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Work toward your goals in 4 simple steps: 1. Choose your program. Join WeightWatchers and choose the solution that fits your needs: Points Program or Diabetes Program. 2. Get the app. Download the WeightWatchers app and explore tools like What to Eat, which helps you make healthy choices at home or on the go. 3.
May 19, 2024 · How Does Weight Watchers Work? Weight Watchers assigns point values to food and drinks which you add up to meet your daily points budget. There are no off-limits foods but due to the limiting points budget, you will likely need to choose lower-calorie, higher-volume, and fiber-, and protein-rich foods with lower point values.
- Overview
- Healthline diet score: 4.10 out of 5
- WeightWatchers at a glance
- Pros and cons
- Can WeightWatchers help you lose weight?
- How does WeightWatchers work?
- What are WeightWatchers Points?
- WeightWatchers app
- What can you eat on WeightWatchers?
- Weight loss medications on WeightWatchers
•How it works
•Pros and cons
•Effectiveness
•Getting started
•Points
•App
From its humble beginnings as a weekly weight loss group for founder Jean Nidetch and her friends, WeightWatchers quickly grew into one of the most sought-after diet plans in the world.
Millions of people — including celebrities like Oprah Winfrey — have joined it, hoping to drop pounds.
This article reviews how the WeightWatchers program works so you can decide whether it’s the right weight loss solution for you.
Diet review scorecard
•Overall: 4.10 out of 5
•Weight loss: 5
•What it is: WeightWatchers is a weight loss program that uses a points-based system, rather than calorie counting, to support weight loss and encourage healthier eating habits.
•How much it costs: A 1-month membership starts at $23 per month, with a $20 membership starter fee. Optional add-ons, including access to weight loss medications or coach-led workshops, are also available for an additional cost.
•Potential benefits: Some of the main benefits of WeightWatchers include:
•Effectiveness: WeightWatchers prides itself on being a realistic and flexible way to lose weight, and many people have found weight loss success on the program. The Points system and ZeroPoint foods also encourage people to choose healthier, more nutritious foods.
•Sustainability: The program allows members to enjoy their favorite foods, as long as items fit into the allotted daily Points value. This means you can go out to dinner or attend a party without worrying if the food served is allowed on your diet plan.
•Flexibility: WeightWatchers is a good choice for people with dietary restrictions, like vegans or those with food allergies, since members choose how they spend their Points.
Pros
•offers a unique, individualized Points budget for each person •provides helpful app features like meal planning tools, recipes, workouts, and meditations •short-term effectiveness backed by research •more sustainable than other diet programs because no foods are off-limits •online and in-person community support available •access to weight loss medications for those who qualify
Cons
•can be expensive, especially if you sign up for optional add-ons •can be difficult and expensive to cancel •may be too lenient for some •does not guarantee a balanced diet Was this helpful?
WeightWatchers uses a science-based approach to weight loss, emphasizing the importance of:
•portion control
•food choices
•slow, consistent weight loss
Unlike many fad diets that promise unrealistic results over short periods of time, WeightWatchers says members can expect to lose 0.5–2 pounds (lb) [0.23–0.9 kilograms (kg)] per week, depending on their chosen plan.
The program highlights lifestyle modification and counsels members on how to make better decisions by using the Points system, which prioritizes healthy foods.
Initially, WeightWatchers used an exchange system, where foods were counted according to servings, similar to the diabetes exchange system.
In the 1990s, it introduced a points-based system that assigned values to foods and drinks based on their fiber, fat, and calorie content.
WeightWatchers Points are a stand-in for calorie counting, designed to simplify eating healthily at a calorie deficit. Your Points budget is based on your starting weight, weight goals, activity level, age, and reproductive status. For example, you will get more points if you’re breastfeeding or chestfeeding because you need the extra calories.
There are also ZeroPoint foods, which anyone on WeightWatchers can eat without spending Points from their budget.
Here’s a brief explanation of Points and ZeroPoint foods:
•Points: These are values assigned to foods based on their nutritional content. More nutritious foods, like fish and vegetables, are assigned fewer points than more heavily processed foods like candy and soda.
•ZeroPoint foods: These are foods and beverages that don’t count toward your Points budget. There are over 200 ZeroPoint foods, including things like scrambled eggs (with no added fat), nonfat yogurt, fruit, and non-starchy vegetables.
While no foods are off-limits, WeightWatchers recommends staying at or below your Points budget if weight loss is your goal.
The WeightWatchers app is packed with features for members, including a food tracker, a meal planning tool, personalized eating plans, and more than 13,000 recipes.
In addition to encouraging healthy eating, WeightWatchers motivates people to stay active by assigning them a weekly fitness goal.
Activities like dancing, walking, and cleaning, in addition to more traditional workouts like running and weightlifting, all count toward your fitness goal. You can get extra Points in your Points budget by including exercise in your routine.
The app provides fitness videos and workout routines, along with a weekly review of your physical activity level.
Because sleep is a critical component of a healthy lifestyle, WeightWatchers also offers a sleep tracker and services from Headspace, including sleep music, 5-minute behavior change coaching, and mini-meditations.
Another notable feature is the app’s built-in social network, which allows members to create posts, view other members’ posts, search by hashtags, and interact with others in group forums.
Although the WeightWatchers Point system emphasizes whole, unprocessed foods, including vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins, no foods are off-limits.
While healthy choices are encouraged, members can choose any foods they want, as long as they stay under their daily Points allotment.
The WeightWatchers program also makes nutritious food more tempting to members by offering ZeroPoint foods.
ZeroPoint foods may include fruits, starchy and non-starchy vegetables, lean proteins, lentils and beans, nonfat dairy, eggs, tofu, seafood and shellfish, and some whole grains.
WeightWatchers recently paired up with Sequence, an online weight loss program, to offer prescription weight loss medications to those who qualify.
These injectable medications — known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists — work by reducing appetite, slowing the emptying of the stomach, and increasing feelings of fullness to promote weight loss.
The program offers several different types of GLP-1 medications, including:
•semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic, or Rybelsus)
•liraglutide (Saxenda or Victoza)
•tirzepatide (Mounjaro)
Jul 4, 2024 · Efficacy: If used properly, WW is an effective diet tool. The plan can also help reshape a person’s relationship with dieting and exercise in general, potentially improving one’s lifestyle ...
Shift your thinking. Finding success with weight loss is about being in the right frame of mind. With WW Freestyle, you’ll learn new skills and techniques to help you shift your mindset. Because if you THINK differently you’ll act differently. A shift in your mindset will help you gain greater self-awareness to make different choices, so ...
Jul 29, 2022 · This can help people stick to the diet. 2015 research suggests that Weight Watchers may be suitable for weight loss, as the results showed the WW participants showed a 2.6% greater weight loss ...
People also ask
How does Weight Watchers work?
Does Weight Watchers really work?
How effective is Weightwatchers?
What is Weight Watchers (WW)?
How does weight watchers help people lose weight?
How do Weight Watchers points work?
Jul 25, 2023 · Does WeightWatchers work? Yes, if you remain disciplined. Yes, WeightWatchers has been proven to work for many. One of our staff members has been using it for three years, and confirms that WeightWatchers can work for anyone, but only if you put in the work and stay on top of your healthy eating. WeightWatchers encourages and motivates its ...
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related to: How does weight watchers work?Quick! This sale will be gone in a flash. Join WW for $10/month. Restr. apply. Ends 4/9. Get back to the routine you crave and lose weight—WW will meet you exactly where you are.
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