Weight Watchers® Review
Review In a Nutshell
Weight Watchers is one of the longest-running and most well-known weight loss programs around. The longevity of Weight Watchers is testimony to it's continual success as a balanced weight loss program. Even a simple search of the Internet will return hundreds of positive testimonies and reviews of the Weight Watchers program.
How Does It Work?
The essence of the Weight Watchers diet plan is the points system. Each food is assigned a points value, based on calories, fat grams, and fiber counts. When your diet plan is created, you are assigned a specific daily points value to follow.
The Weight Watchers program also includes weekly group support meetings. Weight Watchers also has a number of other products, such as branded food products, cookbooks, and even exercise videos.
Weight Watchers has a huge international presence with outlets in 30 countries around the world.
Who Is It Good For?
People willing to get involved in a community of like-minded dieters and go to meetings in person. The Core plan is better for those who don't like counting points, while the Flex plan is based on counting points.
Keys: Options
- Flex Plan
- Core Plan
Pros
- Weight Watchers Online has a very strong community - chat rooms, numerous message boards and recipe swaps. All are extremely active and very helpful.
- Weight Watchers is relatively free of the commercial overkill that typify the marketing of some diet and fitness programs.
- Good online tools
- Years of experience has led to refinement of offerings over time
- Realistic about work needed to succeed
- Continued focus on lifestyle change aids success long-term
Cons
- Requires a great deal of commitment
- Some find the expenses of the program excessive
- Proprietary point system
- Some report difficulty accessing online support staff
- Focus on journal writing and point counting can overwhelm some dieters
Further Thoughts
Group-based lifestyle change is often underestimated. The focus on community - being a part of a larger whole working for the same goals - is difficult to quantify but very essential. This core insight is probably one of the reasons Weight Watchers - while by no means perfect or the only lifestyle-oriented solution out there - still works well for many people today.
Our Top Recommendation
Week of: 09-07-2010
eDiets - eDiets sees clearly that diet and weight loss programs are highly individual choices. Instead of a one size fits all approach, they provide a wide variety of choices and plans. We've found that customization, convenience and cost are huge factors for many seeking weight loss, and eDiets excels in all three of these areas. Their website contains solid information on food, exercise, and lifestyle change, member chat rooms, online counselors and nutritionists. Their free diet profile is a great way to get started.
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*Weight Watchers® and POINTS® are registered trademarks of Weight Watchers International, Inc. This website is not owned or endorsed by, nor in any way affiliated with Weight Watchers.