Change Up
What happens when you take an affordable diet system that asks you to journal, calculate the value of foods, provides ongoing accountability, coaching and group support, fixes their only glaring weakness?
You might have the best diet program ever.
Weight Watchers recently revamped their entire points system. Read about it NY Times-Weight Watchers Upends It’s Point System .
I’ve always liked the outstanding support system WW provides it’s members. I even wrote about the fact that it’s a support group disguised as a weight loss program, here-What We Can Learn from Weight Watchers.
I’ve seen clients combine Weight Watchers with my training program-They get a tight, fat-free and toned look quickly.
But, my biggest problem with the point system was an Apple(3pts.) was equal to a 100 Calorie Pack of Oreos(3pts.) Fake food was equal to real food with the old system. It’s the “a calorie is a calorie” mindset. That really bothered me.
Their new(and Improved) system looks at how the body processes that calorie. So fruits and vegetables are “0” points! And they’ve begun skewing points a little lower for proteins(this is a good thing).
This reinforces eating nutritious healthy whole foods as opposed to heavily processed fake foods. It also encourages clients to move away from carby foods to more protein.I think this is going to help their members get better results faster. While instilling more long term supportive habits.
The New Math
Weight Watchers system is hard to beat. It has every part of a winning system.
1. Journaling-You have to track what you’re eating. This is truly the “Secret to Fat-Loss”. The old “I’ll just eat healthier” never works. A fat-loss program isn’t the place for denial and vague ideas.
2. Points- a complex way of counting calories, but it works and it’s systematized.
3. Accountability-Weekly weigh-ins. You have to be held accountable to someone other than yourself. This is why the “try it on my own” is always a recipe for disaster.
4. Group Support-Weekly weigh-ins and group support meetings. THis is a big one. It’s been scientifically proven weight loss success rates go up with support. The more support you get the more weight you will lose.
The fact is to change your behaviors you need to get around people that want what you want. You need to be able to troubleshoot and share your victories and struggles with people that have been there.
5. Coaching- Each group meeting uses a leader or coach to directly answer questions, make suggestions. And probably most important get other WW clients involved in the discussion.
Like I always say-there isn’t a perfect diet or meal plan. You may have to test a few to find one that works best for you.
In a world of the Cookie Diet, Acai Berry Fat-Burning pills, and the Ab-Lounger it’s nice to be able to say –
Weight Watchers is the Real Deal for weight loss.
Talk to you later.
Dave