Weight Watchers Diet

Weight Watchers is among the longest-running weight-loss plans in the United States. It focuses on a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle, rather than mandating the elimination of certain foods. Several aspects of this weight-loss plan differentiate it from other plans.

Points System

Although the Weight Watchers diet plan has evolved over decades, its core focus is on weight loss through a points system. Points are values that are assigned to ingredients and prepared foods, and each point represents a portion of your total permitted daily intake. The number of points you can use depends on your weight when you start the Weight Watchers plan, and your points gradually decrease as you lose weight. The Weight Watchers plan also includes a bank of extra points for each week, which you can add to your daily points allotment for dining out or occasional indulgences.

Determination of Points Values

Points values for foods are determined by an analysis of nutrients, such as fats, proteins, carbohydrates and dietary fiber; however, the exact methodology used to assign points values to foods is proprietary. Foods that are more likely to cause weight gain are assigned a higher number of points than those less likely to cause weight gain. For example, a stalk of celery is much lower in points than a fast food hamburger.

Benefits

The primary benefit of the Weight Watchers diet plan is that you can enjoy any type of food you want -- there are no excluded foods. It allows you to "budget" points to allow for indulgences in moderation. For example, you may be able to fit a piece of chocolate cake into your points allotment for a particular day if you choose less fattening options, such as lean poultry or a salad with fat-free dressing, for the remainder of your day.

The flexible points bank is also a benefit because it allows you to enjoy a flexible lifestyle. You can use a few of the flexible points each day to enjoy your favorite foods, or save them for an "indulgence day" once a week.

Considerations

The Weight Watchers diet plan may offer a more well-rounded approach to nutrition and weight loss than other weight-loss plans, because it encourages you to consume a wide variety of foods, including meats, vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, seeds and nuts. Other diet plans, such as the Atkins and South Beach diets, require you to eliminate certain foods entirely, potentially depriving your body of essential nutrients.

In past decades, following the Weight Watchers diet required going to meetings. Weight Watchers now offers online tools to help you track points and enjoy balanced nutrition, without the need for sharing your experience with anyone else. The website, which requires a paid monthly subscription, also offers hundreds of recipes suitable for a variety of dietary preferences, including kosher, vegetarian and vegan.