The pros and cons of Weight Watchers, according to medical professionals (2024)

• Doctors say Weight Watchers works because it focuses on real nutritional properties, like calories, sugar, and fat.
• It is still possible, however, to have an overall unhealthy diet on Weight Watchers.
• The flexibility of the program may help some people incorporate it into their lives, but may not be specific enough to work for others.

Long before the paleo, keto, and South Beach, there was Weight Watchers. Founded in 1963, Weight Watchers has outlasted tons of fad diets and is still a popular program. (Not to mention it's a multi-million dollar company.)

The program works, essentially, by translating calories, saturated fat, sugar, and proteins into a simplified "points" system, encouraging participants to choose more nutritious foods, control portions, and create a calorie deficit.

We asked a number of doctors and nutritionists for their professional opinions on Weight Watchers, and it turns out there are definite pros and cons to the program. Read on to find out what the experts want you to know before signing up for Weight Watchers.

Pro: There's no junk science or magic cures

Dr.Dennis Gage, MD, FACP of Park Avenue Endocrinology and Nutritionsays he appreciates that Weight Watchers is "realistic."

"They don't use nonsense diets with just vitamins, injections, or dangerous things that could get a person into trouble," he said. "It does work when you follow it."

The program focuses on diet and exercise, not any miracle product or extreme regimen. And, although the science of health is always updating, the benefits of monitoring what Weight Watchers controls for (calories, sugar, etc.) have been well-supported supported.

"Although the Weight Watchers program has undergone revisions and updates throughout the years to stay current with nutrition trends and research, the basic premise has remained the same – a focus on healthy food choices, portion control, physical activity, nutrition education and community support – all of which promote positive lifestyle change," Perri Halperin, a registered dietitian at Mount Sinai Hospital told INSIDER.

Con: Weight regain is a risk, just like any diet

"Someone might do Weight Watchers and they typically do well for a number of months, but only 11% are successful" in not regaining a significant amount of their body weight, according to Gage.

He was careful to note, however, that this is not unique to Weight Watchers. As with any diet program, progress is highly likely to be lost if a person's eating habits are not changed permanently.

Pro: The social aspect can help a person stay on track

Gage highlighted the meetings and coaching Weight Watchers offers as a positive.

"It meets weekly, so there's face-to-face contact with the coach," he said, noting that human contact can help with accountability and encourage participants to stick with it. If you're thinking of signing up for Weight Watchers, it could be worth your while to make in-person meetings part of your plan.

Con: The program is facilitated by coaches, not medical professionals

"It's not a physician-run organization — you have coaches," Gage said. For someone who wants real bang for their buck, they're going to want a nutritionist or dietitian.

He added that there are many pros to working with a medical professional, like the ability to provide broader-spectrum care, the authority to prescribe medication if applicable, and more tools for keeping patients on track.

Gage's practice, for instance, uses an app that alerts doctors right away if patients start to gain weight again, so they can address it right away. You can end your Weight Watchers subscription, but ultimately it's harder to ghost a doctor.

Pro: Weight Watchers focuses more on flexibility than restriction

Registered dietitianLisa Moskovitz of New York Nutrition Group says that, in her opinion, "compared with many other popular diets circulating the media, Weight Watchers is superior in that it allows flexibility and encourages followers to eat plenty of plant-based [food like] fruits and vegetables."

The program focuses on the healthy things you can eat rather than the unhealthy things you should cut out, and teaches healthy eating skills, like portion control, that remain useful even if you end your membership. Laura Manning, a registered dietitian at Mount Sinai, says she has had great success using Weight Watchers to educate patients about lifelong food habits.

"With the widespread availability of prepared foods, it can be difficult for a dieter to gauge the right portion size as these meals can be substantial, to say the least," she told INSIDER. So Weight Watchers provides a "model for better understanding portion control for weight loss and lifelong weight maintenance."

Con: That lack of specificity may not work for everyone

"For some, the plan can be too lenient and does not require a balance of different food groups every day," Moskovitz told INSIDER. So while the plan may encourage you to eat well, it's possible to still eat a lot of processed, low-nutrient food without technically exceeding your allotted points.

"Many Weight Watcher followers often rely way too much on their meals and food products which can prevent them from eating more whole plant-based foods instead," Moskovitz said.

Furthermore, people who have specific health concerns to address may need more guidance than the program, and its non-physician coaches, can provide.

"Just relying on a point system may not be enough for those who need more specific guidelines or who have to worry about blood sugars or cholesterol levels," Moskovitz said.

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