Why Weight Watchers doesn’t work? 5 reasons
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A great Article that I can across and thought I would Share
Why Weight Watchers doesn’t work? 5 reasons
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 realize that while muscle can be built, it can also be lost. People also don’t realize 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 Personal Trainer 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.
Why Weight Watchers doesn’t work? 5 reasons
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 realize that while muscle can be built, it can also be lost. People also don’t realize 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 Personal Trainer 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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Replies
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That's the same thing I read with most diets (minus the point system). Unfortunately, it's got a lot of money behind it. There are also those people that do lose weight and keep it off, but I find most of those people branch out into their own health and nutrition later.0
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bump0
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WW gave me the tools that I needed to start losing weight and to transition to a healthier lifestyle. The meetings proved invaluable to me in the beginning and I still benefit from them now. It's not perfect program, but it's not fair or accurate to say that it simply doesn't work.0
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WELL SAID.
I can't believe how many people think eating less and less is the answer. Eat healthy, not starve yourself! Bad, bad, bad. I'm eating around 3000 calories a day and STILL LOSING (trying to maintain now though), because I have focused on building muscle first and foremost, and quality cardio instead of eating less.
Consider this: Michael Phelps is at around 7% Body fat, and eats 12,000 calories a day. His metabolism is near lightspeed. (Of course, he has 12 hours a day to practice, so not really a fair comparison)0 -
I have family who's done weight watchers, raved about it, then put on all the weight plus some when they come off...now they've asked how I've lost. Its all about life style changes. Knowing what you're putting into your body and the exercise you do daily to make it move. Everyone could do it if they would just focus on what really needs to be done. Thank you for sharing this.0
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Excuse me,but weight watches does work. When I was with weightwatches I lost 80lbs in 7months. I exercised daily and watched what I ate. I have friends currently on weightwatchers and it is working perfectly for them.
I'm doing P90X and eating very well and I have seen great results, so the article that you found, must have been a hater from the weightwatchers program.0 -
So in summary, if you understand how things work, you'll become and stay healthier; if you're lazy and buy into a simple points system, you'll just spend money.0
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WW gave me the tools that I needed to start losing weight and to transition to a healthier lifestyle. The meetings proved invaluable to me in the beginning and I still benefit from them now. It's not perfect program, but it's not fair or accurate to say that it simply doesn't work.
I totally agree.0 -
Great article.0
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I disagree with all of your points.
1. So it is called weight watchers. Does that have to do with pschology of maintaining your weight and eating habits, maybe. Think the whole goal there is make sure you eat and develop an healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime.
2. Pure BS on this one. Again developing healthy eaeting habits just like you would here and emphasis on being active is two keys to their system.
3. If you look at their point system and look at the caloric intake that is equal on this site they are about the same for a person of my age and gender. I didnt make a generalization, I actually counted.
4. Yes, they make money, however their products are not the key to being able to lose weight. Again the overall goal is develop and maintain an active, healthy eating lifestyle. Just like here you might have your days where you dont do great eating but moderation is the key in that respect.
5. Really are you kidding me. Strength training, cardio and promoting healthy eating habits.
Conclusion,
Think this post was a way to plug your business.0 -
Excuse me,but weight watches does work. When I was with weightwatches I lost 80lbs in 7months. I exercised daily and watched what I ate. I have friends currently on weightwatchers and it is working perfectly for them.
I'm doing P90X and eating very well and I have seen great results, so the article that you found, must have been a hater from the weightwatchers program.
i think you might have missed the point of the article. the original poster is saying if you simply follow (albeit with some manipulation) the basic guidelines or thesis behind weightwatchers (so many "points" per day) you aren't necessarily becoming healthier even though you may indeed be losing weight. it's essentially the same concept as counting calories alone without regard to carbs/sugars/protein/etc. it may work short-term, but it is far from a true lifestyle change, which is essential to maintaining any sort of weight loss.
and then there was an argument about lean muscle vs fat loss, but that's an entirely new conversation.0 -
Weight Watchers works just fine. It's a comprehensive program and does look at taking in healthy "good" fats, fiber, protein and balancing your diet with healthy activity. It also focuses on water. It's basically looking at the same things we are, but they tried to simplify it for clients by using points and not calories. There's no reason to bash the program, but it's certainly not for everyone. Like any other healthy program - you get out of it what you put into it. People who join expecting a quick easy fix, are going to be disappointed. You have to learn, research, adjust as you go and make a committment to a healthier lifestyle. The in-person meetings and weigh-ins are also a good support and help with accountability. I had great success with their program, and lost close to 80 pounds through healthy nutrition and exercise. And at the time in my life, having to pay and attend meetings really made me take it seriously. It was when I gave up on that lifestyle and fell back into my old eating habits that I gained weight back. That was my fault, not the program's fault.
I'm sorry, but this article is very one-sided and also poorly researched.0 -
Weight Watchers works just fine. It's a comprehensive program and does look at taking in healthy "good" fats, fiber, protein and balancing your diet with healthy activity. It also focuses on water. It's basically looking at the same things we are, but they tried to simplify it for clients by using points and not calories. There's no reason to bash the program, but it's certainly not for everyone. Like any other healthy program - you get out of it what you put into it. People who join expecting a quick easy fix, are going to be disappointed. You have to learn, research, adjust as you go and make a committment to a healthier lifestyle. The in-person meetings and weigh-ins are also a good support and help with accountability. I had great success with their program, and lost close to 80 pounds through healthy nutrition and exercise. And at the time in my life, having to pay and attend meetings really made me take it seriously. It was when I gave up on that lifestyle and fell back into my old eating habits that I gained weight back. That was my fault, not the program's fault.
I'm sorry, but this article is very one-sided and also poorly researched.
Well said! I totally agree! Working junk into the WW program isn't any worse than working junk into your calorie budget. It's all about how people use the tools.0 -
Excuse me,but weight watches does work. When I was with weightwatches I lost 80lbs in 7months. I exercised daily and watched what I ate. I have friends currently on weightwatchers and it is working perfectly for them.
I'm doing P90X and eating very well and I have seen great results, so the article that you found, must have been a hater from the weightwatchers program.
i think you might have missed the point of the article. the original poster is saying if you simply follow (albeit with some manipulation) the basic guidelines or thesis behind weightwatchers (so many "points" per day) you aren't necessarily becoming healthier even though you may indeed be losing weight. it's essentially the same concept as counting calories alone without regard to carbs/sugars/protein/etc. it may work short-term, but it is far from a true lifestyle change, which is essential to maintaining any sort of weight loss.
and then there was an argument about lean muscle vs fat loss, but that's an entirely new conversation.
Again - not true. It actually IS a lifestyle change, and they encourage healthy eating through maintenance (when you stop paying, but still go to meetings, etc.) This is a misinformed article of one person. But again, they are a huge money-making franchise, and I'm sure people have had bad experiences at their own centers, but the overall science behind the program is very comprehensive.0 -
I know Weight Watchers does work, for some people. If you want the program to work, it will work. At least that's what I was told on one of the WW threads, and I felt it was accusing me of not "working the program". I had been on WW and was doing what I was supposed to do. It didn't work for me. But, I do know it does help people lose weight, and I've known quite a few who have kept it off. I feel it is a lot better program than some of the other so-called "diets" out there. I don't feel you can't knock it when there is proof of weight-loss and keeping it off.0
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I have to say I think WW does work.. and it's concepts are striking similar to MFP.. it's all about tracking, awareness, and moderation. You can eat pizza and donuts here too.. just log it .. as long as you stay within your calorie allowance (or point allowance on WW), you should lose.... that is the actual beauty of it.. you don't have any restricted foods.. so you aren't dieting.. you are learning how to live. And in WW, just like here, the more you move, more you exercise, the more you can eat. I am guessing you can take that whole article, substitute MFP for WW and it would be just as "Relevant"..0
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I do not totally agree with your position because I think there is one important factor in why this or any program ultimately does not work for a person... That factor is the person. I have previously lost weight (and healthy weight - body fat - at that) on WW's points system. I even kept it off for a long time. Like many others, I am back to having to lose it again. Why? Was it because the program failed me? No. It was because I failed me.
When I originally joined WW, I joined because I overheard a comment about my size and felt I had to fix the problem immediately. I was in my early twenties and had no idea how to go about it. Enter WW. It was a simple, easy program which didn't require me to count all the protein, fat, carbs, and calories in my day (at that time, it was mainly based on calories, fiber, and fat.) I found motivation through the support from leaders and fellow members.
At that time I would NEVER have joined a gym. I would NEVER have gotten a trainer or a health expert involved for the fear of ridicule! I didn't have the confidence and was too scared. Had it not been for WW, I would not have lost anything. WW made it seem like losing weight was doable. Too many people fail on "diets" because it is a drastic change and they restrict themselves from their favorite foods. WW teaches how you can still enjoy your favorites in moderation. YOU are in control of it.
I also ended up choosing healthy lower point foods over high sugar, high fat, high point foods in order to eat more during the day! Change in the diet came by default. I also began exercising while on the program - something I never did before.
I do agree with you that the focus should not only be on weight. Now in my journey, having more confidence in myself overall (in my 30's) and having other goals rather than just looking hot in a bikini, I want something better. A step up from counting points. I want overall health & wellness. I want optimal performance from my body on a daily basis. I feel I have graduated from the points program and WW no longer suits my needs.
However, this does not mean the program does not work. It does not make it a bad program. It is a good program for some people. It was a good program for me 10 years ago. It is a good program for many, to jump start, if nothing else, their weight loss journey.
P.S. There is no requirement to buy their food products and just because WW's makes a profit does not make it a bad organization. The cost of the program is very minimal - much less than what people would save from not eating out so much.0 -
I used to do WW online. The only comment I have is that I was never hungry when I ate all of my points...they do not promote starvation. You are encouraged to eat all of your points...jst like you are here with calories. If you read their articles, they promote healthy choices, finding the right balance of protein/fat/fiber to keep you satisfied, and exercising to gain muscle. What they tried to do with the points system was to take the focus off of sheer calorie counting, and put it more on making healthy choices. The idea is that you learn that you can actually eat more and feel more satisfied if you make the right choices. I'm not saying it is a perfect system, and probably a lot of people use it improperly. But people could just as easily misuse MFP. You could still eat pizza and drink coke, and then just "make up" for it by eating less later. I think that a well-informed person could have success with WW.0
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Excuse me,but weight watches does work. When I was with weightwatches I lost 80lbs in 7months. I exercised daily and watched what I ate. I have friends currently on weightwatchers and it is working perfectly for them.
I'm doing P90X and eating very well and I have seen great results, so the article that you found, must have been a hater from the weightwatchers program.
This article was done by another Personal Fitness Trainer0 -
Weight Watchers does work. It's actually very simular to MFP. Eat less, move more, but don't obsess. Make a lifestyle change, don't do anything ridiculous. That's basicaly what Weight Watchers is, and I absolutely love the program.
It taught me a lot, and even though I'm not a WW-er anymore, I still give credit to WW for helping me learn about portion control, hunger signals, healthy options (with their Good Health Guidelines), etc.0
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