A New Approach

A New Approach
Article By: WeightWatchers.com



There are years of science behind the new Weight Watchers program. Our chief scientific officer, Karen Miller-Kovach, MBA, MS, RD, gives the scoop on why we changed an already successful program.



The story of the new Weight Watchers program really begins four years ago. Karen Miller-Kovach and her team were looking at the pool of research on how calories from protein, carbs, fiber, and fat provide satisfaction and are processed by the body. Based on that data, Weight Watchers developed its new program. The program was thoroughly tested in scientifically supervised trials — at various locations including Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) — starting in 2007. Here, Miller-Kovach answers our questions about the whole process.

Q: The POINTS® Weight-Loss System has helped many people. Why change it?
A: At the time we developed that Plan, in the mid-1990s, it reflected the latest scientific thinking. Since then, we’ve seen many advances in the science of weight management — the new program reflects that.

Q: If you were confident the new eating plan would work, why go to the trouble of testing it?
A: Well, Weight Watchers is a science-based company, and we stand behind our claims. It’s very important to have the trust of our members, so we provide programs that are proven to work in a valid and reliable way.

Q: How did you create the MUSC study? Is there some scientific standard?
A: We designed what is called a “randomized clinical trial,” which is the gold standard. You test two different systems at the same time, under identical conditions, with participants randomly assigned to one or the other.

Q: What did you look for in choosing participants?
A: Healthy adults who wanted, and needed, to lose weight — though they couldn’t have been on a weight-loss program at the time or recently, nor could they be on medications that affected weight. They also agreed to attend a weekly meeting at the research center for the 12 weeks of the study.

Q: How did you ensure that the trial was truly independent and the results accurate?
A: The weight-management research team at MUSC is very experienced. They designed the trial, recruited participants, and analyzed the results. Weight Watchers had no access to participants or data at all during the trial.

Q: What were the results?
A: In addition to weight loss, we found an improvement in behaviors that help people maintain weight loss and a reduction in the desire to eat when there’s no physical hunger or need for food. So the new program proved itself!