weight watchers vs noom vs crash dieting

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WW - I was tired of the losing and gaining in a constant yo-yo. WW has helped me learn to make better food choices. If I want to eat a donut I work it into my points. It's not a "cheat", I'm indulging. I also rarely do the LF/FF cheeses. If I want a good cheese again I work it in. I had a particularly good aged cheddar with lunch today.

+1 It also helps me control my portions. As an example, I'll eat my serving of pasta, but now instead of just automatically getting more because everyone else is still eating, I'll wait and see if actually still hungry. Most of the time I'll realize after about 10 minutes that I'm not hungry anymore. It's made me more mindful about my eating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:48-yr-old woman here.

I would not call Noom slow and steady. I am 5'8", trying to lose 15 lbs gained over the past year and immediately they put me at 1200 calories. They have a bunch of hype because they "educate" you along the way, but it is still just cutting calories -- same as any diet strategy. I absolutely hated the tone of the writing -- very snarky, trying-too-hard voice. One article actually encouraged "have a cookie because you did such a great job reading so many articles today!"

WW is slow and steady if you choose that path, and with the points and color system you really do learn to "control yourself". For example, just because you can eat grains and fruit for 0 points on your plan type doesn't mean you should -- you still need to use common sense. I disliked the focus on processed and zero-fat foods. So contradictory to other modern approaches that are supportive of Whole Foods and ok with fat (as it keeps you filled you up vs emptier calories). But, we're all different! My older sister lost a lot of weight on WW. And gained it back immediately. Because it is actually not food choice that is her issue: it is her emotions and lack of control. Food is the outlet of sorts. She really needs therapy. I used WW for a bit in the Fall, but the price didn't match up to my needs. The social aspect was interesting and a supportive, anonymous online community was helpful.

Anyway. I am back to LoseIt, which is a great app and very simple and straightforward to use. I have found the best success with it and used it on and off for years. Prior to this past year, I kept 20lbs off for 5+ years. It took me a few attempts, and finally had the best luck by cutting calories gradually. So, I'd go down to 1500 for 2 weeks, then 1400 for 2 weeks, then 1350 and stay. Going immediately for the quick loss of 2lbs/week caused that sense of deprivation which caused me to binge and gain back more than I lost.

You can always count calories on a notepad. Just add 'em up and look at the weekly calorie budget overall in addition to each day; I think that helps give greater perspective. Even if you overeat one or two days, doesn't mean the whole week is a wash.

So, for me - I've been using LoseIt again and reading about Intuitive Eating.

I feel EXACTLY the same way about Noom! I’m a bit younger (38) but still maybe out of their target demo? It’s just calorie cutting + daily weighing which is just a way to make you hyper conscious about your weight/ make you more aware of it.

I also think their views on low fat food are outdated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve done WW for a bit am I’m still on the fence. If one more person tells me to eat FF cheese or salad dressing with sucralose in it as a healthy option, I may scream. I’m not sure if it’s more effective than just tracking on MFP bc I can at least see macros there.

Boom is great if you are new to the nutrition game, but it certainly have the try too hard to be cool vibe.

I'm doing WW and think if you really stuck with it, earned at least 50 fitpoints/week, and did not eat your weekly points or your fit points (only at your daily smartpoints) then you could easily lose 8-10 lbs in a month.

I like WW because nothing is off-limits, but accounting for it makes me choose healthier options. 3 pieces of pizza is pretty much my entire day's worth of points, so I either eat salad the rest of the day or only eat 2 pieces of pizza.

I'm doing the slow and steady route and have lost 6 lbs in 8 weeks. I have 10 more to go. I figure it took 1 year to put it on, it can take 1 year to take it off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are you all reviving a two month old thread? OP wanted to lose 15 pounds in a month. How did that work out OP?

OP here. Well I tried crash dieting. Lost some, gained it back as soon as I stopped. Duh. Signed up for WW, found it way too complicated & don’t want to eat fake processed foods. I started Noom 2 weeks ago. I like it! Which surprised me! I like the daily accountability, weigh in and tracking. It’s super easy and fast to log things. I HATE logging what I eat but this makes it so easy. I also like that even though my daily calories are set at 1200, the little graphic that tracks my calories throughout the day is actually a spread of 1200-1700 calories or so, and if I hit in there I’m “good” for the day. It’s made me feel successful and motivated me. I’ve lost 3 lbs in 2 weeks so not great- but super easy. Slow & steady I guess!