It was invented by an American housewife, Jean Nidecht, who had experimented with several do-it-yourself diets, without the hoped-for success. It was 1963 and, after losing several kilos, he founded a group to share the results of his method. It was the beginning of the Weight Watchers diet (literally weight controllers), destined to become one of the most popular in the sixties and seventies, as well as a real multinational with paid tables, products and communities. In recent years this diet has made a comeback thanks also to testimonials of the caliber of Oprah Winfrey, Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Hudson.
But what is it and what are the strengths and weaknesses? We asked Francesca Beretta, nutritionist biologist at the Beretta Studio in Noceto (Pr) and author of the book Belly down … cheer up !, out mid-May. «This is an alternative program aimed at weight loss, focused on food education and the adoption of a healthy lifestyle. However, it is not without its criticalities. Yes performs by defining its own “score” based on certain individual characteristics (age, height, starting weight, goal, level of physical activity) and the calorie deficit needed to reach the ideal weight goal. Once this score is defined, the points of each individual food consumed are added together in order to respect the overall constraint ».
How does the points system work?
“Different foods are given different scores, based on energy density. In other words, each point corresponds to a quantity of calories provided by a specific food (35-45 Kcal). These points are awarded weekly, so a person who “saves points” one day can afford to use them on another day. Physical activity also plays a role in the use of points: the more physical activity or more intense physical activity, the more points available to reach the target. With this diet, however, high-calorie foods are not excluded (except carbonated drinks or spirits), but the quantity is limited based on the calories they bring ».
In short, the Weight Watchers diet has it lights and shadows, but to discover the advantages, criticalities and conclusions in detail, scroll through the gallery with the opinion of the nutritionist.
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