Introducing the Weight Watchers ProPoints plan
Tackling the growing obesity epidemic: New research shows Weight Watchers works
British women scared to bare
Brits encouraged to get active!
Discover a new you with the Weight Watchers Discover Plan™
Weight Watchers reveals why you can lose weight without willpower

Weight Watchers

• Weight Watchers is the world’s leading provider of weight management services, operating in over 50,000 meetings in 30 countries, with 2 million members currently in the UK
• Members in the UK have lost over 8 million stone in the last 8 years
• There are over 1700 Leaders in the UK, who have all lost weight with Weight Watchers
• Weight Watchers is the only commercial group based slimming programme with good quality data underpinning its effectiveness (Source: NICE 2006)²
• Research shows that people who attend meetings and use Weight Watchers Online eTools lose, on average, 50% more weight than those who attend meetings alone³
• Weight Watchers runs referral schemes through the NHS and is currently working in partnership with over two thirds of Primary Care Organisations (PCOs) in England
• The Weight Watchers Food range (available at retail) is the UK’s number one Low Calorie brand and the UK’s 14th largest Grocery brand, with more households in the UK buying Weight Watchers Foods than Nescafe, Philadelphia and Branston⁴

² NICE: Obesity guidance on the prevention, identification, assessment and management of overweight and obesity in adults and children, December 2006
³ Nguyen V, et al. Obesity 2007, 15 (9S) A221

Obesity Statistics

• Globally around 1.6 billion adults (age 15+) are overweight; at least 400 million adults are obese. By 2015, approximately 2.3 billion adults will be overweight and more than 700 million will be obese (WHO 2005)
• 19.9 million adults are overweight and 15.1 million adults are obese in the UK currently. If no action is taken, 60% of men, 50% of women and 25% of children will be obese by 2050. (The Foresight Report 2007)⁵
• Of the 16m women who are overweight or obese in the UK 14m of them are actively trying to lose weight. (The Foresight Report 2007)
• Only 71% of men in the UK who are overweight or obese believe they are overweight (The Foresight Report 2007)
• If obesity continues to grow at the current rate the cost to the government of the obesity crisis by 2050 is set to be £45.5bn. (The Foresight Report 2007)
• 99% of people know obesity is a problem in the UK (McCann London’s ‘Fatville’ survey 2009)
• 90% of us in the UK suffer from fat blindness and 25% of us cannot recognise a morbidly obese person (McCann London’s ‘Fatville’ survey 2009)

⁴ Source: Kantar World Panel 52 w/e 16th May 2010 Mintel
⁵ Foresight: Tackling Obesities: Future Choices, October 2007

Here at Weight Watchers we have a great range of inspiring member success stories, both on a national and regional level.

Below are some examples of the success stories we have available. If you would like to discuss a wider range of opportunities, please contact the press office on the details below:

Sharon O'Callagan
Jacqueline Trinder

If you would like to discuss a wider range of opportunities, please contact the press office on the details below:

National Success Stories
Lucy Tinley
T: 01628 415 216
E: ltinley@weight-watchers.co.uk

Regional Success Stories
Emma Bakker
T: 01628 415 291
E: ebakker@weight-watchers.co.uk

Zoe Hellman

Company Dietitian, Weight Watchers UK

Zoe works across various segments within the Weight Watchers business advising on, and writing about, Weight Watchers food plans, nutritional guidelines and scientific research behind healthy weight loss. Working closely with the global Weight Watchers scientific team she makes sure that Weight Watchers in the UK is evidence based and continually evolving to meet the ever changing needs of its members.

Before joining Weight Watchers in 2008, Zoe worked for 5 years in the NHS and undertook numerous freelance projects with a particular focus on weight management. Zoe also supports Weight Watchers various public health initiatives, such as the Referral Scheme and plays an advisory role in training Weight Watchers Leaders on nutrition.

Karen Miller-Kovach, M.S., R.D.

Chief Scientific Officer, Weight Watchers International, Inc.

Karen Miller-Kovach is responsible for the technical integrity of the Weight Watchers programme on a worldwide basis and is based in the US. She chairs the Global Research & Development Team which is charged with the ongoing innovation of the programme. In addition, Karen co-ordinates all clinical research initiatives sponsored by Weight Watchers International and the Weight Watchers Foundation.

Karen served as a national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association from 1986 to 1993 and remains active with the organization as a Resource Spokesperson. She became a Registered Dietitian in 1979, has authored six books, holds the patent for the famous POINTS^® Weight-Loss System, and has contributed numerous articles to leading nutrition and medical journals.

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