Weight Watchers Works (Weight Watchers)

Member Name: 20thcenturycat

Product:	Weight Watchers
Date:	05/04/09 (425 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Proven system

Disadvantages: Dependent on their own Points system

This review is of the current Weight Watchers plan, the Discover Plan. I am currently attending WeightWatchers groups and using e-source, the internet companion to Groups, and I also have experience of using Weight Watchers Online. In my experience it works if you stick to it, but as we all know it's not always so easy to stick with it.

The basic premise of WeightWatchers is that every food is allocated a Points value, depending on the number of calories and the amount of saturated fat. When you attend a group you are given a handbag sized plastic ring-binder with your programme materials. This contains a quiz about your height, weight, age, gender and the amount of activity you do. This tells you how many Points per day you need to eat. I see there has been some criticism of the previous Points system which meant you might be tempted to choose low-Point options without considering whether they had enough nutirition or filling power. The new Discover Plan gives you a list of healthy foods called Filling Foods - mainly fruit, veg and wholegrains - which pack a lot of nutrition and keep you full longer. You are encouraged to write down everything you eat or drink in a Tracker which can be clipped into your folder, then you highlight any Filling Foods in green, to encourage you to choose more of these. If you follow this plan properly you cannot avoid getting into better eating habits. It has transformed the way me and my partner eat.

There is apparently research that shows that those who attend a group lose more weight on average than those that weigh and run. I think a lot of this depends on how much interaction there is in the group, and on the group Leader. Our Group Leader pays a lot of attention to our Trackers every week and can easily spot where we may be going wrong. She encourages a lot of sharing of experiences in the group and we've all picked up tips for what works and what doesn't, getting more exercise, recipes, local restaurants and good buys in the shops in the area.

Monthly Pass
Meetings cost £5.95 and you have to pay for missed weeks. A Monthly Pass is £17.95 per month by Direct Debit, working out at less than a fiver a week on average. I think that's much better value and you also get free access to e-source, the internet companion to meetings. It's worth knowing that you may be able to get your doctor to prescribe 12 weeks of Weight Watchers meetings for you if you have health reasons for needing to lose weight.

E-source
This allows you to calculate Points values of foods and Track what you eat online. It contains a huge database of foods already pointed for you, recipes, exercise videos, articles and a lively online forum. Apparently those who use e-source and go to meetings lose 30% more weight than those who attend meetings alone. I've certainly found it a help. It's much easier than looking Points up in books and writing everything down. It's very handy not having to lug around all the books. I also like filling in the online weight graph, although I do think they need to revise it a bit as you can barely see a 2lb loss on the graph. What e-source doesn't tell you is how to follow the plan - you are supposed to get that from your group.

WeightWatchers Online
This is for those who can't attend meetings. If you don't have internet access they also do WeightWatchers at home which is all the books and leaflets sent to your home. I've tried the free 2 week trial, and found it contained everything in e-source but it also contained explanations of the plan.

WeightWatchers Community
This is for those who are not paying for e-source or Online - you can register on the site for free, and search recipes and use the online forum - could be very useful if you are just wanting some recipe ideas and online support from others also trying to lose weight.

Any drawbacks
Well, you are very dependent on WW's own Points system. Simply counting calories and fat grammes would be easier.
I personally find it hard to come up with ideas for packed lunches to take to work and then cook in the evening as well.

But the bottom line is it's working, I am eating healthier, I feel the benefit and I look forward to meetings, even when I think I may have had a bad week. If you don't stick to it, or you 'weigh and run' and don't stay for the Meeting, you won't learn enough about the Plan, and run the risk of being put off by lack of results when a few tweaks may have made all the difference.

Summary: It works - if you stick to it.