We’re always being told that the best way to lose weight is to eat less and exercise more. But escalating obesity figures in Britain are testament to the fact that dieting isn’t that simple.

This week scientists renewed their attack on the calorie-counting process, criticising it for being too complicated.

With low-fat and low-sugar foods regularly masking more calories than their unadulterated counterparts, and some supposedly healthy foods (such as muesli, cereal bars, even salads) packing more calories than chocolate and cakes, it’s not surprising we’re confused — or that so many diets fail.

But one worldwide dieting brand seems to be bucking the trend. Fifteen years ago, Weight Watchers devised a Points system to simplify the complex calorie-counting process. And it seems to be working.

Weight Watchers claims that UK members have lost more than eight million stone between them in the past eight years, and last year alone, its two million UK members successfully lost 11 million pounds of unwanted weight.

And they’re not just blowing their own trumpet. In 2011, a U.S. study ranked Weight Watchers as one of the five best diets in the world, while last year a UK trial found people on Weight Watchers lost twice as much weight as those given dietary advice by their GP.

However, in the past decade, the science of nutrition has moved on, so in 2010, Weight Watchers revolutionised its old Points system, allocating each food (and drink) a ProPoints value, which more accurately measures whether or not it’s going to help — or hinder — your weight-loss progress.

‘Science shows our bodies use different amounts of effort to process proteins, carbohydrates, fats and fibre,’ explains Karen Miller-Kovach, chief scientific officer for Weight Watchers International. ‘Foods that we digest slowly, such as proteins, wholegrain carbohydrates and fibre-rich vegetables can use up to 25 per cent more energy (calories) to digest than fatty and sugary foods.’

ProPoints takes this into account. Although a bar of chocolate and a piece of steak may have the same calorie count (and had a very similar Points value under the old scheme), the protein-packed steak will now have a significantly lower ProPoints value than chocolate.

And, unlike so many diets, no food is off limits, and all fruit and most vegetables have been allocated a ProPoints value of zero.

If you sign-up with Weight Watchers either online or join a local club, you will be given an individually calculated daily ProPoints allowance based on your height, weight and gender.

But everyone also gets a weekly bonus allowance of 49 ProPoints values to ‘spend’ as you wish — on larger portions, snacks, desserts, alcohol and other treats often banned on other diet plans.

Even cynics would have to accept that this system cleverly nudges you towards a diet rich in fresh whole foods and away from quick-fix, high-fat junk food.

Weight Watchers has also come up with an optional alternative to counting ProPoints.

If you know you’re likely to be socialising, or on the move and you’re going to find it tricky to keep track of your ProPoints total, you can skip the points for the day and eat from a list of foods to keep you feeling fuller for longer.

These foods include lean cuts of beef and chicken, fish, beans and pulses, vegetables, and fibre-rich carbohydrates such as bulgar wheat, quinoa and brown rice.

The underlying message, which makes Weight Watchers so popular with the medical community, is that by the time you reach your target weight, healthy eating should have become second nature — so weight loss is more likely to succeed long term.
EXERCISE COUNTS

Studies show that most of us underestimate the calorie count in food but hugely overestimate the number of calories we burn through exercise.

Many diets encourage participants to be active with latest statistics recommending an hour’s exercise is needed every day to maintain any weight lost.

But just as ProPoints have simplified calculations of energy intake, Weight Watchers scientists have devised a whole new concept of Activity ProPoints which you earn for different forms of exercise.

So every ten-minute brisk walk, Zumba class, or escalator you climb earns you ProPoints (calculated according to the amount of effort expended and your weight at the time) which you can either ‘use’ to speed up your weight loss, or increase your 49 ProPoint weekly buffer.

DELICIOUS RECIPES

Starting this Saturday inside your Daily Mail, you’ll find the first of six free magazines to start you on a weight-loss journey that could change how you look — and feel — for ever.

The glossy magazines combine Weight Watchers dieting know-how with the flair and exuberance of four of Britain’s most-loved chefs, who have been challenged to adapt their delicious menu ideas. And for each recipe Weight Watchers’ nutritionists have calculated the dish’s ProPoints value.

TV chef and restaurant owner Gary Rhodes kicks off the series, followed on Monday by Jean-Christophe Novelli. On Tuesday, Gordon Ramsay’s wife Tana has simple but tempting meals the children will love — and which she successfully used to slim. On Wednesday, Antonio Carluccio shares the mouth-watering Italian dishes he used to shed 3½ st.

The fifth magazine in our series showcases EASY Start — a step-by-step, one-meal-at-a-time approach that does all the meal-planning (and counting of ProPoints values) for you. The final glossy magazine is fronted by Alesha Dixon, the new celebrity face of Weight Watchers and the star of its inspirational new TV ad.

Alesha’s magazine explains the crucially important role of exercise in your weight-loss journey.

The following week, look out for our series of six double-sided laminated exercise cards — free with the Daily Mail.

They feature easy-to-follow instructions for toning the major muscle groups, boosting fitness levels through cardiovascular exercise, and a safe and effective programme of stretches.

Via www.dailymail.co.uk