Weight Watchers Reviews

Editor's Star Ratings:

Diet Features:
Fitness Features:
Community Support:
Expert Advice:
Extras:
Customer Support:
Ease of Use / Navigation:
Value for Money:
Overall Star Rating:

Costs:

*Please Note: Terms & Conditions vary for each plan. Offers are subject to change and available in participating locations. Please consult WeightWatchers.com for full details of the offers available in your area.

• WEIGHT WATCHERS ONLINE Membership Options (with exclusive access to the Online Store):
  • 3 Month Savings Plan:
    • Pay a Registration fee of $29.95 (currently discounted to $1 until August 8th 2010)
    • $54.85 for the first 3 months.
    • $17.95 for each additional month
  • Standard Monthly Plan
    • $47.90 for the first month
    • $17.95 each additional month
    • Your subscription will be automatically renewed at the end of your plan period at the standard monthly rate (currently $17.95) until you cancel.

 

• WEIGHT WATCHERS MEETINGS Membership Options:
  • Monthly Pass:
    • FREE Registration
    • From $39.95 each month ($9.22 per week on average) in participating locations.
    • Unlimited meetings each month
    • FREE eTools (online weight-loss companion)
    • You may purchase a Monthly Pass online or at a meeting. Sign-up needs to be completed online
    • Your credit card will automatically be charged each month until you cancel your monthly pass.
  • 17-Week Pass
    • FREE Registration
    • 17 consecutive weeks of meetings for $194 (this equates to $11.41 per week on average).
  • Pay As You Go
    • Pay a Registration fee (which may be discounted to just $1, depending on where you live and when you join).
    • Pay regular weekly meetings fee (this equates to a weekly fee of $13 on average)
    • You must re-enroll if you have been absent for 4 consecutive weeks.

 

• WEIGHT WATCHERS eTOOLS:
  • eTools Standard Monthly Plan from $12.95 per month.
  • Or you can save money by choosing the 3-Month Savings Plan. Terms & Conditions apply. (Your subscription will be automatically renewed at the end of your plan period at the standard monthly rate, currently $12.95, until you cancel).

 

Features:

• The Momentum Program will help you achieve your weight loss goals in a holistic way (and is at the core of Weight Watchers Meetings, Weight Watchers Online, and Weight Watchers eTools):
  • Learn how to choose delicious yet filling foods that will keep hunger at bay.
  • Learn to avoid temptation by instinctively making smart choices when you eat.
  • Receive expert information based on the latest research on nutrition
  • Make better food choices by using the POINTS® System.
  • Make the Momentum program work for you, by adapting it to your needs.

 

• Follow the Momentum Program with WEIGHT WATCHERS ONLINE:
  Weight Watchers Online offers a collection of interactive tools to help you in your weight loss goals.The six categories listed below form the core of eTools, so if you sign up for Weight Watchers Online you do not need to purchase eTools separately.
1. Interactive tools to analyze your eating habits:
   • Use the POINTS Tracker to monitor your daily intake of food
   • Create a list of favorite foods so you can more easily track them
   • Review your progress to see what worked best for you.
2. Track your progress each week:
   • Weigh yourself each week and enter the results in the Weight Tracker
   • Use the Food Tracker, Hunger Tracker and Activity Tracker to help you see a more complete picture.
   • Use the Progress Charts and statistics to see a graphical snapshot of your progress.
   • Track your body measurements.
3. Find recipes, meal ideas and helpful strategies for staying on track while eating out:
   • Over 31,000 healthy food options to explore
   • Choose from over 3,000 recipes spanning all types of cuisine.
   • Options for all dietary requirements, from vegetarian to kosher.
   • Receive suggestions for your preferred take-out and restaurant dishes.
   • Filling Foods Lists - to help you stave off hunger for longer.
   • Restaurant Guides
   • Nutritional Guidelines
4. Workouts for all fitness levels, with video demonstrations:
   • Get fitness recommendations for all levels from top fitness trainers.
   • Target specific muscle groups with tailored workouts.
   • More than 60 exercise demos, from salsa dancing to strength training, to choose from.
5. Create healthier versions of your favorite recipes with the Recipe Builder:
   • See how your favorite recipes compare according to their POINTS values.
   • Adapt Weight Watchers recipes, to suit your own preferences and needs.
   • Create your very own recipe collection online
6. Track anywhere at any time from your mobile phone:
   • Access your plan when you're out and about - shopping for groceries, dining in a restaurant, vacationing, etc.
   • Track your daily food intake and activities, get advice about what foods are best to eat in a given situation.
   • Your personal account on WeightWatchersOnline will be instantly updated with your mobile data uploads.
   • WeightWatchers Mobile should be compatible with most BlackBerry, Windows Mobile 6, and iPhone devices. It may also function on other devices including Palm OS.

 

• Follow the Momentum Program with WEIGHT WATCHERS MEETINGS:
  • Face-to-Face Meetings provide a motivating environment led by a leader who has lost weight with Weight Watchers and kept it off. Below are 10 things you should know about the Meetings:
    1. Each weigh-in is confidential.
    2. Meetings work for both men and women.
    3. There are no required foods...eat what you like.
    4. Meetings are dynamic, diverse and fun.
    5. Leaders have lost weight with Weight Watchers.
    6. You don't have to talk if you don't want to.
    7. It's easy to find a meeting and a time that works for you.
    8. Weight Watchers eTools is available as in internet companion to Meetings. (At the time of writing, Meetings members can purchase eTools as an optional extra or receive it FREE with a Monthly Pass. Please see Costs section of this review).
    9. There are many flexible payment options to choose from.
    10. You can always check out a meeting for free (terms & conditions apply - please see WeightWatchers.com for details).
  • "Getting Started" sessions are available to new Weight Watchers Meetings members.
  • Weight Watchers Meetings members also receive helpful tools, guides, books and recipes.

 

• Follow the Momentum Program with WEIGHT WATCHERS MEETINGS + WEIGHT WATCHERS eTOOLS:
  • Weight Watchers eTools is a standalone product which Meetings members can purchase as an optional extra (or receive FREE with a Monthly Pass).
  • As the Internet companion for Meetings, eTools includes the same six interactive tools listed under Weight Watchers Online.
  • eTools is also customized for men, offering:
    • Tips on how to eat the foods you love and stay on plan.
    • Advice for men on the go, family guys, single men and more.
    • Workouts designed specifically for men to target key muscle groups.
    • Expert exercise advice for all fitness levels.
    • Strategies from other men with the same challenges.
  • With eTools, Meetings members lost 50% more weight than those attending weekly meetings alone. (Based on 24 week study; Nguyen V et al. Obesity 15 (9S): A221, 2007).

 

• Community Support:
  • Success Stories: a great place to celebrate your weight-loss success or be inspired by the success of others.
  • The Community Boards feature: Blogs, Groups, Challenges, Hot Message Board Topics and Recipe Swap.
  • The Daily Feed: WeightWatchers.com editors and resident bloggers provide helpful insights on new weight loss products, ideas and research, as well as their personal experiences of maintaining a healthy lifestyle in a challenging world.
  • Read food and gadget reviews written by other Weight Watchers members.
  • Weight Watchers is popular with both men and women. One member who subscribed to Weight Watchers Online lost 100 lbs and found the love of her life via the message boards!

 

• Expert Advice:
  • The Weight Watchers weight-loss plan is developed by credentialed scientists with proficiency in weight management.
  • In addition, Weight Watchers consults regularly with renowned experts to ensure that its weight-loss plan reflects the latest scientific thinking.
  • Weight Watchers experts separate myth from fact and explain their science-based approach through The Science Center. This on-line resource lets you explore the science of weight management and read about new findings, so you can make informed choices.

 

• Help Files / Technical Support:
  • The extensive list of FAQs should help you find a solution to any problems which may arise. If you have additional queries you can submit them through the appropriate category of their on-line Contact Us form.

 

• Beneficial Extras:
• Quizzes about food and recipes(e.g. Vegetarian Facts and Myths).
• Weight Watchers Marketplace, where you can buy recommended foods and tools to help you meet your weight-loss goals.

 

Editor's Verdict:

As one of the world's best known international weight loss companies, Weight Watchers has been helping people achieve their weight loss goals for over 40 years. Recognized as one of the world's leading authorities on weight loss, Weight Watchers International has now helped millions of people, worldwide, to lose weight. Weight Watchers has always been keen to emphasize the importance of a healthy lifestyle - comprising mental, emotional and physical health. Weight Watchers vow to help you to make positive behavioral changes in your life and ensure that you remain motivated and inspired every step of the way, by helping you choose healthy eating options, and encouraging you to become more active.

Choose between three convenient options, all of which are centered around Weight Watchers' revolutionary Momentum Program:

Weight Watchers' revolutionary Momentum Program, gives all foods a POINTS® value - based on calories and saturated fat content, mitigated against the fiber value in each item - which means you can eat all of your favorite foods, just within the constraints of the Weight Watchers plan.

The Weight Watchers points allocation system is based on a complicated, patented formula which takes into account the calorie, fat and fiber content of each food, allocating every food (and every portion size) a points value. Users of the Weight Watchers plan are then allocated a specific points 'balance' for each day, which they can 'spend' based on the foods they eat in each day. As your points balance is allotted based on a number of factors, including age, sex, height, and weight, all users follow a tailored diet plan, specific to their needs. Men are especially well catered for in the Weight Watchers plan, as the points system takes into account the differences in male metabolisms and makes changes to the diet plan accordingly.

Users of the POINTS® system find that keeping track of their points consumption in a particular day is simple. In order to calculate the number of points in particular foods, one can choose to use an innovative slide-ruler, an electronic calculator or smart phone apps. All of these tools make the Weight Watchers diet particularly adaptable. Users can check out the points value of new foods in the supermarket or can work out which foods are best to eat when dining out or when eating with friends. The approach is excellent for fitting the Weight Watchers diet plan into your daily life, making the plan sustainable and effective in the long term.

Weight Watchers Online provides you with a wealth of information and innovative eTools to help you follow the Momentum Program online (without attending face-to-face Meetings). Users can choose from more than 1500 online recipes and meal ideas (complete with a specific points score for each meal) and more than 60 workout demonstrations. Users can also assess their food and exercise habits by keeping an online log, and maintain a weight loss graph by recording their weigh-in details throughout their membership. In monitoring your weight, the site also generates personalized weight loss goals.

Whilst Weight Watchers Online has a range of excellent features, the diet features on Diet.com and eDiets.com, for example, provide many more recipe ideas and meal plans than are featured on Weight Watchers. Similarly, other weight loss sites provide a more comprehensive range of fitness features than Weight Watchers (notably DeniseAustin.com and JillianMichaels.com). For example, Weight Watchers only provides a range of workout videos and not a fitness builder or planner.

WeightWatchers.com is one of the most established diet plans available on the market. Whilst many users prefer to follow the Weight Watchers plan using scheduled weekly meetings, the website does provide a range of supportive features that will guide you through the process of incorporating the Weight Watchers diet into your daily life. While the Weight Watchers plan is proven and successful, it is one of the more expensive plans we have reviewed (especially if you choose a shorter term plan). However, Weight Watchers is definitely worth exploring as the company has a proven track record of helping people lose weight and lead healthier, happier lifestyles.

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