Weight Watchers is a dietary program that focuses on calorie reduction through a food points system. You are limited to a daily point allowance, so Weight Watchers offers local programs and online interactive tools to help you calculate your consumption. Although Weight Watchers offers a calculator that calculates meal points for you by entering calories, fat and fiber values, you can use the same information and calculate points on your own. Consult with your health-care provider prior to starting a weight-loss program to discuss options and potential risks.
Weight Watchers Calculator
Step 1
Find the number values for calories, total fat and dietary fiber on the food label. If you are calculating the meal points for a meal prepared from a recipe, look at the recipe's nutrition facts to locate the number values. You also can visit the National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference listed in the Resource section to locate nutritional information for foods that do not have the nutritional label provided.
Step 2
Turn on the Weight Watchers calculator and press the "Points" key.
Step 3
Type in the number of calories and press "Enter".
Step 4
Type in the number for total fat and press "Enter".
Step 5
Type the number of dietary fibers and press "Enter". Your total points for the food item or meal will display on the calculator screen.
Weight Watchers Formula
Step 1
Write down the numbers of calories, total fat and dietary fiber in the food you are eating.
Step 2
Divide the number of calories by 50. For instance, if the meal contains 300 calories, divide 300 by 50 to get 6.
Step 3
Divide the total fat number by 12. For example, if there are 12 fat grams in the meal, divide 12 by 12 to get 1.
Step 4
Calculate the dietary fiber number. If the fiber content is less than 4 g, divide the number by 5. If it is 4 or above, divide 4 by 5. For example, if the meal contains 6 g of fiber, divide 4 by 5 to get .80. If it 2, divide 2 by 5 to get .40.
Step 5
Add the calorie number arrived at in step 2 to the fat number from step 2. In this example, you would add 6 and 1 to get 7.
Step 6
Subtract the fiber number from step 4. In this example, you would subtract .80 to get 6.2. Round the result to the nearest whole or half-number. In this case, that would be 6. This is your final meal point number.
Tips and Warnings
- To calculate the meal points for the day, add all points from each meal or snack.
- Double-check your calculations to ensure your meal points calculation is correct.
Things You'll Need
- Weight Watchers calculator
- Calculator
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