Explain Weight Watchers to me.

WW, formerly and still frequently known as Weight Watchers, is a weight management program that uses a point system to determine an individual’s dietary requirements in light of their age, height, weight, and degree of physical activity. The purpose of your daily point allotment is to keep tabs on what you consume. There is a point value assigned to each food item, and members are expected to eat only up to that value each day.

Although WW likes to think of itself as a health company, it is, at its heart, a diet designed to help people shed excess pounds. One of the most popular diets in the world has to come up with a new strategy to compete in a market where there is no shortage of diets and healthy is the new skinny.

Weight Watchers had a rebranding effort in 2018 with the tagline “Wellness that Works.” While the point system is still in place, the program is being rebranded as a customized weight reduction (and health) solution.

If you want to lose weight, but don’t have time to go to weekly meetings, the WW app is a great way to keep track of what you eat and connect with other users for virtual support. Energy-dense foods that were formerly quite expensive (such as beans, avocados, and potatoes) now cost nothing. Although it may seem like good news at first, this might really cause further confusion for someone attempting to watch their calorie consumption.

However, the points system is limiting and may lead to bingeing or point-saving for later overeating. Considering this, it’s understandable why WW modified their system to let “ZeroPoint” items, however it’s debatable whether this is an improvement or a detriment to the program overall.

The Weight Watchers Method: How Does It Operate?

Weight Watchers, currently known as WW, ranks foods and beverages according to their point values, which you then accumulate to determine how many points you can consume in a day. There are no forbidden items, but the limited points budget means you’ll probably want to focus on selecting meals that are lower in calories and have larger volumes of fiber and protein for the same number of points.

Considering the benefits and drawbacks of WW will help you decide whether or not to join.