This Weight Watchers evaluation publish is an opinion piece primarily based on my experience as a dietitian. The quotes which might be bolded all through the piece are the real-life experiences of former Weight Watchers dieters.
Weight Watchers is undeniably one of the vital profitable industrial weight loss program packages ever. Based in 1961 by Jean Nidetch, a housewife and mom, it has grown to grow to be a weight loss program behemoth with 4.6 million members worldwide.
Maybe in an try and shuck off its unhealthy weight loss program juju amongst a big proportion of the inhabitants, Weight Watchers rebranded in 2018 as ‘WW.’ Immediately, Weight Watchers wished 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 weight loss program, and everyone knows it. You may’t give folks a calorie *ahem* factors funds, have a major consequence that entails weight reduction, after which say that you simply’re not promoting them a weight loss program.
And who can overlook Kurbo, WW’s try and suck youngsters into its orbit? The burden loss app, launched in 2019, catered to youngsters as younger as 8 years previous, and was understandably met with outrage as a result of ‘weight reduction’ and ‘8 yr previous’ 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 youngsters to enroll with out parental oversight. The FDA additionally discovered that WW had used Kurbo to illegally harvest delicate well being data from kids.
Now, underneath CEO Sima Sistani, WW is providing GLP-1 agonists as a substitute for its typical weight loss program program.
Comply with the cash, I suppose.
Learn my Xyngular GLP-X evaluation right here.
WW conferences at the moment are largely on-line, and weekly weight-ins are nonetheless a part of this system. If you happen to do go to an in-person ‘workshop’ as they’re now referred to as, the weigh-ins are personal, as an alternative 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 couple 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 wished 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 “unsuitable” in a room full of fifty yr previous ladies. It taught me nothing about diet, particularly as a result of that was the age of “fats makes you fats”. All the pieces was off limits and all I discovered was methods 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 toddler 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 weight loss program?
There are a few research right here, right here, and right here, that seem to point out WW’s efficacy when it comes to 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 premise of all their weight loss program plans. It was launched in 1998. It then modified to Successful Factors, then Pure Factors, then Professional Factors, then Factors Plus, then Sensible Factors after which Freestyle. The variations between these are minimal: the WW Factors system appears to alter as typically because the wind blows, or a minimum of 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’ which 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 targeted on weight reduction, asking my present peak, weight, aim weight, intercourse, and age. The one medical historical past query it requested was if I’ve diabetes.
Related elements similar to exercise stage, historical past of an consuming dysfunction or different critical diagnoses, weren’t talked about. To their credit score, I attempted to enter a weight that was too low for my peak, and obtained this message:
As a dietitian, my fundamental situation 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 evaluation.
It encourages ’banking’ of factors (aka energy, who’re we kidding right here), and categorizing meals as ‘good’ and ‘unhealthy.’ Sure, all meals can match, nevertheless it’s human nature to not assume that manner when introduced with an possibility (aka zero level meals) the place they will eat extra for much less. I additionally see this system encouraging followers to ‘recreation’ the system.
That is one thing that was echoed in among the feedback I obtained from folks:
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 search out methods to nonetheless eat what I wished. So aside from parts nothing modified for me. I assume it gave me a false sense of getting management?
Whereas WW itself doesn’t outwardly promote “synthetic meals” you might are likely 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 enhance 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. Certain, greens and fruits have low factors values, however there are extraordinarily bodily nourishing and satisfying meals which might be larger in factors. Avocado, nuts, oatmeal, and candy potatoes are a couple of of them.
The present WW program has greater than 200 zero-point meals, which sounds wonderful till you understand that it truly isn’t, for causes I’m going to clarify.
WW tells dieters to not overeat zero level meals, however in case you’ve been given a factors funds to remain inside, there’s a definite attract to stuffing your self with zero level meals with the intention 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 funds, 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 funds if in case you have factors left over (which most likely by no means occurs). This may mess up your inside 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.
If you happen to go over your factors funds or eat the ‘unsuitable’ meals, this will result in guilt and disgrace, one thing that perpetuates the weight loss program cycle.
Contributors should observe their level consumption, which will be triggering for anybody who’s predisposed to, has, or has had an consuming dysfunction. That is doubtlessly a big section of the inhabitants, because the prevalence of consuming issues themselves (NOT together with disordered consuming), in line with this 2019 research in JAMA, is 1 in 5 ladies and 1 in 7 males.
We additionally know that prevalence of consuming issues peaks once more in ladies round center age, in line 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 might 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 other.
If you happen to can’t eat meals with out swapping out elements for lower-calorie selections, and you’ll’t eat with out counting or monitoring, please know that this isn’t what a great relationship with meals appears to be like 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 a minimum of 6 months.
Clearly, this isn’t satisfactory coaching to advise folks on their diet. Vitamin and the psychology behind meals selections are complicated. Unqualified folks can doubtlessly do hurt after they contain themselves in different peoples’ relationships with meals and consuming.
Learn my Noom evaluation right here.
As with most diets, many individuals reduce weight initially with WW as a result of they’re consuming fewer energy than they had been beforehand. That is simply basic math. Nonetheless, the psychological exhaustion that outcomes from counting factors and overthinking every thing you place into your mouth could cause a lot of these folks to surrender. I don’t blame them.
I’ve seen many individuals in my apply who’ve executed 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 every thing 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 nerve-racking and the straight up meals obsession was so dangerous.
The factor is, these folks 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 contented ending, however that’s what weight loss program packages like Weight Watchers need.
Repeat clients. Lifetime devotees. Individuals changing into depending on realizing the factors of every morsel of meals earlier than they permit themselves to eat it. Blaming themselves for his or her ‘failure’ on a weight loss program that’s made to fail anyhow.
Sound acquainted? Lots of you who’re studying it will recall having these experiences with WW. I’m sorry.
I joined many instances and by no means made aim weight. Because 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 needs 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 at all times felt like a failure each time I left as a result of it was my fault for “being so weak”.
My largest takeaway from WW was that each one of my value as a human being was tied to a quantity on a scale, and all meals had numbers as properly, which by God Had To Be Saved Underneath 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 ended. I’ll say it made folks panic a few 0.3lb achieve, get obsessive about which model of hummus is 1 level vs 1.5, too targeted on the minutia, not an total wholesome sustainable long run weight upkeep resolution. Any program will work whilst you work it, however you shouldn’t want a program in case you are truly studying the abilities and habits for wholesome residing.
I additionally obtained feedback from followers who mentioned 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 saved it off, for essentially the most half. That they benefit from the group, and that total, it was a optimistic expertise.
Does Weight Watchers work? Nicely, each weight loss program will ‘work’ for somebody. And by ‘work,’ I imply shedding pounds and KEEPING IT OFF.
I obtained 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 unfavorable.
181 out of 194 had been so-so or unfavorable, or 93%. This isn’t a scientific consequence, nevertheless it’s attention-grabbing to see the cut up. I really feel as if it’s in step with what I’ve heard from folks over the previous 24 years I’ve been a dietitian.
Regardless of how WW places it, it’s nonetheless a weight loss program.
Oh hey, how about we simply EAT?
Individuals won’t ever cease eager to reduce weight, and as a dietitian who helps intentional weight reduction the place applicable, I completely perceive. Nonetheless, I feel there are higher methods to reduce weight than to topic your self to WW or one other industrial weight loss program program.
Weight Watchers, in case you’re listening, listed below are my suggestions:
Do away with the factors in favor of a extra intuitive eating-style program. Individuals will likely be mad at first, however within the long-run, it’s a more healthy approach to see meals and consuming.
If you happen to’re really keen on peoples’ well being and total wellness, cease making weight reduction the first aim of your program.
Get some kind of upkeep help, as a result of a number of folks 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 got the cash. Simply do it.
Who am I kidding…WW won’t ever change their methods. We will hope, although.
