Weight Watchers is popular for their Points system, where every food is assigned a certain amount of Points depending on its ingredients. If you attempt to lose weight with Weight Watchers, you will be allocated a set amount of Points that you need to consume in your day in order to lose weight successfully. Although Weight Watchers was following a successful and healthy plan the last 15 years, they recently updated their Points system to meet with the latest research and new evidence in nutrition science. As Karen Miller Kovach, Chief Science Officer of Weight Watchers states, this new plan is expected to induce better results on weight loss for the dieters and will promote healthier habits on food and lifestyle.
Identification
With the new Weight Watchers plan, you will base the calculations of your food Points using the amount of fiber and total macro-nutrients in the food, such as carbohydrates, fat and protein, instead of only using the calories and saturated fat. The reason behind this change is that foods higher in protein and fiber need more calories for break-down in your system and also keep you fuller for longer. Therefore, this kind of foods will have less points than more fatty and sugary foods, even if they have the same calories. The new system encourages you to make healthier food choices rich in fiber and protein while being lower in fat. These changes promote your weight loss and allow you to eat more food.
Weight Loss Amount
One of the main principles of Weight Watchers is to promote a healthy weight loss of up to 2 lbs per week, which abides by the recommendations of the American Dietetic Association. Therefore, the dieters can be allocated with at least 29 Points of daily consumption, depending on their characteristics. Weight Watchers ensures that you consume enough food to cover all of your vitamin and mineral requirements and that you will preserve your lean tissue while still losing up to 2 lbs per week. If you are in the lowest allowance, your leader will advise you not to reduce your intake lower than the 29 Points, as this cut-off will prevent you from nutrient deficiencies and help you maintain the required level of energy for your daily activities.
Benefits
The Food Standards Agency recommends we consume at least 5 portions of fruits and vegetables per day to promote our health. However, a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified the need for ongoing intervention programs to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among Americans, as their intake is inadequate. Therefore, Weight Watchers new plan allocates zero Points to all fruits and most vegetables. This change makes fruits and vegetables more attractive and give people the choice to eat them instead of other less healthy foods that would cost them in Points. For example, you can now consume a zero Points banana in the place of a chocolate bar with the same calories, which is healthier and a more filling option, and still be on track of your weight loss.
Activity Points
Physical activity is one of the main aspects of increasing your health. With Weight Watchers, if you exercise or have increased levels of physical activity, you can earn extra Points. During the meetings, you will be encouraged to take up some activity or just to start by doing more than you did before. This will promote both your health and your weight loss because you can use your extra points either to increase your food consumption or to enhance your weight loss at the end of the week.
Filling and Healthy Options
According to CNN Health, Weight Watchers will provide all the dieters with a list of foods which will help them identify the ones that are better for their health and more filling. More specifically, this list will compare about 40,000 foods in terms of nutrient composition such as amounts of salt, sugars, fats and fiber, highlighting the healthiest options for the dieters.
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