New Program to Help Consumers Find the Approach to Healthy, Livable Weight
Loss That Suits Them Best
NEW YORK, Aug. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- After extensive research and
development, Weight Watchers announced today the launch of the TurnAround
program. Now available across the U.S. and Canada, this innovative,
science-based Program allows people to find the eating structure that fits
them best based on two different approaches to healthy, sustainable weight
loss. Each approach works together with the coaching, tools and real-life
insights people get from Weight Watchers to help them make the positive
changes required to lose the weight and keep it off.
With nearly two-thirds of Americans overweight or obese, the need for
people to find food plans that provide them with healthy weight loss and suit
their individual eating preferences has become critical. For many people,
weight loss attempts fail because their diets are not sustainable and their
diets lack the tools and support system to help them achieve long-term
success.
The TurnAround program with its two food plans, the Flex Plan and the new
Core Plan, has been tested and provides members with high levels of
satisfaction and healthy weight loss. The Flex Plan is based on the POINTS(R)
Weight-Loss System so users can enjoy the full range of food options and deal
with any meal occasion at home, on the go or when dining out.
The Core Plan controls calories by focusing on a core list of wholesome,
nutritious foods without tracking or counting. The list includes foods from
all the food groups -- fruits and vegetables, grains and starches, lean meats,
fish and poultry, eggs and dairy products -- to ensure that all nutritional
requirements are met. To maximize livability, on the Core Plan, people can
have occasional treats in controlled amounts.
The Core Foods List was created to provide maximum eating satisfaction
without empty calories by emphasizing foods that have low-energy density, or
few calories per unit volume. "One of the key things scientific research has
shown is that from a very young age, people are trained to eat a volume of
food, not a certain amount of calories. To lose weight, people should eat
foods that have low-energy density, that is, foods that are high in volume,
but low in calories," said Weight Watchers Chief Scientific Officer, Karen
Miller-Kovach.
"We also identified foods that are linked with overeating and removed them
from the Core List. Once the Core Plan was developed, we tested it until we
were convinced it allowed people to achieve healthy, effective weight loss,
with no counting or tracking. Our extensive testing with more than 10,000
people shows that both the Flex Plan and Core Plan deliver a healthy rate of
weight loss, livability and member satisfaction," said Ms. Miller-Kovach.
According to Ms. Miller-Kovach, "Interestingly, we did not find that one
demographic group prefers the Core Plan while another prefers the Flex Plan.
Instead, the determining factor was based on a very personal sense of what
constitutes 'freedom.' Some people felt the Flex Plan provided them more
freedom because it offered the entire range of foods, while others felt that
the Core Plan was more freeing because it focused on wholesome foods without
counting."
Weight Watchers scientific team created the TurnAround program by
combining a focus on the latest science about nutrition with research on the
challenges people face today in fitting weight loss into their lives. The team
conducted extensive research on strategies to help people with different
lifestyles and preferences make effective changes to their eating, activity,
and behavior in order to achieve long-term weight loss. In a test with more
than 10,000 people, the TurnAround program proved to be effective and livable
in the real world.
Having two healthy eating approaches also offers the added bonus of
allowing Weight Watchers members to maintain their continuity in the Program
while being able to switch from one Plan to the other when circumstances
dictate, such as if they have hit a weight-loss plateau before reaching their
weight goal.
"We developed the TurnAround program to allow people to find the approach
that works best for their lifestyle and personal preferences," said Linda
Huett, CEO of Weight Watchers International, Inc. "We are continuously
advancing our programs and developing innovations by building upon learnings
from our members' real-life experiences and the expanding body of scientific
research."
About Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers is America's trusted name in weight loss and the global
leader in weight-loss services, with approximately 46,000 weekly meetings in
30 countries. Weight Watchers mission is to help people reach and maintain a
healthy weight. At the heart of Weight Watchers are weekly meetings which
provide the coaching and tools to help people make the positive changes
required to lose weight and keep it off. Weight Watchers also offers two
subscription products for people wanting to follow Weight Watchers online. To
learn more about Weight Watchers services, products and publications, visit
http://www.WeightWatchers.com. To find the nearest Weight Watchers meeting
location, call 1-800-651-6000 or click on the Find a Meeting link at the top
of our homepage.
PR Contact: Randi Stark, Ruder Finn, 212-593-6383, starkr@ruderfinn.com
|
