Weight Watchers or My Fitness Pal?

Today I went to my free meeting at our local Weight Watchers office, the people were friendly and the information was pretty straight forward (calculating points plus). I did find it encouraging to be around other's who are fighting the same battle, however, I don't know if it is worth the cost to join. For $42.99 per month I can attend as many meetings as I would like and access the e-tools, this is the program I think would benefit me the most. Signing up to access the online e-tools only is $18.95 per month (with a $29.95 registration fee).

I can't imagine that the online e-tools are much different than the tools available for free through My Fitness Pal. So the question is whether or not the meetings are worth $42.99 a month? I honestly don't know the answer to this question which is making the decision that much harder. The household CEO in me finds "free" very enticing... and the simpler of the two options which is in line with this journey to simplicity I am on. I can log all my food and exercise on the website. There is no need to calculate the food on a point system. I mean, that's all I really need to make a go at this weight loss, healthier me project.

A few weeks ago I started eating a healthier diet but have not been keeping track of food intake and exercise. I know keeping a written financial budget has proven to be valuable and freeing. I wonder if tracking my daily allowance of calories will afford me the same peace of mind, knowing that I am within my calorie budget and not wasting time worrying whether I am on track or not.

I guess I can do a little experiment and try My fitness Pay for a couple months and see if it works for me. If I find that accountability is what I need then I can always sign up for Weight Watchers at the end of my 2 month experiment. My simple budget wins (for now), saving us $42.99 per month.