Weight Watchers is a weight-loss plan established in 1963. It teaches participants how to lose weight and keep it off by keeping track of the food they eat. In 1997, Weight Watchers introduced the Point System to help people make healthy food choices. The Point System also teaches you about proper portion sizes. Most importantly, it allows you to continue to eat the foods you enjoy while maintaining a healthy weight.
Original Points System
The initial Point System Weight Watchers created focused mainly on calories. Depending on several individual factors, such as sex, age, weight and weight loss goals, you are allotted a Points Range, or a certain number of points daily and weekly. Foods are also given a Points Value. Higher points were assigned to foods high in calories. However, Weight Watchers revamped the Point System to include factors other than calories, as calories alone do not determine nutritional value.
PointsPlus System
In the PointsPlus System, the PointsPlus Value of a specific food is based on the amount of protein, carbohydrates, fat and fiber in it. Fruit intake is unlimited as fruit has 0 points. According to the Weight Watchers website, the PointsPlus System provides more daily and weekly points than the original Points System. The PointsPlus Ranges are higher because the points assigned to foods have mostly increased.
How it Works
Keeping track of what you eat every day and every week is the foundation of the Weight Watchers system. At the end of each day, you add up the number of points of the foods you ate. This affects the number of points you have for the entire week. For example, if you don't meet the maximum point allowance, you may indulge at the end of the day or week by having ice cream for dessert or eating a larger meal.
Keeping Track of Points
Weight Watchers helps you track your points with an online management tool. You can use this tool to find the points value for any food, including foods from major chain restaurants, such as Burger King and McDonald's. This online tool calculates the number of points you used each day, week and month. This helps you track your progress and to set goals.
Research
Researchers conducted a study of the effectiveness of major commercial weight-loss programs, including Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and L.A. Weight Loss. The results of this study, published in the January 2005 issue of "Annals of Internal Medicine," indicated that Weight Watchers' claims that you can lose weight and keep it off were supported by the evidence.
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