Weight Watchers Pro's & Con's

Sizing up the pro's and con's.

Let's take a look at some of the overall pro's and con's related to the Weight Watchers program:

Pro: No foods are forbidden! Plus, you never have to buy pre-packaged foods to participate, but they are available if you want them.
Pro: Stresses the importance of eating vegetables and fruit. Encourages low-fat dairy products, as well as the importance of drinking enough water.
Pro: If the program is followed accurately, you will probably lose about one to two pounds a week after your first week. This is a very healthy rate at which to lose. A weight loss at this rate will probably be a permanent one.
Pro: Encourages exercise. You can "earn" Points for exercising, which you can use to eat more Points during your meals, or you can save them and simply lose a little bit more quickly.
Pro: Teaches the basic concepts of portion control, a practice that will benefit you in the future, even if you do not stay in the program.
Pro: Tracks progress and provides rewards at every five pounds, at 10 percent lost and upon reaching the goal weight.
Con: The price. It does prove costly, especially if you have a lot of weight to lose. I understand that some of the pricing and rules vary from meeting place to meeting place, but where I attend, each meeting is around $11 and you must still pay when you miss a meeting. Registration fees must be paid upon enrollment.
Con: If you do not like a group atmosphere, you probably won't enjoy the meetings. Fortunately, they have recently introduced an online plan that you can attend from the convenience of your home PC.
Con: Weekly weigh-ins are required. If you don't want someone else knowing your weight, you may not be comfortable. Please note, however, that your weight is not shared with anyone but the Weight Watchers employee who writes down your weight.
Con: Weekly progress reports may discourage you. If you find you have not lost any weight in a week, you may lose some of your enthusiasm. If you prefer to gauge your progress by the way you feel, the way your clothes are fitting etc., you may see still see some of these changes… but the scale might not move at times. Be ready to accept that some weeks, despite your best efforts, you have maintained rather than lost.
Con: Some experts think allowing participants to eat anything they want instead of providing structured meal plans will cause some participants to reserve their Points for junk food instead of eating well-balanced meals.

This content is provided for informational purposes only and does not imply the approval or recommendation by Weightloss.ms . Always consult a medical professional before significantly modifying your diet or beginning an exercise program.