The End of an Era: Weight Watchers Is Discontinuing This Part of the Program
Weight Watchers has been one of the most popular weight-loss programs since time immemorial. Perhaps even in the world. It has been named the best diet by U.S. News & World Report 13 times in a row—proof that the weight-loss program works for many people. But now a drastic change is taking place in the program. Weight Watchers’ weekly meetings are coming to an end.
And many Weight Watchers participants are, to put it mildly, absolutely not happy about that.
How does Weight Watchers work?
Weight Watchers works differently from other weight-loss programs, as they themselves say. They do not put any food products on a blacklist. According to Weight Watchers, it is important to continue enjoying delicious food. And yet, with the program, you can lose 1 kilo per week. How? The program is built around a points system. Every participant keeps track of SmartPoints. This can be done in the personal Weight Watchers app. The idea is for people losing weight to stay within their SmartPoints total. So you can eat whatever you want, as long as you do not exceed the maximum number of points.
There is an app that offers support to people losing weight. It not only helps you keep track of the number of SmartPoints, but also contains thousands of recipes, nutrition tips and an online community. All little boosts that help with losing weight. In addition to online help, people losing weight can also attend Weight Watchers meetings every week. Until April 22, that is. After that, Weight Watchers will discontinue this part of the program.
Weighing in together
The Weight Watchers meetings are led by a coach. An important part of such a meeting is the group weigh-in. For many participants, that is precisely a major incentive. Because you do not want to be the person who failed to lose weight that week. Since participants know the weigh-in is coming up, they stay motivated to keep working on their weight. But the weigh-in is not the only thing participants will miss. Many participants also really appreciate the personal touch of such a live meeting. Sharing experiences, seeking support from one another, exchanging tips… All of that will disappear as of April 22.
Too little interest
Weight Watchers has decided to stop the live meetings because attendance is declining. More and more participants feel that using the app is sufficient. Although many participants enjoy the live meetings, the figures apparently tell a different story. The end of an era for Weight Watchers. The live meetings are, after all, the part that made them big around 50 years ago. Good news for participants in the diet: the rest of the program will remain unchanged. And you can still join the community through the app. So that boost of support is not disappearing!
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Source: Het Parool
