PROGRAM SUMMARY
Weight Watchers started in 1961 establishing its trademark weekly meetings with weigh-ins. The program is now primarily known for its “POINTS® Food System.” Members are able to eat anything they want as long as they don’t exceed their daily points – calculated from calories, grams of total fat, and grams of dietary fiber – for a specific portion of the food. By including POINT values on the packaging of frozen foods, such as Lean Cuisine, and some restaurant menus, like Applebees’, Weight Watchers has reached a mass audience. While Weight Watchers claims that the POINTS system encourages “the selection of healthy foods because that’s where you get the most food for a given POINTS value,” member testimonies consistently suggest that people love the fact that they can continue to eat “whatever they want.” One can earn POINTS by exercising, thus increasing their daily allowance of food.

In 2004, Weight Watchers introduced an alternate system called the “Core Plan.” On this plan, members try to eat only foods on a “core list” and can forget about counting points. Attempting to provide plenty of choice for eating satisfaction, the list is made up of fruits & vegetables; grains & starches; lean meats, fish and poultry; eggs; and dairy products. Members are allowed to stray from the core list for an “occasional treat." The Core Plan is an evolution of Weight Watchers that recognizes that one method doesn’t work for everyone.

DIET, EXERCISE AND STRESS MANAGEMENT
Claiming to be based on sound science, Weight Watchers has four guiding principles: 1) healthy weight loss of not more than 2 pounds per week, 2) the plan must be flexible and realistic, 3) members must be provided with why not just what to do, and 4) the plan must be comprehensive of one’s lifestyle –food, activity, behavior, and a supportive environment.

Weight Watchers recognizes that everyone is different in their dietary needs, and that successful weight loss depends on finding one’s own balance in lifestyle and food choices. According to Karen Miller-Kovach, the Chief Scientific Officer of Weight Watchers, “there are two distinct approaches to controlling calories.” Research led to the invention of these two plans: the first is based on measuring how much you eat – POINTS, and the other is by focusing on wholesome foods – Core Plan. If members remain committed to the program, they will likely learn sound nutritional principles. For instance, Weight Watchers educates members that not all fats are bad, and encourages the consumption of good omega-3 fatty acids and suggests sources such a deep-sea fish.

Once Weight Watchers’ members have begun to feel comfortable with the food aspects of the program, they are encouraged to begin an exercise plan. In the spirit of gradual change, Weight Watchers’ members first alter sedentary behavior: take the stairs rather than the elevator, walk to errands, etc. There is no prescribed amount of activity in the program; instead members earn POINTS for exercising which earns them more food.

Since its inception, Weight Watchers has placed much value on the weekly weigh-in. It’s believed that the process creates accountability and strengthens one’s commitment. Weight Watchers has created a rewards system for members who reach their weight-loss goals – the design of which is aimed at keeping the weight off. The weigh-in typically occurs at the beginning of the weekly meeting and is done in a private setting. A Lifetime Member of Weight Watchers – someone who reached and has maintained his or her weight loss goal – leads the meeting. The Leader sparks a discussion around nutrition, activity, and healthy habits. Meetings occur during the lunch hour and evenings and are 30 minutes to an hour. Members are able to participate in the program online, in lieu of attending meetings. The online program provides access to similar information and member bulletin boards.

COST
As of December 2005, it costs $26 to join Weight Watchers. Frequently, there are specials with free enrollment. It’s then $11 per week, averaging $40/month. Bypassing weekly meetings and doing the program online will decrease the cost to $20/month.

CONCLUSION
Based on the online reviews of Weight Watchers, the program is overwhelmingly recommended by those who have tried it. On Epinions.com, only 4 out of 134 reviews were negative; the rest recommended the program. A cursory review of weight loss blogs and other online journals, such as those at CalorieKing.com – an alternative to Weight Watchers – uncovers many stories of people, primarily women, who have abandoned Weight Watchers because traumatic life events – loss of job, childcare responsibilities, or depression – return them to emotional eating patterns.

Positive Aspects
Weight Watchers appears to be a good program for someone with a serious weight problem. The company has committed to ongoing research of what works for their members. The result is a balanced program that encourages gradual weight loss, increasing one’s activity level, building a supportive environment based on common goals and challenges, and finding ways to stay motivated. There is an emphasis on being flexible and practicing moderation. The addition of the Core Plan updates Weight Watchers to be a better long-term solution that educates members on how to eat well and attend to their nutrition.

The WeightWatchers.com website is easy to use and allows members to manage their goals between meetings or even instead of meetings – allowing a bit more customization to the experience than was possible a decade ago.

Negative Aspects
“Being on WW though made me think about food all the time and began to give me a food complex,” says WANDAINEZ on CalorieKing.com. She continues, “It's been such a long battle for me because my self-image is pretty low and it interferes with the rest of my life. I also have been trying to find someone who I can be accountable with besides my husband (because he does not have a problem with weight like I do--in fact, he is so good about eating and exercising and I always feel like I let him down), but I have not been able to find anyone who is willing to talk about the really difficult things with losing weight (bingeing, poor self-image, self-sabotage).”

Comments like this illustrate the problem when a diet program like Weight Watchers puts all its emphasis on food. Every topic, even activity/exercise, is connected back to food. If you exercise, then you’ve earned POINTS that allow you more food. When Weight Watchers refers to behavior and supportive environment, they are referring specifically to one’s relationship with food. Members are encouraged to keep a food journal, to self-monitor their hunger and fullness, and to participate in a weekly “weigh-in.” Weekly meetings involve a sedentary environment with advice on nutrition, activity, and developing healthy habits. One former member, Char, describes the aftermath, “By the time the meetings were over, my friend and I would always be so hungry, especially after listening to everyone talk about the when can we have this and that."

While the educational materials recognize a difference, the POINTS system – and associated calculators – do not differentiate between good and bad fats. The Core Plan provides a list of foods that are okay to eat, and while this is an improvement over measuring food – it may not provide members guiding principles that they can internalize. Weight Watchers parcels out information to members incrementally so that they’re not overwhelmed. This has good intent, but appears to deliver an excess of WHAT to do, and perhaps not enough WHY. The why information is what allows someone to feel good about changes in their life and make a long-term commitment to them.

Rather than exploring the multi-dimensional aspects of a good life, the program attempts to teach how to shift one’s cognitive relationship to food, such as how to handle common social situation. Another former Weight Watcher member shares her experience. CHRYSA1 says, “I want to have a family. I DO NOT want to obsess about food, my body, and weight loss like I did on weight watchers. That program controlled me, I did not control it. I just want to be someplace that understands and supports me.”

SOURCES
Miller-Kovach, Karen, Weight Loss That Lasts: Afterword, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey: 2005.
Rippe, James M., M.D., Weight Loss That Lasts, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey: 2005.