my honest opinion, if it were me and I wasn't planning to physically go to a WW meeting. I would not do the WW online, but I would maybe either just keep the points myself on paper and also do Sparkpeople or just do Sparkpeople.

 

[need_a_Disney_fix]

I am a lifetime WW member and my membership goes way back to the early 70's. I have had great success with them over the years, but have found that the WW system is no longer working for me. I feel it was much more effective in the good old days. With that said, I have been a Spark member since April and very pleased to say that I am within one pound from my goal weight. With the issue of learning how to eat healthy, I truly feel Spark does a MUCH better job of teaching you how to deal with so many scenarios in everyday life that effects our approach to healthy habits. Spark also teaches you to forgive yourself and move on if you fall off the wagon. I read my very informative emails every day and have gleaned so much. The best part...ITS FREE!

I love the food and fitness tracker and the two work hand in hand in helping you reach your daily goals. I have never eaten this healthy before...not even on WW.

I love the Spark!

 

[Desiree]

My vote is for Sparkpeople, hands down. I'm down 20 pounds and this is the only plan that I've actually ever had this much success with. I'm "geauxgirl" there if anyone wants to add me as a friend! I'm also on the DIS team there.

 

[LK03]

I do WW and have been doing it for over 5 months now with 38 lbs down. It's taught me to eat better by following the healthy guidelines. However, I take offense to someone who said something about a 1 pt hotdog and 1 pt bun. WW teaches you that it's not a diet, that if you want a piece of cheesecake, have it, but in moderation. Have a smaller piece and not everyday. I eat a 1 pt hot dog and 1 pt bun once a week and you know what, it's great. It's a whole lot less calories than a regular hot dog and fixes that craving I have for a hot dog without feeling bad about it.

I found SparkPeople and WW are just the same, just different ways to calculate. For the people who start with 20 pts on WW a day, it's easier to count in your head than go from 1400 calories downward for example.

 

[MushyMushy]

Well, it's been a week and I just wanted to revive this thread and see how everyone is doing!

I went ahead with the WW since I am so comfortable with counting points and we were already paying for the site.

I'm happy to say that I'm down 4.4 pounds for this week! I haven't been doing anything special, just eating what I want but in moderation. I'm also making better choices -- like in the afternoon when I get my daily munchies, I grab some fresh fruit and veggies instead of junk.

 

[phorsenuf]

Well, it's been a week and I just wanted to revive this thread and see how everyone is doing!

I went ahead with the WW since I am so comfortable with counting points and we were already paying for the site.

I'm happy to say that I'm down 4.4 pounds for this week! I haven't been doing anything special, just eating what I want but in moderation. I'm also making better choices -- like in the afternoon when I get my daily munchies, I grab some fresh fruit and veggies instead of junk.

Good job! Just remember that you did not put the weight on overnight so it's not going to come off overnight. That has been my biggest obstacle. There is no quick solution to losing weight and keeping it off in a healthy fashion. Once I fully accepted that fact and came to terms with it it was then that I could do this more easily.

I have my weigh in today and I think I am going to hit my latest goal and I'm so excited.

 

[Harvest02]

I am doing both also. I enjoy WW, and have lost 10 pounds with it(I didn't have much to lose to begin with). I use Sparkpeople to track my exercise. WW is a great program, but it is hard to write EVERYTHING down. I am only 3 weeks from lifetime, so I am sticking with WW for now!!!

 

[Todd&Copper]

I will tell you that I am pretty much against WW. I don't think it teaches people to eat properly, it keeps you tethered to the plan making you depend on POINTS, and IMO encourages people to use a lot of food substitutes to get in as much food as possible for the amount of points you are given. I'm not saying that it doesn't work, it just goes against a lot of what I believe in learning to eat healthfully. But, it does work and if that suits you then use it.

Had to comment about this - WW DOES teach you to eat healthy. If you really follow the plan, it is not just points, but also a certain number of points coming from fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, fats, etc. I mean, you can eat 25 points worth of Little Debbies, but who do you think you are fooling by doing that? And IF you do that, then you are not really following the plan. As far as the processed foods go, they are not intended to be mainstays of the plan, but rather occasional treats or "tools" for when you cannot find other means of nutrition.

And WW DOES encourage exercising. If you exercise, you earn a few extra points worth of food. When I was on WW, I used those extra points for a high-protein snack after workouts.

To me, since I really only use the Net at work, SP was not so great. I have no motivation to track stuff online. I learned some basics from WW (drinking lots of water, eating fresh food instead of processed garbage) and now my best "check" is my DH. We both talk each other down from the ledge when we are considering overeating or indulging in too much of something that is not good for us.

 

[need_a_Disney_fix]

Since my last post on this thread last week, I have reached my goal with Spark. Now comes the hard part...maintaining.

 

[MushyMushy]

Since my last post on this thread last week, I have reached my goal with Spark. Now comes the hard part...maintaining.

Congratulations! Are you doing anything to celebrate your success?

 

[need_a_Disney_fix]

Congratulations! Are you doing anything to celebrate your success?

Thank you for the accolades. I am celebrating by buying new summer clothes that on on sale. I am also toning up for our WDW trip in 5 weeks!