Weight Watchers began in the early sixties. That's right. While flower power and war protests shared headlines, (and diet drugs were on nearly every housewife's shelf), a woman named Jean Nidetch began meeting with her neighbors to discuss the role nutrition played in a healthy lifestyle. From these meetings Weight Watchers was developed. Its primary role has always been to provide support, motivation and nutrition education that would lead to permanent lifestyle changes for its members. Over the years, these knowledge-based meetings have undergone refinement. Nowadays, Weight Watchers, convinced that there are four components necessary to obtaining permanent weight loss, behavior, food, support and exercise, base their entire program on these elements.

Additionally, Weight Watchers offers two approaches when helping you develop a plan concerning the food part of the equation. The first is the point system, wherein, according to each food's calories, nutrients, digestion time and amount of fat, it is assigned a number of points. By knowing what your point limit is each day, you can eat anything you want until your total points are accumulated. The reason this works is because fats, naturally, hold a higher point value than, say, carrots. Thus, if you were to eat sour cream on your eggs, full-fat yogurt for lunch and a fat-leaden piece of meat for dinner, you would not have room for that soup or bread that sounds so good.

Although this approach has provided positive results for years, there were many among its membership who wanted to learn the "science" (nutritional composition), behind dieting tactics. For those individuals, Weight Watchers devised a newer approach, called "The Core Plan." This method utilizes high energy foods that help you feel full longer, while providing plenty of nutrition. This plan restricts certain foods, except, that is, when having a daily treat, a special night on the town or planning for a special occasion.

The most important component built into the two food programs is flexibility. Scientists who have joined the program and the original founders agree: Many diets fail because they restrict too many foods. This is not so with Weight Watchers.

Thus, when combined with weekly meetings that encourage exercise, address cravings, discuss behavior and educate members about the role nutrients play in their lives, Weight Watchers continues to offer success. Additionally, with more than 1500 recipes online, (and many more recipes continually being contributed by members), participants should be able to provide nutritious meals for both themselves and their families.

In an effort to retain and share the incredible amount of scientific data accumulated during the past sixty years, Weight Watchers' Web site is full of useful information. By using their search engine and message boards, you can participate in discussions about seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables, locate recipes that contain instructions about cooking for optimum nutrition, read explanations about why some previously-forbidden foods are necessary to your diet, check the subject of the next meeting, find a meeting in your area, or just log on for encouragement. Clients applaud Weight Watchers for their continued efforts and support.