Scientists have long known that calorie control is at the core of weight loss. While we are seemingly introduced to new crackpot diets every week, the fundamentals of weight loss are already very well known. While science continues to advance and new findings add new depth to our knowledge, we already have a good idea of the methods that help us lose weight and keep it off. But is it worth picking up a Weight Watchers promotion code and getting started?
Our body is like a machine, and machines need energy. When we give our body too much energy, by eating too many calories, our body tucks away the excess energy and holds onto it in the form of fat. When we limit our calorie intake, our body goes to the fat that's tucked away and pulls on that reserve. The fat itself takes energy to maintain. That's why, the heavier you are, the easier it is to lose weight.
The science around weight loss is already very accurate. You can take someone's measurements and get a good sense of the amount of calories they need to maintain their weight. Of course, this varies depending on exercise, and exercise levels are difficult to measure. If you manage to save 3,500 calories, you will lose 1 pound in weight. So, if you cut your number of calories by 500 a day, you will lose 1 pound a week. But as you lose more and more weight, your maintenance amount will decrease.
Not believing in these fundamentals is sort of like not believing in the curvature of the earth. There are mountains of clinical studies – conducted over decades – that show this to be an indisputable truth. Weight Watchers' system is based on attributing points to different foods based on their calorie content. In the end, it's a calorie-controlled diet, and these are proven to work. And, with a Weight Watchers promotion code, it's going to be much cheaper than your typical diet as well.
The great thing about Weight Watchers is that it gets rids of much of the hassle around counting calories. It's a bit like learning that you only need to remove the last 0 to divide by 10. It makes it easier to count your calories, and watch your weight, but calorie control is still calorie control, no matter what name you give it.
The Weight Watchers 360° Program is a great advancement that moves beyond calorie counting and into the psychology that so often holds back our weight loss progress. The thinking behind the program is explained by Weight Watchers' Chief Scientific Officer, Karen Miller Kovach, on the company website.
"We've made some big - but simple - changes based on new, breakthrough research. Among other things, this research has uncovered that food consumption can be physiologically driven by simply seeing, thinking about or smelling highly palatable foods - that is, foods that are most often high in sugar and/or fat. That's called 'hedonic hunger,' and it helps us look at weight loss in a whole new way."
