Weight Watchers

Weight Watchers {{nyse|WTW}}, founded in the 1960s by Jean Nidetch, is a company offering various dieting products and services to assist weight loss. It started as a discussion group for how to best lose weight. It now operates in about 30 countries around the world, generally under the name "Weight Watchers" translated into the local language. Its most prominent celebrity endorser is Sarah, Duchess of York.

POINTS System

The POINTS system is based on allocating servings of food a specific number of points. A program participant is allowed to eat food that amounts to a certain number of points per week. The number of permitted points for an individual is calculated based on the individual's weight goals, and the level of physical activity of the participant.

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The formula for calculating the POINTS content of a specific food serving uses a formula described in US Patent 6,040,531:

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:p = rac{c}{50} + rac{f}{12} - rac{min{r,4}}{5}

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Where p is the number of points, c is the number of calories, f is the grams of fat, and r is the grams of dietary fibre (if the dietary fibre is greater than four, use four).

Related Topics:
Calories - Fat - Dietary fibre

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