Weight Watchers Diet Review

Weight Watchers has been around for more than 40 years because it is a diet made for almost anybody.

Whether you have a busy lifestyle, have kids, travel, don’t have time to cook or if you just love to cook … The Weight Watchers diet fits the bill! Weight Watchers has the reputation for being a no nonsense, gimmick free plan. A plan that has evolved over the years.
Most recently, it has developed the very popular Points plan called “Flex”, along with a “Core” plan, which is their answer to the good carb and low carb diets that have flooded the market in recent years. In either plan that Weight Watchers offers, you are rewarded with a little extra food if you exercise. Brilliant, in today’s couch potato world!

You can join Weight Watchers two ways:

First, and most popular, are the in-person, weekly meetings. They used to be popular in church meeting halls, school cafeterias, and hotel meeting rooms. Over the past few years, they’ve become less mobile and more central, coming up with official Weight Watchers stores, complete with meeting rooms. Generally, you have to pay a fee (although it is low, and very reasonable) to join. This gives you the start up materials, and everything you will need to officially begin. After that, you will pay a weekly fee, which is commonly around $10-$15 per week. This isn’t much, considering what you will get. Each week at Weight Watchers you will be weighed, and this will be logged in. You’ll get some materials each week. This might be a recipe, or a tool to help you stay on track. You’ll also be there with other dieters, and you’ll all share when somebody does very well.
Nobody’s weight is announced, ever, but if you reach a milestone weight loss -generally either the first 10 pecent of your weight loss, or another consistent loss- then you will be recognized for that and given a ribbon, or some other type of momento. The Weight Watchers meetings are incredibly supportive, and everybody there is just like you – they want to acheive their weight loss goals and share a little help while they’re at it.

If you attend Weight Watchers meetings, you can also join Weight Watchers eTools. This is not part of your weekly Weight Watchers fee. This is an additional program that you can use to stay motivated when you’re not at the weekly meetings. On Weight Watchers eTools, you will have menus, recipes, a quick glance restaurant guide, and tips. You’ll also be able to chart your progress as you lose weight. Plus you have a huge online community available to you at www.weightwatchers.com . There are other great online communities on the internet that are free, but the other resources available by Weight Watchers on eTools are very valuable, and very cost effective.

The other method of doing Weight Watchers is the online version. Unfortunately -and as mentioned previously- the weekly fee at the meetings does not cover any of the fees on the online version. This is one of the major, albeit few, complaints of the system.
On the online version of Weight Watchers, you will get nearly the same information as in the regular meetings, but also various extras. You’ll have lots of tips to go through each week, and you’ll receive them, as well as hundreds of recipes each week. You’ll get an online weight tracker that you can chart your progress with, and you’ll also have access to a restaurant Points guide, menus, hundreds of recipes and an excellent message board.
You do not need to join the online version if you are attending weekly Weight Watchers meetings, but if you want to enhance the weekly meeting, the eTools are indeed a great addition!

You have two ways to eat on Weight Watchers. The most popular type is Flex. On Flex, you’ll have an assigned amount of ‘points’ to eat each day. All foods have a point value. You can calculate this value with a formula that consists of the calories, fat and fiber. When you join Weight Watchers, you’ll be given a handy ’slider’ that will quickly calculate anything that you eat based on these three properties. Basically, the lower calorie, low fat – high fiber foods will get you the most bang for your buck. But, nothing is taboo on Weight Watchers, so that means if you want a hot fudge sundae, you just have to budget it in to your day.

The other method of eating is the Core Plan. Weight Watchers developed this plan after the popular ‘good carb’ plans came on the market. On Core, you won’t be counting anything. Instead, you’ll get a list of approved foods, and you’ll be able to eat these foods unlimited. On this plan, you’ll be able to eat lots of lean meats, fruits, veggies and whole grains. You’re not going to eat white rice, yogurt with added sugar, white bread, white potatoes, or other similar foods.

Whether you choose Flex or Core, you will be given an additional points worth of food each week to splurge with. For Flex, this will be for any food you want to add in to your daily points. If you are on Core, you can use this to ‘purchase’ non-core foods, like white flour, sugar, or other refined carbs. On either plan, the choice is yours to use it all in one day, or split it up.

On Weight Watchers, you will also be given incentive to exercise by getting a few points each day when you get some good exercise in. We don’t know of any other program that actually rewards you with more food by exercising. It sounds like it would take away extra calories that you’ve worked to burn, but it does work!

See below for some Flex Plan sample menus, followed next by several Core Plan ones.

Weight Watchers ‘Flex Plan’, Sample menu #1

Breakfast:
Egg Beater omelet with mushrooms and scallions
Small bagel (or 1/2 large) and light cream cheese

Snack:
Yogurt and granola

Lunch:
Submarine sandwich, no mayo or oil

Dinner:
Fresh broiled tilapia
Baked potato
Roasted carrots

Weight Watchers ‘Flex Plan’, Sample menu #2

Breakfast:
Frozen waffle and light syrup
Yogurt
Egg Beaters

Snack:
Granola Bar

Lunch:
Spicy grilled chicken
Black beans
Corn on the cob

Dinner:
Large dinner salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, mushrooms, scallions, and raw squash
Bowl of 3 Bean Chili

Core Plan sample menus:
(Remember, this is only Core; they do not include your extra weekly Flex points for non-core food!)

Weight Watchers ‘Core Plan’, Sample menu

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with cinnamon

Snack:
A small apple and a cheese stick

Lunch:
Whole wheat Pita filled with
Grilled chicken, romaine lettuce, tomatoes and light Italian dressing

Dinner:
Broiled salmon
Sauteed yellow squash
Steamed broccoli
Brown rice pilaf

Weight Watchers ‘Core Plan’, Sample menu

Breakfast:
Omelet filled with light cream cheese and scallions

Snack:
Roasted chick peas

Lunch:
Stir fried tofu and chinese vegetables

Dinner:
Chicken primavera over whole wheat pasta

Desert:
Baked Apple Chips

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