Weight Watchers started with in-home meetings in the 1960s. Jean Nidetch, founder of the company, asked personal friends to meet with her and talk about weight loss. Since that time, millions of people have lost weight following the various Weight Watcher's programs. If you are looking for a safe, sensible way to lose weight, following the Weight Watcher's plan may be appropriate for you.
Expert Oversight
Although Weight Watcher's literature indicates the organization is not medical in nature, the weight-loss program Weight Watcher's promotes was developed by a group of doctors and scientists with an expertise in weight management, according to the Weight Watcher's website. As of 2011, Weight Watchers had nine members on its Scientific Advisory Board. Almost half are both medical doctors and university professors and one is a registered dietitian. This expert oversight may help you feel secure in following the Weight Watcher's program, because the experts developing the program are highly trained professionals in their field.
Philosophy
The Weight Watcher's philosophy is to help people lose weight through living a healthy lifestyle and teaching members how to modify their behavior and learn why they overeat, as well as to help members find solutions to those tendencies, according to Weight Watchers president David Kirchhoff. Weekly meetings, either online or in person, help cement this philosophy. This practice of changing your lifestyle to lose weight is in alignment with the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control, which advises changing your lifestyle, setting goals for yourself and looking for help and support in losing weight.
Research Studies
A 2008 study published in the "Nutrition Journal" found Weight Watchers to be a safe, nutritionally adequate diet, along with several other programs. In 2006, Helen Truby and colleagues published research in the "British Medical Journal" comparing the six-month results of participants who lost weight using four commercial programs, including Weight Watchers, and one control group. All participants lost weight safely following the programs, but only the Weight Watchers group had a more significantly positive change in fasting glucose and cholesterol levels.
Program Restrictions
The Weight Watchers program allows all adults to join the program, unless you are pregnant, diagnosed with the eating disorder bulimia nervosa or are within 5 lbs. of the minimum weight range of the Weight Watchers weight tables. Children between 10 and 17 can join the program with permission from a doctor. Weight Watchers recommends and encourages you to talk with your doctor before joining the program and follow her advice on program modifications. Weight Watchers discourages rapid weight loss and recommends a maximum weight loss of 2 lbs. per week, which is also what the National Institutes of Health recommends.
References
- WeightWatchers: History & Philosophy
- Weight Watchers: Scientific Advisory Board
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Getting Started
- Weight Watchers: A Message From David Kirchhoff, President, Weight Watchers International
- PubMed.gov: Commercial Weight Loss Diets Meet Nutrient Requirements in Free Living Adults Over 8 Weeks: A Randomised Controlled Weight Loss Trial; Helen Truby; et al.; September 2008
- British Medical Journal: Randomised Controlled Trial of Four Commercial Weight Loss Programmes in the UK: Initial Findings From the BBC "Diet Trials"; Helen Truby, et al.; May 2006
Member Comments