Weight Watchers Magazine

Review By Trudi Purdy, wlr team

Key Questions Answered

What is in an issue of Weight Watchers Magazine?
How can I get a copy of WW Mag – subscription, newsagent, group, online?
Is it worth me buying?

Overview

Weight Watchers magazine focuses heavily on success stories and Weight Watchers recipes with a couple of articles added into the mix.

It is mostly what you would expect from a magazine aimed at helping people lose weight using the WWFlex and SmartPoints system.

In Detail

Weight Watchers magazine is very definitely aimed at people who attend the groups and do WW online. I was surprised to see that there were no complete diet plans in the magazine. There was a plan for 5 days worth of evening meals but that was it. Nothing to indicate what to eat for breakfasts or lunches.

The magazine is packed with recipes and ideas as to what to eat, including a mug cake section which, I have to say, looked very tempting.

Molten Chocolate & Peanut Butter Mug Cake at 296 calories per mug

Ours came out at 304 calories (see below)

A real chocolate hit for not very many calories

Calories	304
Protein	12.2g
Carbs	45.6g
Fat	11.4g
Fibre	7.3g
Fruit & Veg	1.6g

Spiced Apple Crumble Mug Cake at 236 calories per mug

Ours came out at 163 calories (see below)

The spice and crumble make this mug cake sound amazing!

Calories	162.9
Protein	1.1g
Carbs	36.6g
Fat	2.2g
Fibre	4.4g
Fruit & veg	1.7g

Try wlr's Apple Cinnamon Muffins - just 175 cals each

A quick and easy recipe for low calorie apple and cinnamon muffins make a deliciously tasty treat. Try one with a banana and a glass of milk for breakfast.

Carrot & Banana Mug Cake at 351 calories per mug

Ours came out at 330 calories (see below)

I love carrot cake! Might give this one a try at the weekend!

Calories	330
Protein	12.3g
Carbs	59.2g
Fat	6.2g
Fibre	4.4g
Fruit & Veg	1.9g

All of their recipes had the SmartPoints value but also included the calories. It would have been great if they also had the other nutritional info like fat and carbs. So we did it for you:

Sausage & Sweet Potato Bake 255 calories per portion

Ours came in at 332 calories (see below)

A meal that will satisfy the whole family, including the kids

Calories	331.9
Protein	21.8g
Carbs	44.9g
Fat	8.3g
Fibre	7g
Fruit & Veg	4.2g

Try wlr's Chicken & Sweet Potato Bake

This delicious one tray bake is perfect for the whole family and contains 3 of your 5 a day too! It's really easy to make with a good amount of fibre and protein.

Chicken & Griddled Lettuce Salad 435 calories per portion

Ours came in at 472 calories

A fresh and yummy salad with a twist

Calories	472.3
Protein	62.5g
Carbs	18.5g
Fat	16.2g
Fibre	5.7g
Fruit & Veg	3.3g

Try wlr's Chicken Caesar Salad

Using prepared ingredients - such as roast chicken, croutons and Caesar salad dressing - our cheat's "recipe" is super quick to prepare. A lovely, light lunch at just 254 calories per serving.

Understandably, for a weight loss company, there were plenty of success stories, including the weight loss journey of their own Official Eating Officer.

My favourite story was Katy. She had lost a total of 5 stone so that she could become an egg donor.

However, with all the recipes and success, it didn’t leave a lot of room for much else. They have managed to squeeze a few decent articles in though. Here’s a brief description of some of them:

Feeder Alert – what to do if you are living with a feeder or are one yourself
Walk the Walk – how to get the most out of walking for exercise
Ask the Experts – Questions and answers from WW Experts, food safety, DNA testing, body confidence etc
Get Clued up on Fat – find out how to sort the good from the bad

Overall, I found the magazine a bit busy and a little messy.

In the news section, there was makeup, a snippet about what to do on a bank holiday, fashion ideas and details of 5kMyWay, a Weight Watchers event being held in June.

It could just be my personal preference to see things in proper sections etc but I felt it was a little cobbled together.

The magazine was incredibly advert heavy. There were 34 pages of ads in the 122 page magazine, plus 2 pages at the back that listed all the stockists. That said some of the ads had special offers and money off coupons for readers to use.

Who Will It Suit?

Anyone who is already a member of Weight Watchers or simply wants a motivation boost by reading about other people’s weight loss success.

Unfortunately, because there are so many success stories, actual articles are few and far between but there are loads of recipes.

If you are looking for food inspiration, this magazine might be a good buy.

Weight Watchers Magazine Cost & Offers

You can buy a copy of the magazine at most newsagents and some supermarkets. You can subscribe online or through a copy of the magazine (see costs below) and you can pick a copy up, if you are a member, at your meeting.

The 1^st 200 people to subscribe each month get a free starter kit that includes:

Canvas Tote
2 Weight Watchers Books (Eat Out and Shop)
Journal

It costs:

£22 for 11 issues paying by direct debit
£30.25 for 11 issues paying by cheque or credit/debit card
£16.50 for 6 issues

Value for Money

If you follow the Weight Watchers way of losing weight with WWFlex and SmartPoints this magazine may be worth getting. But only really for inspiration and recipe ideas.