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The Four Pillars: Food
By The Weight Watchers Research Dept. |
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It is often said that different paths can lead to the same destination and nowhere is that more true than eating for healthy weight loss.
Each person is unique when it comes to having foods that provide eating satisfaction, preferred meals, times of day to eat, and 'style' of making food choices for sustained weight loss. Weight loss success depends on finding a method that fits within one's lifestyle and preferences. The Discover Plan™ – the Weight Watchers food plan - is designed to make this happen.
The Discover Plan is built on a proven method for weight loss success: burn more calories than you take in. It was created to teach you the fundamentals of weight loss and guide you toward healthy foods that will help to keep you satisfied for longer. With greater satisfaction and the ability to build a plan that fits your life, you will be more likely to achieve lasting weight loss.
Here is a snapshot of the Discover Plan and the approach it is based on:
The Discover Plan is based on Weight Watchers patented POINTS® Food System that helps you evaluate the weight loss impact of foods. Every food has a POINTS value – a small, easy to remember number (e.g, 1, 2, 3). The number is based on the calories (kcal), and grams of saturated fat of a specific portion of the food. The system does not require exact weighing and measuring, but instead encourages people to focus on the bigger picture by building awareness of the food choices they make and eating reasonable portions.
This plan also encourages the selection of Filling Foods to help keep you satisfied for longer. The Filling Foods are a list of foods comprised from all the food groups: fruits and vegetables; grains and starches; lean meats, fish and poultry: eggs, and dairy products. We pre-selected these foods because they provide eating satisfaction and fill you up without the empty calories. They are low in energy density and have a low potential for overeating based on our research.
Flexible Restraint
Developing the skill of flexible restraint, which is the ability to put a moderate level of control on your eating, is important to weight loss success. The key is to find the balance between control and flexibility in an eating plan that is not so rigid that it is impossible to stick with.
When following the Discover Plan there are some fundamental food choices essential for good health and nutrition which Weight Watchers covers in The Good Health Guidelines:
- Aim for at least 5 portions of different fruit and vegetables a day.
- Aim for 2 portions of milk and dairy every day – choose low fat varieties.
- Aim for 1-2 portions of lean proteins a day.
- Aim to base at least half your daily intake of bread, cereal, rice and pasta on wholegrain varieties.
- Aim for at least six 8oz glasses or 1.2 litres fluid every day.
- Aim to exercise for 30 minutes at least 5 times a week.
- Reduce your intake of salt.
- Limit your intake of sugar and alcohol.
Finding an eating approach that works is key to weight loss success. The Weight Watchers food plan is designed to reach the objective of a healthy weight loss, but do so by empowering the person to make food choices in a way that suits his or her preferences and lifestyle.
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