Buy Weight Watchers Magazine for the recipes, not the workouts

I started the Weight Watchers Flex Points Plan only 10 weeks ago and find the meetings do help with motivation, but sometimes it’s a long week between meetings and I hoped that using this magazine would supplement and possibly go deeper into advice, motivation strategies, recipes and exercises to fill in the between meeting void. It has. Somewhat.

Weight Watchers Magazine is only published bimonthly, so six issues per year will have to get you through the rough patches.

Each issue is divided into 8 sections. The table of contents describes each article for easy look up. The magazines are thick, over 150 pages including advertisements.

The issues open up with News including Readers Letters, Contributors, Editors Note by Nancy Gagliardi and a Note From The President/CEO Linda Huett.

Diet includes updates on weight-loss related news, advice for different eating situations like at the food court or office, and a "Mini-Meal" page which takes a classic snack (celery, pretzels) and gives ideas to make it better and includes points values.

Beauty keeps the reader informed on trends and seasonal beauty updates. I wouldn’t count on this section if you are into pricey cosmetics and wanting color tips and runway trends. This is suited more for the everyday gal and tackles subjects like moisturizing, touching up gray roots, and eyebrow shaping. It does keep it affordable though as most products recommended are found at your local cosmetic counter or drugstore and will fit a shoestring budget in some cases. Each month the magazine does a makeover that is realistic and practical – nothing outrageous or too high maintenance. They also give detailed instructions on how to perform the same makeover on yourself at home.

News research and statistics are included in the Nutrition section and I do enjoy the "Like It, Love It" page. If you like one food, for example carrots, they recommend you to try parsnips and give instructions on storage and use. This page may be amateur to food aficionados, but to those looking to expand their cooking options this page is helpful.
Sometimes they will take nutrition myths and headlines and give the reader the real deal on what the research says about them and I found that to be interesting and informative.

The Health update page has never had anything that I haven’t already known about, like how smoking is bad for you, why checkups are good etc, but to those that are obese or don’t understand the weight – health connection these pages could open their eyes up to the damage they are doing to their bodies
"Diagnosis" takes a profile of patients symptoms that have been undiagnosed or misdiagnosed and a Doctor gives a diagnosis and the article follows the patient through their treatment to close the case. In my opinion this article should have some sort of a disclaimer on it. I would hope readers would not read into this too much and do their own self diagnosis. The way medicine is always changing and new discoveries are made, this could become irrelevant or someone may have something more serious that they really should be seeing a specialist about.

Each month the magazine tackles a major health issue in some way. October being Breast Cancer month it really hit home when they featured a young woman who found a lump after losing weight. November brought part 1 of 2 special reports on Diabetes.

Energy is the section I was really banking on, but instead I was disappointed. Sure they give updates and news, and a page with expert advice like how to do a crunch properly, a Q and A, and a tip from a trainer, but only 2 exercises are given in a workout and they are things like jumping jacks, squats or ab toning. The weight loss cardio advice they give is for walking programs and while I agree walking is the cheapest, do anywhere anytime workout, for me I need more. A chart giving a walking program lists walking around the mall and grocery store while shopping as a way to get in part of your workout for the week. Anyone that considers running errands as a way to get exercise is unfortunately missing out on the major benefits of a workout that increases the heart rate or the impact weight lifting can have on weight loss. This is good for anyone new to working out but for people that are already on a program this is a huge step back.

Inspiration is a part of the magazine that deals with the emotional side of weight loss. "Diary of a Goal" currently follows Michelle Burford as she nears a year on the Weight Watchers plan. "Success" stories are very motivational and include real people and a very short story about why they wanted to lose weight, how they are keeping it off and some of the obstacles they faced. Usually at least 4 are featured, sometimes more. In 2 issues only 2 males have been featured. "Insider" is about a Weight Watchers leader – someone who has been on the plan before and now leads meetings. That is one thing I like, that the leaders are people who have been there and had to follow the plan – they can relate to any problems members may have.

Food takes up a large chunk – and the end of the magazine. I am impressed with this and admit it is very helpful. The food and recipes given are simple to follow, don’t require any great cooking skill, and use common ingredients. Entrees and side dishes are given for mixing and matching different meals, quick meals are given for busy weeknights, and desserts finish off your meal without putting you over your limit. Kitchen tips and tricks help make cooking easier, and plenty of advice is given on spices and using them to liven up meals. "Recipe Makeover" is a useful tool. Readers can submit their favorite recipe and the experts will rework it to make it healthier and of lower points value. For those doing the Core plan instead of the Flex plan, you are included too. Core plan recipes are labeled as such, so you don’t have to look them up. Each recipe gives nutritional information and a points value so you can decide right away if it is something you want to fit into your meal plan or not. A sample menu is included giving 3 days of breakfast lunch and dinner on both the Flex and Core plans. I don’t use these menus as I don’t plan my day ahead that much and could never stick to a schedule – it is too fixed for me, but they do help show a new member how to break their day up into meals and snacks.

I’m glad the magazine has so much food content. Over 30+ recipes make it a goldmine for new flavors and meals and have enough to get you through to the next issue. The food is really the only part of the magazine I find worth purchasing, and it is what I would recommend the magazine for.

Ads are scattered throughout the magazine, with some of them set up to look like articles. I do enjoy the ads from food manufacturers and Weight Watchers products to let me know what is out there in ready made products and their points values. Some ads are for “health” foods that are really not all that great – but I would find it helpful if those companies would include a sample of their nutritional information in the ad to let me know before I get to the store if I should even bother to buy it or not. Other ads are for big drug companies and their products. I guess they think it is a good place to advertise because people that may be overweight probably have other ailments that would need to be addressed. Hopefully people realize it would be better to change their habits and prevent illness rather than rush right out to get more medicine to cover up their problems.

$4.95 is the cover price in Canada. Subscription prices are 1 year for $14.95 and 2 years for $24.95. Not bad considering all of the recipes you will get in a year worth of issues.

If you are new to the Weight Watchers plan and need help with motivation, being introduced to working out and basic health information, Weight Watchers magazine will be good for you. If you want more advanced workouts and exercise tips I would recommend going to a magazine more like Oxygen, Fitness, or Muscle and Fitness for Her, as they are way more in depth and will also cover healthy recipes as well.

If you are not on the Weight Watchers plan the magazine would still be of use to those new to healthy living, but they will find the points talk confusing or irrelevant.

I feel Weight Watchers Magazine does have a spot on the market, but for me I will not be subscribing, but will purchase it or borrow it from a friend to read for the recipes.