Cheap Weight Loss: My Fitness Pal

So if you actually read this blog, you might know that I used to be a Weight Watchers rat.  I did (stress, did) like Weight Watchers.  I was able to drop 26 pounds on them back in 2010.  So why am I not a member or fan now?

-  The monthly fee jumped up to $43 a month.  It just seems like a lot. You think of all the members in the world and that is a whole lot of money.  I wish I founded Weight Watchers.  We're poor and I'm cheap so $43 a month is best spent on other things.

-  I don't care what the experts say - this new plan does not work with my lifestyle.  I joined back in February to drop about 10 pounds I regained and I tracked and I worked out and I was cautious with what I ate.  The problem is, for whatever reason, I was hungry on the plan.  I don't know why.  I wasn't really that hungry on the old Points program.  Something with Points Plus does not jive for me.  In 8 weeks back on WW, I was only down just under 2 pounds.  Not worth $88 in my mind.

-  Call me a snob, but I didn't jive with the people at my meeting.  Due to the kids' schedule and the husband's schedule, I was limited in which meeting I could attend.  So I did - and the people were just of a different breed than me.  I couldn't relate to their struggles.  Like one time some lady was talking about how her husband surprised her with a cruise to the carribean and it was "soooo hard" to stay on track and she wished she had known so she could have planned for it.  I feel like I win the lottery when my husband surprises me by bringing home a donut from Dunkin' Donuts whether I plan for it or not.    I also didn't really like the leader.  She went off once on how it's a myth that fruits are free points and they really aren't.  No one gets to Weight Watchers from eating too much fruit - so telling us we're doomed if we eat 6 servings of fruit a day just makes me roll my eyes.  I'm not paying to listen to this crap.

I went on My Fitness Pal and lost the last 8 pounds on my own.  It was free.  It was motivating.  It was something different.  There are a bunch of free weight loss tracking tools out there on the web and phone that pretty much give you Weight Watchers for free - Loseit.com is another one.  SparkPeople.com is another.

So if you something about October and apples makes you want to get in shape - know that you can do it for cheap by skipping Weight Watchers.  I did - and everything I say is perfect and accurate.