Weight Watchers: A Review
A Look at the Popular 40-year-old Weight Loss Program
You may know it for it's point system, but is it the right weight loss program for you?
Unlike diets that restrict you to cabbage soup or take away your beloved carbs, the Weight Watchers diet is based on success in developing long-term habits. It promotes solid nutrition and fitness in a community-based environment. But are these factors enough to make Weight Watchers THE weight loss program for you? Take a look at the pros and cons to decide.
The Pros:
Weight Watchers isn't designed to be a lose-weight-quick scheme, so you won't find yourself on a minimal calorie diet or left craving a favorite food group. In fact, Weight Watchers encourages a focus on all the major food groups, so it's suitable for vegetarians and keeps participants from getting bored with broccoli. Since participants enjoy food from all food groups, the chances are reduced that you will suffer the ill side effects of a vitamin or mineral deficiency.
The program works based on a point system. Each food or meal, including several entrees available at restaurants such as Applebee's, is assigned a point value based on its nutritional value and calories. Dieters are responsible for knowing how many points they are allowed to use up each day, and for keeping track of their daily totals. Counting points and knowing how to budget points to get those extra snacks gives users a sense of freedom and flexibility. You can stay in control of your diet without a lot of guess work. Since foods are assigned points, it negates the need to count calories or carbs, or use Glycemic Index charts. You can still eat out or enjoy parties without making excuses.
The Weight Watchers program is built around a long-term support system. Participants will find access to local meetings where peers discuss strategies, encourage healthy habits, and give and get face-to-face motivation from others who have been in their shoes. The community spirit also spreads to the web. Any quick search will yield hundreds of results for food charts, point tracking systems, and recipes. The wide-spread acceptance makes this system easy to implement and share.
The Cons:
The down sides to the Weight Watchers programs are related mostly to the cost of the meetings. Local meetings can get expensive, depending on the fee structure for each, and users in rural areas may find they have to travel to attend. The weekly weigh-in can be intimidating for some, and some new participants may be uncomfortable sharing their goals with others, though doing so can be a healthy and constructive motivator for future weight loss.
The Verdict:
All in all, Weight Watchers has a great mix of what it takes to develop new habits and a new healthy lifestyle. The structure of the points system helps you maintain control over your intake, while the human support helps you deal with the other issues that may be affecting your health. If you are seeking a healthy, well-rounded approach to permanent weight-loss that takes the guess work and (most of) the counting out of the mix, Weight Watchers is an established, nationally recognized program that is worth giving a try.
