Weight Watchers

Weight Watchers Review for 2024

One of the most popular diet programs in America, Weight Watchers boasts millions of current and former users because it’s one of the most flexible diet plans around.

The Weight Watchers program emphasizes calorie intake and portion mindfulness, relying on a system in which all foods are assigned point values. Users may mix and match foods as they please so long as they stay under their daily point allotment.

Weight Watchers in 2024

This diet program still hinges on their food points syste . It is still all about tracking food points, but Weight Watchers has updated the way the points are calculated. Without direct food restrictions, their program tries to teach clients how to make healthier food choices and how to make these choices second nature.

Weight Watchers® now offers unique plans for those living with diabetes or taking GLP-1 medications. They ask a series of questions on their website to see if you qualify.

They still offer workshops that are part of the membership plans. The more months you sign up for (membership + workshops), the price goes down.

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The food point system is still Weight Watchers’ main weight loss method. But aside from focusing on food, the program now also stresses fitness with its new FitPoints system which addresses physical activity. It’s a weekly goal system for exercise, featuring a fitness app called FitBreak by Weight Watchers.

Does Weight Watchers work?

Because Weight Watchers isn’t a fad diet and takes a lifestyle-conscious approach to weight loss, members should expect steady, but not dramatic results. A loss of one to two pounds per week is attainable, based on the dedication of the dieter.

The Smart Points Plan

The SmartPoints Plan assigns a numeric value to every food item based on its calories, sugar, saturated fat, and protein content. The more calories, sugar, and saturated fat in the food, the larger its points; protein, on the other hand, lowers it.

No food is forbidden, but every dieter in this program is given a daily points limit, so the goal is to eat healthier, low-point foods. Weight Watchers designed the new point system so its clients would be encouraged to eat more fruits, vegetables, and lean protein, while cutting back on sugar and unhealthy fat.

In other words, if you have a penchant for greasy food or sugar you’ll have to be vigilant about budgeting treats into your plan without blowing past your daily points limit.

Your individual point allowance takes your current weight and goal weight into consideration before it’s assigned. The program also has a tracker (both accessible online and on mobile) so you don’t have to manually calculate points. If you can balance a checkbook, the food math Weight Watchers requires won’t faze you a bit.

The FitPoints System: How It Works

If SmartPoints tracks food, FitPoints tracks activity. In this system, every physical activity – such as walking, cleaning, and dancing – has corresponding points. You then have to keep moving in order to accumulate points and reach the weekly goal.

Weight Watchers has its own fitness tracking app called FitBreak, but the FitPoints system allows you to use your own fitness device to track your activities.

Weight Watchers Meetings

At its most basic, the Weight Watchers program is online only; in-person group meetings, now called Studio, come at an additional price.

Social support has been linked to lasting weight loss, and research suggests the more an individual gets, the better the weight-loss results. Attending in-person meetings mean your chances of reaching your goal increase significantly.

A Weight Watchers meeting starts with a private weigh-in for you to see your progress. Then the group convenes to discuss a particular topic relevant to weight loss. Each session usually lasts 30 to 40 minutes, and members are encouraged, but not forced, to talk.

At your first group meeting, your Leader will help you set your initial weight-loss goal. (The program generally recommends that participants aim to lose 5% of their weight as an attainable first step.) Members appreciate that their assigned Leader is an actual Weight Watchers success story — a mentor who has lost a notable amount of weight on the program. And many members look forward to these get-togethers: In a 2008 survey, more than 90% of Weight Watchers meetings attendees said that they would recommend meetings to a friend.

Weight Watchers Coaching

Another optional service that Weight Watchers provides for an additional price is one-on-one coaching. It is done via phone calls, emails, and texts, and as often as you like.

Before you can get coaching sessions, you will choose a coach first. The coaches in this program have been successful on the weight-loss journey, but they have varied interests, expertise, and reviews, so you have a variety of options. You can then book your chosen coach.

On your first coaching session, you and your coach will create an Action Plan that’s personalized for you. All the subsequent sessions will then be geared towards helping you stick with this plan.

Weight Watchers Tools

WeightWatchers.com offers various online tools to help facilitate weight loss. Clients have access to exclusive online tools to keep track of their goals with online weight, daily food intake, and activity logs. Non-clients can meanwhile access:

The Daily Feed, which is a daily blog filled with recipes, ideas, and inspiration for losing weight
Meetings finder – anyone may search for meeting locations using their ZIP code but only paying clients may join
Message boards (requires signup)
Weight Watchers Magazine (requires subscription)
Weekly newsletter and offers (requires signup)
Success stories
News and special offers

Weight Watchers Online for Men

This online-only diet plan is specially designed for male dieters. Spokesperson Charles Barkley highlights Weight Watchers’ realistic approach to dieting for men. There’s a focus on making comfort/party foods, like pizza and beer, manageable. There’s also a heavy concentration on made-for-men workouts and exercises.

What is the cost of the Weight Watchers program?

Each type of Weight Watchers plan – whether online only, with meetings, or with coaching – has a starter fee of $20. This is outside of the standard price, which is as follows:

OnlinePlus (the basic online plan) – $19.95 per month
With meetings – Initial enrolment fee and subsequent weekly meetings fee depend on the meeting provider. For instance, Weight Watchers of Maine charges $35.00 for the first week and $13.00 meeting fee for each subsequent week.
With coaching – $54.95 per month

New for 2018 is the tiered membership prices, which allows dieters to sign up for 1, 3, or 6 months. The longer the membership, the cheaper the monthly fee is.

Weight Watchers OnlinePlus

1-Month membership: $19.95/month

3-Month membership: $18.28/month

6-Month membership: $17.28/month

Weight Watchers Meetings+OnlinePlus

1-Month membership: $44.95/month

3-Month membership: $41.62/month

6-Month membership: $38.94/month

Weight Watchers Personal Coaching+OnlinePlus

1-Month membership: $54.95/month

3-Month membership: $139.85/month

Your credit card will be charged every month (or every week, if applicable) unless you decide to cancel.

Some members using the Studio plan have reported that they get charged twice in one month, but this is usually because Weight Watchers will charge you 15 days in advance for your next month’s meetings fees.

The Digital + Studio plan was formerly called the Meetings+OnlinePlus option, where you pay for your meetings monthly instead of weekly. It’s best purchasing the Monthly Pass prior to attending your first meeting as you’ll have to flash it each time. You can purchase a Monthly Pass at the meeting but completing signup online is still required. After buying your Monthly Pass online, you’ll get the chance to print a temporary copy until you get the actual card in the mail.

Monthly Pass holders will receive 30 days notice of any price change.

What is Weight Watchers’ Cancellation Policy?

You may cancel membership at any time. However, if you sign up for a 6-month membership and you cancel within the first 5 months, you'll be charged an early termination fee. Likewise, if you sign up for a 3-month membership and you cancel within the first 2 months, you'll be charged a fee as well.

Early termination fees depend on the membership you signed up for, but they can typically be $39.95.

You may cancel your Monthly Pass subscription by contacting Weight Watchers Customer Service, and they will process your request within 72 hours.

If you’re a Monthly Pass holder, you may cancel by contacting the special Customer Service at cancelmonthlypass@weightwatchers.com. You can cancel by writing Weight Watchers as well.

Refunds are not prorated for Monthly Passes and therefore can’t be requested for your current Monthly Pass. This means that if you cancel before the month is over, you can’t be refunded for rest of the month’s meetings that you no longer plan to attend. Because Monthly Passes are valid for the whole month, if you cancel towards the beginning of the month, cancellation goes into effect when the card expires.

Another thing to keep in mind is that, because they automatically mail and charge you 15 days in advance for your next month’s Monthly Pass, you may already have been charged for it while you are trying to cancel. If this happens, you must return the next month’s Monthly Pass within 7 days to get refunded.

Weight Watchers does allow special circumstances refunds due to death, disability, pregnancy, or if you move more than 15 miles away from a location.

Weight Watchers is family-friendly and flexible.

Weight Watchers is a particularly good choice for people with families. Since you don’t have to rely exclusively on prepackaged meals and no foods are exiled, you can still enjoy the same foods as your family (although your portion sizes may need to be significantly modified). You can cook as much or as little as you like. Busy people will appreciate that supermarkets feature an array of the diet’s frozen meals (Smart Ones) and snacks.

Dining out on Weight Watchers.

Dining out is easy, especially with the digital points tracker. Some chain restaurants, such as Applebee’s, even have exclusive Weight Watchers-friendly dishes with points printed on the menu. Alcohol is also permitted on the Weight Watchers program, as long as you factor the drink’s points into your daily allotment.

Who can use Weight Watchers?

Anyone may enroll in membership except individuals who are pregnant, under 18 years of age, are no more than 5 pounds overweight, and have an active medical diagnosis of bulimia nervosa.

Weight Watchers - Things to Keep in Mind

Dieters with a significant amount of weight to lose may become annoyed with the slow, steady approach. And the points from little indulgences (including healthy snacks) can add up fast.

In addition, the group setting in the Meetings plan can be intimidating to introverts.

The Bottom Line

For many people, Weight Watchers greatest feature is flexibility. All your favorite foods are permitted in small doses, provided you’re willing to be diligent about tracking them. In this way it is very different from the low carb programs like Atkins and South Beach.

At a glance: Is Weight Watchers the diet for me?

Yes, if:

You don’t want to give up dining out
You don’t want to give up alcohol or caffeine
You’d prefer to cook when you feel like it and rely on prepackaged foods when you don’t
You don’t mind keeping track of everything you eat (including portion sizes)
You crave guidance and peer support

No, if:

The idea of a public weigh-in makes you break out in a sweat
The ongoing cost of meetings and registration don’t fit with your budget
You’re an extremely independent person
You’re too busy to keep track of every morsel of food that goes into your mouth.
If you like frozen meals, you’re stuck with only using those brands that display WW SmartPoints, like Smart Ones frozen entrees.