Weight Watchers updates points system

Weight Watchers, the international weight-management and packaged food company, has revised its popular points weight-loss system for the first time in 13 years, the company said.

The updated points system, called PointsPlus, goes beyond merely counting calories and is designed to encourage people trying to lose weight to make educated, healthier decisions about the food they eat.

Weight Watchers CEO and chief science officer Karen Miller Kovach said the new system reflects the latest in weight loss research.

"We've learned so much more (since the original points system) in terms of weight management science. It was time for an overhaul," she said. "We've translated the new science of the last 13-15 years into a liveable system."

The new formula takes into account the energy contained in each component of a kilojoule, such as protein, fat or fibre, as well as how much effort the body must exert to process them and how satisfied one feels after eating.

"The importance of creating a kilojoule deficit has not changed. But the nuances of where that kilojoule is coming from has an impact," Kovach added.

"This is an opportunity to try something new, on the cutting edge of weight management science," she said. "We wouldn't advocate this is we weren't sure it's the right thing to do."

Weight Watchers was founded in 1963 by Brooklyn native Jean Nidetch. It now operates in 30 countries and holds approximately 50,000 meetings each week, in which members receive support and learn about weight management. ."(Reuters Health/ November 2010)

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