WeightWatchers has it right

As previously stated, last November I began using the WeightWatchers Points system. The system is based on a person receiving a daily allowance of points in order to keep your food consumption to a defined level. In addition to the daily points, you also have "flex" points that can be used throughout the week so that you can splurge a time or two (and yet still maintain a reasonable intake of calories). Extra points can also be earned through exercise. In case you're wondering, p=(c/50)+(f/12)-(r/5) is the formula to determine how many points a given food choice is (where p=points, c=calories, f=fat, and r=fiber). I'm not a math wizard, but the system appears to attempt to place a greater emphasis on lower calorie, lower fat foods. In other words, apples are lower in Points value than Alfredo sauce.

The reason the system works, in my opinion, is twofold. First, it gets you to eat what you're supposed to eat without making you feel trapped. I hate to say that I'm on a diet. Saying you're on a diet implies that you're not making a permanent change. It's saying to the world "I'm not going to eat as much as I want because I’m trying to drop some weight. However, as soon as I lose the weight I'm going to quit dieting and will resume my normal eating habits." This is a temporary solution to an established problem. If a person is eating properly they won’t be overweight to begin with. If they aren’t eating properly, then they need to change their behavior and eat right for the rest of their lives. Otherwise, all you’re doing is continuing a cycle of weight loss and weight gain. This is as much of an issue as being constantly overweight. The Points system changes your behavior. You can eat whatever you want, as long as you stay within the assigned Points range. In order to consume the foods that are typically unhealthy, you need to eat less of them. If you want to eat more food, you have to make better choices. It’s quite simple really. To give you an example, I get somewhere in the neighborhood of 35 points per day. Most fruits are a point each and vegetables are generally no points. A McDonald’s Big Mac is 13 points. Thus, I could eat 13 apples or one Big Mac. The choice is mine, but if I’m looking for quantity then I have to choose healthier options. I’ve found that I’m much happier eating a few pieces of fruit than one little burger. My behavior has changed.

The other reason is works is that it’s easy. Humans, as I see it, are a lazy species. I’m not talking in the physical sense (although that may be true too), but in a mental sense. I would attribute it to the number of things that we focus on each day and not necessarily say it’s a bad thing. Our minds can comprehend a limited amount of information daily. We can spend our mental resources calculating calories and nutritional information or we can do something entertaining. In most cases, entertainment wins. That’s why people fail when they try to focus on keeping track of too many numbers. Sure, there are people that do it. I’d say there are a lot of fitness nuts that keep track of everything that goes into their mouth. Good for them. For people like me, I just don’t have that kind of attention span. I need something quick. I need something that I don’t have to figure out. I need something that can help me make a split second decision when I’m hungry and I want to eat. The Points system does that. Using the WeightWatchers website (which you pay a monthly fee for), an official calculator (which you can buy if you’re a member), or one of the unauthorized counters on the Internet (Google it) allows you to quickly ascertain the value of any food item. Once you’re on the plan for awhile, you start to get a sense of what is a good number and what isn’t. There’s not a lot more to it. You start changing your behavior and making better choices.

I’m not currently a member on the WeightWatchers site. I cancelled my membership a few months back (after I bought myself the Points calculator). I’m also not religiously keeping track of my daily points. I know that my breakfast is 8 points, my lunch is 8 points, and dinner just has to be reasonable. I like to snack on fruit, cheese, and pickled eggs. I try to only eat 100% whole grains. It’s not rocket science. But the key is that I needed to use the WeightWatchers system (where I did religiously keep track of my points) long enough to change my behavior.

P.S. The WeightWatchers Points formula came from Wired magazine (July 2009 issue). I was going to link to the article, but it doesn’t appear to be online. Hopefully they don’t sue me for plagiarism.