Science is always a-changing and diet book authors have gone a-scrambling to keep abreast of it. In light of this, Weight Watchers has laid to rest its old points scheme and brought out a new one: Points Plus.
In the words of registered dietitian and Weight Watchers CEO Karen Miller-Kovach, the new scheme is a “complete makeover.” It is a full overhaul of the same program that promised you effective, safe, and consistent fat loss.
Previously, the Weight Watchers system allowed you to expend your points on any kind of food you want. The new system has built-in ways to compel you to use those points more sensibly, i.e. for eating fiber- and protein- rich food. Such kind of food, says Kovach, wards off hunger and satisfies you for fewer calories, helping you thin down.
Counting calories is one notable holdover of the old system. Then as now, the program intends to create a calorie deficiency—more calories burned than consumed – for you to experience weight loss.
Yet Kovach understands at the same time that the source of these calories can spell a world of difference in losing weight. That’s why in the new version, foods rich in fiber and protein account for fewer points than fatty foods with equivalent calories.
In yet another departure, Weight Watchers Points Plus lets you eat fresh fruits and non-starchy vegetables in limitless amounts, a suggestion previously unheard of. The program’s new directors suggested this in view of dieters who are able to eat fiber-rich, high-protein food but averse to fruits and veggies. This should not be, seeing as fruits and veggies are lower in calories than they are high in nutrients.
Notwithstanding these modifications, the bare essentials of the Weight Watchers diet are still there. A new method of counting may be in place but the program retains its fundamental scientific justifications and suggests pretty much the same behavioral strategies for weight loss.
How Weight Watchers Points Plus works
Weight Watchers Points Plus program still promotes the proprietary formula for sizing up the pros and cons of your food choices. It basically brings about weight loss by letting you load up on foods that are as profuse in nutrients as they are scant in calories.
To begin Points Plus, fill out a form with your age, sex, height, and latest weight. Weight Watchers specialists use this data to personalize your points allotment for every day and week.
Usually, your points for a day are equivalent to a minimum of 1200 calories. These are distributed into carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in proportions conforming to Institute of Medicine guidelines.
Unlike the old program, Weight Watchers Points Plus employs an easier-to-follow counting system, complete with new values. Whereas the old scheme allows for 22 points daily and 35 a week, the revised one allots 30 daily and 49 weekly.
Refer to a handy-sized guide for a roll call of foods you are most likely to encounter and their equivalent points. An even longer list of foods is available on the website and a cellphone application. Weight Watchers also sells a special Points Plus calculator to this end.
Weight Watchers’ support capacity barely changed. As before, you can take advantage of a support network on the web or in person. The fees have not increased too.
What you can eat on Weight Watchers Points Plus
There is no marked difference between the old and new versions of Weight Watchers in the context of calorie distribution. Both maintain that no food should be excluded from your intake.
Weight Watchers defers to the latest Dietary Guidelines, which exhort you to vary your consumption of healthy foods. These you must apportion into three meals and in-betweens every day.
Optimize your calorie allowance by selecting more “Power Foods,” which Kovach enumerated to be the likes of whole grains, reduced-fat dairy, and lean meats, alongside indefinite amounts of fresh fruits and non-starchy vegetables. Power Foods are the most nutritious foods for you.
You can still sneak in traditionally rich fare into your caloric allotment. The revised program does not allow it as much as before however.
Experts weigh in Weight Watchers Points Plus
Weight Watchers Points Plus is the answer to experts’ clamor for improvement in the past. Whereas you can splurge your points on anything in the old system, you should be more mindful of your calorie sources in the new one.
In terms of sustainability, the new program scores more points with experts. Weight Watchers Points Plus seems to be easy to sustain in the long term, owing to its flexibility. The prominent position occupied by fruits and vegetables also registers well with critics. Then again you have to be careful of overeating fruits, whose otherwise paltry calories can still add up.
That said, critics remark that any food can be made to contort into the Weight Watchers diet. So long as you eat satisfying foods often and physically move regularly, you should be able to work out an allowance for indulgences once in a while.
Conclusion
Change is the only thing constant in this world and Weight Watchers is all the better for it. This program blends the most current science with a tried, tested approach to weight reduction.
In the end, the new Points Plus program is just a structured guide for you to reassess your food choices and learn of efficiently satisfying foods. Safe, effective weight loss pills like Phentemine375 should suit you while on this program.
