The Four Pillars: Behavior
By The Weight Watchers Research Dept. | 1/1/2005


Making changes in behavior is really at the heart of sustained weight loss, but it does not just happen. There are two specific components of behavior change that are key components of Weight Watchers: self-monitoring and cognitive skills (cognitive is a scientific term that means how you think).

There are two important pieces to self-monitoring – having a way to maintain awareness about what is being done and including a method to assess weight-loss progress. The Weight Watchers approach includes both.

Two Approaches To Self-Monitoring
Monitoring eating behavior on Weight Watchers differs for each food plan. Because the Flex Plan requires tracking POINTS® values to reach the daily POINTS Target, the QuikTrak™ System was developed and is included in the program materials provided as part of each weekly Meeting. This System includes a flexible, easy-to-use journal where the specific food choices can be recorded or, if desired, a simple check-off method to count down the POINTS values as they are used is provided. Similarly, subscribers to the Weigh****chers.com Web site can maintain an online journal and use the POINTS Tracker online tool to search and record the POINTS values for specific foods.

The Core Plan does not require counting POINTS values, but rather focuses on eating as much as is needed to feel satisfied from a core list of wholesome, nutritious foods. The self-monitoring method for the Core Plan involves using a Comfort Zone scale to assess hunger and fullness on an ongoing basis. While the approaches are different, both the Flex Plan and the Core Plan include self-monitoring to keep awareness of food choices high, a key component to sustained weight loss.

Weight and Accountability
Fundamental to the Weight Watchers Meeting experience is a weekly weigh-in to track Members' progress. The weigh-in is confidential and done by a trained Weight Watchers staff member. Weight information is never shared outside the weigh-in. Many people find the accountability of being weighed by another person helpful to their weight-loss efforts and the structure of going to a Weight Watchers Meeting each week is a way to keep commitment strong. Web site subscribers can chart their progress online with the Weight Tracker feature, which delivers a visual representation of their weight-loss progress and milestones.

Weight Watchers recommends that weight be taken only once a week during the weight-loss process, preferably in a consistent way (time of day, day of week, etc.) to avoid putting too much emphasis on the erratic scale as a measure of progress.

Regular weighing is also a key factor in sustained weight loss. Weight Watchers has a unique system to encourage this behavior for people who have reached their weight goal by attending weekly Meetings. Weight Watchers Meetings Members who reach a healthy body weight (defined as a Body Mass Index between 20 and 25 or a weight goal prescribed by a qualified health professional) and successfully complete the six-week weight maintenance phase of the program become a Lifetime Member (LTM) of Weight Watchers.

People who are LTMs are asked to weigh in once a month at a Weight Watchers Meeting. When the LTM weighs in within two pounds of his or her goal weight, he or she can attend Weight Watchers Meetings anywhere in the world at no cost for that month. This unique system allows Weight Watchers to provide to its Members two of the elements that are predictive of sustained weight loss in the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, including monitoring weight and continued contact with those who were part of the weight-loss process.

In addition to monitoring, a series of specific techniques are taught that enhance cognitive behavior or thinking skills. Called the Weight Watchers Tools for Living, the techniques are proven strategies that restructure internal thought processes in a way that enhances the ability to make long-term positive changes. The techniques, which include Tools like Motivating Strategy and Storyboarding, enable a person to interact and thrive in the weight-challenging situations and social interactions that make up daily life.