Jean Nidetch started Weight Watchers as a support group for her friends at her home in Queens, New York, in the early 1960s. From these beginnings, the company has expanded its weight loss program around the world, extending local meetings to its members as well as diet education and support through the Internet.
Weight Watcher Points
Weight watchers assigns a number of points to each member based on factors that include their sex, age and height. Foods are also given point values, high-fiber/low-fat foods have a low value and low-fiber/high-fat foods have a high value. This allows members to eat what they like. As long as they do not use more points than they're assigned, they should lose weight.
Point Formula
Weight Watchers offers an automatic point tracker as part of its online package, and there are a number of free "Weight Watcher" calculators on the Internet, too. To calculate points on your own use this formula: (fat content of food x 4 + total calories) -- (fiber content x 10) ÷ 50. An energy bar with 5 g of fat, 240 calories, and 5 g of fiber would have a point value of 4. Below is a list of everyday foods from different groups along with their calorie, fat and fiber content and their Weight Watcher point values.
Fruits and Vegetables
100 g banana: 89 calories, 0.33 g fat and 2.6 g fiber = 1 point
100 g raw pineapple: 50 calories, 0.12 g fat and 1.4 g fiber = 1 point
100 g avocado: 120 calories, 10.06 g fat and 5.6 g fiber = 2 points
100 g raw peas: 81 calories, 0.4 g fat and 5.1 g fiber = 1 points
Protein
100 g roast chicken/light meat: 153 calories, 4 g fat and 0 g fiber = 3 points
100 g Atlantic salmon: 142 calories, 6 g fat and 0 g fiber = 3 points
100 g sirloin steak: 230 calories, 12.7 g fat and 0 g fiber = 6 points
100 g pork chops: 285 calories, 15.82 g fat and 0 g fiber = 7 points
Carbohydrates
100 g baked potato: 198 calories, 0.1 g fat and 7.9 g fiber = 3 points
100 g Italian bread: 374calories, 1 g fat and 2.2 g fiber = 5 points
100 g white rice: 374calories, 1 g fat and 2.2 g fiber = 7 points
100 g plain spaghetti: 157calories, 0.93 g fat and 2 g fiber = 2 points
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