Pros and Cons of Weight Watchers, Slimming World and other weight loss groups
Both Weight Watchers and Slimming World are multi-million dollar companies, (accumulating in $124.9 million net profit for Weight Watchers and $6.3 million for Slimming World) that have become synonymous with health and weight loss. They are so present in our society and daily lives that there was even a sitcom starring James Corden revolving around a weight loss group ‘Fat Friends’.
But do these programs actually work? And do these companies have your health at heart? Let’s explore some Pros and Cons
PROS
1) Group support: This is a key part of the success of weight loss groups. Both companies run dedicated weekly meetups as well as offer a wealth of online support that means people do not have to go through their weight loss journeys alone. Moreover, a group setting creates a level of accountability and positivity often lost when someone attempts to lose weight alone. The positive impact of group support is scientifically proven with abundant evidence.
(Borek, A.J., Abraham, C., Greaves, C.J. and Tarrant, M. (2018), Group-Based Diet and Physical Activity Weight-Loss Interventions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials. Appl Psychol Health Well-Being, 10: 62-86. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12121)
2) Regular weigh-ins: These allow people a measurable way to track their weight loss, as well as to record their results and keep track. This again promotes accountability and consistency. At my local weightwatchers the group leader will record your weight privately. This is a good way of avoiding possible embarrassment and keeping a welcoming atmosphere while in a group setting.
3) Success stories: People do lose weight on these types of plans, with both of these companies boasting success stories of lives that have been changed for the better. For example, @weightwatchers_with_kimberly lost a whopping 69.3lbs (nearly 5st) with Weight Watchers and promotes a far healthier, active and positive lifestyle on her Instagram. As does @donna-tackles-slimmingworld who has lost 98lbs (7st) with Slimming World.
4) Vast collection of resources: Both Weight Watchers and Slimming World have huge databases of recipes available on their apps to help encourage people to cook, these meals are often healthy and nutritious as well as have easy to follow instructions.
CONS
1) No education or empowerment around food: By simplifying food to Points (Weight Watchers) and Syns (Slimming World), clients do not learn about what they are eating or why. As an example, these companies offer no education around macronutrients and recommended daily amounts of foods. What this means is that if I have 30 points in a day and eat 25 points of chocolate and nothing else, I would technically be on plan. But, of course, this would not be considered healthy. This lack of education is important to be aware of as it keeps people dependant on the system. If your awareness of food only extends as far as points it has to remain in this context to be of value. Our bodies work with Calories, Macronutrients and Micronutrients not Points or Syns.This dependency keeps you paying their membership fees. Moreover, lack of food education often leads to weight gain when people come away from the groups, with clients often putting on what they lost or even more! This results in yo-yo dieting and returning clients.
2) Biased Advice: Advice on these plans is not unbiased, with clients being regularly pushed towards company branded meals. Both Weight Watchers and Slimming World offer a range of products, from ready meals to snacks, all branded as healthy options. These are given point values to make them more attractive to the consumer than equivalent non-branded meals (see example below where a product with more calories, more food and more of well, everything has the same amount of points). Moreover, these meals are often ultra-processed and not as healthy as advertised. Ask yourself, if a company is trying to sell you their food products can they really have your health as their number 1 priority? For more on this see our independent advice blog
A Weight Watchers branded curry ready meal. 8 Points
This meal has 359Kcals
7.6g Fat
46g Carbohydrate (7.2g sugar)
24.3g Protein
1.24g Salt.
A Tesco branded curry ready meal. 8 Points
This meal has 293Kcals
3.7g Fat
45g Carbohydrate (5.5g sugar)
17g Protein
1.1g Salt
3) Focus on weight loss over health and wellness: While often weight loss, health and wellness do go hand-in-hand, this is not always the case. Some people may need to gain weight; others may want to see an improvement in their exercise performance or have more energy through the workday. Moreover, the focus on an extreme caloric deficit, while will result in fat loss, can also lead to a loss of lean muscle mass—particularly when weight is lost through diet restriction alone. This will lead to reduced overall health in all populations but is particularly noteworthy in older populations where a reduction in lean mass can be linked to a reduction in mobility. The focus of these groups is purely the number that shows on the scale.
4) Short-term success: This links back to the lack of education In point 1. People do lose weight on these plans, but are not often long term. A meta analysis of studies shows that 50% of weight lost was regained within two years and 80% was regained within 5 years. This shows that long term change is difficult. Essentially many become ‘Yo-Yo’ dieters stuck in a cycle of losing and re-gaining weight. However, don’t be discouraged with the right support and education long term success can be achieved.
(Hall KD, Kahan S. Maintenance of Lost Weight and Long-Term Management of Obesity. Med Clin North Am. 2018 Jan;102(1):183-197. doi: 10.1016/j.mcna.2017.08.012. PMID: 29156185; PMCID: PMC5764193.)
Summary
Overall, the likes of Weight Watchers and Slimming World can be useful programs for short term weight loss — providing a friendly and welcoming community to support people in their goals. However, the long-term impact on health is not nearly as positive with the lack of food education and frequent weight gain often follows after an initial loss. Clients must also be aware that they are being sold branded products with the aim to make the company a larger profit rather than to make you healthier.