What Diet

How does Weight Watchers work

Weight Watchers is effectively a low calorie, low fat diet. The Weight Watchers programme is called Switch. It consists of two diet plans:

• Points Plan: allows you to eat and drink anything as long as you stick to a daily points allowance.
  OR
•  Core Plan: allows you to eat as much as you like from a list of healthy ‘Core’ foods. You also have a weekly Points allowance for treats.

You can ‘switch’ between the two programmes any time. The Weight Watchers approach is to lose weight by forming helpful habits, getting exercise and providing support. No food is off limits. Dieters will lose weight by creating a calorie deficit due to food intake restrictions.

There are two ways you can work with Weight Watchers: in-person meetings or an online-only program. Both use the same materials and computations. At in-person meetings, Weight Watchers encourages you to select a goal weight with a body mass index accepted as healthy (18 to 24.9). However, a member may set a weight aim outside that range if they can provide a doctor’s note. Once a member reaches the goal weight, you start a maintenance period. For the following six weeks, you increase food intake until you no longer lose or gain weight. If, at the end of six weeks you weigh within 2 pounds of your goal weight, you become a “Lifetime” member. A Lifetime member attends meetings free of charge but must weigh in at least once per calendar month and then not weigh more than 2 pounds more than their goal weight. If this is not achieved the member is charged the weekly fee until the goal weight is again reached. Weight Watchers’ eTools is a web-based service for members with support materials and tracking tools. This is available for an additional fee for pay as you go members but is included in the fee for monthly members.

Also an online program is available on the Weight Watchers website at www.weightwatchers.co.uk. Online and meeting memberships are separate. The support system for Weight Watchers online is a message board for members.

Weight Watchers®. Now with an online plan.

Our review of Weight Watchers

Good points

• No foods are banned
• On the Points plan, you can eat or drink whatever you like
• Weight Watchers is a good choice if you don’t like counting calories
• Both plans encourage you to eat more healthily
• Weight Watchers meetings are a good choice if you need moral support when dieting

Drawbacks

• Whether you go for the meetings option or Weight Watchers online it’s expensive
• Time consuming to attend the meeting and work out the Points
• Many of the Points values are based on portions rather than actual weights and can be wildly inaccurate
• On the Core Plan it’s easy to eat large amounts of the ‘free’ foods with the result that you gain rather than lose weight
• Weight Watchers have their own line of cuisine which can be costly as well as membership fees
• There is a one-time registration fee as well as the weekly fee

Weight Watchers®. Now with an online plan.

Books on Weight Watchers

Useful links
www.weightwatchers.co.uk
Weight Watchers points calculator
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What Diet: Weight Watchers Diet Plan UK