Эволюция Weight Watchers: от диет к оздоровлению и велнесу.

American Health and Weight Loss Firm
the company

In April of 2014, Tech Crunch leaked Weight Watchers was in talks to acquire virtual fitness training startup Wello. Weight Watchers confirmed the acquisition the following month, which spurred a series of acquisitions in the digital therapeutics space. One year later, in April and May of 2015, Weight Watchers also acquired 5 minute fitness app Hot 5 and the online community and "selfie startup" Weilos. Features of Weilos would later be relaunched as Weight Watcher's Connect product, an online community in app and on the web. In October 2015, Oprah Winfrey partnered with Weight Watchers. Winfrey bought a 10% stake in the company, became its spokesperson, joined its board of directors, and lost weight on the program, plus she helped launch a new holistic lifestyle and fitness program called "Beyond the Scale". The late 2015 Oprah effect did not prevent a subsequent downward trend in 2016, largely attributed to challenges from Nutrisystem and the proliferation of free apps and websites aimed at helping people manage their weight, but linked also by some, to a faulty initial tech rollout of the new program's app. CEO James Chambers resigned on September 30, 2016. He was replaced as CEO in July 2017 by Mindy Grossman, who had played a role in growing digital sales revenue for HSN. In December 2017, the company introduced WW Freestyle (called WW Flex outside the U. S.), which allows people to carry over unused "SmartPoints" through the week, and lists more than 200 zero points foods, including various lean proteins, that do not need to be tracked. In February 2018 CEO Grossman announced a new direction and purpose for the company: to move beyond mere dieting to being a "partner in health and wellness" and inspiring healthy habits for real life. Subscriptions to Weight Watchers rebounded significantly by mid 2018, credited to Winfrey's influence and to Grossman's tri fold efforts of revamping the program, improving tech offerings, and giving the company a more broad based appeal. In September 2018, the company re branded itself WW International, Inc., as it shifted its focus more broadly to overall health and wellness, including fitness. and renamed its in person meetings to Wellness Workshops. As part of the rebrand, WW introduced a new program, WellnessWins, that rewarded members for behaviors that encourage healthier habits, which were redeemable for products, services, and experiences. The company also announced Connect, a digital community, which would include micro community Groups. WW's app was configured to help people track health related goals. plus a variety of purchasable products, media, services, and technologies. Its brand identity has been framed around Weight Watchers being a community, and its website is intrinsic to its effectiveness. and its dietary plans emphasize fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and foods high in whole grains and low in trans fats. As of 2019, the program offered weight loss support via the app and website, in person workshops and personal coaching. The company provides a weight management program (myWW+) and a food plan (SmartPoints); customers can participate in the program via in person group meetings and/or digitally, and are provided with individualized information, support, and coaching. It sells its own bars and snacks, and licenses the Weight Watchers trademark to a variety of prepared foods, beverages, and other products and services. It was based around lean meat, fish, skim milk, and fruits and vegetables, and it banned alcohol, sweets, and fatty foods. and was more structured than subsequent versions of the Weight Watchers program. It recommended weighing food portions, and prohibited skipping meals or counting calories. In 1979 Weight Watchers introduced PepStep (or Personal Exercise Plan), a walking or stair climbing exercise program to benefit members' weight loss, developed by a doctor specializing in exercise and cardiac rehabilitation. With this additional element Weight Watchers became one of the first weight loss companies, along with the Pritikin program, to promote the importance of regular exercise. By 1980, the company expanded its dietary plan to allow for substitutions and more flexibility. It introduced three routines: a "full choice" plan with the most options; a "limited choice" plan with fewer options and less leeway; and a "no choice" plan with no substitutions and no options, which was the most calorie restrictive and was to be followed for no more than two weeks. In 1984 the company added Quick Start, which was a more spartan, temporary eating plan designed to produce faster, motivation boosting weight loss in the first few weeks of the program. It was the company's first exchange based diet, where foods within categories could be exchanged for each other. In 1984 Weight Watchers also launched its At Work program, held for groups of 15 or more in office places, for people who were otherwise unable to attend community meetings. The meetings are held either before work, during the lunch break, or after work, and the fees are usually subsidized by the employer. In 1988, Weight Watchers launched the Quick Success program, a plan that was easier and more flexible, particularly for working women. It also allowed for a lacto ovo vegetarian diet, and increased the minimum daily vegetable intake from two to three. In 2004, Weight Watchers launched the Turn Around program, The Flex Plan option allowed dieters to eat anything they wanted as long as they stayed within their points allowance; activity points could be earned by exercise. The Core Plan option (later known as "Simply Filling") dispensed with points entirely and included a list of foods that could be eaten "until satisfied", and a list of foods to be avoided. In late 2010 Weight Watchers overhauled its POINTS system and replaced it with PointsPlus (ProPoints outside the U. S.);
In September 2014, Weight Watchers began syncing its apps with wearable fitness monitors such as Fitbit and Jawbone, so that the activity of members who own those devices is instantly uploaded and tracked and converted to points. In December 2014, Weight Watchers launched two new services: Personal Coaching and 24/7 Expert Chat. In December 2015 the company rolled out a new holistic lifestyle and fitness program called "Beyond the Scale". The program uses SmartPoints, an updating of the points system which takes into consideration the nutritional value of a food, and helps steer people away from junk foods, sugar, and saturated fat. In December 2017, Weight Watchers introduced WW Freestyle (called WW Flex outside the U. S.),

As of July 2018, Weight Watchers was the most widely used commercial diet in the world. Weight Watchers has been included in U. S. News & World Reports rankings for 40 most popular diets and has also been listed as No.1 for weight loss and best commercial diets. Some therapists have said that focusing on counting calories or points, as promoted by WW, can lead to a disordered relationship with food and hunger. as of late 2018 Weight Watchers has removed all artificial sweeteners, flavors, colors, and preservatives from products carrying the company's name, and dropped or reformulated most of the food products it once produced. In August 2019, WW released Kurbo by WW, a weight management and health app directed at children and teenagers. It has been criticized by some experts on nutrition and eating disorders for encouraging dieting in children as young as 8. Christy Harrison, a registered dietician, wrote in the New York Times, "programs like this are fertile ground for disordered eating" and that efforts to lose weight "are especially troubling when imposed on children who aren't in a position to make their own choices and who haven't had the opportunity to develop a peaceful relationship with food and their bodies." However, an article in the journal Childhood Obesity concluded that it could be "part of the piece of the puzzle to improving health in youth", despite the authors' concerns with the marketing of the app emphasizing weight loss. An uncontrolled three month study of the app used by children between 8 and 17 said that it was "highly effective" based on an average reduction in of 0.26, and a survey of weight management apps published in JMIR mHealth and noted that of their list, only Kurbo involved health care professionals in its development. As a result of the release of Kurbo by WW, WW's corporate headquarters in New York City were protested on September 13, 2019, and as of September 2019 a change. org petition asking Weight Watchers to "remove your weight loss app for kids" had over 110,000 signatures.

Weight Watchers' founder Jean Nidetch was the company's President from 1963–1973. having previously been its President. David Kirchhoff 2007–2013; Jim Chambers 2013–2016; and Mindy Grossman 2017–present. In February 2024, she announced that she was leaving WW and would be donating her shares of stock to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Founder Jean Nidetch was the company's public face and spokesperson from its launch in 1963 through 1983. Subsequent spokespersons have included: Lynn Redgrave (1983–1992), Kathleen Sullivan (1994–1995), Sarah, Duchess of York (1997–2007), Greg Grunberg (2007), Tamela Mann (2008–present), Jenny McCarthy (2009), Jennifer Hudson (2010–2014), Charles Barkley (2011–2014), Jessica Simpson (2012–2014), Oprah Winfrey (2015–2024), DJ Khaled (2018–present), Kate Hudson (2018–present), Kevin Smith (2018–present), and James Corden (2021–2023).