WHAT IS WEIGHT WATCHERS?

First launched in 1963, Weight Watchers has stood the test of time and remains one of the best diet plans on the market. US News gave this diet a 3.9 out of five; this marks it as the fourth best diet in the United States.

The program owes its continued success to one thing: it lets you eat whatever you want (in moderation). All you have to do is count the points. This weight-loss plan gives foods a points value depending on its calorie, protein, sugar, and fiber count. High amounts of sugar and calories raises the point count. High amounts of fiber or moderate exercise, lowers it. This helps you internalize the real value of good nutrition.

To determine your points allowance, Weight Watchers takes your age, gender, height, and weight into account. If you stay within that point allowance, there are no limits. To encourage healthy eating, Weights Watchers values most fruits and vegetables at zero points.

QUALITY OF WEIGHT WATCHERS

The Move Beyond the Scale approach at Weight Watchers helps dieters find something to value beyond the bathroom scale; after all, health is much more important than the number on the screen. This program’s ability to bolster physical and mental wellbeing is arguably the best part about it. Furthermore, by letting you eat whatever you please, this diet stops you from feeling caged. Weight Watchers is one of the few programs that lets you go for that frosted doughnuts.

Weight Watchers also offers a variety of proprietary foods. You can find a full list at the company’s online store.

THE SCIENCE OF WEIGHT WATCHERS

With a long lifespan comes a lot of research. Here’s what some studies concluded:

• Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes concluded that Weight Watchers was just as effective as the Atkins and Slim Zone diets. But, it had one big advantage in that it “consistently demonstrated greater efficacy at reducing weight at 12 months.”
• The American Journal of Medicine found that “Weight Watchers has major benefits over standard ‘self-help’ approaches. ” Dieters on Weight Watchers were almost nine times more likely to lose more than 10 percent of their body weight than dieters who went at it alone.
• Obesity reviewed a large variety of diet plans and found that Weight Watchers fared best on price and quality. This trial concluded that the program cost just $155 per kilogram lost.

THE AFFORDABILITY OF WEIGHT WATCHERS

Weight Watchers offer different levels of support depending on what you need. Each tier offers more support at a slightly higher price. This program compares well to the competition. Regardless of your level, however, you have access to a huge variety of recipes and plenty of fitness advice.

Here’s a summary of each tier:

• OnlinePlus: This tier includes access to professionals, online forums, and an online point and tracker app. It costs $3.84 per month.
• Meetings: You can pick up this second level for just $8.84 per week. This tier possesses all the features from OnlinePlus along with regular face-to-face with dieting professionals.
• Coaching: This tier costs $10.77 a week. This tier includes everything from OnlinePlus and Meetings. But, it also provides one additional feature: personalized coaching. You’ll receive an action plan customized to your needs from the get-go.

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK FOR WEIGHT WATCHERS

Here’s what customers had to say about the program:

• ”I look at WW as more a teaching tool than a quick fix to weight loss.”
• ”Most people don’t realize that Weight Watchers has a less than 5% long-term success rate.”
• ”Weight Watchers works, if you work the program.”
• I have been on WW for 26 months and I have lost 65 pounds. I love WW!!!”

What Makes Weight Watchers Great

This program offers plenty of benefits to the dedicated dieter:

• Allows you to pick your own food.
• Provides plenty of healthy and easy-to-make recipes
• Teaches portion control and the value of nutritional foods to encourage a healthy lifestyle.
• Offers three different tiers to support your needs.
• Provides peer support and accountability at every tier.
• Helps make exercise part of your daily habits.
• Cost-effective at even the highest-tier.

DRAWBACKS OF WEIGHT WATCHERS

This program is far from perfect:

• Teaches portion control much slower than diets that offer pre-packaged meals (such as Nutrisystem).
• Complaints about poor customer service and financial services are common.
• Counting points takes time. This diet might not work for someone with a busy lifestyle.

DOES WEIGHT WATCHERS WORK?

Weight Watchers is great for people looking for a sustainable weight-loss program. It encourages you to form a healthy relationship with yourself, with your food. If you’re looking to lose weight quickly, or too busy to remember to breathe, this might not be the plan for you. But, if you’re willing to be patient, DIETSiTRIED heartily recommends Weight Watchers.

If you’re on the market for a meal replacement plan, however, have a look at 18 Shake.