The Weight Watchers Flex Plan is the more commonly known plan offered by Weight Watchers. Point values are given to each individual based on gender, height, current weight, and physical activity. The point (no pun intended) of this plan, and the Core Plan—Weight Watchers’ other plan option that focuses on whole foods from a “core group” and less on Points values—is to give the individual more freedom with what they eat, realizing that restricting foods altogether can sometimes cause utter diet failure when temptation becomes too much to bear.
You can eat what you want, when you want, as long as you stay within your allotted Points. Different foods obviously have different Points values. A carrot is nearly zero points while a 3” piece of chocolate cake is somewhere near thirteen. The Points values don’t necessarily have anything to do with calories; their purpose is to teach individuals what foods are most beneficial to their health. Their motto is, “It’s not a diet, it’s a way of life.” They are cutting back calories while teaching members what foods are actually GOOD for you. Simply reducing calories isn’t enough if you only reduce the calories of your chips and soda diet.
If you include exercise, you can earn more Points to “spend” on foods. Members of Weight Watchers that follow the Flex plan are also given 35 extra points each week that they can save use on special occasions, an evening out, or to redeem when they’ve slipped up and taken a second helping of the birthday cake in the office.
PROS:
- Allows the individual to choose what foods he/she eats-Encourages a healthy lifestyle, not just a calorie cut back-Encourages exercise (always good!)
- Gives room for slip-ups and special occasions like Thanksgiving/Christmas-Offers weekly support group & weigh-in to help you reach your goals
CONS:
- Keeping track of every single point. While this in the end is very beneficial, it can seem quite burdensome to those who work, go to school, etc. Several people I’ve talked to have not considered weight watchers because of this aspect of their program. There is, however, the new Core Plan that eliminates the point counting to some extent.
- Doesn’t necessarily encourage a good balance of the food groups. You could munch on beef jerky and carrots all day and fulfill all of the weight watchers requirements, but you’re missing out on your fruits and grains!
Cost: $39.99/month for meetings, internet member access, tools for counting Points, etc.
Long-Term Effectiveness*: 
Your Doc would Recommend it: 
Easy to Follow: 
Universality : 
*In 1993, Weight Watchers International conducted a survey of its Lifetime Members to ascertain maintenance of weight loss after 1-to-12 years. The survey was conducted by telephone with a random national sample of 1200 people and relied on self-reported weights. Among Lifetime Members, the average weight loss achieved to become Lifetime Members was 28.8 pounds; two-thirds (67%) reported continued maintenance of their original weight loss within 5 pounds. The percent of Lifetime Members maintaining their weight loss ranged from 97% for those who had achieved the loss one year prior to 37% for those who had completed the weight loss 5-12 years prior to the survey. This data challenged the often-cited statistic of a “95% failure rate” for weight loss programs
TOTAL: 4.0 OUT OF 5
Excellent analysis. :)
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