International Weight Watchers has been with us for many years now and has proved to be a tremendously successful diet program that concentrates on a balance of exercise, low fat nutrition and counseling.
Food items are given a points value and Weight Watchers members make use of a points calculator and hundreds of great recipes provided by the program.
Members are also encouraged to attend counseling sessions locally to get ideas and advice and to help with the changes in lifestyle that accompany any dieting program. Members also have access to online support as well as online points calculators and menus.
As well, Weight Watchers produce their own range of meals that you can purchase through a lot of the larger grocery chains.
A points value is assigned to foods based upon the portion size, the calories that portion contains, the amount of fiber and the quantity of fat in each serving. Generally speaking, high fat foods have a high points value and foods which are high in fiber have a low points value. The daily allowance for dieters is then dependent upon such things as his or her body weight and amount of weight loss he or she wishes to achieve.
The formula used to calculate a points score is as follows:
Where: p = Points | c = Calories | f = Fat Grams | r = Dietary fiber Grams
(Note: in the term (min{r, 4}) no more than 4 grams of fiber are used in the calculation. In other words, if the actual dietary figure is less than 4 this figure is used, however, if the figure is greater than 4 then 4 is used.
Here are just some examples of the points assigned to particular foods:
| Food | Calories | Fat (g) | Carbohydrates | Fiber | Points |
| Corn on the cob | 140 | 2 | 34 | 2 | 3 |
| Low-fat brownie sundae | 326 | 3.2 | 72 | 4.6 | 6 |
| Cheeseburger | 330 | 14 | 35 | 2 | 7 |
| Low-fat grilled chicken pasta | 873 | 8.9 | 134.3 | 10.3 | 17 |