Have you ever met anyone who has gone to Weight Watchers and kept their weight off?
I never have.
I’m going to talk about two key reasons why Weight Watchers is flawed and is a poor way to improve your body shape.
The first reason that Weight Watchers is poor method is that it counts calories using a point system.
Counting Calories as a way to keep weight off is a fundamentally flawed system.
Why?
Firstly because not all calories are created equal. Certain foods use up more calories to digest both at a macro and micro level. 100 grams of lean protein for instance uses far more energy to digest than 100 grams of sugar.
Secondly because if you compare foods carbs for carbs the amount of eating required to get the same amount of carbs varies dramatically between processed carbs and carbs from whole foods.
For instance you would need to eat 3307 grams of Celery to get the same amount of carbs as 200 grams of Jelly Beans.
The amount of energy required to digest 3307 grams of Celery (or 3.3 kilo’s) is massive compared to the amount of energy required to digest 200 grams of Jelly Beans. That means the net energy available for use after eating the Celery will be much lower.
The other major problem with Counting Calories is that it doesn’t take into account the types of hormones that foods cause your body to release.
If you sit at a movie and eat 200 grams of Jelly Bean’s it will cause your body to have an insulin spike. Insulin is the hormone that is released to covert excess body sugars to fat on your mid rift.
But that’s not all.
There is a negative correlation for Insulin and your bodies natural fat burner and muscle building hormone - Growth Hormone.
What that means is spiking your insulin will suppress your bodies ability to produce Growth Hormone - which is a bad thing if you want to stay lean.
Chronic spiking of your insulin by eating sugars leads to type 2 diabetes. Under the weight watchers points system you can spike your insulin as much as you want as long as you don’t go over your points. That means some people in theory can be following the weight watchers point system and still get diabetes.
The second major flaw of the Weight Watchers system is that they sell their own processed products under the weight watchers label.
This is highly misleading since these products are filled with refined carbs and simple sugars. The muesli bars and breakfast bars that Weight Watchers sell are the exact kinds of products that can lead to diabetes when these types of food make up the bulk of you diet.
Some people believe that because it has the Weight Watchers label on it, then it must be alright.
The fact is any type of weight loss product that is a processed food is inherently dodgy. It’s made up mainly of processed carbs which are the prime cause of type 2 diabetes and being overweight.
Here is a photo of a 70 year old man named Arthur De Vany. Using his methods I lost 27 pounds in 2 months to my goal weight and have kept it off ever since. Here is another example of the results using his method.
Weight Watchers does so much more than count calories. you’ll need better research to make flawed claims realistic.
Read the article properly.
At the end of the day promoting foods which include processed carbs is total b.s.
I read the entire article and sure, you can take just about any diet and pick it apart with the “extremes” of 6 jelly beans vs’ a crapload of celery and at the end of the day, “ANY” diet can be picked apart the same exact way with one thing or another.. Take Atkins for instance, How many fatty steaks can you scarf down before you get heart disease?? The big helper with Weight Watchers is the fact that it forces you to actually watch what you eat.. GUESS WHAT, IT TAKES STRONG WILL TO ACTUALLY FOLLOW WEIGHT WATCHERS SO IT”S NOT GOING TO WORK FOR EVERYONE.. I haven’t been to a meeting in 8 months, but it’s the concept of eating healthy that works.. Yes, they also sell “VERY LIMITED” processed foods for those people that are ignorant engouh to buy them, but that’s not what the program is focused around.. Hell, they don’t even talk about any of the food..
i started weightwatchers in 2001. ihave lost 2st 8lb i still go to weightwatchers every few weeks. i have kept the weight off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I lost 40lbs in 6 months using the Weight Watchers program. It is not a diet, it is a lifestyle change. They teach healthy eating and exercising habits, they teach you to track your foods, and they offer a huge support system. The points system is not just based on calories. My life has changed for the better since joining. I am proud of my healthy weight loss, and I am proud to be a Weight Watcher member!
That is an unfair statement to say about a program that is well respected the health community for balance and healthy living. Not everyone grew up understanding about healthy eating habits. Mind you, Weight Watchers meals aren’t primo nutrition, but they are protioned have a lower intake of fat calories and lower in fat than comparable food products. The meals are also inexpensive and the calorie content is clearly written on the box. If you stick with, the program, it works, but it requires more thought than just gobbling up protein on atkins, or doing a rediculous weekend “cleanse”.
I’m glad you found a good system that works for you, but it’s not fair to try to sabotage a diet program that has stood the test of time and is so conventional.
@Mark, their is nothing original about “the concept of eating healthy” and it’s certainly not an idea exclusive to weight watchers.
@Jesse, weight watchers has stood the test of time as a brand and marketing program. As a diet program it has continually failed many people. Again, I’ve met plenty of people who have been on weight watchers who have put all their weight back on. I’ve not met a single person who has done the weight watchers program and kept their weight off over the long term. Nearly all of the people who had put weight back on after having some initial success with Weight Watchers still thought the program was good even though it failed them.
If it does not work for the majority of people over the long term it is a failed system.
It’s more than five years now since I lost my weight and I’ve kept all my weight off. I never counted a single calorie to lose that weight or to keep it off.
If you want to lose weight all you need to do is to make a decision to remove processed food from your diet for life and do some moderate exercise a few times per week. It’s critical that you remove processed carbs and that you personally make the decision and the commit to a new, active, life style of eating healthy whole foods rather than a diet which counts calories and requires you regularly meet with other people who have the same bad food habits that you have.
I have to say, I started Weight Watchers almost a week ago and I am very proud of myself for getting out there and taking that first step. Also, I am now aware of what I was actually putting in my body (and it wasn’t good). Now, I have some tools to help me make better choices. I’ve started biking and walking with a friend every day. I joined with this friend, and it is great to have a support network. I don’t think the idea is to meet other people who have the “same bad food habits.” Instead, the idea is to see other people’s success, acknowledge that success, and have your successes acknowledged, no matter how small. Sometimes we have to start with baby steps. Also, in order for any weight loss program to happen, the person doing the dieting has to want to do it…and has to be motivated to do it!