What are the pros and cons of Weight Watchers?

Answer 1

Pros:
You don't have to buy "special" foods.
You learn how to make the program to work for you.
You learn the 8 Good Health Guidelines to maintain proper nutrition.
You get lots of support and encouragement at the weekly meetings.
If you go on vacation, you can attend a meeting wherever you go (just bring your membership book).
You are encouraged to eat what you crave (though that doesn't mean you can eat what you crave ALL the time).
Once you reach your Lifetime, you don't have to pay as long as you stay within 2lbs of your goal weight.
You aren't REQUIRED to exercise, though it is strongly recommended.

Cons:
You have to weigh in every week.
Someone else gets to see what you weigh.
You have to pay to weigh in - and the weekly fee adds up!
You have to pay for missed weeks if you miss any meetings.

Answer 2

As a weight watchers member (for the third time! ehhh) I think I have a good idea:

PROS:
-It's not horribly gimicky like Jenny Craig, etc. They do have some food products, but you can succeed on the program without buying their food products. Their program is built actually so that you only supplement your diet, if you choose, with their products.
-They are saying now that it is a LIFESTYLE, not a diet. To which they have a point. Unlike most diets, they teach you to eat responsibly and moderately, so you can hopefully maintain those skills after you are done losing the weight.
-Lifetime membership: Once you lose your weight, you can still come to meetings and get support for free

CONS:
-It costs money...not for the poor.
-It's difficult, like any diet (lifestyle change, whatever). You have to be motivated.

Give it a try! I think it is one of the best programs out there! Good luck!

Answer 3

I agree with nsg, weight watchers definitely has a lot of benefits. There is a contingent of people at my office who have successfully lost a lot of weight with weight watchers. They are virtually new people as a result.

The cost, I think, is reasonable. They seem to push their products, which is okay if you aren't into cooking or reading labels.

They don't push fitness, which I think is always an important part of the health equation.

I like how they have meetings to have people support each other. I think that's important. But if you like going solo and are generally intelligent enough to read and decipher a food label, I suggest you try doing add a fitness routine and monitoring what you eat via http://www.fitday.com. It is free and will help you lose weight.

The weight loss (even with WW) won't happen over night, but it will come if you are dilligent in your workouts, honest in recording your calories (i.e. points in weight watchers terms) and follow healthy eating habits.

Good luck.