So here we’ll get stuck into why Weight Watchers doesn’t work. If you want to lose ‘weight’ it might do that. But if you want to slow your metabolism, indirectly risk osteoporosis and make your body more prone to fat storage, it might do that too!
I’ve had a few clients now that have previously been on a Weight Watchers diet. The story is usually the same - they did lose ‘weight’ but then they put it all back on.
A 2007 study by Dr Michael R. Lowe and published in the British Journal of Nutrition, showed that out of a selection of the most successful Weight Watchers attendees, there was an increasing decline in goal-weight maintenance 1, 2 and 5 years after initially reaching their goal. Only 37.2% kept within 5lb of their goal weight after 5 years. Bearing in mind that the goal weight was pretty modest.
That said, I haven’t yet explained one of the biggest reasons why Weight Watchers doesn’t work! And it’s staring you right in the face. The name itself holds the answer: Weight Watchers.
With the exception of morbidly obese people who live on a diet of cake and cheese and fizzy full-sugar drinks, losing or watching your ‘weight’ is a terrible idea.
I have heard stories from attendees who said that they and their fellow ‘watchers’ would queue up outside the toilet before their weekly weigh-in so the scales would tell them they’d lost that little bit extra. Then – and I’m sure this isn’t uncommon – they’d go and get a takeaway to treat themselves for their loss.
This kind of weight-watching obsession, where total weight is all that matters, can’t lead to long-term and sustained health. So without further ranting, I shall present my list of reasons in numbered form so as to punctuate each point and make them easy to digest as it were.
Why Weight Watchers Doesn’t Work – Reason 1: It’s called Weight Watchers
I myself am a student of and specialist in fat-loss. So my clients could say they’re on a Fat Watchers plan. That said, I also advocate muscle development in young, old, male and female so there’s an element of being a Muscle Watcher too.
And that is fine and healthy to do.
When we lose ‘weight’ and only weigh ourselves, we lose both fat weight and lean tissue. People don’t realise that while muscle can be built, it can also be lost. People also don’t realise that without strong muscles we end up like bent over, brittle boned hunchbacks by the time we’re of a mature age, or younger!
There’s much more to getting slim and healthy than watching your weight. Read on to see what other implications stem from the term ‘Weight Watchers’.
Why Weight Watchers Doesn’t Work – Reason 2: It slows your metabolism
In targeting fat loss Vs weight loss, there’s a lot of careful factors to consider such as muscle maintenance, diet and the type of cardio to perform.
Weight loss is pretty easy – just eat less and your body will eat muscle and fat thus giving you your weight loss. This is the Weight Watchers method. Again, remember the name, the clue is in the title ‘weight’ watchers.
What then happens is that you lose a percentage of your lean muscle tissue and thus a percentage of your metabolism.
Muscle amount is proportional to metabolism because it requires a lot more calories to keep muscle than fat.
Why Weight Watchers Doesn’t Work – Reason 3: It works on a useless points system.
On the Weight Watchers diet, you can eat pizza and drink coke. They take up more points though. That’s fine if you then just eat a little less to compensate.
When a client of mine is on a fat loss diet, they’re educated as to how metabolism works and why any sugars (including fruit), solid-at-room-temperature fats and late night carbs of any kind are going to undo all their hard work. Oh, and alcohol too.
Usually, they surprise themselves in adhering to this quite quickly. Why? because they know why it’s bad for them. Specifically.
On the Weight Watchers diet, you could eat just about anything. Then if you eat less to compensate you’re again, slowing your metabolism.
Why Weight Watchers Doesn’t Work – Reason 4: It discourages a proper look into exercise and diet thereby keeping themselves in control.
Weight Watchers is a company. Their goal is to not just make money, but make as much money as possible. They sell their own special foods and foster a kind of dependence on their system.
When a client trains with me they are equipped to manage their body composition (not just weight) for the rest of their lives as long as they can remember the advice I give them.
They are measured for body fat levels and lean tissue levels and given a diet and exercise regime that supports the reduction of the former and at least maintenance of the latter.
The very nature of a ‘one size fits all’ system is set up primarily to make money and if the poor people who spend their money to step on the scales and see the numbers go down are happy then all the better for Weight Watchers.
Did you know that from the above study 95.3% of their customer base are female?
Does anyone find it strange that a non gender-based problem such as getting slimmer is so obviously aimed at one gender here? That’s a huge bias not far off 100% female attendees!
I think this is because women are very ‘weight’ focused – for reasons we could go into but won’t – and Weight Watchers really plays on that vulnerability.
I’ll never forget a female colleague (when I used to work in an office) telling me that she wanted to lose weight and, so far that day, has done “really well” because she’d only eaten a few pieces of fruit all day. This is the kind of misinformation that is abundant in society and it often takes a Personal Trainer to turn that person’s logic on its head. A similar logic is employed by Weight Watchers.
Why Weight Watchers Doesn’t Work – Reason 5: It doesn’t promote health, strength and vitality.
We’ve been over the basis of the Weight Watchers method – mild starvation and ignorance. Now someone who is obese may well be better off after a year on their regime than if they’d carried on their previous path. But consider this…
We’ve lost muscle tissue. To lose muscle tissue is to lose, not just metabolism, but a certain degree of strength and support that our body needs. Especially in later life.
The idea of promoting muscle growth is completely alien to about 90% of society in my estimation. From my experience of talking to gym members, most want to ‘tone-up’ (although I really don’t know what that means), but almost all say “but I don’t want to be too big.”
I have to sell them the idea that their muscle tissue is likely under-developed and could do with a slight increase to raise metabolism and promote strength and also help avoid osteoporosis. Osteoporosis can come about through lack of bone density and bone density can be increased through load bearing (lifting weights).
Muscle tissue is our best friend when it comes to metabolism, strength and bodily support (think back, abdomen, core stability and so on). To look after this key component we require a great deal of protein, a modest amount of quality carbs, quality fats and a decent weights regime. NOT a mild starvation diet.
So, a conclusion then…
Get a PT for a few months. Even if it’s only once every few weeks. Make sure they know their nutrition and fat loss and get yourself educated.
This way you’ll be set for life any time you feel the need to get slimmer using a healthy approach.
To burn fat requires eating more, not less. To eat less is asking for trouble. Of course, when I say ‘more’ I mean a solid diet of good foods. Trust me, if you’re on one of my diets, you won’t have time to feel hungry!
Don’t pay money each week just to step on the scales on an empty bladder.
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I read this article because I felt alone. So many people have told me how great Weight Watchers is and I have been successful on it a few times. I gain the weight back when I get tired of counting points and obsessing about my weight. I am 5″1 and 140 lbs. I ran in 5 half marathons. In between training seasons I workout 1 – 3 times a week. I just started Weight Watchers again for the 5th time. Four weeks into the program now and I am so hungry I can’t stand it. I gained weight over Christmas and can’t get back on track.
I didn’t realize other people were doing what I was doing. In the past I would pee, poop, run three miles, skip breakfast, avoid drinking water, and then weigh in. That pattern got me to my goal weight of 129 lbs in 2009. I barely squeeked in a lifetime membership but I still have to pay now because I over 2 lbs of that weight.
I tried the body bug at 24 hour fitness but that was a total waste of money. The diet that goes with it advises that you supplement your diet with protein in their Apex food products. Most of Apex food has sugar and hydrogenated oils in it. Never lost weight. I had to switch trainers so it hard to say if I lost body fat. The 1st trainer didn’t know what he was doing.
I read this article to find out why I don’t have what it takes to be successful on weight watchers. I hate dreaming about food or having to wait until after I weigh in to go see a movie. Popcorn makes me gain water weight and it takes a day or two to lose it. What I got out of this article is weight Watchers has a system that can make anxious people like me obsessed with numbers. Maybe I’ll just have to accept that I’ll always be 10 – 15 lbs over weight.
It’s a tricky one. I think there are quick fix personalities and if that’s the frame work then nothing will ever work, no matter how shiny and attention-grabbing it is. So once HAS to change at the core level, educate themselves as much as possible (one tip is to consult a trainer who trains natural bodybuilders and has a good track record. Learn how the body works and, as importantly, how YOUR body works). Also learn how your mind works. Another quick tip, if your body refuses to burn fat, look into leptin resistance and omega oils.
Your article is so full of misinformation and you obviously have never been to a Weight Watchers meeting. Weight Watchers promotes healthy, balanced eating. If you choose to spend your points on soda and pizza on a regular basis you will not be successful, but it does allow you to have pizza and soda on occasion so you can live a normal life and still lose weight. Weight Watches stresses clean eating and to stay away from processed food as much as possible. Weight Watches also pushes exercise as much as they promote healthy eating. They also stress strength training more than cardio because they are totally aware of the fact that muscle is needed to increase ones metabolism and burn more calories. They are NOT totally focused on the scale… the clients are. We are constantly being told not to get on the scale every day because it is not our true weight. In fact we are encouraged to track our non scale victories which are way more important than the number on the scale. You should really do your research before you write such an article you obviously don’t know what you are talking about!!!
I was only moved to write the article by the dozens of people who had first hand experience. Granted, it’s not all like that but… maybe it mostly is. Having done some resrearch into the success stats for Weight Watchers I came across articles such as this: fatfu.wordpress.com/2008/01/24/weight-watchers. I think it’s ideal for some people but the underlying reason people go is often unsound – a quick fix. But don’t tell me my article is full of misinformation when there’s a lot of ‘Weight Watcherers’ that agree with me.
Weight Watchers is like any other plan. You will have those who don’t follow it properly and not get results and you will have the people who follow it to the T and not get results. For the record, not everyone pees before weighing in or celebrate a loss with food. However, the people who do that will do so with a PT as well.
Weight watchers does tell people to do strength training to build muscle and to track your measurement because the victory in a healthy life style can come from toning and losing inches. I have had PT’s who did not help me in the least. I am overweight and there answer was to put me on a tread mill to run for an hour. Really??? I was completely our of shape. Weight watchers teaches to that you have to build up fitness levels and cardio strength which is true. To not consider this is to strain under worked muscles.
Last time I checked it is also a PT’s goal to make money too.
Weight Watchers, as a large international company, has making money at the forefront of it’s priority and helping people out of a sense of altruism doesn’t even factor into it – this principle is against capitalism. It’s true though, that on the flip side, many PTs don’t give a damn about their clients’ results and just want to sell them on the idea of a consultation once a week to make them feel good about how unhealthy they are the rest of the week. I myself would rather help people while earning a living, so tend to not take clients on when I can tell they’re not ready to change. Weight watchers now has a ‘new rule’ whereby you can eat as much fruit as you like – fruit contains fructose which is a great fat storing sugar and should be limited as much as possible when trying to lose weight. This decision is less likely based on fat-loss/weight-loss research and more likely based on bad publicity for having people eat less fruit and associating that with being less healthy.
I followed weight watchers faithfully for 5 months. I lost ZERO pounds. I need to lose 30 and yet I lost ZERO on this program and felt hungry all the time. Yet a friend who started at the same time lost 10. I think each person is different, and you just have to keep hunting for what works best for you. I exercise each day, and thought the structure of the weight watchers would work.
But what I found most disturbing about this program is that “point system”. I was assigned 29 points per day and so was my friend and yet I am 5’10″ tall and she is 5’4″ . that doesn’t make sense. Everyone no matter what their size, height or frame is treated the same. That doesn’t work. Wont be trying that again any time soon.
I find this discussion very interesting. I joined weight watchers in April of this year, and it has changed my life. I have lost 40 lbs and, at the same time, become more fit than I have in years. And this is after trying to work out and feeling totally depressed because I just couldn’t do it — I would try to run (which I used to do regularly), and couldn’t even make it up the street. I just ran for the first time in 5 yrs…and made it 2.5 miles, and FELT GREAT! And that had nothing to do with my weight….it had to do with my diet and my outlook in general. I no longer dread exercise, but I crave it. I enjoy eating fruits and veggies, and have paid more attention than ever to my daily food intake.
Of course, you are all saying ‘no shit sherlock’. But my point is that the structure adn support of Weight Watchers has given me the tools to change my entire perspective. I can eat as much as I want, but the points program encourages (but doesn’t force) me to eat healthier foods than I would normally choose. I am never hungry. I don’t beat myself up if I go out to dinner and have a big meal and dessert. And, I know it sounds corny, but the support of the meetings goes a long way too, especially for those of us who have some emotions tied into food/weight/fitness issues.
Weight Watchers is not the only thing that will work. What I needed was a lifestyle change, and for me, it has done that in a way I never expected. Will I stay within 5 lbs of my target weight? I doubt it, but I’m ok with that. Am I overly focused on the scale? No, which is a 180 degree change for me. I appreciate the new perspective it has given me, free of guilt and strong on positive encouragement. I needed the structure and motivation the program provides. I never expected to feel this way 3 months into any type of program….I never though something so simple would change my life. I owe weight watchers my health (mental and physical), and perhaps even my life….
Thank you for this article. I just recently tried Weight Watchers for the second time and only lost five pounds each time. And that was only in the first two weeks. Then nothing. I’ve been taking exercise classes for about two months (body works with dumbells, dance, and cycling) and although my clothes feel a little loser the scale doesn’t budge. I think that with all my years of dieting (atkins, weight watchers, etc.) and being in early menopause (I’m 49), my metabolism is totally screwed up and it is nearly impossible for me to lose weight.
You’re missing the point. It’s not about losing weight. If your clothes feel looser, maybe you see some muscle growth and the scales don’t budge then you’re doing good. It’s when you don’t see any changes at all that you’re worried. A very decent diet and some intense weight training would sort you out.
I think this article has some good points; however, if you follow Weight Watchers correctly, you will see that this article is laden with misinformation. I am a personal trainer, fitness instructor, and have recently lost 10% body fat while building a lot of muscle, lowering my cholesterol, and feeling great. With Weight Watchers, when done correctly, participants are encouraged to eat more Power Foods, like protein-rich, lean meats, vegetables, and other foods that contribute to healthy living and muscle building. Exercise and weight training are recommended. It’s not at all a starvation diet. Perhaps if you don’t follow it correctly and just decide to eat all of your daily points as candy, you might experience the results described in the article. When done correctly, however, Weight Watchers is a powerful tool that helps users maintain or manage their weight through healthy (not minimal– healthy) choices and exercise. For example, I can have 3/4 c. of cereal, or I can have three egg whites on a whole grain English muffin for the same amount of points. That is hardly starvation. It is education on how to fuel your body, how to eat to lose weight, and how to include daily servings of dairy and protein, with strength training, to help reduce the risk of osteoperosis. There are many men in our meetings, and they discuss supplementing their weight loss with protein shakes and bars, weight lifting, and so on. This article makes some good points for healthy weight loss; however, the facts are not all there.
I fully agree with this guy. I went on weight watchers and when i got to my desired weight i felt and looked “skinny” fat. I looked frail almost. I thought doing cardio 1 hour a day was the best thing for me. I realized that i didnt look healthy and to get a toned and lean body – weight watchers was not the way to do it. To look toned and lean, you need to build lean muscle and weightwatchers strips it from your body. I got a personal trainer, stopped doing cardio all together, started to eat way more calories (because on weight watchers i couldnt eat the amount of protein i needed to gain muscle) and most importantly – ate clean too. No more of those processed chemical cancer filled weightwatchers dinners and foods. After a year of eating clean, having the proper ration of protein, good carbs and fat, and incorporating weight training…. my body is ripped.
Excellent news. That’s my point, ‘weight’ watchers is probably a fair name for it, as yes, it may well drain you of potentially functional weight. But it’s such a nice fit for our magic bullet, don’t think society. Nice point about the chemical filled food too. I should find some packaged weight watchers food and study the ingredients.
i have wasted money with weight watchers…i have now moved onto a much better program at http://www.myeznutrition.com
The biggest beef I had with weight watchers when I was on the plan is when I knew I was slimming down and toning up, I’d get on the scale and see little or no change. When on a plan that focuses SO much on weight loss, it is really a mind f*ck. It took me many frustratining moments to realize this. I would look in the mirror and see obvious change for the better, feel my clothes getting baggy and yet…according to weight watchers, I was still overweight and needing to do a better job on their plan. All because I incorporated a good amount of strength traninig in my exercise routine. Now, I love my muscles and don’t care what the scale says!
I am really overweight. I have in the past considered weight watchers. I know so many people that have been on it and shed loads of weight. My only concern is if i go on it, i will become obsessed with calorie counting and always having “points” at the back of my mind. i think i would lose weight like everyone else, but i highly doubt it will be a long term thing where i will keep off the weight.
Yeah, points are a terrible way to see food. You might sacrifice some really nutritious meal like fish because it’s high in points but then treat yourself to a weight-watchers low-point cake instead. Study food, once it’s in the bag, it’s yours for life. We should all know the basics so we can be equipped. Food can kill you or cure you!
This whole blog is nothing more than some hotshot PT whose lost a few clients to weight watchers who has spent far too much time bashing a major diet plan instead of figuring out that his own biggest problem is probably the way he treats people. For someone who is trying to get people to agree to his almighty method of “weight” loss should put more effort toward his attitude. You sound like a whining child who isnt getting his way
By that rationale, this comment is nothing more than some hot shot weight watchers victim who spent too much time peeing before stepping on the scales and then going out to binge on cake after they made the weigh-in. Difference between whining and being passionate about people getting their goals.
I do not agree with you either. I am only 5 weeks into weight watchers and they push exercise at every meeting. We all know that working out with weights and muscle toning is important but it is also very important to learn how to moderate the amount of food we intake…good food does not have to be fried in oil, smothered in gravy and butter…weight watchers teaches you how to prepare foods that you can enjoy and still lose weight. I have seen many people at these WW meetings that have lost over 100lbs..weight watchers saved there life, gave them a better attitude and energy that they thought was gone for good…They dont look sickly to me, there not bent over either. Weight watchers introduces a whole new way to look at food, prepare food and eat food..from this everyone should know to get to a gym and start a work out fittness program that is good for them. Many people are alive today because of weight watchers and yes they do make money on the program but what Fittness trainer does it for free? Lets not be cruel and knock something positive like weight watchers…there are allot of extreemly overwieght people in this world that need the support, encouragement and program that weight watchers offer.
Those are fair points. The only thing is, for every example I hear of like this, I also hear horror stories of people peeing before weigh-in, then going for chinese food/curry/chips having lost a pound. And many instances of not promoting exercise. There really needs to be a standard.
This whole blog is nothing more than some hotshot PT whose lost a few clients to weight watchers who has spent far too much time bashing a major diet plan instead of figuring out that his own biggest problem is probably the way he treats people. For someone who is trying to get people to agree to his almighty method of “weight” loss should put more effort toward his attitude. You sound like a whining child who isnt getting his wat
He actually makes some very valid points. I follow Dr. Mercola, so I know that refined sugar is one of the deadliest things you can put into your body. Weight Watchers may encourage healthy meals in their “booklets” but basically they are telling you to eat whatever you want as long as you stay within your points. You might lose weight this way but you won’t be healthy, or feel good, and you are definitely slowing your metabolism.
Thank you for this article. I know you posted it awhile ago. I was on weight watchers for a year and lost weight and then stopped going to meetings and counting and gained it all back plus 5 pounds. I realized that the unhealthy obsession with counting points was the major cause. I realized that i need to eat better because i want to and make better/smarter choices. Learn to stop when I am full and the weight will come off. Also i am an anxiety eater so i am learning to put that anxiety to better use and try and go for a walk instead of grab a bag of chips. I am using a program now to help me get back on track which is called Seattle Sutton. They are a meal plan and send breakfast, lunch and dinner. They ahve a variety of food and make sure I am getting all my veggies and fruit servings. Doing it for 5 weeks and then tampering off on my own.
=) thank you for the article!
I like how you chastise weight watchers for existing solely to collect money while simultaneously encouraging readers to become your own (or any PT’s) clients. That’s adorable.
You’re fucking ridiculous. There’s a BIG difference between a huge company trying to make money from people’s lack of knowledge of how to eat properly and exercise healthily Vs a personal trainer who is paid for their passion and education in how to teach/encourage someone to eat and train safely and productively. Never post on my blog again.
Everyone here posting/reading the article in the first place must have agreed on some level that weight watchers may not be the best… why read the article at all then? This blogger isn’t trying to sell us anything, just providing some very sound information.
I have tried weight watchers and gained back the weight and then some. I cannot stand the idea of counting points EVER again. I eat healthy, don’t weigh myself, do cardio and weight train…loving the results!
THANK YOU!
I started weight watchers recently because my girlfriend wanted to lose weight and she thought I could lose some too (which was a correct statement) but my problem with this diet is that it isnt catered to my lifestyle in that I work out pretty vigorously at the gym for 3-5 times a week for the past 10 years (earning 10-20 points per workout). I havent been losing weight before this because of the pizza, wings, and beer diet I was on (By the way Im a 28 year old male, 6’4″, 250 pounds aiming for a 225 weight). Well I went on weight watchers and it did help me realize that a 3 point chicken wing is less preferable and less filling than a 3 point, 3 ounce piece of lean grilled chicken. I’ll now eat veggies and a baked potato instead of mac’n'cheese and mashed potatoes( loaded with butter and milk). So it has taught me a healthier way of eating because if I use all my points on unhealthy stuff im still hungry afterwards. It forced me to eat healthy in order to not be hungry, which I think is a plus for the program. Long story short, I am losing weight, but was too hungry on the diet and was almost getting too thin.
Because Weight watchers doesnt outline anything in detail about fat to muslce ratio I feel this point system is greatly flawed. I started eating well over (20-30%) of my alotted daily points of lean protein, whole wheat carbs, and veggies and am still losing 2-3 pounds per week. The middle aged ladies at the meetings cant believe it, but I also cant get across to them that its just healthy food and exercise thats doing it, not their alotted points of cake, mozzarrella string cheese and handfuls of chocolate. It basically took me 2 months to drop 15 pounds of fat (belly is smaller, waist is smalled, 2nd chin is gone) but I am still benching the same weight I was at the beginning of Weight Watchers. Until Weight watchers takes into account the whole fat to muscle ratio, I dont think any active person who exercises regularly should strictly adhere to the program as it will likely do more harm than good. If you’re still hungry and you’re out of points, eat something healthy with protein in it, but never think losing weight without exercising is a good or healthy thing.
Excellent point Matt. See, now this is a perfect example of where you’d need a more advanced diet plan. By the way, if you wanted a skype consultation I’d be happy to teach you how someone working out as much as you should eat to ‘change their fat to lean muscle ratio’ as opposed to just lose weight. You really shouldn’t be stepping on the scales to measure your progress and there is a LOT to learn and a lot you can do to your diet for optimal results. Weight management programs aren’t complex enough to cope with the many fine details of a truly healthy diet & exercise program. Think about it though, for the price of about 4 Weight Watchers sessions you could have a diet consultation with a fat loss specialist!
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Metabolism in terms of weight is a fallacy and has nothing to do with weight loss. The only true way to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight is to eat less than or at the caloric level your body needs to function properly. Ergo, if you put in more calories than your body needs to function right, you gain weight.
In reality, it’s exactly as simple as you’d think it would be. There’s no special time of day when eating magically makes your body skinnier. In fact, scientists who aren’t in the business of inventing cookie-based cereals think breakfast is the most important meal of the day to skip if you’re trying to lose weight.
Some scientists say that there’s no significant difference between the metabolisms of obese and thin people. When you take weight into consideration, the folks at the Mayo Clinic found that that the metabolisms of over- and underweight people are the exact opposite of what we always heard: Thin people actually tend to have slower metabolisms than their heavier counterparts.
It’s the same reason European cars use less gas than Hummers. When you put on the pounds, either with muscle or fat, your body has to compensate by expending more energy just to do things like moving your blood around and taking in air. Thus, those things burn more calories.
read this:
http://www.threecoaching.com/2011/08/weight-watchers-and-the-out-dated-calorie-deficit/
I think the issue is your poor communication of your idea. You say “Weight Watchers doesn’t work”, but then correct yourself and admit it does work.
Well, okay. Fact: people that want to lose weight can lose weight on Weight Watchers. It is effective at helping over-fat people lower their weight, but also lose inches off all parts of their bodies AND decrease their clothing sizes.
If your point is that WW doesn’t tone your body or build your muscles, I don’t think anyone’s stupid enough to think it does. But claiming “WW doesn’t work” is a patently false statement, and that’s where the issue with your points are coming from.
I’ve been on Weight Watchers for a few months, and I don’t see how it’s been a bad thing for me. I have been losing weight, yes, but I’ve also been losing inches and fat. I do this in correlation with visiting my Doctor to make sure that what I’m doing is good for you. Anyone who is actually on the diet will see that while you can actually eat whatever in the hell you want as long as it’s within points and still lose actual weight, you do better and lose more fat when you eat fruits, veggies, and clean, healthy foods.
I’m not obsessed with the scale, I don’t binge on food if I have a bad day. For some of us it’s not a bad thing. There are people who obsess and learn bad habits from it, but that’s how everything works. There’s always going to be certain people who benefit from healthy lifestyle guidelines that others find issues with. That’s why those people are considered to have an eating disorder in the first place.
The main thing with Weight Watchers is to make sure you’re doing it the healthy way, the right way, and with a doctor.
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Love this Article and Could not say it better myself. As a trainer I feel that weight watchers does nothing but collect the money. THere is no help in Teaching people how to eat healthy clean foods. Thanks for the Post
Thanks for the feedback! And yes, it’s pretty standard that any PT with any sense with have issues with Weight Watchers. Like you say, it has nothing to do with educating people in how to eat.
So true! WW meetings are like a cheer leader rally. What is really discouraging is that there does not appear to be any support for people who are NOT losing weight. And it’s no fun to sit there and listen to all the applause and congrats for the losers when you’ve followed their plan to a “t” and gained a pound!!! Amway meetings are more fun.
I don’t understand why every one is agreeing that Weight Watchers is the problem.
As far as the healthy foods and good metabolism aspects go, Weight Watchers is supposed to help you lose weight, not make force you to eat healthy. What weight watchers does do is allow you to lose weight while being healthy (something most diets do not allow for).
It teaches portion control. The amount of points you get each day when you reach your goal weight is the amount you are supposed to maintain forever after that point. You aren’t starving yourself. People who eat more get hungrier. It’s a fact. There is no part of weight watchers that forces you to eat crap food. It is up to the individual. The same way as doing crunches every morning won’t make you healthy, this “healthy eating lifestyle” won’t on its own either. You need to be smart and make good choices. If you can’t do that, then it is your brain that isn’t healthy in addition to your body.
I tried weight watchers when I was younger and it worked splendidly, then college came along and I gained it all back, and now, ten years later, It came off again and I’m having no problem maintaining. You just have to not be stupid is all.
You’ve missed the point entirely. You said it yourself, you lost “weight” and losing “weight” is a massive problem in modern pop mainstream health. Everyone thinks they’re made of pure fat, so when they step on the scales, and the scales go down, they’re losing bad stuff.
If you don’t exercise and try to eat someone’s bullshit diet (and just because their diet is better than a cake and pie diet, doesn’t make it great and healthy) and you lose gross body weight – you’re in for the issues outlined above.
Destroy your scales.
Interestingly enough, haven’t touched a scale in years. I care about feeling good and comfortable. I have no idea how much I weigh, save for doctors visits.
My father was a nutritionist and I grew up learning what foods are good foods, where to get what vitamins, and the best ways and things to eat to make you live a long and comfortable life.
It never had anything to do with any American fat-hating sensibilities. I typically abide by a middle eastern diet consisting of lots of fish, nuts, and whole grains. Those people are not skinny by any means, but they live long with a strong and durable body.
Another reason it doesn’t work is once you’ve used all your points for the day you get depressed and pig out and eat more than you normally would. They also discourage vigorous exercise (more than 6 points per day). And it’s very depressing when they start you out at the minumum amount of points 29 and then they tell you that’s alot of food. It’s not alot of food when you eat non-fat free dairy and I would rather not eat dairy if that’s all I could have.
Weight Watchers don’t know anything about fats. Low fat diets are awful, or diets that discourage fat. It’s sugar and carbohydrates that are the cause of the obesity pandemic.
I know it’s crazy. I’m going back to low carb.
Although weight training is also important. I’ve recently stopped training due to being very busy and my diet is really strict. Even so, I am getting fatter every week.
My sister has lost 50lbs on it and she is obsessed with her weight now, down to every bowel movement. I am surprised she has not plateued yet though and is still losing each week? How much more weight can she lose without completely ruining her metabolism. This is the third time she has done this and a year later she always gains 50lbs back. How can I convince her to workout for a lifestyle she can maintain.
Well, I’ve worked a lot with people who are scales focused. I even have a client now who refuses to listen to my dietary advice and is on some trend diet from a magazine! The point is, such people tend to not want the truth and their issue lies deeper than wanting lasting change. They want a quick fix. Maybe you could do a bunch of research and present her with your findings? Tell her how weight loss is an out-dated approach to body shaping and is dangerous long-term. Also tell her the weigh you lose on such a diet is a good part muscle – once muscle goes you can kiss your metabolism goodbye. Hope this helps!