Personally, I have a love/hate relationship with this plan. I'm not going to get into the hate thing much in this discussion because the last thing I want to do is discourage someone from trying something that might work for them! Hey, it worked for me - I lost 72lbs on it back in the 90s.

With proper guidance, Weight Watchers can work, and work quite well. There are some things about Weight Watchers that I feel are absolute requirements for a good weight loss plan. These things are also missing from every other popular commercial plan.

Of the popular diet plans, Weight Watchers is the only one I feel comfortable suggesting to people.

I suggest Weight Watchers to those over 45ish (give or take) who are physically inactive and have more than 40lbs to lose.

I also recommend Weight Watchers for those who, at any age, have never attempted to lose weight, and also to those who can't engage in an exercise program due to physical limitations.

Weight Watchers worked quite well for me back in the early 90s. I tried it again in 2006 and things didn't go quite as well!

The plan is structured differently today than it was back in the 90s. There tends to be too much freedom to make poor nutrient quality choices these days.

If you are a Weight Watcher member or are considering it - my advice to you is this:

Eat ALL of your points. Especially if you are exercising! Do not be tempted to go low on the points to get the weight off faster. This might be OK to do the first 2-4 weeks, but after that you will likely see a weight loss plateau of epic proportions if you continue to go low on the points.

Consume at least the minimum fats - they are actually too low unless you have certain health concerns.

If you weigh more than 176lbs increase the minimum protein servings to 3 (at least); provided you don't have any health issues requiring you to consume lower than the RDA for protein. Please consult a Registered Dietitian or your physician if you do.

Follow their healthy checks - or whatever they are calling the minimum recommendations these days. Make these a REQUIRED part of your plan. This is probably my biggest gripe with Weight Watchers in it's current state. There is just too much freedom to eat things that will only hamper your weight loss efforts. At one point I was eating 1/3 of my daily points in sugar laden nutrient void Weight Watchers candy bars.

Weight Watchers tends to be a fairly low fat - high carb diet. If you have any sort of metabolic concerns - insulin resistance, diabetes, pre-diabetes, please consult with a Registered Dietitian to guide you.

Are you a Weight Watchers Member? Have you tried Weight Watchers?

Are you looking for advice regarding the plan? Want to connect with others following Weight Watchers?

Don't be shy! Join the discussion!