SMART POINTS FAQs This document is a reference for you to answer any questions you may have about the new SmartPoints plan. Please do not share information with Members until the plan is available to the public. 1. Why are we changing the PointsPlus plan? a. We know that your overall pattern of eating is crucial to promoting and sustaining lasting weight loss. We have simply gotten more specific in how we calculate the points values of foods. SmartPoints allows us to go beyond the scale by better guiding our Members towards a healthier pattern of eating while also producing weight loss. b. The PointsPlus formula was a better version of calories because it took into account how the body metabolizes the different macronutrients, but it had the same limitation as calories where it focused on the impact of food on weight instead of taking a broader perspective on how food impacts your health and well-being along with your weight. For example, with PointsPlus, saturated fat, which is not healthy, is treated the same as omega-3s and monounsaturated fats, which we know are beneficial. SmartPoints steers you towards the good fats. The same happens with sugar and refined carbs versus nutrient-dense and high-fiber complex carbs. SmartPoints guides you away from the less-healthy carbohydrate sources that have excess sugar while steering you towards the better-for-you carbs like fruits and vegetables. 2. How exactly is the formula changing? a. The new SmartPoints formula takes our strongest stance ever on nudging people to eat healthier while supporting weight loss. To accomplish this, the new formula is no longer based on grams of carbohydrate, fat, protein and fiber. To better differentiate how certain nutrients are better than others, we now use calories as a starting point and focus on the type of carbohydrates, specifically sugar, the type of fat, specifically saturated fat, as well as protein. b. Although PointsPlus didn t include calories in the formula, it ended up being very close to a simple calorie formula because it was designed primarily to promote weight loss. SmartPoints looks beyond the scale to promote overall health and well-being. By raising the points value of foods that are higher in sugar and saturated fat while lowering the points value of foods with more protein, the formula not only supports weight loss, but also nudges Members toward an overall healthier pattern of eating. 3. Why sugar and not specifically added sugar? a. Current regulations do not require added sugar to be listed on Nutrition Facts labels. The SmartPoints plan was designed to be used in the real world with current Nutrition Facts labels. If labeling requirements adjust, we would be among the first to consider making an adjustment at that time. Until then, the SmartPoints plan guides Members away from a dietary pattern high in sugar while promoting the consumption of fruits and vegetables, which remain zero SmartPoints value and contain naturally occurring sugar. 4. How can fruits, which are high in sugar, remain zero points, but other sugar is heavily penalized? a. The naturally occurring sugars in fruits and vegetables are paired with naturally occurring fiber, vitamins and minerals, which all contribute to a healthy and balanced diet. Fruits and vegetables carry many health benefits. By bringing the attention to the amount of sugars in other foods, we can help our Members to limit their sugar intake in food categories that do not provide healthful nutrients.
5. While we re steering Members away from sugar-rich foods, how about sugar-free products? a. The majority of evidence indicates no adverse effects associated with the consumption of sugar substitutes; therefore we will neither promote nor discourage their use. Some Members may choose to avoid them while others may find them useful. 6. Are we changing the Daily Points Target (DPT) and the Weekly Points Allowance (WPA)? a. Yes. The Daily Points Target is now based on a more accurate estimate of the energy requirements of people who are overweight. In calculating the Weekly Points Allowance, we will now take into account one s age, height, weight and gender, so it s the first time that both the Daily Points Target and Weekly Points Allowances will be customized to the individual based on their initial Assessment. The minimum for Daily SmartPoints Target is 30, with no set maximum. 7. What kinds of foods does the new formula nudge people towards? a. With SmartPoints, people can continue to enjoy their favorite foods while being nudged towards healthier choices, including more fruits, vegetables and lean proteins. 8. Which foods are now higher in points than they were before? a. Around half of foods will see no change in points values. Now that saturated fat and sugar play a bigger role, foods like pastries, sugar-sweetened beverages and fried foods will be higher in SmartPoints values. Conversely, lean proteins and foods lower in saturated fat, like chicken breast, salmon, hummus and avocados will be lower in SmartPoints values in comparison to less healthy options on the new plan. 9. With all the Weight Watchers-branded food products that are currently out on shelves in stores the values are now wrong. What will happen to those products? a. We are currently working on new products designed for SmartPoints and will share news about those developments when they re available. That said, Members can use the nutrition labels on any Weight Watchers or Weight Watchers-endorsed product to calculate the SmartPoints value. 10. If this plan is supposed to nudge me towards the healthiest foods, then why might I sometimes find that a packaged food product with a long list of ingredients and additives, like a fat-free snack bar or sugarfree pudding, that is the same or lower points values than a healthier, more wholesome and plant-based food like avocado, nuts, nut butters, seeds or beans? a. SmartPoints first uses calories as the baseline to understand the energy that food provides. Foods that are naturally higher in fat, like avocado, nuts, seeds, full-fat milk, butter and lard will be higher in calories. Similarly, foods that are higher in calories but not as high in protein as lean meats, for example, may be higher in SmartPoints than some processed foods listed above. b. When comparing two foods in the fat category, we see the beauty of what SmartPoints tells us: - 3 slices bacon = 5 SmartPoints vs. 1/8 avocado = 1 SmartPoint - 1 tsp butter = 2 SmartPoints vs. 1/8 avocado = 1 SmartPoint - 1 Tbsp butter = 5 SmartPoints vs. 1 Tbsp olive oil = 4 SmartPoints - 1 tsp butter = 2 SmartPoints vs. 1 tsp olive oil = 1 SmartPoint c. When comparing two foods in the protein category, we also see how SmartPoints guides us toward healthier options:
- 3 oz untrimmed T-bone steak = 8 SmartPoints vs. ½ cup cooked beans = 3 SmartPoints - 4 pieces fast-food chicken tenders = 5 SmartPoints vs. 3 oz firm tofu = 1 SmartPoint - 3 oz cooked pork belly = 8 SmartPoints vs. ½ cup soybeans in shell (edamame) = 3 SmartPoints 11. Why continue to use a proprietary points formula when we live in a calorie world? a. The simple fact is that calories only tell part of the story. People know that not all calories are created equal. With PointsPlus, we improved on what calories told you but it was still just about promoting weight loss. With SmartPoints, we have gotten much smarter and are delivering a benefit beyond the scale. SmartPoints takes a lot of nutritional complexity and simplifies it into a single number to help people make healthier food choices. We believe those who are looking for a proven partner in helping them to live healthier, fitter lives will find a lot of value not just in SmartPoints, but in the complete experience of Beyond the Scale to help them achieve their overall well-being goals. 12. Does removing fiber from the formula mean we think it s less important now? a. Not at all. SmartPoints encourages the consumption of natural and nutrient dense sources of fiber in vegetables and fruits (0 SmartPoints) acknowledging the importance of fiber to overall health and well-being. Also, we will continue to feature high fiber recipes as well as meal and snack suggestions. While many factors like sodium, fiber, healthy fats and others could be included in the formula, we limited it to four factors to reduce complexity and focus on the most important ones for health and weight loss. 13. What happened to Power Foods and the Good Health Guidelines? a. The new SmartPoints plan allows for the points value of the food to guide you towards healthier choices like Power Foods and those within the Good Health Guidelines. Therefore, to simplify the plan we ve decided to eliminate both Power Foods and the Good Health Guidelines and remain focused on SmartPoints as a single and simple measure that drives both health and weight loss. 14. Are people able to get in enough milk or dairy servings based on guidelines given that the naturallyoccurring sugar in milk is penalized? a. We still encourage the inclusion of fat-free milks and yogurts. Sources that are high in protein, such as fat-free Greek yogurt, may go down in points* in comparison to the old plan. Fat-free milk will stay the same. *Based on ½ cup serving 15. How am I going to be able to eat sweets, especially if my WPA is going down? a. As with the PointsPlus plan, everything is still on the menu and you can choose to incorporate sweets and stay within your Daily Points Target. We know that making room for indulgences is part of what makes the Weight Watchers program sustainable for so many Members and we hope that Members do. Just like with Points Plus, some foods will cost more in terms of points, so those choices should be thoughtful ones and can be effectively balanced with choices of lean proteins, fruits and vegetables. This is the true pattern of eating that allows for the most successful weight losses we have seen in addition to feelings of satiety. 16. As Members go through the transition and may go over their Daily Points Target or Weekly Points Allowance, how can Coaches help people through the all-or-nothing mentality (i.e. I ll just give up because I blew it this week.)?
a. Whenever someone is changing his or her food and fitness behaviors, they may find themselves in an all-or-nothing mentality where they are either on the plan or have fallen off the plan. b. Coaches can help Members to understand that the program allows for indulgences to be enjoyed in the context of an overall healthy pattern of eating and can help them prioritize appropriate portion sizes of foods that are important to them. c. Coaches can also promote strategies that Weight Watchers offers for how to regain control when a Member might feel out of control. The following discussion prompts can be helpful: - If you traveled 99 out of 100 miles to your destination and then took a wrong turn, would you turn around and go all the way back home? The point here is that it s okay to divert from your plan and it doesn t mean you have to give up. Help Members see the benefit in getting right back on plan. - If you break an egg, does that mean you have to break the rest of them? Promote a discussion around how indulging at one moment doesn t mean you have to continue on a cycle of indulging. Treat every meal as if it s a fresh start. - Mention that tracking is an opportunity to regain control. Tracking provides us with information that is neither good nor bad. Removing the emotion from slip ups by reiterating that tracking points provides information and at the end of the day, they are just numbers, can help Members realize they are in control. - Refocus the Member s attention from the moment of overindulgence to the moments that follow, as therein lays the opportunity to get right back on track with a fresh start. - Being on Weight Watchers isn t about finding a cure to food cravings or stifling a preference for sweets and treats. Being on plan is about eating a healthy and balanced diet the majority of the time and being OK with indulging from time to time and getting right back on track. Help the Member realize that his or her focus can be about accepting those moments and moving on. 17. How will we deal with current Members who may feel the plan is less flexible than PointsPlus? a. It s important to note that in early tests done on the SmartPoints plan compared to PointsPlus, people reported that they felt less hungry and more satisfied compared to those on PointsPlus. b. That said, as with any weight loss program, food choices and behaviors will need to change to adopt a healthier pattern of eating. We know that many Members starting PointsPlus also feel the plan is less flexible in comparison to what they were eating prior to joining Weight Watchers. Any change will require some adjustments and thinking through some swaps which we can certainly help them to navigate and make it their own. c. Of course, fruits and vegetables remain zero SmartPoints value, which allows for flexibility and filling in during the transition. We also know that many of our Members shy away from using their Weekly Points. With our new calculation for the Weekly Points, we re able to be more precise in creating the energy deficit and we can be more confident in encouraging Members to use those extra points for flexibility. 18. What do we do if people insist the old plan worked better for them? Can they continue on the old plan? a. We understand that a change in the plan is an adjustment for Members and that it will take time and our support to help them figure out how to make it work best for them. But we re confident that once they ve made it their own, they ll be satisfied with the plan and their results. This change is part of our ongoing commitment to improve our program based on evolving science and changing consumer preferences, so change is necessary and allows us to deliver on our 50-year reputation of translating science to improve the lives of our Members.
We will not continue to support the PointsPlus plan, but we will make every effort to help ease the transition. 19. Will convenience foods still fit within this plan? Will dining out still be possible? a. Absolutely. Following SmartPoints, as with any other weight loss-promoting lifestyle, involves making choices and deciding whether or not a food is worth the points. As always, Weight Watchers promotes a balanced diet and rather than extremes. We acknowledge that programs that limit choices are not sustainable long-term. 20. I have the same DPT and WPA as my neighbor, but I thought these numbers were supposed to be personalized to me. a. The DPT and WPA are calculated to ensure that each Member gets enough energy and nutrients each day. As it was in the previous plan, it is possible that your neighbor may have similar energy needs based on individual variations of the variables age, weight, height and gender.