The Secret Weight Watchers Points Formula Exposed
Founded in the early 1960's by Jean Nidetch, Weight Watchers runs
one of the most popular weight loss programs in the world. The program
is based on reducing the number of calories you eat each day. But
rather than count calories, you use weight watchers points.
A Weight Watchers Shepherd's Pie, for example, contains 241 calories
— the equivalent of 4.5 points. No foods are forbidden, although
you're only allowed a certain number of points each day. Since it
began, Weight Watchers International has helped millions of people
worldwide to lose weight.
Weight watchers points
The higher the calories in a food serving, the more points are
in there. Numbers in the low tens are easier for people to deal
with than the numbers in the thousands which calorie counting involves.
Most dieters follow the weight watchers points program by joining
a class, where they're weighed each week, meet other dieters, and
receive support and advice from the class organizer.
Believe it or not, the "secret" formula used to work
out how many weight watchers points a meal contains is
protected by a US patent. Although there are many
variations of the formula, here's an example of one included
in the patent information.
One point = (calories/50) + (fat grams/12) - (min{r, 4}/5)
The last part of the formula — min{r, 4} — is equal to
the number of grams of dietary fiber or 4, whichever is the smaller
number. The formula means that one point is equal to the number
of calories in a food serving divided by 50. The value increases
by about one point for every 12 grams of fat, and drops by about
one point for every five grams of fiber.
In simple terms, total fat becomes a point penalizer, while
fiber is a point enhancer.
For people who want to lose weight without the hassle of weighing
food or learning about good nutrition, the weight watchers points
system is reasonably effective.
Not only is it based on the main "law" of successful weight loss — eating fewer calories
than you burn — the program incorporates several techniques
proven to make losing weight easier, such as keeping a written record
of what you eat.
The points system also keeps things simple.
The authors of US
Patent #
6,040,531 note in their report that, "Numbers in the low tens
are easier for people to deal with than the numbers in the thousands
which 'calorie
counting' involves."
However, like all weight loss programs, the weight watchers points
system is not without limitations. One of the main problems is
that the formula doesn't take into account the amount of protein
in your diet.
Why does this matter?
If you don't get enough protein in your diet, you'll end up losing
muscle as well as fat [2]. In the short-term, at least, it might
appear that you're losing fat more quickly. That's because 1 pound
of muscle provides only about 600 calories, while 1 pound of fat
provides 3,500 calories.
For exampe, let's say that you create a daily calorie deficit
of 500 calories. In other words, every day you burn 500
calories more than you get from your diet. That comes to 3,500
calories per week (500 x 7 = 3,500).
If all of those calories came
from fat, you'd lose just one pound in weight. However,
if all of those calories came from muscle (which is an unlikely
scenario, but I'll use it just to illustrate the point), you'd
lose almost six pounds in weight.
So, 100% fat loss is the equivalent of 1 pound of weight lost,
while 100% muscle loss is the equivalent of 6 pounds of weight
lost.
Just like any restricted-calorie diet, the weight watchers points
system will help you lose weight. However, like many other popular
diets, the chances are that
you'll end up losing muscle as well as fat if you don't eat enough
protein.
About The Author
 Christian Finn holds a master's degree in exercise science, is a certified personal trainer and has been featured on BBC TV and radio, as well as in Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Muscle & Fitness, Fit Pro, Zest and other popular fitness magazines.
If you're stuck
in a rut with your current exercise and diet plan... fed up with
only losing a pound here and there... or still skinny after months
(or even years) of trying to build muscle and gain weight... click here now for instant access to his step-by-step muscle-building and fat-burning workout routines.
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References
1. Agus, M.S.D., Swain, J.F., Larson, C.L., Eckert, E.A., &
Ludwig, D.S. (2000). Dietary composition and physiologic adaptations
to energy restriction. American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 71, 901-907
2. Layman, D.K., Evans, E., Baum, J.I., Seyler, J., Erickson,
D.J., & Boileau, R.A. (2005). Dietary protein and exercise
have additive effects on body composition during weight loss
in adult women. Journal
of Nutrition, 135, 1903-1910
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