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Weight Watchers is an international company that offers diet plans and products to customers, and bases weight loss on the concept of allotting points for food. The system is designed with the idea that each portion of food is assigned points for the types of calories it contains. A meal low in fat and high in protein would be assigned lower points, while one higher in fat would be assigned higher points. The idea is to reach a balance of nutrition while not exceeding daily maximum points. To work out your Weight Watchers daily points allowance, use the following steps. [1] X Research source
Steps
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Determine your baseline. Weight Watchers calculates a base for you to begin with. This base starts with your gender.
- Males: Allow yourself 8 points.
- Females: Allow yourself 2 points.
- Nursing females: Give yourself 10 points to account for the extra calories needed to sustain your child.
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Account for your age. As we get older, our metabolism slows down. To account for this, Weight Watchers factors the age difference of clients into the total allowance.
- Ages 17 to 26: Add 4 points.
- Ages 27 to 37: Add 3 points.
- Ages 38 to 47: Add 2 points.
- Ages 48 and 57: Add 1 point.
- Age 58 and older: Add 0 points.
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Consider your level of activity or exercise. How much and with what intensity you exercise has a huge difference on how many calories we burn. Factor your level of exercise into your ProPoints allowance.
- Heavy exercise (such as working out more than 30 minutes per day or doing manual labor each day): Add 6 points
- Moderately activity (such as walking throughout the workplace all day or doing 30 minutes of exercise daily): Add 4 points.
- Low activity (such as standing or moving throughout an office): Add 2 points.
- Inactivity: Add 0 points.
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Add your height to your base and age points. Much like calculating BMI, this will allow you to reach your total points once weight is added as well.
- 155 cm (5 feet, 1 inch) and shorter: Add 0 points.
- 155 cm (5 feet, 1 inch) to 178 cm (5 feet, 10 inches): Add 1 point.
- 178 cm (5 feet, 10 inches) and taller: Add 2 points.
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Calculate points for your weight. These will be added to the base, activity, age and height calculations. Take 10 percent of your body weight and add this number to your totals.
- For example, someone who weighs 160 pounds takes 10% of 160, or 16, and adds that to their total.
- Someone who weighs 200 pounds, for example, would take 20 and add that to their total.
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Calculate along with this example. You are a 29-year-old female who is nursing. You weigh 175 pounds and are 5'6". You do a moderate amount of daily physical exercise. What is your allowance?
- To add up:
- Female, nursing: 10 points
- 29 years old: 3 points
- Moderately active: 4 points
- 5'6" height: 1 point
- 175 pounds: 17 points
- 10 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 17 = 35 ProPoints
- To add up:
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Calculate along with this example. You are a 35-year-old male. You weigh 243 pounds and are 6'1". You are inactive. What is your allowance?
- To add up:
- Male: 8 points
- 35 years old: 3 points
- Inactivity: 0 points
- 6'1" height: 2 points
- 243 pounds: 24 points
- 8 + 3 + 0 + 2 + 24 = 37 ProPoints
- To add up:
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Expert Q&A
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QuestionDoes a Weight Watcher diet provide enough nutrients?John Diaz is a personal trainer and exercise professional with over 35 years of experience, based in Los Angeles, CA. John was first certified as a personal trainer in 1984 and later in 1989 co-founded Ultimate Health Medical Exercise Center with his sister Joanne. He creates prescriptive exercise programs designed specifically for his clients’ needs ranging from chronic pain relief, sports injury recovery, weight loss goals, and more. John has a degree in Exercise Science, is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine, and is certified through the National Federation of Personal Trainers (NFPT). He also holds a 2nd degree Black Belt in martial arts and is a certified self-defense instructor.The Weight Watchers program has come a long way since its early days, but whether it provides enough nutrients depends on how you use it. Initially, the point system was a bit flawed—it treated all foods with the same points, whether they were healthy carbs or sugary treats. This means that some people weren't making the best choices nutritionally. Plus, their protein intake was often too low, which is crucial for maintaining muscle and feeling full. These days, the program has evolved, and the point system now rewards healthier food choices differently. It’s designed to guide people toward more nutrient-dense options, which helps create more balanced meals. One of the biggest benefits of Weight Watchers is the community support; having people to share the journey with makes it easier to stay motivated and on track. That said, while Weight Watchers can work for some, you might still need to tweak your diet to meet your specific nutritional needs. For example, if you find you’re not getting enough protein or other vital nutrients, you can adjust the plan to suit your needs. Remember that our bodies are different, so it’s always a good idea to check if the program aligns with your goals and dietary needs.
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Tips
- The ProPoints Plan allows for flexible points of up to 49 per week. Flex points are designed to allow you more freedom in your calorie consumption. For instance, if you have given yourself more activity points on a certain day, you may add flex points for food, but not to exceed 49 in a week's time. You may also use flex points for situations such as dining out. Asses your flex points daily and decide if you need to use them that day, but realize that flex points can't be rolled over to the following week.Thanks
- Weight Watchers recommends that you do not consume less than 26 points per day on the ProPoints plan in order to receive enough nourishmentThanks
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Reader Success Stories
- "WW ProPoints was the best diet ever. When they stopped it- and introduced Smart Points- I gained weight again.I have been searching for information on the old propoints- and found what I wanted! Thank you." ..." more
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