Weight Watchers Diet Is A Healthy Weight Loss Program Designed Around Nutrition and Group Support

Weight Watchers diet has helped millions of women and men achieve their personal weight goals. What began over forty-five years ago by a woman in New York has grown into a billion dollar industry that sells dietary equipment, food supplements, cookbooks, magazines, scales, pedometers and kitchen tools. This durable success and a good nutritional plan is the reason my Doctor recommends the program so highly.

Weight Watchers diet plans focus on the whole person, not just their diet. The "Four Pillars" of the Plan are Behavior, Food, Exercise, and Support. This is a group diet that you do with others for support. The group support is very important for many individuals. Often being overweight is a symptom of one or more issues besides just food and diet. The Plan is effective because it looks at the whole person, and their behavior, cravings, activity levels, exercise, and being part of a mutual support group.

Weight Watchers diet meetings occur weekly in the evenings and provide a motivating environment led by a leader who has lost weight with Weight Watchers and kept it off. Meetings start with a confidential weigh in to monitor your weight. The weigh in is optional if you can't stand to face the scale, but it provides a tangible measure of progress (or lack thereof) each week.

Weight Watchers implements many new and innovative diet and nutrition concepts. At each weekly meeting literature handouts provide information on exercise, recipes, dieting tips, etc. Today there are two food plans that are specifically designed with two different types of people in mind.

The Flex Plan was what I followed. I chose this plan because it allowed me to eat what ever foods I wanted, it just required counting the point value of the different foods. Using this plan I lost 12 pounds over four months. This is similar to counting calories, but I found it to be easier.

The idea behind counting points is to realize what you are eating, and to stay within your allowable daily point budget in order to control food intake. Extra points are earned for exercise. It was not hard to follow and I felt satisfied with my daily food intake. I just did not over eat, which is key to controlling my weight. I learned to eat healthy snacks, like carrots, between meals. There is an optional weekly points allowance for times you exceed your points budget.

The Core Plan gives one the freedom to eat from a list of wholesome, nutritious foods without tracking points. It features all you can eat of a lot of soups, fruits, vegetables, lean meats, dairy, poultry, etc. The Core Plan entailed more cooking and dietary changes so I opted for the Flex Plan. However, you can easily switch back and forth between the two plans, and many people do that.

To Work For Weight Watchers, You Must Have Succeeded With Weight Watchers diet. The group leaders must "walk the walk" before they can "talk the talk" and lead a group. This is the most effective way to encourage and motivate new members.

The program that Jean Nidetch began, those forty-five years ago did not offer unique recipes or “get thin quick” fad diets, rather it involved the sharing of weight loss triumphs and failures with others that could understand and provide the emotional and spiritual support to keep trying and working to reach a goal. The weekly discussions of diet and nutrition guidelines educate the group and provide the foundation for success.

Being surrounded by a group of individuals, who are going through, or have gone through the same trials and dilemmas of dieting increases the sense of community and support with everyone involved. This sense of community and sharing brings everyone together with a united goal, and each time one member reaches a goal the whole group celebrates. That mutual support is very important for many individuals and is part of the reason the Weight Watchers diet is so effective and successful. When the group disbands after four months the members are ready to go on their own, or they can continue in the next group.

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