Weight Watchers? It's better than eating dust (Weight Watchers)

Member Name: dbarcl10

Product:	Weight Watchers
Date:	05/05/09 (339 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Leads to a healthier lifestyle, whilst allowing you to eat the foods you like

Disadvantages: Makes your purse a lot lighter

My name is David and I have a weight problem.

Unlike most people, my problem is not with being overweight, but having a fast metabolism which means I struggle to put on weight. So, what am I doing reviewing Weight Watchers? Well my partner is currently on the Weight Watchers diet, along with my mother and with a little help from them, here is my review.

SO WHAT IS WEIGHT WATCHERS?

Weight Watchers is a calorie controlled diet where the dieter counts points for everything that is consumed. When you first join Weight Watchers you are given a blue folder which gives recipe ideas, and an easy to use point's calculator that is on a laminated card, making it easy to carry about with you.

Each diet plan is tailored to the individual, with the number of points a person can consume being calculated with reference to their age, sex, height, weight, and activity levels. Therefore the bigger you are, the more points you have, but as your weight comes down, your points will also decrease. However as you increase your activity levels (i.e. through exercise, walking etc), you can gain bonus points, called activity points.

Weight Watchers have a number of different plans, all based around points, the current scheme being the Discovery plan.

There are also Weight Watchers meetings throughout the UK and further afield, where you have a weekly weigh in followed by encouragement and support, the aim being that this should encourage you to eat healthier.

Weight Weighter's have a wide range of meals and snacks, available from most supermarkets, the benefit of these meals is that they all display a points value which saves you having to calculate the number of points per meal.

Where the points value is not known, the points can be calculated from the calories and saturated fat. The general idea is that the lower the calories and saturated fat, the lower the points. There are also zero point foods, such as certain vegetables and sugar free jelly that you can have an unlimited amount of without the points building up.

So now you know the general idea of the plan, I've decided to rope in my partner, Scott, for an interview.

So Scott, how are you finding Weight watchers?

Surprisingly easy. It's the only diet that I've been on that I can eat what I want and have a social life. That's that only reason I've stuck it this far. All the other diets I've been on have failed for me as they have been quite restrictive and as I am quite a stubborn person I don't let anything interfere with my life. The thing with Weight Watchers is that is has actually improved my life.

Is it easier to stick to than other diets?

Yes.

Do you feel hungry when on the diet?

Yes, but when I'm feeling hungry I'm still allowed to eat. With Weight Watchers I am retraining my metabolism to expect three meals a day and not pick so much. I have found when eating 3 meals a day I am actually eating more rather than before when I was skipping breakfast, having a quick sandwich at lunch then a big portioned dinner, but snacking on unhealthy snacks throughout the day. Because of my three meals a day, I don't feel the need to snack as much.

How do you find the classes?

Brilliant. If it wasn't for the classes I wouldn't have stuck to it. The great thing about the classes is that it becomes a game. The aim of the game is to lose as much as possible in your weigh in. Another great thing is the talks - I find them motivational, inspiration and at times even perspirational (only kidding, Ed!) - not at all what I thought, I guess I was expecting the meeting leader to be like Little Britain's Marjory Dawes.

Do you have any tips for fellow weight watchers?

It's true what they say about using all your points - one week I stayed on salads and zero point soups, no alcohol, no treats, went to the gym most days and after a long and miserable week, I lost the grand total of nothing! The following week I ate sensibly and attended a wedding where much alcohol was consumed, and managed to lose 4 lbs. The only difference was that over the course of the week I used all my points.

Is it working for you?

Yes, I've lost over 37lb's in 9 weeks - far more than I have lost on other diets.

Would you recommend the plan to others?

Definitely. In fact I already have done so to some of my fat friends (of course there much fatter than me!)

At this point, the interview had to stop as it was time for more points. Thanks Scott.

COSTS

To join the weekly classes costs £5.95 per week, or £17.95 for a monthly pass. I think there is also a registration fee, but there are generally vouchers available online that entitle the holder to free registration, and sometimes a couple of weeks free meetings.

OTHER SUPPORT

Apart from the meetings, there is also an online community on the Weight Watchers website, where users can share diet tips, menu ideas and give general support and encouragement to others.

DISADVANTAGES

Now that I've mentioned most of the plus points of Weight Watchers, I feel I need to balance these with the negatives. I'm sure however you'll be glad to know that the negatives are few.

Firstly, as you need to calculate points on all your food, you end up making your own meals after weighing each of the ingredients. This means that we often don't eat together, and it is more expensive than cooking one meal between us.

The Weight Watchers meals are also more expensive than their high calorie/high saturated fat competitors. However, Tesco do a range of meals in competition with Weight Watchers that are considerably cheaper, but also show the Weight Watchers points value.

Lastly it can be difficult finding things to have for lunches during the week. If your office doesn't have an oven or microwave, your options are mainly limited to sandwiches and salads. These are ok in the summer but not for the cold winter days.

SOME DIET TIPS

Firstly don't look at it as a diet; it's a change of eating habit. You can still have whatever you fancy; you just need to have the right balance. If you fancy a burger, have it, but cut back on other things. If you have a night out planned, you can still have a drink, but go for the lower calorie drinks.

Before having a meal, have an apple or a bowl of vegetable soup. These will help fill you up and will cost you few, if any, points.


SUMMARY

All in all, I think Weight Watchers is one of the best diets available. It's less of a diet and more of a change in lifestyle, learning to make healthier choices in food, eating a balanced diet and encouraging more exercise.

Certainly from my perspective, it is an easier diet than others - he certainly isn't as grumpy as he has been with other diets, especially when he tried the Cambridge diet and couldn't eat any solids!

The points system has got me thinking. If you stick to a certain number of points according to your weight, size, and activity levels, and you lose weight, would you gain weight if you exceed your recommended points?

In the interest of scientific research I have decided to put this theory to the test. So far, I have put on.... drum roll please... 1lb in only three weeks! Ok, so my weight gain over three weeks could be purely coincidence, so I feel I must continue my research for the foreseeable future. It has been a lot of hard work, sweat, tears, tiaras and tantrums but I feel that I have to continue this research on behalf of the Dooyoo community. Now...where are those cream cakes?!?!

For more information, visit the website www.weightwatchers.co.uk

Summary: A well balanced healthy eating plan that really works!