The Weight Watchers programme for weight loss is one of the the most widely known and practiced diets on earth. Weight Watchers was founded in the early 1960s by Jean Nidetch, a woman from Queens who urged a few friends to follow a diet she’d been given by a hospital dietician. They agreed to meet up and discuss their progress together once a week and found the encouragement they received from one another boosted the results of the diet programme they were following. Today, Weight Watchers can boast millions of success stories from all over the world – nearly everyone knows someone who has tried the Weight Watchers plan.
There are two keys to success in the Weight Watchers programme. The first is the points system they’ve established – all dieters have to do is keep track of the point value of the foods they consume. There are no banned foods, no calories to count, no carbs to keep track of, no complicated formulas for combining nutrients – just one simple points system to follow. Weight Watchers participants are also urged to follow a regular programme for exercise and encouraged to make ‘behavioural changes’ which equate to a healthier overall lifestyle.
Foods are given points based on a patented formula, which assigns a punitive value to fats and calories, and subtracts points for fibre content – the result is the point value for the food. Weight Watchers participants simply keep track of the points they consume, and aim to keep below a threshold that has been proven to result in weight loss. The formula works because ultimately, people are consuming fewer calories than they would typically eat. In addition to Weight Watchers’ own line of foods, many of the ready meals and snacks on supermarket shelves have a weight watchers points value clearly displayed on the package.
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The second key to Weight Watchers is the community of support surrounding the programme. Participants can attend meetings in their local area or join online Weight Watchers communities for support, motivation and advice on reaching weight loss goals. Weight Watchers meetings are chaired by official Weight Watchers ‘leaders’, people who have been successful in the Weight Watchers programme themselves. Leaders are typically nominated by other Weight Watchers professionals who’ve witnessed their success, they’re then screened, interviewed, trained and are there to boost spirits, answer questions, offer advice and support as needed.
There is an ever-expanding extended community of Weight Watchers participants and veterans, both online and in nearly every town. The Weight Watchers community generates news groups, mailing lists, recipe clubs and reviews of everything from restaurants to ready meals – all offering key facts relevant to the Weight Watchers diet.
As it’s been developed with ongoing consultation from medical and nutritional experts, the Weight Watchers Programme reliably yields an average weight loss of around two pounds per week. This is deemed to be a safe rate of weight loss by most leading authorities.
This weight loss, however, is viewed by many participants as disappointing – slow and steady may win the proverbial race, but it doesn’t do much for the average person trying to slim down to fit into a wedding dress for their big day in six weeks’ time. Weight Watchers isn’t for people looking for a quick fix – it’s for people who are ready to make positive lifestyle changes to achieve realistic, lasting results.
There are few contraindications for following the Weight Watchers Programme, most are related to those afflicted with eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia nervosa. Additionally, those suffering from hypertension, heart disease, diabeties, stomach ulcers, gallstones, kidney stones or bowel disorders should consult their GP before starting Weight Watchers, or any other diet programme.
