Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers
In the early 1960’s Jean Nidetch, an overweight housewife from New York, invited friends to her home to discuss how they could lose weight. Her dietician recommended a diet plan which Jean and her friends followed, and began meeting frequently to discuss their progress. With the group expanding rapidly, Jean teamed up with businessman Al Lippert and Weight Watchers was born.
More than 40 years later, Weight Watchers International claims to have helped millions of people around the world to lose the pounds. Just last year, 6,500 meetings were held in the UK each week – around 25 percent more than a decade ago.
But ironically, as the Weight Watchers empire continues to grow, so too, do our waistlines. The question is, can Weight Watchers really help us lose weight and more importantly, keep it off?
How does Weight Watchers work?
Effectively, Weight Watchers promotes a reduced-calorie, low-fat diet, to encourage weight loss. There are two different diets in the Weight Watchers programme, which is called Switch:
With the Points Plan you can eat and drink anything you like as long as you stick to a daily Points allowance.
Or
The Core Plan allows you to eat from a set list of healthy or ‘Core’ foods. There’s no limit on quantity – you simply eat until you feel comfortable. You also have a weekly Points allowance for treats.
‘Switching’ between the two programmes is allowed at any time.
Tell me more about the Weight Watchers Point System
Every item of food and drink has a Points value, which is calculated according to the calorie and saturated fat content of foods and the portion size. The exact formula used is kept a closely guarded secret by Weight Watchers. As a guideline though, the more calories a product contains, the higher its Points value. With the Points system, you simply add up the Points values of the foods you consume in a day and make sure you don’t go over your daily Points allowance.
So how do I know how many Points I’m allowed?
Your group leader will advise you on this when you attend your first meeting. Alternatively, if you become an online member of Weight Watchers, you’ll be advised on your daily Points allowance once you have entered your personal details. Your daily Points allowance is based on your weight, height, gender, age and level of activity during the day.
Generally, the more weight you have to lose, the more Points you are allowed on a daily basis. For example, a 37-year-old female who weighs 12 stone and has a desk job would have an allowance of 19 Points a day. If that same person weighed 16 stone, she’d be allowed 24 Points a day. On average, most people have 20 Points a day.
What if I don’t know how many Points there are in a food?
Members who attend weekly meetings receive free Points finders to help them calculate the Points from food using calories and saturated fat details. Basic food lists are handed out at meetings when you first join.
Members can also buy Points calculators and/or Shopping Guides with the Points values for branded and supermarket foods. Weight Watchers on line members and members who attend weekly meetings but are also signed up for internet support (eSource) have online access to a database that includes the Point values for almost 30,000 foods as well as a Points calculator.
What if I’m really active?
Taking part in more exercise earns you extra Points. For example, 20 minutes of aerobics will add an extra 1 Point to your weekly total, whereas 20 minutes of jogging will add an extra 4 Points. You can earn as many activity Points in a week as you wish. However, you are only allowed to spend 12 of the extra Points each week on food. The general idea is to earn more than you eat.
Tell me more about Weight Watchers Core Plan?
Simply put, you eat as much as you want from a list of ‘healthy’ foods such as fruit, vegetables, wholegrain cereals, lean meat, chicken, fish, eggs, brown rice, potatoes, skimmed milk and low-fat dairy products.
You should aim to eat three meals a day and only eat until you are comfortably full (not stuffed!). You are also allocated a weekly allowance of 21 Points, which you can use for treats or snacks.
Weight Watchers Core Plan is based on foods that a have a low calorie value relative to their actual weight, foods with a low energy density. According to Weight Watchers, research shows that people tend to eat the same weight of food each day, regardless of the calories it contains. So by eating mostly foods with a low energy density you’ll feel satisfied on fewer calories. At the same time you’re encouraged to use a scale to help you identify feelings of hunger and fullness.
How does Weight Watchers online membership compare to Weight Loss Resources?
There are many differences. For example, Weight Watchers doesn’t’t allow you to opt to lose weight more slowly, for example, 1lb or 1.5lb a week, by giving you a slightly higher Points allowance. There is also no indication given about how long it will take you to reach your goal.
Unlike Weight Loss Resources, when you complete the Weight Watchers food diary no information is provided about the daily number of servings of fruit and vegetables you’ve had, the amount of water you’ve consumed or the amount of calories and grams of fat and fibre you’ve had – all things that help to highlight whether or not you’re eating a balanced and healthy, diet.
The essential difference however, is the lack of information about calories, even for recipes. The entire focus is on Points. This means you need to calculate the Points values of pretty much everything you eat and drink – and of course, if you have to log on to do this or search for your Points calculator, it takes more time than simply reading the calorie information on the back of food packets.
What are the pros?
No foods are banned! If you follow the Points plan, you can eat or drink whatever you like, if you stick to your daily Points allowance. There are more restrictions for the Core Plan, but you’re still allowed treats. Weight Watchers could be a good choice if you don’t like the bother of counting calories – although you need to be aware that you’ll still have to work out the Points values of many foods!
Ultimately, both the Points Plan and Core Plan encourage you to eat more healthily The Core Plan only lets you chose from healthier foods with a few treats each week. However, while on the Points Plan, if you want to stick to your daily allowance, you need to opt for lower-calorie, lower-fat foods such as fruit, vegetables, chicken, lean meat and wholegrain cereals. Weight Watchers weekly meetings can be a good choice if you find it hard to diet on your own and benefit from the support of others on a personal level. They also provide opportunities for making new friends.
And the cons?
Whether you opt for weekly meetings or Weight Watchers online, it is quite expensive, and if either of the diets don’t suit you, you’ll end up losing pounds from your purse rather than your waistline. It can also be just as time consuming – if not more so – to work out the Points values of foods than it would be to simply count calories.
Many of the Points values included in the Weight Watchers database are based on portions rather than actual weights. Whilst there’s a portion size chart to help you identify what counts as, for example, a ‘medium’ portion, this is still far less accurate than including the actual weight to give an accurate calorie or Point value. With the Core Plan it’s still possible to consume large amounts of ‘healthy’ foods from the ‘free’ list resulting in weight gain rather than loss of weight.
What options are available for joining Weight Watchers?
The classic membership involves joining a Weight Watchers meeting near to where you live or work. Alternatively, you can become an online member. Members who attend weekly meetings also have the option of receiving online support at any time of night or day with eSource, although extra payment is required for this service. Finally, there is a Weight Watchers At Home service that gives you monthly material by post. Here’s some more information on each…
Weight Watchers Meetings
You simply find a meeting at a convenient location for you, join the class and then attend weekly. At your first meeting, you’ll agree your weight loss goals with your leader and find out more about the two eating plans. If you decide to try the Points Plan your group leader will calculate your daily Points allowance. Each week you’ll have a confidential weigh-in and your group leader will lead a 30-minute discussion on different aspects of weight loss. The added bonus is the support of other members to help you stay motivated.
There’s an one-off joining fee of £9, then each weekly class costs £4.95 or £4.25 if you are 60 or over. However, at certain times of the year sometimes there are offers available. Finding your nearest class is easy too. Simply log on to the Weight Watchers website and enter your postcode or call the hotline. You don’t need to make an appointment – just turn up.
Weight Watchers Online
There is a Weight Watchers online alternative for people who don’t or want to or can’t attend weekly meetings. Becoming an online member gives you access to the Core Plan and Points Plan, a Points Calculator, a Weight Tracker, progress charts, recipes, weekly emails and message boards. Once signed up, you enter details of your age, gender, activity levels, weight and height and you’ll learn how many Points you’re allowed each day.
Online membership costs an initial subscription fee of £29.95 plus the £9.95 monthly membership fee (£39.90 in total for the first month), then £9.95 a month after that.
Weight Watchers eSource
Weight Watchers also offers an ‘Internet companion’ service for members who attend weekly meetings but require additional support during the week to help them stay on track. This effectively provides weekly members with all the same information they’d receive if they were online members.
As well as the fee for the weekly meetings, eSource costs £15 for the first three months then £6.95 for each month thereafter.
Weight Watchers at Home
Weight Watchers at Home allows you to follow one of the Weight Watchers plans from home. All the information is sent to you via post. This option costs £44.85 for three-months or £69.70 for a six-month subscription.
Are group leaders trained?
Group leaders aren’t’t medically qualified but they are trained to help people change their eating and activity habits and also their thinking. Leaders go through an interview process with the area manager and if successful, attend weekend workshops for intensive training. They then shadow existing leaders before running their own meetings. All leaders have eight training sessions a year with their regional trainers and area manager, plus annual training with the national training team. Group leaders have all lost weight with Weight Watchers, so have had first hand experience of the diets and the highs and lows linked with trying to lose weight.
How much weight can I expect to lose?
Weight Watchers encourages a regular weight loss of 2lb a week.
Can anyone join?
Weight Watchers isn’t right for everyone. It’s not suitable for pregnant women or those with eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. If you discover you are pregnant when you’re already a member, it’s only permitted for you to follow the programme for the first 12 weeks. Children under the age of 10 aren’t’t allowed to join and under 18s aren’t’t allowed to become online members.
People with medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease or gallstones, are also advised to see their GP before starting the plan. Women who are breast-feeding can join Weight Watchers after their baby is six weeks old providing they’ve had their post-natal examination and with their doctor’s approval.
Finally, you need to be at least 5lb heavier than your minimum weight to join. These minimum weights are based on a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 20.
How is my goal weight set?
Your Body Mass Index (BMI) is used for setting goal weights. To be at your goal, members need to have a BMI within the range of 20-25. Each person sets their own goal weight within this range. In terms of it’s health benefits, Weight Watchers recognise the importance of losing 10 percent of body weight, so includes this as one of the target weight.
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