New fad diets come and go every year; people who follow those trendy diets often find that the weight goes and then comes right back. Though it might not sound quite as sexy as a “flat abs” diet, the WeightWatchers plan has been repeatedly endorsed by doctors and healthy-eating experts for helping dieters lose weight and keep it off.

“Since the early 1960s, WeightWatchers has been the gold standard for successful weight loss programs, among the reasons for Weight Watchers’ longevity: the program is based on science, addresses the dieter’s lifestyle as a whole, and is free of gimmicks.”

registered dietitian, Kathleen M. Zelman

Nothing forbidden

The topics of diet and weight loss are tough for food lovers; if you just eat good food you shouldn’t ever feel like your weight is a problem, right? Wrong, for many of us. Talk of weight and food is also fraught with a misplaced sense of guilt, fear of eating the wrong thing, comparisons with other people, dubious science and awkward diets. 

I think one of the things that makes WeightWatchers appealing for people who love to cook and eat is that there are no forbidden foods.

Food and body are inextricably linked. Is there a way to talk about them together in a healthy, thoughtful way?

We think so, and today we are exploring how you can be a food lover and find personal balance— between loving food and loving your body. 

The Diet Roller Coaster

Let’s first talk about the inevitable – where all my clients come from – the diet roller coaster. It is the same old story, someone meets with me and tells me for the first of many times in their lives they lost weight. But then, they gained it back….a few months or so later they were frustrated got back on the wagon again, and lost weight again.

Rinse and repeat.

But here is what I always hear; that the person didn’t love what they were eating. So, soon, though, they were back on, back to their love affair with their favorite foods, heavier than before, and strapped into a dieting roller coaster. Many have lost 10% of their body weight at least a half dozen times. And completely frustrated they are that their closet is stocked with clothes in multiple sizes. 

A Fresh Start

Clients come to me having tried it all; Paleo, South Beach, veganism, etc – all of them before without lasting success.

Here’s what it came down to: they needed something that focuses just as much on self-care and self-acceptance as it does on food.

Enter WeightWatchers

WW is a DIY program. Clients are learning skills for life, weighing themselves weekly, tracking what they eat (without restricting them), eating out and enjoying life, and logging their experience.

And of course, loving what they eat… that’s non-negotiable.

What they found

The program helped them simultaneously cultivate a more positive body image by doing things like investing in nice clothes, quitting mean self-talk, and committing to exercise that makes them feel good (not as a punishment for eating). Clients quickly learned that negative self-talk does nothing to motivate them, health-focused behavior changes are what helped them meet their weight goals. 

Little by little, WW helped them to figure out what works for them, and not just for a short stint, but hopefully for life. This is about creating a food life that balances everything they love (and won’t give up) – the pleasures of cooking and sharing meals with the realities of health and weight management. 

For those of you who are eager to tip the scales in the balance between food and health, here are some takeaways for everyone

Cook more instead of going out or eating packaged food. It’s easier for you to control what you’re eating because you know what ingredients are in a particular dish. More importantly, it will open you up to the pleasures of cooking—the exhilarating, soul-enhancing and ultimately satisfying experience of feeding yourself and your family. Do it with your kids too—chop, sniff, taste, and cook. Good food is fun, it’s an experience, and it can be enjoyable.

Eat according to the seasons. This ensures you eat a variety of foods and you won’t get bored eating the same foods, a common reason people stop their weight-loss program. Not to mention you’ll eat a food at its peak so it will taste its absolute best.

Find balance, You can eat anything as long as you’re eating it in moderation and balancing it with everything else you are eating. If you think about it, doesn’t the pleasure come from the first few bites, not the fourth or fifth? So go ahead and savor every bite. Eat a small piece of chocolate but follow it up with something a little less indulgent later that day.

Key takeaway:  Learning how to enjoy your relationship with food is a more effective way to lose weight.

What WeightWatchers is all about:

1. Nutrition made simple – Life is complicated—healthy eating shouldn’t be. Their system and customized plans make it easier.
2. No quick fixes – They’re not a pill. Or prepackaged meals. WW is nutritional and behavioral science that changes your relationship with food for weight loss done well.
3. A strong support system – You don’t have to do it alone. WW’s expert coaches and millions of members understand weight loss and are here to support you—online or in person.

Click here to join now and save 30% until 12/25.