Weight Watchers Report
Do Weight Watchers diet plans work? Are they good for you?
Dietitian Juliette Kellow puts the spotlight on Weight Watchers
UK.
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Weight Watchers Under the Spotlight
By WLR Dietitian
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Weight Watchers is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in
the world of slimming, with 10 million Brits walking through the
doors of their nearest meeting in the last decade. And it’s not
just us mere mortals who are prepared to hand over hard-earned
cash to shift those excess pounds. A whole host of celebrities,
including Coleen McLoughlin, Patsy Kensit, Claire Sweeney,
Natasha Hamilton, Jenny McCarthy and Sheree Murphy, have all
reportedly followed the Weight Watchers diets to shape up and
slim down.
Background
The concept of Weight Watchers began in the early ‘60s when
overweight housewife Jean Nidetch, invited friends to her New
York home to discuss how to lose weight. They joined her in
following a diet recommended by Jean’s dietitian and began
meeting regularly to discuss how they were getting on. As the
group expanded, Jean joined forces with businessman Al Lippert
and Weight Watchers was born.
More than 40 years on, Weight Watchers International claims
to have helped millions of people around the world to lose
weight. Last year alone, 6,500 meetings were held in the UK each
week – around 25 percent more than a decade ago.
But ironically,
as the Weight Watchers emporium 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?
Weight Watchers effectively
promotes a reduced-calorie, low-fat diet, to encourage weight
loss. The Weight Watchers programme is called Switch and
consists of two different diets:
- The Points Plan – this allows you to eat and drink
anything you like as long as you stick to a daily Points
allowance.
Or
- The Core Plan – this 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.
You can ‘switch’ between the two programmes at any time.
Tell me more about the Weight Watchers Point System
Every food and drink has a Points value. Points are
calculated according to the calorie and saturated fat content of
foods and the portion size. However, 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 Point system, you simply add up the
Points values of the foods you eat and drink 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 at your first
meeting. Alternatively, if you become an online member of Weight
Watchers, you’ll be advised on the number of Points you should
have each day after entering your personal details. Your daily
Points allowance is based on your weight, height, gender, age
and level of activity during the day.
In general, the more weight you have to lose, the more Points
you are allowed each day. For example, a 37-year-old female who
weighs 12 stone and has a desk job is allowed 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. Also materials handed out at
meetings when you first join contain basic food lists.
Members can also buy a Points calculator and/or a Shopping
Guide 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 and a Points calculator.
What if I’m really active?
Doing more exercise earns you more 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 idea is to earn more than you eat.
Tell me more about Weight Watchers Core Plan?
Quite simply, you eat as much as you want from a list of
‘healthy’ foods such as fruit, veg, 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 then allowed 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, in other words,
they have 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 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. Plus, there’s no indication given about how
long it will take you to reach your goal.
Unlike WLR, when you complete the Weight Watchers food diary
there’s no information provided about the daily number of
servings of fruit and veg 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 healthy, balanced diet.
The main 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’s more
time consuming 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, providing you stick to your
daily Points allowance. There are more restrictions for the Core
Plan, but ultimately, you’re still allowed treats. Weight
Watchers could be a good choice if you don’t like the hassle of
counting calories – although you need to be aware that you’ll
still have the hassle of working 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, 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, veg,
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 like the idea of having support from 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’s pricey, 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. Meanwhile, with the Core Plan
it’s still possible to consume large amounts of ‘healthy’ foods
from the ‘free’ list with the result that you gain rather than
lose 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 you pay extra for this service.
Finally, there is a Weight Watchers At Home service that
provides you with monthly information by post. Here’s some more
information on each…
• Weight Watchers Meetings
Quite simply you find a meeting in a convenient location for
you, join the class and then attend once a week. 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. You’ll also have the support
of other members to help you stay motivated.
There’s an initial 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 there are sometimes 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 – simply turn up.
• Weight Watchers Online
Weight Watchers offers an online alternative for people who
don’t want to 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
discover how many Points you’re allowed each day.
An 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 want 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.
In addition to the fee for the weekly meetings, eSource costs
£15 for the first three months then £6.95 for each extra month.
• 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 a three-month
subscription or £69.70 for a six-month subscription.
Are group leaders trained?
Group leaders aren’t medically qualified but they are trained
to help people change their eating habits, activity habits and
the way in which they think. 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,
too, 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 steady 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 suffering with eating disorders such
as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. If you discover you are
pregnant when you’re already a member, you’re only allowed to
follow the programme for the first 12 weeks. Children under the
age of 10 aren’t allowed to join and under 18s aren’t allowed to
become online members.
People with medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood
pressure, heart disease or gallstones, for example, are also
advised to see their GP first 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 have their doctor’s approval.
Finally, you need to be at least 5lb heavier than your
minimum weight to join. Minimum weights are based on a Body Mass
Index (BMI) of 20.
How is my goal weight set?
Body Mass Index (BMI) is used for setting goal weights. To be
at goal, you need to have a BMI within the range of 20-25. Each
person sets their own goal weight within this range. Weight
Watchers also recognise the importance of losing 10 percent of
body weight, in terms of the health benefits it brings, and so
includes this as one of the target weights.
What happens when I’ve reached my goal?
You can continue to attend Weight Watchers meetings to help
you maintain your weight. You’ll get Gold Membership, which
means you can attend meetings for the rest of your life for
free, providing you stay within 5lb of your goal weight.
However, members who have lost a substantial amount of weight
can also become Gold Members, even if they’re outside of this
range, in recognition of the fact that they are so much
healthier.
Juliette’s verdict
The Weight Watchers plan is gaining popularity with health
professionals. For example, Weight Watchers are increasingly
working with the NHS and some GPs now refer and pay for their
patients to attend weekly meetings. Ultimately, both the Points
Plan and Core Plan help members to reduce the calorie and fat
content of their diet – all good stuff!
However, I don’t necessarily think it’s a good idea to take
the emphasis off counting calories. Ultimately, it’s calories
that count when it comes to losing weight – if you take in fewer
calories than you burn up, you’ll lose weight. It’s as simple as
that! So, why make it more complicated by adding a middleman in
the form of Points? As most high calorie foods have a high
Points value, why not just count the calories in the first place
– which are now included on most food labels – rather than
having the hassle of first calculating the Points and then
counting them.
It’s likely that when members leave Weight Watchers behind,
they’ll also leave Points behind, so it’s vital that people
start to learn how many calories there are in foods and how this
compares to their energy needs. After all, this is what will
help most people keep their weight off in the long term.
Women need around 1,800-2,000 calories a day to keep their
weight steady, men 2,300-2,500. In the long term, it’s therefore
far more useful for people to know that a small portion of cod
and chips contains around 800 calories – a substantial
proportion of daily calorie requirements – rather than 14.5
Points.
Further information
www.weightwatchers.co.uk |
