If you want to lose weight, you may be considering both the Atkins diet plan and the Weight Watchers program. The two diets differ dramatically in their approaches to weight loss; the Atkins program restricts one food group but allows you to eat as much as you want from the others, while Weight Watchers' participants count points in the foods they eat. You can lose weight with either program.
Function
The differences between the Atkins Diet and Weight Watchers begin in the first week. In the Atkins diet, the first week finds dieters in the induction phase, which eliminates virtually all carbohydrates, except for green vegetables, to shift your metabolism from burning sugar to burning fat. This can cause headaches and fatigue.
With Weight Watchers, participants use the first week on the diet to take stock of their weight-loss goals, learn the point system used instead of calorie counting to restrict food intake and begin a modest exercise plan.
Features
Under the Atkins Diet, program participants continue to follow a well-defined eating plan after the induction period. They gradually add carbohydrate sources, such as starchier fruits and vegetables, beans and nuts, back into their diet, but cannot eat bread and pasta until they've almost reached their weight goal.
Weight Watchers never restricts which foods you can eat; instead, you have to stick to your daily point total. However, that in effect limits high-fat foods dramatically, since eating a large slice of chocolate cake easily could "cost" you one-third or more of your daily food points.
Effects
Once you've reached your weight loss goals, both Atkins and Weight Watchers feature a lifetime maintenance program. Under the Atkins Diet, you determine how many grams of carbohydrates you can consume each day without gaining weight, and make sure you stick within that limit to maintain your weight loss. With Weight Watchers, you earn a lifetime membership if you maintain your goal weight for six weeks after completing the program.
Benefits
Weight Watchers' weekly meetings seem to help dieters lose weight -- Columbia University found that program participants who attended meetings more often maintained an average weight loss of 11 lbs. over two years, compared to an average loss of 6 lbs. over two years in dieters who didn't attend as many weekly meetings. The Atkins plan doesn't feature meetings.
Considerations
There's no one correct approach to weight loss, and diet plan participants tend to maintain similar weight losses, no matter which approach they follow, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Instead, you need to choose an approach that will work with your lifestyle. If you find you're more motivated with group support, the Weight Watchers plan might be right for you. If you're not intimidated by giving up bread and pasta, the Atkins Diet might suit you well.
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