The Weight Watchers Weight Loss Program

The Weight Watchers Weight Loss Program.
Established in the year 1961, Weight Watchers diet program has grown to be one the most popular and effective diet programs that are used to combat the high rates of obesity in the society. Created by Jean Nidetech, Weight Watchers also has the biggest weight-loss support group with more than 50,000 meetings being held each week by its over one and a half million members. The program has also spread over more than 30 countries. The program is based on the principle that being obese or overweight is a product of one’s behavioral eating habits. Therefore, the program does not dictate specific diets to be followed by its users but rather focuses on changing the behavioral eating habits of people. To achieve this, the program has a food point system that assigns various meals different points as per their nutrition content. Weight Watchers program is designed to make its users make wise eating choices while trying to score high points in the program. The program is not rigid, and thus it also has a point allowance for its users. Working out also plays a key role in the program. Various physical activities are assigned different points (fit points) that are also added to the meal point. The fit points can also be used to compensate for deficits in the food points. The program has recently made key changes in its emphasis on physical activity by encouraging fun activities and chores as part of physical activity. This measure communicates to the users that physical activity doesn’t always have to be painful, but on the other hand, it could be fun or even productive.

A good example of this is dancing for fun or doing one’s house chores (BEST DIETS RANKINGS, 1).
The program may be described as a lifetime membership program since the behavioral changes achieved by the members should be maintained even after achieving the weight goal they require so as to preserve their healthy weight status (Carlson, 6). People who make their weight target and can maintain it for a year with an allowance of two pounds are recruited into a leadership program. However, one of the downsides of the program is its cost. The program includes many different costs that when added up, make the program expensive. A good example is the registration cost, online support, and monthly passes (Alam, 1).
The effectiveness of a weight management program is vital since studies have indicated that 9 out of 10 people who enroll in such programs are usually back to their initial weight within a year. Also, only 14% of those who are successful within the first year make it the fifth year within their new acquired weight range (Carlson, 8). Consumer reports comparing the four most used programs (Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, Medifast, and Weight Watchers), consider the Weight Watchers program as the most efficient in the long-term loss and control of one’s weight. Also, the Weight Watchers program has the empirical support for its efficiency. Some of the peer-viewed studies that have been published and supports the program in a survey conducted by Lowe and Associates.
The safety of a weight-loss program is a significant area of consideration before one commits to a particular program. Programs that restrict their users from certain foods that provide the body with essential nourishment may be considered unsafe. Besides, programs that make one to lose a lot of weight over short periods of time are dangerous, and also the chances of a person regaining back their weight after leaving the program are high. It is safer to loose smaller quantities of weight over an extended period, and the, ideal standard is between half a pound and two pounds. With its two pounds loss target during the weigh in, the Weight Watchers program meets this criterion.
Work cited
BEST DIETS RANKINGS. Weight Watchers Diet. U.S News website, 2016. http://health.usnews.com/best-diet/weight-watchers-diet
Carlson, J. Of the Most Common Weight-loss Programs, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, and Medifast, which is the most effective? Eastern Illinois University website, 2014. http://thekeep.eiu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=lib
_awards_2014_docs
Alam, I. The Pros and Cons of Weight Watchers. Medical-Reference website, 2013. http://www.medical-reference.net/2013/11/the-pros-and-cons-of-weight-watchers.html