Who is Weight Watchers®?
Weight Watchers International, Inc. is the world’s leading provider of weight management services, providing a comprehensive approach to weight management based on the latest scientific thinking. Weight Watchers offers a wide range of products, publications and services for those interested in healthy weight loss and weight control.
Since its founding in 1963, Weight Watchers has helped millions of people achieve healthy, sustained weight loss. Currently, on any given week, approximately 1.3 million members attend almost 50,000 Weight Watchers meetings around the world.
Weight Watchers also makes a significant contribution to the science and evidence base for healthy weight management; having published 61 original scientific publications to date. We have an active presence in public health affairs at a national and international level; contributing to government and national health guidance consultations, sharing best practice and maintaining purposeful links with obesity groups.
How does Weight Watchers work?
Our meetings business is built on four pillars that help to ensure healthy and sustained weight loss:
(1) healthy eating
(2) physical activity
(3) group support
(4) behaviour
While the elements of individual weight-loss plans have changed over the years, these fundamental principles, which have been based on years of scientific research and analysis and decades of experience, have not. Weight Watchers believes that to lose weight safely and sensibly, a person must learn to eat healthier, increase physical activity, create and live in a supportive environment conducive to achieving a healthy weight, and manage the challenges involved in changing behaviours.
What are the main services that Weight Watchers offers?
Paid services include:
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Traditional Group Services: Weight Watchers meetings offered within the community, either at a retail site or a community centre.
- Weight Watchers Online: is a customisable Internet-based subscription product that allows users to follow the Weight Watchers plan step-by-step online.
- Weight Watchers At Home: available in participating areas, provides information and resources to follow Weight Watchers from home.
A number of products are offered under the Weight Watchers trademark, either directly through Weight Watchers International, Inc. or its licensees. These include a national magazine, a broad line of food products, best-selling cookbooks, exercise videos, food scales, tracking tools, and more.
What features does Weight Watchers Online offer to consumers?
WeightWatchers.co.uk offers free features including:
- Free access for all site visitors to recipes, success stories, original health, food and fitness content; tips and self-assessments.
- The Weight Watchers Science Centre offers non-commercial, heavily footnoted articles about the science of weight loss.
- A wide rang of heavily-trafficked message boards comprise the vibrant and award-winning WeightWatchers.co.uk community, where all site visitors share inspiration and motivation.
- The Meeting Finder at WeightWatchers.co.uk makes it easy to locate the most convenient Weight Watchers meeting close to home or while travelling.
What Food Products are offered by Weight Watchers?
Weight Watchers is helping to meet the product needs of weight-conscious consumers by providing an array of fully branded food products. They include breads, chocolate, sweets, desserts, yogurts and chilled meals. These products, which offer the best balance of great taste and sensible choices, are consistent with Weight Watchers philosophy of enjoying a full range of food options while managing body weight, making wise food choices, and practicing portion control. There are currently around 1,400 products available worldwide; 1,100 of which are throughout Europe alone.
Most products are available at major retail locations. For more information about the full Weight Watchers product range, please click here
Why are Weight Watchers Meetings so effective?
Support can be an important part of weight-loss success. Weight Watchers weekly meetings are interactive, animated and encourage hands-on learning through group discussion and offer guidance and tools to help individuals stay motivated and achieve weight-loss goals. Support can be found from meeting Leaders, as well as other successful Weight Watchers members, who provide encouragement in a personal way.
Members can share tips and tricks and learn strategies from their Leaders – who have already lost weight with Weight Watchers – on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Research shows that people who attend the greatest number of Weight Watchers meetings have the greatest weight loss.
