I’ve never gone down the Weight Watchers route. Some of my friends, male and female, say it’s the only thing that works for them; I don’t really have an opinion one way or the other.
However, over the weekend a good friend of mine called over, laden down with Weight Watchers snacks. I was cajoled into trying four different products, although I really should have given up after that lemon slice: it tasted like icing sugar mixed with dust. The cream cheese with chives tasted like acid reflux going down the wrong way, while the salt and vinegar crisps were blandly forgettable.
I know that people buy these products because they’re on a diet but still, very understandably, crave cakes and crisps. But surely this just heaps up the pain. There must be some reasonably healthy snacks that don’t taste like they were made by a miserable and hateful old nun, the type who loves to bring misery to happy situations (such as eating cream cheese).
Yesterday, the Guardian reported that Weight Watchers is putting its logo on some McDonalds products in New Zealand, a move which has been met with “outrage” by nutritionists and obesity experts:
McDonald’s New Zealand managing director, Mark Hawthorne, said: “We were able to include some of our most popular items because of the many changes we have made over the years.
“For instance, the switch to a healthier canola blend cooking oil means items such as the Filet-O-Fish and Chicken McNuggets contain 60% less saturated fat than six years ago.
Chris Stirk, Weight Watchers’ director of business in Australia and New Zealand, said the partnership between the companies reflected “part of our philosophy that you can enjoy life … while still achieving your weight loss goals”.
But nutritionists and obesity experts said the menu items were a marketing ploy to lure customers into the restaurant. “It’s all about sales,” said Jane Martin, senior adviser of Australia’s Obesity Policy Coalition. “It implies this food is healthy … when often it is high in fat and salt. Chicken McNuggets are Chicken McNuggets whether it’s got Weight Watchers on it or not.”
What do you think of Weight Watchers and other dieting products? And how do you pig out when trying to lose weight?