Weight Watchers has been about for a long time and is a very successful diet program which focuses on a balance of low fat nutrition, exercise and counseling.
Different foods are given a points value and members then make use of a points calculator and a wide range of recipes that are provided by the program.
Members also attend counseling session in their local area to get both advice and ideas and to help with the changes in lifestyle which accompany not just this but any diet program. Members also have access to online support and online points calculators and menus.
To further assist members, Weight Watchers produce their own range of meals that can be purchased through a lot of the larger grocery chains.
A points value is given to a variety of foods based upon the portion size, the number of calories, the quantity of fiber and the quantity of fat contained in every serving. Normally, high fat foods will have a high points value and foods which are high in fiber will have a low points value. A dieter's daily allowance then depends on things like his or her body weight and amount of weight loss he or she wishes to achieve.
The points formula is as follows:
Where: p = Points | c = Calories | f = Fat Grams | r = Dietary fiber Grams
(Please note: in the term (min{r, 4}) no more than 4 grams of fiber are used in the calculation. Accordingly, if the actual dietary figure is lower than 4 then this figure is used, however, where the figure is more than 4 then 4 is used.
Here are just some examples of the points values assigned to certain foods:
| Food | Calories | Fat (g) | Carbohydrates | Fiber | Points |
| Medium Fries | 450 | 22 | 57 | 5 | 10 |
| Quarter Pounder with cheese | 430 | 30 | 38 | 2 | 13 |
| Low-fat brownie sundae | 326 | 3.2 | 72 | 4.6 | 6 |
| Low-fat Asian chicken salad | 714 | 9 | 121 | 9.6 | 14 |
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