Weight Watchers Plan

The Weight Watchers Plan has been around for many years now and is a hugely successful commercial diet program that focuses on a balance of low fat nutrition, exercise and counseling.

Food items are assigned a points value and members use a points "calculator" and recipes provided by the Weight Watchers plan.

Members are also encouraged to attend local counseling sessions for ideas and advice and to assist with the lifestyle changes that accompany any dieting program. There is also online support for the Weight Watchers plan, as well as online menus and calculators.

Additionally, the Weight Watchers plan produces their own line of meals which may be purchased through many of the larger grocery chains.

A points value is assigned to foods based upon the size of the portion, the number of calories, the amount of fiber and the quantity of fat in each serving. As a general rule, high fat foods have a high points value and high fiber foods have a low points value. The daily allowance for dieters is then dependent upon such things as body weight and the desired weight loss.

The Weight Watchers plan points formula is as follows:

weight watchers formula

Where: p = Points | c = Calories | f = Fat Grams | r = Dietary fiber Grams

(Note: in the term (min{r, 4}) a maximum of 4 grams of fiber is used in the calculation. In other words, if the actual dietary figure is less than 4 this figure is used, however, where the figure is greater than 4 then 4 is used.

Here are just some examples of the points assigned to particular foods:

Food	Calories	Fat (g)	Carbohydrates	Fiber	Points
Medium Fries	450	22	57	5	10
Cheeseburger	330	14	35	2	7
Big Mac	590	34	47	3	14
Corn on the cob	140	2	34	2	3
Low-fat grilled chicken pasta	873	8.9	134.3	10.3	17
Low-fat Asian chicken salad	714	9	121	9.6	14
Low-fat brownie sundae	326	3.2	72	4.6	6