Weightwatchers

No doubt most of you would have heard of Weightwatchers as it probably one of the most widely known dieting companies in the World. I have been off and on the Weightwatchers programme for the last couple of years. I first started on the programme around 2 years ago and was successful in loosing quite a lot of weight and went from 15 stone to just over 13 stone. The problem was that like many people who go on diets I piled all the weight back on! But I don't blame Weightwatchers and my overall experience of Weightwatchers is really good which is why I am doing it again. Only this time I am only using Weightwatchers to monitor my daily intake of calories and my points value and also to monitor weight loss progress.

The thing I like about Weightwatchers is that with the points system you can pretty much eat whatever you like as long as you don't go over your daily points total. This gives you a lot more freedom and unlike other diets you don't have to follow a set meal plan etc. Some people might prefer a set meal plan where they can plan their meals in advance and they know exactly what they are going to eat from day to day, but for me I prefer the freedom that the points plan provides. Saying that I do think it help is you plan ahead so I tend to think what am I going to eat throughout the day at the start of each day and plan my day around that.

The other thing I like is that I do all this online in my own time and space! I don't attend Weightwatchers meetings and i don't go to any weigh ins! I record all my daily food intake and track my weight loss progress online at the Weightwatchers website (www.weightwatchers.co.uk). This also allows me to assess the points value of any food I am considering eating. You simply enter the number of calories and the saturated fat content and it tells you how much points value there is in that item.

The only thing that really bugs me about Weightwatchers is that it seems to me to be almost completely geared towards women. it does not seem to accommodate men at all from an advertising or marketing perspective. If you take a look at the website you will see loads of stories and pictures galore of Women but none of men. If you go to the forums then you will see thousands of posts from women and virtually none from men. So from my own personal perspective I almost feel like the only guy doing it, even though I'm sure there are thousands!

If you are looking for rapid weight loss then Weightwatchers is not for you. On the weightwatchers programme they recommend no more than 1-2lbs of weight loss per week. personally I think this is the right approach. Rapid weight loss is not good for you and will do more harm than good in the long run. Its also proven that the slower you loose weight the more likely you are to keep it off and not put it back on! So Weightwatchers is all about sensible weight loss.

The other good thing is the resources and tools that Weightwatchers provide. Online you can get hold of recipes for pretty much anything you want to cook. you can also use the recipe builder to build your own recipe and calculate the points value. It also has some pretty useful tips and advice.

So all in all my experience of Weightwatchers is very good and I would recommend it to anyone looking to start a weigh loss and dieting programme. I think its a good way to keep control over what you eat and to establish a routine. The only thing I would say is that as with any diet it only works if you are truly committed! For me its become a part of my life so I no longer look at it as a diet. Its a way of life for me! Its just part of what I do on a daily basis to make sure I eat healthily and sensibly.