This Weight Watchers assessment submit is an opinion piece based mostly on my experience as a dietitian. The quotes which can be 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 turn out to be 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.’ Out of the blue, 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 food regimen, and everyone knows it. You’ll be able to’t give folks a calorie *ahem* factors funds, have a main final result that includes weight reduction, after which say that you just’re not promoting them a food regimen.
And who can neglect 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 previous, and was understandably met with outrage as a result of ‘weight reduction’ and ‘8 12 months previous’ ought to by no means be utilized in the identical sentence.
The Kurbo app isn’t accessible 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 data from kids.
Now, beneath CEO Sima Sistani, WW is providing GLP-1 agonists as a substitute for its typical food regimen program.
Observe the cash, I suppose.
Learn my Xyngular GLP-X assessment right here.
WW conferences at the moment are principally on-line, and weekly weight-ins are nonetheless a part of this system. Should you do go to an in-person ‘workshop’ as they’re now known 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 “fallacious” in a room full of fifty 12 months previous ladies. It taught me nothing about vitamin, particularly as a result of that was the age of “fats makes you fats”. The whole lot was off limits and all I discovered was find out how to cover 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 food regimen?
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.
Keep in mind 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 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 usually because the wind blows, or no less than that’s the impression I’ve gotten.
The gist is that you just 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 may as well ‘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 considering), 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 principally centered on weight reduction, asking my present peak, weight, objective weight, intercourse, and age. The one medical historical past query it requested was if I’ve diabetes.
Related components reminiscent of exercise stage, 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 peak, and acquired this message:
As a dietitian, my predominant difficulty with WW is the factors system. I imagine that it encourages disordered considering 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 manner when offered with an possibility (aka zero level meals) the place they’ll 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 acquired 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 can 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 just 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 based mostly on its vitamins. Positive, greens and fruits have low factors values, however there are extraordinarily bodily nourishing and satisfying meals which can be increased 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 notice that it truly isn’t, for causes I’m going to clarify.
WW tells dieters to not overeat zero level meals, however for those who’ve been given a factors funds to remain inside, there’s a definite attract to stuffing your self with zero level meals in an effort 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 just don’t need simply to suit into your factors funds, or not consuming as a lot as you want due to the factors. Conversely, you could eat simply to fulfill your factors funds in case you have factors left over (which in all probability by no means occurs). This may mess up your inner starvation and fullness cues.
Right here’s why I don’t suggest having a calorie objective.
It additionally promotes satiety OVER satisfaction. Quantity consuming, or consuming massive volumes of low-calorie meals to fill the abdomen so that you don’t eat different, higher-calorie meals, is a disordered behaviour.
Should you go over your factors funds or eat the ‘fallacious’ meals, this could result in guilt and disgrace, one thing that perpetuates the food regimen cycle.
Individuals should observe their level consumption, which could 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 issues 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 issues 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 other.
Should you can’t eat meals with out swapping out components for lower-calorie selections, and you may’t eat with out counting or monitoring, please know that this isn’t what a very good relationship with meals seems like. It removes all flexibility, pleasure, and peace from consuming. Not good.
This system makes use of ‘coaches’ who lack in-depth, related vitamin coaching. Their solely {qualifications} are that they’ve reached their objective weight with WW and maintained it for no less than 6 months.
Clearly, this isn’t ample coaching to advise folks on their vitamin. Diet and the psychology behind meals selections are complicated. Unqualified folks 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 extra pounds 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 all the pieces you set 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 carried out Weight Watchers years in the past, however nonetheless see meals as ‘factors.’ That is problematic, as a result of it causes them to concern meals and second-guess all the pieces 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 disturbing and the straight up meals obsession was so dangerous.
The factor is, these folks usually return to WW time and again, as a result of of their thoughts, it ‘labored’ as soon as for them, in order 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 clients. Lifetime devotees. Folks turning 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 food regimen 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 objective 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 often, 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 depend. I by no means reached the objective 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 price as a human being was tied to a quantity on a scale, and all meals had numbers as effectively, which by God Had To Be Stored Underneath The Restrict.
There was not solely a complete disregard for vitamin but additionally 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 folks panic a few 0.3lb achieve, 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 answer. Any program will work when you work it, however you shouldn’t want a program if you’re truly studying the talents and habits for wholesome dwelling.
I additionally acquired feedback from followers who stated constructive issues about their time with WW.
Issues like, it gave them construction and taught them about portion dimension. That they’ve misplaced weight and stored it off, for essentially the most half. That they benefit from the group, and that general, it was a constructive expertise.
Does Weight Watchers work? Effectively, each food regimen will ‘work’ for somebody. And by ‘work,’ I imply shedding weight 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 damaging.
181 out of 194 had been so-so or damaging, or 93%. This isn’t a scientific final result, but it surely’s fascinating to see the break 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.
Irrespective 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 extra 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 extra pounds than to topic your self to WW or one other business food regimen program.
Weight Watchers, for those who’re listening, listed here are my suggestions:
Eliminate the factors in favor of a extra intuitive eating-style program. Folks shall be mad at first, however within the long-run, it’s a more healthy method to see meals and consuming.
Should you’re actually all for peoples’ well being and general wellness, cease making weight reduction the first objective of your program.
Get some type 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 have got the cash. Simply do it.
Who am I kidding…WW won’t ever change their methods. We are able to hope, although.
