Weight Watchers
Summary
Weight Watchers is an international company started in 1963 by a Brooklyn homemaker named Jean Nidetch. It operates in 30 countries around the world.
Weight Watchers encourages members to choose a weight that fits in the healthy range of their BMI or Body Mass Index. Once they achieve that weight then they continue on to the maintenance program. After the six week maintenance period if the member stays within 2 pounds of their goal weight they become a “Lifetime” member.
The company provides meetings and tools online for an extra fee to help members reach their goals. Members eat on a point system. Each food has a certain number of points and you are allowed a certain number each day.
Recently the program now includes tracking macros and options for weight loss drugs.
Review
People seem to like this program. It teaches portion control and allows people to eat foods they enjoy as long as they fit in the point system. Weight Watchers also encourages exercise and physicians approve of this way of losing weight. Having meetings is a good way of keeping a good support system to keep you on track. If you are someone that needs someone else to keep track of things for you and get you on the right track this might be a good way to go as a start.
For me personally the thought of tracking my food intake with points every day brings up a lot of anxiety. I think I would go a bit crazy having to live on a point system all the time. I try my best to listen to my body to tell me when I am hungry and when I am satisfied. This takes practice and time. But if someone likes using points that is great.
They also have weigh ins which would be a deal breaker for me. However with all the changes happening now (2025) they might be loosening up on this practice. I need to be able to have a fun meal or stress eat from time to time and not worry about the scale. I also think we need to have more compassion for ourselves and our health journey. Just because a scale says a certain weight that doesn’t mean we have failed. Carrying guilt doesn’t help us. We need to celebrate our wins no matter how big or small.
Weight Watchers point system also may not teach you how to eat healthy. Please read my pages on healthy eating and exercise. We are not made to eat just anything. Not all calories are the same. Yes if you stay in your points you will probably lose weight because you are restricting calories but in the long run you did not feed you body what it really needed which is a well balanced diet.
Be wary of the Weight Watchers frozen foods. They may be packed with high sodium and sugar. These are not things that help you lose weight. They do not tell your body that you are serious about losing weight. You need to eat foods that actually change your body’s chemistry so you can be that “energy burning machine”.
Lastly, some of the reviews that I read were not satisfied with the online services. Once they signed up they realized that the program was not what they wanted and they couldn’t get their money back. Read the reviews for yourself before handing over your credit card.
This program is great for people that want a step by step plan to follow. If you would like more flexibility you may want to try an alternative.