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