Weight Watchers is one of countless diet programs available to those who want to lose pounds. It began in the 1960s, when founder Jean Nidetch began inviting friends into her Queens home weekly to discuss dieting, according to weightwatchers.com. Today the program boasts millions of followers who attend weekly support meetings, buy Weight Watchers products and use the program's Internet tools.
The Plan
Unlike fad diets that tout eliminating whole food groups, such as carbohydrates, the Weight Watchers plan encourages balanced eating. The program allows members to eat an array of foods from every group. The American Diabetes Association promotes this type of plan and says that it teaches members to reduce and control portion sizes to lose weight.
Points System
By allotting each food a specific points value, the program encourages members to make high-fiber, low-calorie selections. A member can enjoy an indulgence with many calories and little nutritional value. But because an indulgence typically has a lot of points, the member would have to make up for it by eating very little or very low-points foods for the rest of the day. A slice of cake, for example, might be worth a whopping 10 points, which could equal a half day's points for some members. Some members eventually decide that a piece of fruit is all the sweetness they need, and its low points allow them to eat heartily all day.
Support
The Weight Watchers plan encourages members to attend regular meetings. A trained leader who has completed the program leads each meeting, which begins with a private weigh-in. A 2002 study in the journal "Obesity Research" followed 48 obese breast cancer survivors in need of effective weight-loss methods to reduce their risk of health complications.The women who lost the most weight were those who attended Weight Watchers meetings frequently and followed the Weight Watchers plan.
Conveniences
Weight Watchers has an online program the allows dieters to record and track their progress, view a catalog of recipes and meal ideas and view personal statistics in chart and graph displays. Members can access the online program from a home or office computer or a mobile device. For an additional fee, members can use eTools, an interactive system that offers further support and personalized tips.
References
- Weight Watchers.com: How Weight Watchers Works
- American Diabetes Association: I am having a really hard time understanding carbs. Is Weight Watchers is a Good Plan For Me?
- "Obesity Research": Combining Weight-Loss Counseling With the Weight Watchers Plan for Obese Breast Cancer Survivors; Djuric Z, et al.; July 2002
- "Newsweek" magazine: Why Women Lose Weight--Or Don't
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