This Weight Watchers assessment put up is an opinion piece primarily based on my experience as a dietitian. The quotes which are bolded all through the piece are the real-life experiences of former Weight Watchers dieters.
Weight Watchers is undeniably some of the profitable business food regimen applications ever. Based in 1961 by Jean Nidetch, a housewife and mom, it has grown to change into a food regimen behemoth with 4.6 million members worldwide.
Maybe in an try to shuck off its dangerous food regimen juju amongst a big proportion of the inhabitants, Weight Watchers rebranded in 2018 as ‘WW.’ Abruptly, Weight Watchers needed to leap on the wellness prepare, however most of us weren’t having it.
That’s as a result of WW was, and is, nonetheless a food regimen, and everyone knows it. You may’t give individuals a calorie *ahem* factors price range, have a major final result that entails weight reduction, after which say that you simply’re not promoting them a food regimen.
And who can overlook Kurbo, WW’s try to suck children into its orbit? The burden loss app, launched in 2019, catered to children as younger as 8 years outdated, and was understandably met with outrage as a result of ‘weight reduction’ and ‘8 12 months outdated’ ought to by no means be utilized in the identical sentence.
The Kurbo app isn’t out there anymore, however in 2022, the FDA issued a settlement order to WW for loopholes within the app, together with one which allowed children to enroll with out parental oversight. The FDA additionally discovered that WW had used Kurbo to illegally harvest delicate well being info from kids.
Now, below CEO Sima Sistani, WW is providing GLP-1 agonists as an alternative choice to its typical food regimen program.
Comply with the cash, I suppose.
Learn my Xyngular GLP-X assessment right here.
WW conferences are actually largely on-line, and weekly weight-ins are nonetheless a part of this system. When you do go to an in-person ‘workshop’ as they’re now referred to as, the weigh-ins are non-public, as a substitute of in entrance of your fellow WW dieters.
I’ve heard from numerous individuals who had been placed on Weight Watchers as teenagers and adults, about how traumatizing these public weight-ins had been for them.
Right here’s a number of:
The day the weigher was aghast that I had gained 0.5 kilos was my final go to. She actually put her hand to her mouth in shock and requested me what occurred. I needed to say “I f**king ate, that’s what occurred”.
It was terrible. I used to be a child who didn’t perceive why my physique was “mistaken” in a room full of fifty 12 months outdated ladies. It taught me nothing about diet, particularly as a result of that was the age of “fats makes you fats”. Every little thing was off limits and all I realized was the best way to disguise my consuming, lie about parts, be embarrassed about weigh-ins, and eat far an excessive amount of of all of the meals I used to be denied as a baby as soon as I began to purchase my very own meals. I’m 43 and I’m simply now therapeutic my relationship with meals and my physique.
Is there analysis behind the Weight Watchers food regimen?
There are a few research right here, right here, and right here, that seem to indicate WW’s efficacy by way of weight misplaced and diabetes administration. Nonetheless, WW funded these research, and the outcomes are pretty unremarkable.
Do not forget that simply because one thing has analysis behind it, doesn’t imply it’s good analysis or that the outcomes had been clinically related.
Weight Watchers Factors
The Weight Watchers factors system is the idea of all their food regimen plans. It was launched in 1998. It then modified to Profitable Factors, then Pure Factors, then Professional Factors, then Factors Plus, then Good Factors after which Freestyle. The variations between these are minimal: the WW Factors system appears to vary as typically because the wind blows, or at the least that’s the impression I’ve gotten.
The gist is that you simply get a sure variety of factors to ‘spend’ every day, plus an allotment of weekly factors to ‘cowl’ any ‘indulgences’ that may pop up. You too can ‘earn’ bonus factors for train, which I feel is totally ridiculous, because it makes train into one thing we do to ‘earn’ meals or ‘make up’ for consuming (each of that are disordered pondering), and it’s not how our our bodies work…in any respect.
I took the WW quiz, which assigned me 26 factors a day. The questions had been largely centered on weight reduction, asking my present top, weight, aim weight, intercourse, and age. The one medical historical past query it requested was if I’ve diabetes.
Related elements similar to exercise degree, historical past of an consuming dysfunction or different severe diagnoses, weren’t talked about. To their credit score, I attempted to enter a weight that was too low for my top, and acquired this message:
As a dietitian, my major difficulty with WW is the factors system. I consider that it encourages disordered pondering and habits round meals for many individuals.
Right here’s my Weight Watchers Private Factors assessment.
It encourages ’banking’ of factors (aka energy, who’re we kidding right here), and categorizing meals as ‘good’ and ‘dangerous.’ Sure, all meals can match, but it surely’s human nature to not assume that method when introduced with an choice (aka zero level meals) the place they’ll eat extra for much less. I additionally see this system encouraging followers to ‘sport’ the system.
That is one thing that was echoed in a number of the feedback I acquired from individuals:
I did lose 80 kilos however I gained all of it again as a result of it didnt assist me to decide on ‘higher meals’ it helped me to seek out methods to nonetheless eat what I needed. So apart from parts nothing modified for me. I suppose it gave me a false sense of getting management?
Whereas WW itself doesn’t outwardly promote “synthetic meals” you could possibly are inclined to lean in the direction of a few of them as a result of they had been decrease in factors. I additionally didn’t assume they promoted more healthy choices on a regular basis: Skim milk and 0 fats yogurt had been 0 factors, however I had been taught that you simply wanted the fats to blunt any insulin spikes and the fats would additionally improve your satiety. I discovered it very troublesome to remain inside the factors and eat wholesome and left after 3 months. I determine there was no sense in being smaller if I wasn’t additionally getting more healthy.
Every meals’s factors are calculated primarily based on its vitamins. Positive, greens and fruits have low factors values, however there are extraordinarily bodily nourishing and satisfying meals which are larger in factors. Avocado, nuts, oatmeal, and candy potatoes are a number of of them.
The present WW program has greater than 200 zero-point meals, which sounds superb till you notice that it truly isn’t, for causes I’m going to clarify.
WW tells dieters to not overeat zero level meals, however in the event you’ve been given a factors price range to remain inside, there’s a definite attract to stuffing your self with zero level meals with a purpose to ‘afford’ the inevitable multi-point binge.
All of this turns consuming right into a math equation, which can result in consuming meals that you simply don’t need simply to suit into your factors price range, or not consuming as a lot as you want due to the factors. Conversely, it’s possible you’ll eat simply to fulfill your factors price range if in case you have factors left over (which most likely by no means occurs). This could mess up your inner starvation and fullness cues.
Right here’s why I don’t suggest having a calorie aim.
It additionally promotes satiety OVER satisfaction. Quantity consuming, or consuming giant volumes of low-calorie meals to fill the abdomen so that you don’t eat different, higher-calorie meals, is a disordered behaviour.
When you go over your factors price range or eat the ‘mistaken’ meals, this could result in guilt and disgrace, one thing that perpetuates the food regimen cycle.
Contributors should monitor their level consumption, which will be triggering for anybody who’s predisposed to, has, or has had an consuming dysfunction. That is probably a big phase of the inhabitants, because the prevalence of consuming problems themselves (NOT together with disordered consuming), in accordance with this 2019 research in JAMA, is 1 in 5 ladies and 1 in 7 males.
We additionally know that prevalence of consuming problems peaks once more in ladies round center age, in accordance with this 2023 research and others. In 2018, a report by MRI Simmons discovered that 85% of WW dieters had been ladies, and 43% of these ladies had been over the age of 55.
WW could say they’re all about well being, however what I see mirrored within the quite a few WW factors teams on Fb, is just about the alternative.
When you can’t eat meals with out swapping out components for lower-calorie decisions, and you may’t eat with out counting or monitoring, please know that this isn’t what an excellent relationship with meals seems to be like. It removes all flexibility, pleasure, and peace from consuming. Not good.
This system makes use of ‘coaches’ who lack in-depth, related diet coaching. Their solely {qualifications} are that they’ve reached their aim weight with WW and maintained it for at the least 6 months.
Clearly, this isn’t satisfactory coaching to advise individuals on their diet. Vitamin and the psychology behind meals decisions are complicated. Unqualified individuals can probably do hurt once they contain themselves in different peoples’ relationships with meals and consuming.
Learn my Noom assessment right here.
As with most diets, many individuals drop pounds initially with WW as a result of they’re consuming fewer energy than they had been beforehand. That is simply simple arithmetic. Nonetheless, the psychological exhaustion that outcomes from counting factors and overthinking all the things you set into your mouth could cause a lot of these individuals to surrender. I don’t blame them.
I’ve seen many individuals in my apply who’ve accomplished Weight Watchers years in the past, however nonetheless see meals as ‘factors.’ That is problematic, as a result of it causes them to worry meals and second-guess all the things they eat. It completely takes away that connection between how they really feel and what they select to eat.
I nonetheless know what number of factors some issues are many years later. The weekly weigh ins had been so demanding and the straight up meals obsession was so dangerous.
The factor is, these individuals typically return to WW repeatedly, as a result of of their thoughts, it ‘labored’ as soon as for them, so that they’re going for a second, fourth, or eighth kick on the can. It hardly ever has a cheerful ending, however that’s what food regimen applications like Weight Watchers need.
Repeat prospects. Lifetime devotees. Folks turning into depending on understanding the factors of every morsel of meals earlier than they permit themselves to eat it. Blaming themselves for his or her ‘failure’ on a food regimen that’s made to fail anyhow.
Sound acquainted? Lots of you who’re studying this may recall having these experiences with WW. I’m sorry.
I joined many instances and by no means made aim weight. On account of being on WW I continued to drink espresso and tea black, don’t put butter on greens and restrict fats. Nonetheless I’m heavier than I ought to be.
I work out frequently, stroll lengthy distances and usually really feel responsible about not having my weight down. This month I flip 68.
I’ll say that I’ve joined WW so many instances that I actually misplaced rely. I by no means reached the aim weight that THEY set for me and all the time felt like a failure each time I left as a result of it was my fault for “being so weak”.
My greatest takeaway from WW was that each one of my price as a human being was tied to a quantity on a scale, and all meals had numbers as nicely, which by God Had To Be Saved Beneath The Restrict.
There was not solely a complete disregard for diet but in addition for the enjoyment and pleasure of meals too.
I attempted ww and did lose 30 lbs which has come again after I finished. I’ll say it made individuals panic a few 0.3lb acquire, get obsessive about which model of hummus is 1 level vs 1.5, too centered on the minutia, not an general wholesome sustainable long run weight upkeep resolution. Any program will work when you work it, however you shouldn’t want a program in case you are truly studying the talents and habits for wholesome residing.
I additionally acquired feedback from followers who stated optimistic issues about their time with WW.
Issues like, it gave them construction and taught them about portion measurement. That they’ve misplaced weight and stored it off, for probably the most half. That they benefit from the neighborhood, and that general, it was a optimistic expertise.
Does Weight Watchers work? Properly, each food regimen will ‘work’ for somebody. And by ‘work,’ I imply shedding pounds and KEEPING IT OFF.
I acquired 173 feedback, 6 messages, and 15 emails about WW. Out of these 194 items of correspondence, 9 had been supportive of WW. 4 had been so-so, and the remainder had been adverse.
181 out of 194 had been so-so or adverse, or 93%. This isn’t a scientific final result, but it surely’s attention-grabbing to see the break up. I really feel as if it’s in keeping with what I’ve heard from individuals over the previous 24 years I’ve been a dietitian.
Regardless of how WW places it, it’s nonetheless a food regimen.
Oh hey, how about we simply EAT?
Folks won’t ever cease desirous to drop pounds, and as a dietitian who helps intentional weight reduction the place applicable, I completely perceive. Nonetheless, I feel there are higher methods to drop pounds than to topic your self to WW or one other business food regimen program.
Weight Watchers, in the event you’re listening, listed below are my suggestions:
Do away with the factors in favor of a extra intuitive eating-style program. Folks might be mad at first, however within the long-run, it’s a more healthy technique to see meals and consuming.
When you’re really considering peoples’ well being and general wellness, cease making weight reduction the first aim of your program.
Get some kind of upkeep help, as a result of a number of individuals complained to me that you’ve none.
Monitor the WW teams on social for disordered behaviour, and FFS, ask related questions in your onboarding quiz.
Use certified well being professionals as coaches. You’ve the cash. Simply do it.
Who am I kidding…WW won’t ever change their methods. We will hope, although.
SHAMELESS PLUG: in the event you’re struggling along with your diet and relationship with meals, I will help! I’m taking 1:1 shoppers now. I’m dearer than WW, however you might be able to get protection for my providers if in case you have non-public insurance coverage. Right here’s the hyperlink for extra info and to request a session.
