The Weight Watchers Diet
Weight Watchers NYSE: WTW, founded in the 1960s by Jean Nidetch, is a company offering various dieting products and services to assist weight loss and maintenance. It started as a discussion group for how to best lose weight. It now operates in about 30 countries around the world, generally under the name "Weight Watchers" translated into the local language. Its most prominent celebrity endorser is Sarah, Duchess of York. Before her, Lynn Redgrave appeared in a series of popular television advertisements for the packaged low calorie food division of the H.J. Heinz Company, then the parent of WeightWatchers.
Varying on location, Weight Watchers generally offers two distinct programs:
* The Flex program
* The Core program
The programs are supplemented by optional support groups which meet regularly and provide assistance to those trying to meet weight-loss goals.
The Weight Watchers Program
Flex program
The Flex system is, in essence, a simple way to quantify a
participant's caloric intake and energy expenditure. Various
servings of food are assigned a specific number of points, and
various types of exercise are assigned negative numbers of points; a
program participant is allocated a certain number of points per
week, with that number based on the individual's current weight and
weight goals.
The effect of this is that the participant is not restricted from
eating any specific type of food, but they must stay under their
total point value for the week. This stands in marked contrast to
diet approaches such as the South Beach diet or the Atkins diet,
under which some foods are completely forbidden and others are
permitted in theoretically unlimited amounts. The participant's
ability to factor exercise into the plan increases its flexibility:
the participant can eat more points as long as they offset them with
exercise, or eat fewer points if they prefer not to exercise.
Many Weight Watchers proponents enjoy the Flex system precisely
because no food is out of bounds, as long as it is eaten in
moderation, and because exercise can be factored in. (In the UK,
Weight Watchers advertises under the slogan "Where no food is a
sin"; this is a reference to its chief competitor Slimming World's
system of giving some food "sin" values.) Others, however, dislike
the record-keeping that the plan imposes on the participant, who
must essentially keep track of the points value of everything they
eat; they prefer other plans that place restrictions on types of
food rather than amounts of food.
The POINTS formula
The formula for calculating the POINTS content of a specific food
serving uses a formula described in US Patent 6,040,531:
p(c,f,r) = \frac{c}{50} + \frac{f}{12} - \frac{\min\{r,4\}}{5}
Where p is the number of points, c is the number of calories, f is
the grams of fat, and r is the grams of dietary fiber (if the
dietary fiber is greater than four, use four). The POINTS value is
always an integer, with fractional values rounded to the nearest
point. (An alternative format, mentioned in the patent and used on
some websites, rounds values to the nearest half-point.)
The above formula can be expressed in OpenOffice Calc as follows:
=(B1/50)+(B2/12)-(IF(B3>4;4;B3)/5)
Where B1 is calories, B2 is fat in grams, and B3 is fiber
An early version of the POINTS system did not limit the fiber
"credit" to four grams. Another variation, which may be explained by
rounding, is that the "POINTSfinder" manual calculator distributed
at Weight Watchers meetings does not reach a POINTS value of 2 until
after 70 calories have been reached, rather than 50 as the formula
would indicate. As a result, point boundaries are 20 calories (or
4.8 fat grams) higher than might be expected. Though the patent
mentions possibly using 70 rather than 50 as the single point
baseline, that method is said to be intended for use by dieters who
do not use fiber as a "point enhancer" (reducer).
More recent versions of the program, such as that described in US
Patent 6,878,885, take exercise and physical activity into account
to grant additional points in the daily allowance.
In some other countries, including Australia and New Zealand, the
POINTS formula varies and it calculated only from energy (as
kilojoules) and saturated fat. This formula is expressed in UK
Patent 2302605 as:
p = \frac{e}{k1} + \frac{f}{k2}
Where p is the number of points, e is the energy value, and f is the
grams of saturated fat. The constants are k1 and k2 are described as
such: k1 is chosen so that the points target will be in the low
tens. If the energy value is to be entered in calories, then k2 will
be within the range of k1/35 and k1/10, ideally k1/17.5. If the
energy value is defined in kilojoules, then the value of k2 will be
between k1/146.7 and k1/41.8, ideally being k1/72.8.
A practical implementation of this formula for a kilojoule-based
calculation appears to be:
p = \frac{e}{300} + \frac{f}{4.12}
The resultant value, p is then rounded to the nearest half.
Plans
The Core Plan
In part as a response to the popularity of plans like Atkins and
South Beach, Weight Watchers has recently developed a separate plan,
known as the Core Plan. This plan classifies certain types of food
as "core," and permits participants to eat core foods with the
restriction that they should only eat these foods "until satisfied,
not full." Core foods are a list of healthy foods from all the food
groups, including fruits, vegetables, fat free dairy, lean meats,
and whole grains. Non-core foods are assigned the usual point
values, and participants are given an allottment of 35 non-core
points that they can eat in a week.
The Flex Plan
Under this plan, participants are assigned a set number of points to
consume per day based on their current weight. The number of points
allowed may be increased with exercise. The "Flex" part of the plan
is that several additional points are allotted (which is not based
on weight) that can be used or not used during the week.
TurnAround
In August of 2004 the TurnAround Program (a registered trademark)
was introduced which not only incorporated the Points and Core food
plans but is intended to assist people with developing an overall
healthy lifestyle. The program includes healthy food intake but also
includes following 8 Good Health Guidelines, activity and member
support. It is through all of the aspects of the program that
members are able to not only reach their weight loss goals but to
make permanent changes to support lifetime weight management.
Other Plans
In other countries, including Australia, New Zealand and the UK, the
plan names and specifics differ. There are generally two base plans,
one built around the POINTS system, and another around a limited
group of allowed foods.
Price
Like many other weight loss programs, Weight Watchers frequently
offers promotions and coupons ranging from free registration
(normally fifteen dollars) to advance-purchase plans that bring the
weekly cost down from twelve dollars on average to less than nine.
Of all of the weight-loss plans currently popular throughout the
United States, Weight Watchers is one of the most reasonably priced
as long as a member attends each week--missed meetings must be paid
in full before the next weigh-in, which is a surprise to some
members.
Once a member reaches their goal weight and maintains that weight
within plus or minus two pounds for six weeks they become Lifetime
Weight Watchers members. They can then attend any number of meetings
anywhere for free, as long as they weigh no more than 2 pounds above
their goal weight and weigh in at least once per month. Part of the
success of Weight Watchers members keeping weight off is the
continued free support of their weekly meetings.
An 'At Home' plan is also available, where purchasers are provided
with plan information, points books and supporting material to allow
them to complete the plan on their own, without meetings or any
ongoing costs.
Corporate history
From 1978 until 1999, the Weight Watchers company was owned by the
H. J. Heinz Company, which continues to produce packaged foods
bearing the Weight Watchers brand name (and with points values
clearly identified). Weight Watchers was acquired in a leveraged
buyout in 1999 and went public in 2001.
Corporate governance
Current members of the board of directors of Weight Watchers are:
Philippe Amouyal, John Bard, Raymond Debbane, Marsha Evans, Jonas
Fajgenbaum, Linda Huett, Sacha Lainovic, Sam K. Reed, and
Christopher Sobecki.