Weight Watchers and Atkins are both weight loss programs that promote a weight loss of 1 to 2 lbs. per week. However, they take drastically different nutritional approaches. Weight Watchers promotes a diet low in fat and high in fiber, whereas Atkins promotes a diet high in fat and low in carbohydrates. Switching from the Atkins diet to the Weight Watchers diet can be completed successfully with a bit of preparation and patience.
Step 1
Visit your physician to discuss your diet. Explain to your doctor that you have been adhering to the Atkins diet and would like to switch to the Weight Watchers plan. Your doctor can review your health history and evaluate whether Weight Watchers is a suitable weight loss program for you. Weight Watchers allows flexibility with food choices, so while it is unlikely that your physician would urge you not to pursue the Weight Watchers diet, your doctor may advise certain limitations to your diet due because of specific health concerns. For example, if you suffer from hypertension, your doctor may advise that you adhere to a low-sodium diet while following the Weight Watchers plan.
Step 2
Stock up on Weight Watchers-friendly items. Weight Watchers favors foods high in fiber and low in fat. Vegetables, complex carbohydrates and lean proteins are excellent food choices when on the Weight Watchers plan. Vegetable soup, egg white and vegetable omelets, vegetable sandwiches, fruit with low-fat yogurt and low-fat vegetable pizza are ideal meal options.
Step 3
Discard any fatty foods left over from the Atkins diet. Keeping these foods in the house won't serve any purpose but to tempt you while adhering to the Weight Watchers plan.
Step 4
Attend a Weight Watchers meeting. The success of Weight Watchers is largely based upon the group support obtained by attending Weight Watchers meetings. Support, tips, encouragement and accountability are offered to dieters at meetings.
Step 5
Track your food consumption in a food journal. Unlike the Atkins diet, success on the Weight Watchers diet requires portion control. If you are following the Weight Watchers Momentum plan, be certain to track your daily POINTS. Weight Watchers Core Plan followers should track their portions and bonus POINTS. POINTS are a unit of measure in the Weight Watchers diet system based on a calculation of calories, fat grams and fiber grams. Foods higher in fiber and lower in fat are fewer points than those that are lower in fiber and higher in fat, even if they contain the same number of calories.
References
- "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution"; Dr. Robert C. Atkins MD; 2002
- "Weight Watchers She Loses, He Loses: The Truth about Men, Women, and Weight Loss"; Karen Miller-Kovach and Weight Watchers; 2007
- "Weight Watchers Weight Loss That Lasts"; James M. Rippe M.D. and Weight Watchers; 2004
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