Weight Watchers works off a point system, where foods are given a certain point value based upon their protein, fat, carbohydrate and fiber content. It is an algorythm they have come up with that gives a food a particular point value.

You are given a total number of points per day to stay within. For example, my current daily point value is 57 55 54, 53, 52, 51, 50, 49 (lowered by 8 points due to weight loss). I need to track and choose the foods I eat on a daily basis to stay at or below 49 points. On top of that, there are an extra 49 points I can use to splurge, have a little something extra, or indulge in some way. That’s quite a few extra points.

For example, if I am going to a friend’s house and they are serving something that ends up putting me at 62 points for the day, that’s no big deal. I would use 10 of the extra points I am allotted for the week.

It is a very flexible system, and it is one of the reasons that I believe anyone can be successful with WW.

Another point of flexibility with their point system is that I can go lighter on points in the early part of the day if I know that something big is coming up that evening. I could do about 20 points through breakfast and lunch, and then do the remaining 29 points at dinner. That would make for a pretty big dinner!

All in all, it is a very simple, yet proven system in which to control portion size and navigate throughout the day. It has to be simple otherwise it wouldn’t work.

Another cool thing I like is that I can calculate points and track points on my phone. The iPhone and Android each have a Weight Watchers app that is an excellent way to track, shop for food, and plan your day. I have an Android phone and the app is not out yet for it. Instead I use the Weight Watchers mobile site where I can still calculate points while shopping at the store and track the food I’ve eaten.

I just punch the totals into my phone if I am away from home, or into the computer if I am at home. It keeps track of my points and what I have done for the day and what I have left over for the week.

So, how did the system come up with me having 49 points? I don’t know. I know it is different for everyone based upon your current weight, age, gender, etc. You can also get more points based upon your activity level. It could be that as I begin to lose more weight that my daily point value will go down. That is something I will have to wait and find out.

I chose to do the online version of Weight Watchers and not the actual meetings. That is one of the purposes of this blog. I know that going to a live meeting can help by having a group of people that you are accountable to, and since I’m not doing that, I started this blog to hopefully build that same kind of community.