The Weight Watchers plan is a suitable option for many people who are trying to lose weight but find it difficult to maintain diet and exercise changes they make on their own. You may find the plan hard to stick with at first, but Weight Watchers provides its members with helpful support and information to help them be successful.
Plans
Weight Watchers offers several different plans to meet the needs of individual members and make the program easier to implement and follow. Most Weight Watchers plans include a points system where members determine the points for certain foods, either through looking them up in a Weight Watchers book or by inputting the grams of protein, fiber, carbohydrates and fat into a calculator. The points system makes it easier for many participants to track their diets without having to count several numbers, such as calories, fat grams and carbohydrates. Weight Watchers also offers a core plan where participants can eat as much as they want of certain foods, primarily fruits and vegetables. People on the core plan also get a small point allowance per week for foods that are not on the list of core foods. Participants can also earn additional points from exercising, encouraging them to be more active as part of their weight loss plans.
Support
The Weight Watchers program focuses on support through in-person meetings or online support. In-person meetings include a weigh-in each week to help you track your progress and allow members to come together to share stories, tips and support with each other. Online support through forum postings and literature available only to members is a suitable option if you cannot attend a local meeting due to scheduling or if you live in a rural area that does not have a Weight Watchers group. Weight Watchers stresses the importance of ongoing support as you lose weight to help keep you accountable and make it easier for you to stay on track and watch your progress.
Considerations
Weight Watchers may be easier than other diet plans for many people because it does not completely ban certain foods. The program focuses on steady, slow weight loss by making healthy, nutritionally balanced foods the majority of your diet, while still allowing you to indulge in "bad" foods on occasion and in small amounts. Weight Watchers tailors your point requirements to your age, weight and gender, helping you to get the nutrition and calories you need, while still losing weight.
You may find the program difficult at first because the points system forces you to choose between eating healthy foods or feeling hungry. Spending the majority of your daily points on treats, like pastries or candy, or eating large portions of fatty foods that are high in calories, will leave you with very few points to end the day. It's best to plan your splurges in advance so you still have enough points for your daily meals and snacks.
Expert Insight
In a 2005 study published in "Consumer Reports," Weight Watchers was rated as the best diet based on nutrition and dropout rates. While other diets, such as Atkins and Slim-Fast, produced more weight loss over a six-month period, Weight Watchers was rated better for long-term success, largely because it is easier for people to stick with because it does not ban certain foods or replace meals, as do the Atkins and Slim-Fast diets. Some experts suggest that Weight Watchers is difficult for long-term use, however, due to its limited education on nutrition in favor of focusing on points, as noted by Walter Willett and Esther Kim from the Harvard School of Public Health.
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