WeightWatchers 2008 Annual Report Download - page 15

of overweight and obese people has steadily increased around the world over the past 20 years and is estimated at
approximately 1.6 billion in 2005, primarily driven by improving living standards and changing eating patterns,
along with increasingly sedentary lifestyles. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
between 2003 and 2004, 66% of Americans over the age of 19 were considered overweight and almost half of
these were obese; similar research conducted between 2005 and 2006 indicated no statistically significant change
in the reported obesity rate. Numerous diseases, including heart disease, high blood pressure and Type II
diabetes, are associated with being overweight or obese. We believe the growing population of overweight
people who are motivated by both an increasing awareness of the health benefits of weight loss and the desire to
improve their appearance is fueling the growth in demand for weight management programs. This growth and
awareness is also a result of an increasing willingness of employers and governments to promote and contribute
towards the cost of weight management programs.
Our Services and Products
Our Weight Management Plans
In each of our markets, we offer services and products that are built upon weight management plans tailored
to local tastes and habits. These weight management plans are comprised of a range of nutritional, exercise and
behavioral tools and approaches. For instance, at the end of 2008, we began offering the Momentum program in
the United States and Canada. Momentum is an innovative, new plan developed from a combination of the latest
scientific research and insights of customers who have succeeded on prior Weight Watchers plans, such as the
Flex Plan and the Core Plan. The Momentum program is based on the POINTS Weight Loss System, where each
food has a POINTS value determined by a patented formula based on the food’s calories, fat and dietary fiber.
Subject to certain nutritional guidelines, consumers following the Momentum program can eat any food as long
as their total food consumption stays within their “POINTS budget” for the week. Since nutritious foods
generally have low POINTS values, this approach guides consumers toward healthier eating habits. Under the
Momentum program, consumers are taught different techniques shown to help them in their weight loss efforts,
such as being encouraged to choose specified “Filling Foods” as part of their daily POINTS Target to keep
hunger at bay. These “Filling Foods” are scientifically proven to help keep people feeling fuller longer because
they are low in calories, but contain more water, air or fiber per serving, relative to the food’s weight.
Our Meetings
Clinical studies have shown that consumers who attend Weight Watchers meetings are likely to lose more
weight than those who diet on their own. Our group support system remains the cornerstone of our meetings.
Members provide each other support by sharing their experiences and by providing encouragement and empathy
with other people experiencing similar weight management challenges. This group support provides the
reassurance that no one must overcome their weight management challenge alone. Group support assists
members in dealing with issues such as emotional eating and finding time to exercise. We facilitate this support
through interactive meetings that encourage learning through group activities and discussions.
We present our program in a series of weekly meetings of approximately one hour in duration. Meetings are
conveniently scheduled throughout the day. Typically, we hold meetings in either meeting rooms rented from
civic or other community organizations or in leased locations.
In our meetings, our leaders present our program that combines group support and education with a
structured approach to food, activity and lifestyle modification developed by credentialed weight management
experts. Our more than 16,000 leaders run our meetings and educate members on the Weight Watchers method of
successful and sustained weight management. Our leaders also provide inspiration and motivation for our
members and are examples of our program’s effectiveness because they have lost weight and maintained their
weight loss on our program.
Meetings typically begin with registration and a confidential weigh-in to track each member’s progress.
Leaders and receptionists are trained to engage the members at the weigh-in to talk about their weight
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