Weight Watchers
Most people have heard of Weight Watchers because it is one of the oldest and most familiar weight loss programs to date. The Weight Watchers program has spread to 30 different countries in the world. The staying power of Weight Watchers alone speaks to it’s lasting success. There have been hundreds of positive testimonials and even celebrities touting the success of the program. However, some critics feel that the long life of the Weight Watchers program has made it outdated and old-fashioned in today’s world.
Weight Watchers is based on a point system. Foods are assigned a points value. This value is based on calories, fat grams and fiber counts. A specific plan is created for you, and you are given a daily points allowance. You can eat whatever you want as long as you don’t exceed the number of points you are given per day.
There are two different plans that dieters can choose to follow. The first is the Flex plan, which is outlined above, and the second is the Core plan. The core plan is for people who don’t want to have to worry about counting points. With the Core plan dieters are taught which types of foods to eat. The Core plan allows you to eat nutritious foods from all food groups, this includes- grains and starches, lean meats and poultry, fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs and dairy products. Foods with empty calories are to be mostly eliminated from your diet, with the exception of the occasional treat. If you are following the core plan you are eating foods that will fill you up and help keep you from overindulging.
Weight Watchers also helps teach its members how to live a more active lifestyle, which will help them, both to lose weight and become healthier. They also help you figure out how some of your current habits may be sabotaging your weight loss and how to replace those habits with more positive behaviors. In addition to this, they help you set reachable goals and motivate you to succeed. Weekly meetings are also part of the plan. They can be very valuable to people because they help them to measure their progress and keep them focused on their goals.
The Weight Watchers program offers a very helpful online community with chat rooms, message boards, and even recipe swaps. Weight Watchers is an extremely down to earth program, and the leaders are very practical about the work that will need to be done in order to achieve your goals. Because the members are taught that these changes are to become a lifestyle and not a short-term diet, success can be maintained over long periods of time. Also, there are a number of other products put out by Weight Watchers to help facilitate weight loss. They have Weight Watchers food products, cookbooks, and exercise videos. Even Applebee’s has started listing the point values of the foods that they serve on the menu. However, this program does involve a lot of dedication and determination, and the cost of the program may be too much for some people.
Pros
- Weight Watchers Online has a very strong community - chat rooms, numerous message boards and recipe swaps. All are extremely active and very helpful.
- Weight Watchers is relatively free of the commercial overkill that typify the marketing of some diet and fitness programs.
- Good online tools
- Years of experience has led to refinement of offerings over time
- Realistic about work needed to succeed
- Continued focus on lifestyle change aids success long-term
Cons
- Requires a great deal of commitment
- Some find the expenses of the program excessive
- Proprietary point system
- Some report difficulty accessing online support staff
- Focus on journal writing and point counting can overwhelm some dieters
